GunDread SEED The Second Stage
by Freedom Guard
Summary: This is the second stage of GunDread SEED, and I will be busy with this one for a bit soon. One note of warning...there will be lemons in the coming chapters...VERY serious lemons
1. Chapter 1

GunDread SEED- The Second Stage

( ): Thoughts

Prologue

Dangerous times…

--

On the planet once called Earth…

The Earth Council was in session, in the chamber filled and covered with cold emotionless metal, much like the former humans who now reside in them.

The members of the Council finished their deliberations and then turned their attention to the records in a nearby view-screen..

The images on the Council's view screen depicted the disaster that was known as the Battle in Quadrant A-6, in which they had lost a quarter of their forces…

To the Nirvana…

"We had expended great amounts of resources in total to create our fleets, and so far we all had acceptable losses, but the loss of a battleship and 100 of its escort fleet is totally unacceptable." One council leader stated as he watched the images on the view screens, all showing nothing but wrecks and scrap.

"All thanks to this ship and its forces!" Another gritted as the images depicted the Nirvana and its forces of Dreads, and Vanguards.

"And most of all…thanks to that Gundam."

The images changed to show Freedom once more active and fighting Dominion, and the newly evolved GunDreads as the battle footage went underway.

The images disappeared as the whole Earth Council faced each other.

"We had developed a weapon without any weakness and had given it powers to rival that Gundam, or even to surpass it! And yet the Freedom came back and destroyed Dominion, and then it decimated an entire combat fleet. What are we going to do now?"

The Council faced their top weapons specialist who cringed at the questioning looks of his superiors.

"We had no way of…"

"Silence! I am asking you directly as YOU were the one who came up with the development of the Dominion. You yourself said that you designed the weapons of the Gundam to surpass that of the Freedom, and we saw the Dominion plunge it's beam saber deep in the Freedom's chest, and the Gundam and it's pilot still survived that horrendous wound where no one else could have… yet they…lived. How is that possible?"

"I do not know…masters."

"Of course…you all thought that by merely using those beam attacks you installed in Dominion then the battle would have been won. It would have been better that you ordered the Dominion to bring back both Freedom's wreckage and the carcass of the pilot here to truly show to us that they were dead, and instead of confirming the kills with proper physical evidence, you all mislead us in your arrogance and pride with the Gundam you spawned, and now you shall suffer."

The technician crumpled to the floor in pain and agony as he convulsed as the obedience chip hotwired to his pain receptors was activated. In the span of an agonizing minute and a half, the pain ended as he then tried to recover slowly.

"Your creation failed to eliminate these pests in the path of the Harvest; I don't even know why we even decided to let your staff create that…"

"The Dominion…may have been destroyed. But it's CPU…was not obliterated. Masters."

The Harvesters stopped and looked at their underling. The leader spoke out as he told the tech to rise. "What do you mean?"

"We had decided that if the Nirvana could develop weapons the MAY surpass Dominion, we designed the CPU to record all the combat data that we could acquire for later testing and analysis. And in the event that the Dominion was destroyed the CPU would detach itself from the body and would send a retrieval signal to my core teams."

"What good will that do for the Harvest?"

"We still have the designs of Dominion in the archive computers, and with the combat data handed to us by the first Dominion model, we can update and re-program the next Dominion model to adapt to any new tactic the Freedom and it's pilot would use in the next encounter. With this data, plus the resources we have gained from several of the worlds that we have already harvested of organs, we can create not one Dominion…but a whole series of Dominion Gundam types, and each will be able to upgrade the new models using the data collected by those that HAVE been destroyed."

The Council deliberated over the idea, and after several minutes, they nodded as the leader spoke to the head technician.

"When will the new Dominion units be ready?"

The tech nodded as he showed the Council some images.

"The new Dominion models have been completed, not three weeks ago, they have now finished downloading ALL the data from the first Dominion, thought they still have the same arsenals, they are far more capable than the first, and are ready to face off against the Nirvana. There are at least a half dozen of them ready for battle."

"Good, but what about the enhanced GunDreads?" A Council member asked.

The tech nodded as the images changed to reveal another sinister looking machine.

"This one will deal with that. We have delved into the mysteries of the fusion process used by the Freedom and those strange Dreads. This machine creates an energy pulse beam that can cancel and disrupt the fusion process, plus it is more than ready to battle with the Nirvana forces."

The Earth Council leaders then faced one another in discussion, once it was over the leader nodded.

"Send the new Dominion units, and the new ship against the Nirvana along with an assault detachment, the sooner we can destroy the Nirvana and that pesky Gundam, the smoother the Harvest will be."

Another Council member then spoke. "But what IF the Freedom defeats the Dominion units, and defeats the next batch. That Gundam's pilot is VERY resourceful, his defeat of the first Dominion Gundam is proof of that."

"If the new models fail, then we can improve the new ones that come, they will then gain the needed weapons and systems to finally crush the Freedom and the Nirvana. Besides that…" The tech nodded with a slight smile as he typed in some new codes.

The images changed to reveal three new Mobile Suit design plans and specifications.

"…who said that the Dominion Gundam is the only Gundam model we can make?"

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2

GunDread SEED- The Second Stage

Disclaimer: Ah, another disclaimer. I don't own either VanDread or Gundam SEED, I'm just using them for a story, and not for profit.

( ): Thoughts

Chapter 1

Infinite Freedom

--

Kyo and Freedom were racing through the cosmos in formation. Behind them were the three transformed Dreads, and ahead of them were the enemy. Cube Fighters, and other ships from planet Earth which began firing red beams that the four pilots found it hard to avoid them all.

Kyo immediately combined with Dita's Dread, and with Meia and Jura as back-up went to face the enemy, but as soon as they were complete in transformation, they were then struck hard on the right arm, the appendage sheared off completely. Inside the cockpit, Kyo and Dita were in deep pain, Sparks and smoke were everywhere and panels were busted all around them, and Kyo had no doubt in his mind that this was only going to get worse, as the huge machine drifted hopelessly into space. Kyo tried to reactivate and use the other cannon arm for some real payback, however, the arm dimmed and shut down completely.

They watched in horror as Meia, and Jura tried their best to fight back but were badly damaged by the incoming red beams that increased in number and power. The communications caught their screams of agony as they were defeated. Then the enemy turned their sights towards the Nirvana and their gun sights as well. Red beams began pummeling the shields of the Nirvana and the shields can't hold the assault and were stripped away. In mere moments the ship was blasted apart and was engulfed in an explosion.

Then, Kyo screamed as GunDread Dita was consumed by the explosion, along with the remains of Meia and Jura's Dreads. In one brief moment he saw an image that resembled his Gundam, yet wasn't… and three new Gundams…that looked familiar.

--

"AAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!"

THUD!

Kyo groaned as he sat from the floor of his quarters. The bloody nightmare had caused him to fall off his bunk bed. He shook his head as his breathing and heart rates went back to normal levels. After getting up from the floor, he wondered whether the dream was only a dream or an omen for things to come.

He had no doubt that even though it was a dream, the pain and fear felt to real to be an illusion, and there was something happening, and it had nothing to do with the dreams this time. Ever since they had won against that Harvester flagship, he had been feeling somewhat different, his reflexes were somewhat higher along with his physical strength had been boosted as well, and on occasion he was experiencing bouts of light-headedness on occasion, as well as some mild migraines, Though Duero assured him that he was only suffering battle fatigue from all the constant battles, The Gundam pilot and Coordinator knew that though his body was completely human but was also totally unlike the norm. He was changing inside, as if something dormant was now ready to awaken.

Another thing the pilot had noticed that he had become somewhat even stronger than last time….far stronger. Just last week he had caved in a console at the Register when it malfunctioned, he only intended to tap it lightly, but now the console looked like a cannon was fired into the side of it. Another time, he accidentally caused some injuries to a trainee during training executing a simple Judo toss during a light workout. That had caused some of the women to rather cautious and nervous near him. He had made a note to train harder to put all his abilities under control including their newly awakening strength. But strength wasn't his only concern, just two days after that, he accidentally hotwired the Register's supply computer, and that made things a bit hectic as the girls tried to sort out the jumbled mess he unintentionally made. He decided to take a few extra hours in training to smoothen the rough edges of his suddenly growing abilities, both mental and physical.

--

The Hanger…

Kyo was busy looking at Freedom as he thought about everything when he left his quarters. He was so deep in silence and thought as he thought about the dreams he had, so concerned and focused on the mystery that he wasn't aware of several certain individuals.

"Mr. Alien?"

Kyo turned to the sound of the voice and spotted Meia, Dita, and Jura standing behind him. Meia was in her usual black, gray, and white jumpsuit minus her chest and shoulder padding. Dita was decked out in flannel pajamas with an image of a green alien on the top of her clothes. Jura, on the other hand was wearing a sheer nightdress with pink fur and ruffles that denoted her nature and she also had a robe on. However, the Gundam operator could tell that there was something troubling them all, if their apprehensive expressions were any indication.

"What are you three doing up at this late an hour?" Kyo asked, concerned with the three Dread pilots.

The Dread Leader was the first to speak. "It was trying to tell all of us something. At least, that's what I think it was about."

Kyo's eyes narrowed a bit. "You all saw that dream too, I take it?"

Dita nodded vigorously and perked up. "You had that dream too, Mr. Alien?"

"Yeah I did. Personally…I don't like it one bit."

Jura became rather worried. "Still, why did we all have that SAME dream?"

"Maybe it's because we all share the same experience."

Meia theorized as she recalled the Paeksis implosion long ago.

"The transformations of our individual Dreads, Freedom's ability to fuse with them is proof of that. It fits even more that we can now fuse with Liberty, since it used to be a Vanguard support unit before being reformatted by the Paeksis."

"There can be a bit more than that." Kyo said with a tone of inner uncertainty.

"What do you mean, Mr. Alien?" Dita asked.

"Well…I have been feeling somewhat strange lately. I'm a lot stronger and mentally faster but I can't keep tabs on my strength. I'm breaking things left and right and breaking into things I'm not supposed to without even trying. And…I've got some idea that it has something to do with my Gundam and the Paeksis."

"Explain." Meia prompted.

Kyo thought back a bit after their last battle.

"Before I got hammered handed back there by my Gundam counterpart, the Paeksis engulfed me and began showing images that I had understood, but partially since they were shown to me at such high speed. It then started reacting to me as if I was connected to it in ways I don't understand, then…I…uhhh…"

"Died?" Meia supplied.

"Yeah…when I died, the Paeksis engulfed me in itself once more and showed me some more images. And…I had some more images fly by me, and it kept saying phrases I didn't understand until it meant that I'm not complete."

"What?" Jura inquired.

Kyo sighed as he thought back on his conversation with the Paeksis. "It kept on saying Kyo IS Kyo, but Kyo is not complete." I didn't understand all of it, but then I realized that it meant that although my real name IS Kyo I'm not whole."

"You mean…Mr. Alien IS Mr. Alien, but Mr. Alien is not completely Mr. Alien?"

Kyo frowned. "Now stop right there, I had enough of that jargon when I died, I don't need a recap of it."

"So If Kyo IS your real name, but it's not complete, then what IS your full name?" Jura asked.

Kyo sighed again and shook his head.

"I honestly don't remember. I wasn't lying the time when I was battling Dominion for the first time. I can't recall anything about myself except for the past few months I spent wandering the cosmos with only Freedom and winding up here on the Nirvana when I planned to leave Talark via the Ikazuchi. I can't recall everything about myself. I don't know anything about my parents, where I was born, what planet I come from. I don't even recall my own birthday or how old I am now."

"Honestly, You don't know?" Dita was in shock to hear that Mr. Alien didn't even know how old he was or when his birthday was.

Kyo nodded. "Duero estimated my age to be around nineteen or my early twenties, but that's only a conservative estimation at best. I could be younger or older for all I know."

Dita then asked another question. "So what do you remember Mr. Alien?"

"Well, the only thing I can recall clearly is all the places, people, and some of the battles I fought in with Freedom months before. The travels I had before finally landing on Talark. But before that I'm at a total cross-roads. Like I said before, I can only see shadows, and ghosts of what was my childhood, and my growing up years. I can't recall anything since the memories were all hazy or fragmented. When I died the Paeksis showed me more images of what appeared to be my past, right when I was born, but they were in fragments and were not clear though I know they were part of my growing up stage."

"So what the only memory you can recall clearly?" Meia asked.

Kyo thought back and nodded. "I remember… awakening…and being in Freedom."

"Awakening?" Jura asked.

"That's what I felt... It's like I was asleep for a very long time, and something allowed me to wake up. I saw myself in Freedom's cockpit and when I got out I found myself in a deep crater with old structures…like some kind of monument. When I got back to Freedom and got out of the crater I found myself in a dreary and desolate landscape, there was water almost everywhere, like I was on an island, the sky was always filled with storm-clouds and the storms were terrible. The place was also filled with massive electromagnetic discharges and radiation storms. I was lucky that Freedom's Neutron Jammer Canceller filtered out the damage. I felt like it was the planet I was born on, though part of me tells me that this world wasn't the same. When I took off from that world with Freedom, the outer area of the atmosphere was surrounded by massive machines. After that…Freedom and I made out way through the galaxy."

"There's one thing that bothers me. Your Gundam is not like any machine I've ever recalled in my time with the others nor does it match the Vanguards. But yet it seems to be part of something I can vaguely recall. What exactly is Freedom, who built it, and how come you can use it so well?" Meia asked.

"That's another thing I can't really answer. I don't know who built Freedom, and who taught me how to pilot it so well."

"You don't know?" Dita asked.

"Yeah, I know it's a Gundam with immense combat power, but there was no mention as to where it was built, who designed it, and most especially why it was with me. Nor do I know why I can be the only one who knows how to use it's full power."

"That is so weird." Jura commented.

"That's one thing I can agree on, the really strange thing is that it has two reactors, one being the nuclear reactor and a reactor that has the same power as the Paeksis reactor on the ship. I was on the verge of leaving the Ikazuchi when those torpedoes struck the Ikazuchi and activated the reactor, ever since then, the Freedom's been different, it's a lot stronger and faster than before, and now it's like something is about to awaken inside of it."

Kyo turned to face his Gundam and then looked back at Dita, Meia, and Jura and then looked surprised as he spotted three dots appear in their eyes briefly glowing. The dots looked like the physical manifestation of his own SEED ability, Dita's was deep blue, Jura's was emerald green, while Meia's was aqua-green. The SEED like objects faded just as quickly as they appeared, and Kyo decided that he was just seeing things.

Jura then winced in pain as she felt throbbing sensations in her head. "I'm sorry, but I'm head back to my room." She said as she left the hanger leaving the others.

--

0530 hours…

Kyo was walking towards his quarters to get a little extra shut-eye before hitting the galley for some grub, he was still deep in thought, so it wasn't hard to understand that he didn't notice a certain somebody.

"Mr. Alien!"

Kyo sighed a bit and turned to face the Dread pilot Dita as she came up running to him, still in her pajamas.

"Yes, what is it you want now?"

The red-haired Dread pilot became rather nervous and twiddled her fingers in front of her chest. Her cheeks were flushed with light pink as she tried to get her mouth to speak the words. "I…well, I…"

(I've got a bad feeling about this…)

"Just say it." Kyo prodded with a little gentle yet firm irritation.

"Right. I…was wondering…when you were going to come to my room. Remember, you promised?"

( I KNEW IT!)

The Gundam pilot shouted mentally while mentally slapping himself as he recalled the promise he made to Dita back then in the battle with the Earth mothership. He knew promises that were intimate were the hardest to keep especially where this one could lead…

"You're right… I did promise…didn't I?"

Dita perked up immediately at this. "So are you coming today?"

"Uhhh…no… not just today."

"Then tomorrow? The day after tomorrow? The day after that? When?"

Kyo knew that if he was in any close proximity with the buxom red-head then he would have a real hard time handling his male instincts, especially if they were together alone, and in the proximity of a bed, so he naturally tried to think up an excuse, and then he turned around and headed down the hall. "Soon, I promise."

Dita became a bit disappointed, but immediately perked right up. "Then how about we have breakfast together?"

Kyo sighed a bit and saw no problem with the idea. "Sure, why not."

--

Meia looked at Kyo and Dita as they made their way to the galley. The Dread pilot had a slight forlorn look in her eyes as she briefly imagined herself walking beside the Gundam pilot. After months of working together onboard the Nirvana, she had grown…used…to having the males around, namely Kyo. What was it about the Gundam pilot that always made her feel so…she had absolutely no way to describe the sensations she gets when he was near! (1)

"Today will be a VERY interesting day!"

Meia turned and spotted to her right Paiway, who was up early and was now busy writing down her observations on her trusty notebook. Floating nearby was none other than Pyoro.

The precocious and inquisitive eleven-year-old girl held out her frog puppet and spoke in her favorite comic voice. "Dita and Kyo are acting really strange! Kero, kero!"

Pyoro on the other hands wasn't feeling as chipper as he then floated in front of Paiway and then…hiccupped? "Actually…that's totally normal."

Paiway shoved the machine aside and gave it a real stern lecture. "It's totally impolite to interrupt a lady when she's talking!" She then became somewhat puzzled. "Hey, wait a minute, since when does a robot hiccup?"

"HIC!"

--

The briefing room…

"We're approximately ninety days away from entering Megele space." BC commented as she displayed the data screen depicting the Nirvana's position in the galaxy today as she, the captain, and the head supplier were in a conference.

"The message pod we sent to our home-planet before should have arrived by now. Talark as well should have received the other one also." The captain said.

"And there's been no response at all." Gascogne stated. "Maybe we're being ignored."

"That wouldn't be a total surprise, I guess the information can be rather hard to believe, especially coming from us." Mango reminded her senior staff, they were pirates, so they had no compunction to rob both Talark and Megele ships, so they weren't exactly popular with the governments on both planets. "After all, the enemy is after both our reproductive organs."

It was then that they received an incoming message from the engineer Parfet.

"Captain, we've got a serious problem here." The bespectacled girl called out.

"What's the problem, Parfet?"

"It's the Paeksis. Something's happening to it. I'm not entirely sure what's wrong, but our overall power levels have dropped by at least thirty percent."

This puzzled the three women, until Buzam voiced out a suggestion.

"Maybe there are some remaining rejection issues between the male and female ships? After all, the Nirvana is composed out the old section of the Ikazuchi, and our own Megele combat cruiser."

"Maybe the ship's like us?" Gascogne suggested. "The gender gap here is still pretty large. There are only three men and 150 of us women onboard. Some of us are STILL not used to the idea of having them onboard."

--

Duero was busy reading from a collection of old books from the storage areas of the old Ikazuchi, he however was reading a copy of a certain book while his companion Bart was rather busy munching on nutrition pellets.

"They always said the women eat men's livers and …" Bart was saying when he noted that his audience was busy on other matters. "Hey…what's in those books that got you so interested?"

The doctor turned the hardcover of the books and, the book happened to be a children's guide on the…(ahem) 'facts of life' (work with me here). "This one of the books that I found in the storage area and their dated back to the Colonization Era." Duero answered as he decided to read the contents of his book. "The male donor or father, gives the seed called the sperm, to the recipient female or mother, which combines with the eggs or the ovum. The fertilized ovum, also known now as the zygote, gestates into a fetus over the course of nine months…"

"Well isn't that interesting?" Bart commented with sarcasm, as he had no idea what Duero was talking about.

"It's QUITE interesting!" Duero said with a glint in his eye. After studying female anatomy together and treating members of the Nirvana's crew, he was very eager to learn every quirk and nuance of the female gender.

The two men then turned as they spotted another individual, staggering towards his bunk. Kyo let out a tired sound as he plopped onto his bed.

--

One of the women's restrooms…

"It's really strange." Sara commented as she spoke with Mai. "We've been with the men for several months now and…" She let her voice trail of as they recalled the indescribable feelings concerning the men onboard, namely a man in particular.

"I know, it's really funny." The descendant of the Miazaki family pondered for a few moments. "I've been taught from the cradle to hate all men, but…I can't bring myself to hate Kyo. He…saved my life once, he saved all our lives in more than one occasion. It's kind of hard to hate someone who placed his life on the line to save your own. And there are those other talents of his! Who would've thought that there's a man who could sing, dance, play music, and even cook?!" Mai thought back on the day the former Yamato had cooked the meals of her companions in the Register, and on her off time she learned some really nifty skills in culinary arts from the young man.

"Same here. There's…just something about him. Hey, you don't suppose…?"

Mai thought about that for a while and then shrugged her shoulders as she understood her comrade's unspoken question.

"Well, according to that old video record that they found during Christmas, men and women USED to live together…and even had children…though I don't know how they did it."

"What do you think? Could you ever…?"

Mai became rather flustered at that. "What?! Me?! NO! Whatever gave you THAT idea?!"

"Well…would that be so bad…with Kyo? Come on, be honest about this! I've already asked some of the girls in the Crusader Squadron and they've already admitted to thinking about asking Kyo to be an Ohma."

"Kyo as an Ohma? Get real here! What sort of kids would we have?" Mai scoffed.

The Elsman girl smirked at that. "Ohhh, so you HAVE thought about it."

"What do you mean?"

"You said what kind of kids would 'WE' have. Were you thinking about becoming a Fahma?"

Mai's face reddened instantly. "Well…yes, the thought did cross my mind…once… er, and, well, ah…"

The descendant of Dearka and Milly smiled and decided to ease up on her teasing.

"Actually, I've been thinking about what would happen if Kyo would become my children's Ohma. Would they be like me or be like him?"

Both girls became silent as images of chibi versions of themselves and Kyo danced in their minds for a while. At that exact moment, Barnette entered the room from another corridor.

"You know, if those men hadn't come onboard the Nirvana, and especially Kyo, we would never even think or consider such things." Mai remarked.

"You're right about that." Sara nodded in agreement. "We used to think that they carried all sorts of diseases and germs. I guess that they're not all that bad as we thought."

"Prisoners are prisoners."

Barnette said coldly as she walked past them, though in reality she had buried the hatchet between her and the Gundam pilot she still felt irritated about the idea of men and women working together, and towards the male gender in general. She turned towards them as she reached the exit. 'If we decide to let our guard down, then the men will take advantage of us again!"

Just as she was about to leave, both Sara and Mai became rather nervous.

"What do you think she's going to do now? Is she going to start a ruckus like before?" Sara said worriedly.

"Maybe we should inform the Captain or the Commander?" Mai suggested.

Just then, Barnette's head popped back into the restroom and angrily retorted. "I'm not going to do anything! Hmph!"

Both girls remained tense as she left.

Unknown to any of them, another individual was listening in on their conversation from the other side of the restroom; Jura became rather introspective and interested.

(Hmmm…Kyo as an Ohma?)

She winced a bit as her headache came back with a vengeance, she made a note to drop by the medical bay if the pain persisted.

--

"You made a promise to Dita?" Duero asked as he, Bart and Kyo were in discussion with one another.

"Yeah, I made that promise by mistake during that battle with the Earth Harvester mothership and with Dominion."

"I don't see any problem with it, why don't you just go and see her?" Bart said nonchalantly.

"It's not that easy!" Kyo retorted as he tried not to blush, the one thing he inherited from his dad Kira, was his uneasiness when with the opposite sex. Kyo immediately blushed even more when that word came into mind.

"What do you mean by that?"

Duero asked, his interest rising easily, as he saw the blush on Kyo's face. In addition to learning all that he could about female physiology, the physician was deeply interested in the ancient social interactions with males and females during the Colonization Era. After he found the old video on Christmas, the healer was immediately working on finding every book on the subject, and since it became obvious that Kyo knew a lot about those ancient practices…

"Well…it's kind of like this…" Kyo stammered a bit as he tried to explain the situation to the Talark men.

"I may know the mechanics…and I do…recall applying them before, but it's been a while since…I did something like this, and I haven't applied them to this kind of thing, and well,…to put this simply, I've…never been…on a…date for a long time!"

"Date?" Bart looked confused.

"What is this…thing you call a date?" Duero asked curiously as well.

Kyo sighed and tired to find words to explain this facet of man and woman interaction, he closed his eyes and pinched his nose. "Right. I keep forgetting you guys aren't familiar with these things, since you're from Talark. Okay then…let's put it this way. Well, when two…men from Talark get to know one another really well, and really LIKE each other's company, then the two of them can decide to make a child together, right?"

Bart nodded. "That's correct. Genetic material from both men is spliced together and the baby is formed in a vat. We all learned that babies were born in factories when we were in grade school."

"Right…" Kyo nodded, that seemed similar to some planets he had been on long ago namely Terra 2. He continued his explanations. "Now the two men can't just decide to create a baby right off, right? There's a time period between meeting one another and making that fateful decision that I can guess you all could call… a courtship."

(And I use that term loosely.)

"Courtship?" Duero asked.

"Courtship is the process of getting to know one another. To see if the person has the same likes, if the one is emotionally attracted to the other, to find similar ground, the same interests, and other details like that."

"Ah." Duero said in understanding. "Yes, things like that happen a lot on Talark too. I happen to know some really happy couples."

"I'll bet…" Kyo said while a small sweatdrop fell past his head as he went on with the explanations.

"Well, this form of courtship is also called 'dating' back in the old days. Every time a couple were together to do something…enjoyable with each other's…company, that was called a date."

"I see now." Bart nodded. "So what you intend to do with Dita is something that both you and her will enjoy."

"You…could, put it that way. The thing is…well, I'm not all that sure how far that's going to go. I'm…ah, well, not expecting IT to happen on the first time, but anything can happen, and one night-stands happened on some planets I've been to, along with other things. Me…I'm a very straight-laced type of guy, and it's been really hard for me being in a ship full of attractive females, and I'm barely succeeding in restraining myself. I've been taking so many cold showers for months now, but they seem to be losing their touch!"

"IT?" Bart asked.

"What do you mean IT?" Duero asked, then added. "And we're not familiar with the terms 'straight-laced' and 'one-night stands'. Please clarify."

"Yeah, you really have to explain that. And what do cold showers have to do with any of this?" Bart inquired once more.

Kyo sighed a bit as he knew that he would have to cut to the chase and be a little more direct. Taking a deep calming breath he spoke once more directing his question to Duero.

"Tell me something Duero; you mentioned something about there being some happy couples on your home-planet, right?"

"Yes, why do you ask?" The doctor inquired.

"Okay, this should make things easier. Now then, do these couples engage in certain physically intimate acts to express their feelings for one another? I mean with their…(ahem) private parts?"

Both Talark men thought it over then a look of comprehension on what Kyo was hinting at. "OH…THAT!" The three men exclaimed while nodding.

"Yeah, I'm referring to that." The blue-violet eyed Gundam pilot nodded.

Bart shrugged his shoulders. "Why didn't you say so in the first place? Yeah, we do that, we call it…"

"Yeah, yeah I get the point." Kyo quickly interrupted and went on after taking a deep breath. "Well, what I'll tell you will shock you, so work with me here. The real reason why I asked you that…is that a man…can do the very same thing…with a woman."

It took a full minute and a half for that little revelation to sink in, and the results…were a little…varied.

"GET OUT OF HERE!" Bart said with a totally disbelieving expression.

"Really?" Duero looked back then to his book, then he made the connection. Holding up the book he showed what he was reading to the Gundam pilot and the medic posed a question. "So…if a man became really intimate with a woman, then does that mean…?"

Kyo looked at the book's cover and nodded while giving out a sigh. At least one of them got the idea as to why he was a little uneasy being near Dita. "You got that right Duero. That's how humans had children long before cloning and gene splicing. In truth, that's what nature intended all this time."

"That is so GROSS!" Bart shuddered a bit at the idea, the he began getting images of him and the First Officer Buzam, and he wondered why his groin area was strangely getting stimulated.

Duero took a contemplating look. "Actually, we both have been having theories and ideas on things I've long suspected. I mean, it's totally obvious from the evidence we've found that humans had to have reproduced naturally before the times of Megele and Talark's cloning and genetic manipulation techniques. That should explain also the differences in extremities between males and females. Tell me Kyo, do these differences play together with one another? Do they play a pivotal role in the process of procreation?"

"Oh yes they do…in more ways than one." Kyo said as he had images of certain indecent things enter his mind. He shook his head clear before those thoughts turned improper…especially when he began thinking of the all female crew of the Nirvana.

"That sounds like a real amount of trouble to me though." Bart remarked.

"Well, to be honest…" Kyo began hemming and hawing as he tried to explain the physical mechanics of inter-gender procreation.

"The process of procreation isn't…an exact science…not like what you have in Talark, and what they have on Megele. The…um, timing has to be right to ensure the correct period of fertilization…the conditions…have to be favorable namely when the woman is ready, and …well, both partners have to be in…the sufficient mood and drive for it to take place. And even after it's done…it doesn't…always guarantee 100 conception, it takes…several attempts, sometimes."

"Hold it. Now let me see if I have this right. If all that is so troublesome and so unreliable, then why do they do it?"

"Well Bart, the act of natural procreation in itself is quite…pleasurable. And when the two consenting partners, man and woman feel very deeply for one another, they enjoy doing the act of mating just for the sake of it. Come on, be honest, you two should know the meaning of the word love, right?" Kyo asked as he too thought about this clearly, while trying not to lose his objectivity.

"This is real fascinating!" Duero said with a totally focused expression. "Where did you learn all this?"

"Well… there are some worlds out there that still practice the old methods of procreation, without the aid of machines or technology. And although I don't recall clearly, I do know…some considerable things….about the process myself."

Duero nodded with a smile and hand under his chin as he was deep in thought. "I must say, this act as you call it sounds really interesting. It would certainly help in conserving resources, time, and effort. So how exactly do two people, man and woman accomplish this act? Can you demonstrate it to us? Since you'll be heading for Dita's room, then why don't you ask her to volunteer?"

THOOM!

Naturally the Talark doctor had no idea on why Kyo was reacting to that simple question. "Then perhaps others can volunteer too? Why don't you ask either Meia or Jura to volunteer also?"

THOOM!

--

Later at the Medical bay, this morning…

"Wow! It's gotten so big!" Paiway remarked as she looked with joy at images of Ezra's ultrasound. "Look at it move!"

Beside her, totally entranced by the images was none other than Pyoro. The robot had already decided that the baby would be named Pyoro 2, though it was obvious that Ezra had other ideas.

Duero nodded as he held a probe over Ezra's enlarged abdomen. The bridge officer was lying on the examination table and gently rubbing her belly.

"By my calculations, the baby will be ready to detach any time now." The doctor announced as he also watched the images with interest.

Ezra shook her head. "We call it giving birth."

The young apprentice nurse became somewhat worried.

"Hey, Ezra. Where are you planning to have the baby? We don't have the right equipment here on the ship, and…"

She glanced at Duero. "A man certainly can't do it."

The medic cleared his throat as he showed the book, on the 'How to' mechanics on the facts of life. "Don't worry about that, I have already completed my studies on pregnancies and childbirth." Duero said smiling assuredly.

Both women and the robot developed huge sweat-drops. (Hey, I'd be really worried myself though I'm no med-student.)

At that moment, Jura came in with a hand on her forehead.

"Doctor, I've got a real splitting headache. I need something."

Duero looked up. "Headache?" he then thought back on the conversation he had with Kyo. "Come to think of it, Kyo had been experiencing headaches, namely this morning." He took a look at Pyoro who still floated a bit erratically." "I've heard that the Paeksis has been acting up lately as well. I wonder if it's all related?"

"Doctor! Would you please give me something for this headache?" Jura said with irritation, then softened up. "I'm sorry, I didn't have to shout like that."

The healer nodded. "It's all right Jura." He said as he motioned her to sit down. "I'll get you an analgesic."

The voluptuous blonde sat down and waited, she then noticed on the table, the book that Duero was busy reading before. She picked one up and began scanning the contents. Her eyes widened a bit as she comprehended the contents. Her eyes then went to the ultrasound.

(Wow. Ezra's baby has gotten real big.)

Jura's mind then recalled the conversation Mai and Sara had back at the restroom.

(Kyo as an Ohma…)

--

Duero was both in deep contemplation as he prepared Jura's medicine, his hands moved with ease and practice as he carefully measured the dosage. As Duero went to work on the tasks in the Medical Bay, he thought back on the conversation he had with the Gundam pilot. What Kyo had told him was very shocking to say the least, yet the physician couldn't deny the possibility, that man and woman were able to produce children together, long before the time of Talark and Megele. The evidence was right in front of him, namely in the old storage room, during that time in Christmas, all of that dated back to at least a hundred years ago.

As he thought more and more about it, his thoughts went back to his conversations with Ezra concerning Megele child birth. At that point he went into a brainstorm as he formed a new train of thought. His mind drifted back as he recalled his medical sessions in the academy on genetics and the sciences of bio-engineering and manipulation, but he recalled something from his teacher about a certain danger in gene manipulation, though others knew about it, it wasn't paid much attention by all the men, even those in the same medical profession but instead, it was discounted and eventually forgotten, Duero however, wasn't the type of person to leave problems alone.

(Could it be possible?)

Duero thought about the idea a bit more and then decided to work in order to see whether the theory he had in mind was true or not and he needed to do more research. After Duero had finished with Jura's prescription, he went to his computer console and punched in some data to create a power base for some new tests he intended to do. As Duero handed Jura her medicine, he took along a few aspiration needles to take some samples as well.

--

Later…

Jura came to a decision while she and her best friend Barnette were in the holographic firing range an hour later. Her constant companion was shooting targets with an old Earth model handgun that was part of her trusty collection of firearms. Her accuracy was flawless and precise as she hit every target that came into view. Then Jura spoke out of the blue…

"I want to have a baby."

That had immediate results as Barnette missed her target completely. She turned to face Jura with a totally shocked expression on her face. "A baby?!"

"Yep." Jura answered with a whimsical smile.

"A-A-A-Are you asking me to be the Ohma?!" The gun in her hands wavered as the Dread pilot found herself trembling.

Jura shook her head as she explained her intentions. "No, not that way. I mean I want to make a baby with a man."

THAT got Barnette's attention. "WHAT?!"

The blonde pirate nodded and looked away with a starry-eyed look in her eyes.

"Making a baby with a man! The first women to do that! Think on how famous I would be if I came back on Megele with that baby! I'd be the heroine of a new era!"

Barnette shook her head a bit as a sweatdrop flowed behind her head. "Well, that sounds just like you."

She sighed a bit as she recognized the look in her blonde friend's eyes. Once Jura had something on her mind, nothing seemed capable of changing it.

"Tell me two things though, how do you plan on accomplishing this? And most of all, do you have a donor in mind?"

Jura smiled as she held out the book she borrowed from Kyle. "This will help me, and you should recall, there ARE three men on this ship."

Jura's best friend became somewhat edgy as she read some of the contents in the book, then looked at her best friend. "Don't tell me you plan on asking Bart…"

Jura shook her head at that. "No, he's too much of a crybaby."

"How about that doctor, Duero…?"

"No, he's not the one I have in mind. He's really nice, but I have a feeling that Parfet won't like that idea. She seems to be getting really attached to him."

"All right, I'll take your word for it…but that only leaves…"

Jura's grin was well pronounced. "Yes, Kyo… Just as we make the perfect GunDread with our machines, we'll combine to form the perfect daughter!"

--

Jura smiled a bit as she thought about the idea of being the Fahma of the child between her and Kyo. She however wasn't aware of the fact that she wasn't the ONLY girl with the idea of having a baby with a man.

Mai Miazaki paused in her work at the Register as she thought back at her conversation with Sara, she wondered how it would be like if she had a daughter with all her features, but with eyes just like Kyo. She wondered on that as she recalled her experiences with the Gundam pilot and only male Register operator. She felt that was something about him, every time she saw him she saw him move like an athlete and looking him in the face made her suddenly…

Mai shook her head as tried to make sense of the thoughts in her mind. Why was she thinking of things like that? Weren't all men the enemy? She had been taught since the day she was born to hate all men without question. They weren't to be worth anything and were lower than garbage and were totally dishonorable, besides, a man was the reason her ancestor's dreams and happiness was shattered.

However, try as she might, she couldn't force herself to hate Kyo now. She went back to her conversation with the Elsman descendant. Would it really be so bad? Kyo showed her that not all men were like those things she had been taught on her home-planet, he showed kindness, gentleness, courage, honor, and respect to all his crewmates, not mattering whether they were man or woman, and most of all, he was so full of surprises. She could…get used to being close to him. She realized that there was no need to hate Kyo himself…but there was the chance to grow…in love with him.

She decided to place this new line of thought in the back-burner a bit longer, then made her decision, if Kyo was willing, she would ask him to become the Ohma of her children, and damn the family and Megele edict to hate men, to the young woman, the time had come for that nonsensical policy to end.

--

Sara wiped some sweat from her brow as she went in deep contemplation as she worked in maintaining her Vanguard. Her own thoughts on her experiences with the males.

Ever since she was born, she had deep pride in her heritage and strove to be just like the great soldiers of old in her distant past and family. She excelled in hand-to-hand combat and was considered the best and no one seemed to be her equal, and most certainly not a man. Then Kyo appeared. Not only did he prove to be her equal, but also her superior. That placed deep dents on her pride as a warrior initially, and made her resent him. But he showed her equal respect and gave her the second in command of the Vanguards and he placed great trust in her combat skills and leadership talents, without question, whenever he needed to combine Freedom with the Dreads.

Despite being a man, Sara admitted that there were no other people who could equal Kyo and she respected his skills as a Gundam pilot and as a warrior. He was exceptionally experienced in the art of combat. Even the man-hating Megele female admitted that there seemed to be no other people who could equal Kyo in the field of combat. She then thought back on the old texts of her family heritage and recalled that there was something there about men, one of the things she her family had preserved long ago. However, most of the books were old and were on the verge of falling apart and fading over the centuries. Most of the ancient inscriptions were long forgotten or revised over time, for the past few centuries, so their original meaning was unknown. However, she began to reason that there had to be ways that her ancestors had children, long before the methods of artificial insemination and gene splicing. And if the rumors of men and women were able to have children together were true, then what did that mean to her ancestors? Like Duero, she reasoned that there had to be some natural way that women produced offspring, which meant that men and women COULD have conceived children together.

If there were men like Kyo in the past, then wouldn't the Elsman women WANT such people to be their mates? And if they were just as talented in many others things, then all the better! If that was the case, then the absence of men would have made no sense at all, especially since the methods of reproduction on Megele never existed during that time.

Sara thought about it a bit more, and decided that checking all the data on her own collection of scrolls. If what she suspected was true, then maybe the details in the books could allow her to do the impossible…with Kyo.

--

Kyo wondered why some feeling of dread and anticipation came on him, and it wasn't with his nightmare this time, but this was a little more profound. It had just been after he had explained the 'facts of life' to his Talark crew-mates. Just as he was walking down the hallway, chills went down his spines as he began having strange thoughts in his mind, concerning certain females onboard the ship. That train of thought was halted however, as the combat alarms came online, signaling the Dread and Vanguard pilots to scramble for battle. Kyo nodded as he made a beeline towards the main hanger, got into the nearby room, and switched to his uniform and got ready of activate Freedom and Liberty..

--

On the command bridge…

Magno and Buzam nodded as they watched the images play themselves out on the main monitor. They had been tracking a distress signal which was set to a Colonization Era frequency. When they were close enough to visualize the beacon unit through the sensors, it turned out to be an escape/life pod. Life signatures were detected and the captain gave the order for the pod to be retrieved for examination. However she being cautious in nature, habit, and experience ordered the fighter teams to scramble to lay down support just in case company showed up, namely the Earth Fleet.

The Dreads and Vanguards were immediately in the zone of confrontation, escorting Gascogne's supply shuttle. Moments later, Freedom and Liberty were in space, ready to lend a hand. Kyo carefully guided his Gundam to float near the pod, as the head supplier engaged her ship's grappler arms to capture the capsule.

"Need some help?" Kyo asked.

"I've got it." Gascogne said in response, then winced as her threat sensors kicked in. They had company.

"Gasco! Incoming!" Kyo shouted as he also detected the incoming forces.

KABOOM!

The supply shuttle rocked a bit as several explosions occurred, it's robotic arms totally sheared off by several plasma bolts, but thankfully the ship's armor held firm. The pirates and the Gundam pilot looked to the location where the shots came from and there came out several squadrons of Cube Fighters. These new threats however, were different from the previous models they faced before, they were more cylindrical in design, and were fast, much faster than before.

Inside her ship, Gascogne swore as she lifted herself from a sparking and smoking console. "Damn!? How in the hell did they attack from below?"

Immediately the Dreads and Vanguards went into action and followed their attack patterns. Recently Meia, and Kyo had come up with new battle tactics for their respective squadrons, in which the smaller Vanguards would work in a pair with each Dread, providing needed support and also act as rear-guards. However, the enemy had come up with tactics of their own. A few of them moved swiftly in and took the pod away and were trying to escape with the pod and it's contents.

--

"Hmmm, seems to me that we weren't the target this time." Magno said as she watched this turn of events.

"I agree Captain, it seems that the pod is quite valuable to the Earth for them not to direct their forces normally at us." Buzam said as she watched the images.

"Well then, if it's really that valuable to Earth, then we can't let them have it so easily, now can we?"

--

"Damn! These new versions are much faster than the originals we fought with before!" Barnette gritted her teeth as she tried to take the new threats out of the way. However, she had been correct in her statements, as the new Cube Fighters were more agile than before.

Kyo was also finding it a little bit harder to take out their targets. Several of the robotic units had already managed to score several direct hits on Freedom and moved like maddened wasps on steroids. However, Kyo was lucky as the Vanguards came in as they removed the pressure, Kyo was happy as Sara in her Vanguard came in to help him out by removing several new Cube Fighters with a strafing run. This allowed Kyo to decimate the remaining forces with Freedom's weapons.

"Thanks for the support, Sara."

"No problem. By the way, Commander…there is something I was hoping to ask you…"

"We don't have the time to talk, fight now."

Kyo said shaking his head, he moved Freedom to a safer angle, and initiated the HiMAT system the Gundam unveiled it's arsenals as he and Freedom went to work. Like geysers of destruction, the beams from Freedom all slammed into the formations of the enemy fighters. Once a few dozen of the apparently upgraded Cube Fighters were turned to scrap, Kyo and Freedom made beelines to the pod, however, before they could reach their objective, the pod was snatched by more Cube Fighters and more came in to engage them with plasma bolts, forcing them to break off, Kyo went at it and turned his new company into scrap, once he had made some quick updates to the OS.

Once he turned several more Cube Fighters into junk with his Gundam's beam sabers, he then got into contact with Meia's Dread as she arrived alongside him.

"We'll have to combine and regain the pod!"

Meia nodded as Kyo guided Freedom in and then fused with Meia's Dread, creating the GunDread Meia. The dragon mecha sped towards the pod ay unbelievable speed and was about to catch up, when the new Cube Fighters pulled out their own surprise as they moved further away and increased their velocities.

In the cockpit of the GunDread, Meia and Kyo were caught off-guard by this latest development.

"What the…? Since when are Cube Fighters THAT fast?!" Meia gasped, the winced as several Cube Fighters engaged the GunDread, slowing them down even more. The pod is result was taken further away.

Kyo winced as well, but then went back to battle mode as he assessed the situation.

"They somehow adapted to the capabilities of the GunDreads. But let's see if they adapted to this!" He then pressed the command to Liberty.

The ATCISS acknowledged the order and made a beeline to GunDread Meia. Another section underneath the large mecha opened, allowing the enhanced Vanguard to link up, the dragon mecha underwent the transformation as before, becoming avian and turning into a flaming eagle. The eagle's wings glowed with power once more as Kyo unleashed the attack.

Kyo routed the excess power into the systems and targeted the incoming opposition.

In a fiery blast of unrestrained energy… GunDread Meia Alpha unleashed massive waves of intense energy and propelled it forward, as the waves obliterated any enemy in their path. The two pilots smiled in triumph as they reached the pod and the enhanced GunDread took the pod in one of it's talons carefully. However it wasn't going to be easy today, just as they were making their way back to the ship, a massive red beam of light came out of nowhere and struck the machine dead on, causing a massive explosion, in a moment, Meia's Dread, the ATCISS Liberty, and Freedom were seen flying around space. Inside her fighter, Meia recovered herself and began to check the damage readouts on her machine. Liberty also did the same self-diagnostics and determined that many of it's systems were badly reduced in capacity or were offline.

The Gundam and it's pilot in question also found itself in space, but this time he noted that the armor of Freedom was badly damaged and was working harder in it's self-regeneration programs. "Where the bloody hell did that come from?!" Kyo asked as he winced in pain, whatever it was, Freedom wasn't the only one injured, the energy had caused some severe pain to him. As he shook the pain off with a small injection of pain-killers that he had in a compartment for medical treatment, he looked about and spotted the pod nearby.

--

"What just happened?" Magno asked.

The rest of the bridge crew were also shocked to see GunDread Meia Alpha suddenly was separated, and it was in it's most powerful form.

--

Freedom was about to reach the pod, but was suddenly intercepted by more enemy units, so it was back to bashing apart more of the Earth's forces, once Kyo turned more of the new fighters into junk, he made his way towards the pod, but was suddenly greeted by another massive scarlet beam of energy. The beam slammed into Freedom, causing more damage and caused the warrior to lose his focus in the pain that shot through him and miss the capsule. However, he was rescued from this mess as a certain blonde pilot and her Dread came in.

"I'VE GOT IT!"

Both the Gundam and the Dread fused once more and went immediately to it's first GunDread form, which was naturally the crab, though Jura didn't care much for it. The first form had it's uses, most of all in defensive terms. With it's protective barrier online, none of the enemy forces could get to either it or the pod.

Inside the cockpit, Jura smiled seductively at her co-pilot. "Well now, how was that?"

Kyo sighed. "You certainly took your time in getting here."

Jura however, leaned forward and began whispering in Kyo's ear. "By the way, I was just wondering what do you plan on giving for my baby?"

That got results as Kyo suddenly went crimson and shouted back in embarrassment. "WHAT?! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! NOW ISN'T THE TIME FOR THIS SORT OF NONSENSE!"

An incoming call from the Nirvana came into the GunDread's cockpit, along with several other questions. It became obvious that Jura left her communicator on…on all channels.

"Hey! Jura, I wanted to ask him that question! I want him to be MY Ohma!" Mai voiced out.

"Hey! I wanted to ask HIM that question!!" Sara shouted.

"What new scheme are you cooking up?"

"You want to have a baby with Kyo?!"

"HEY! Mr. Alien is mine!!" (Don't need to be a valedictorian to guess who this is.)

Meia had no idea what was going on, and now wasn't the time for these things to happen, though she did feel like the green eyed monster herself… She shook her head clear and got into contact with Kyo and Jura in their GunDread.

"Jura, Kyo, get back to the Nirvana! We'll cover you!"

"Roger!" Jura replied as she began directing the crab mecha back towards the Nirvana. However, the GunDread's first from was intended for defensive measures, never for speedy escapes.

"We need to get to the Nirvana quicker, and we're using up a lot of energy in maintaining the barrier." Kyo said as he worked on his side of the console.

Jura smiled with delight. "Those that mean what I think it means?"

Kyo sighed and nodded. "Yes it does."

Jura smiled as Kyo activated the GunDread's second form.

The GunDread underwent the transformation and assumed it's second form, becoming sleeker and more agile. The pod was then carefully cradled in the left hand of the samurai mecha as it emerged. Using the repulsor discs to deflect any incoming shots from the enemy, it made it's way to the Nirvana, cutting down any Cube Fighters close to it with the halberd. The Dreads and Vanguards blasted any other units that came too close from the rear.

Inside the cockpit, Jura became rather concerned as she saw that Kyo was breathing heavily.

"Are you all right? Is something wrong?"

"I don't know…just feeling rather…weak. It's probably from the strange red beam that slammed into me and Freedom. Just what was it…"

Just then, another scarlet beam came out of nowhere and slammed into GunDread Jura. Once more the fusion between Gundam and Dread was broken and the two went tumbling into space.

"Red light?" Meia gasped out aloud as her thoughts went back on the nightmare they all had this morning.

--

"That's the second time that has happened!" Buzam exclaimed as she ordered all the bridge personnel to locate the source of the red beams that were devastating the GunDreads.

"There seems to be some sort of energy pulse coming from the red beams that causing the GunDreads to separate." Amarone reported as she checked her sensors. "I'm reading massive damage on Jura's Dread, but she's still alive, Meia's Dread is in the same state but is still operational, and Meia is also well, Freedom is still functioning and Kyo is also alive…but…"

BC paid no attention to that announcement as she watched images on the powerful Gundam. The mecha was drifting and there were dents and tears in the supposedly indestructible armor P. P. S Armor, though it was intact.

(I haven't seen the Freedom so badly mauled since the battle with the Earth Gundam…)

--

(Damn! Those beams hurt like hell!)

The Gundam pilot was in great pain as he got Freedom's thrusters to work.

(Those beams felt like Dominion's beam arsenals…but even worse. How the heck is it affecting me this way?!)

Kyo looked around, his vision was still blurry, but he was still in the fight, and wouldn't give up at all. He then made his way to the pod and latched on to it. Just as he accomplished that, he was greeted by several incoming laser and plasma bolts. But his luck held as Dita came in to aid him.

Though the injuries he sustained from the scarlet beam were hindering him, Kyo took the chance and initiated the fusion process to create GunDread Dita. The massive mecha then took the pod into it's left hand.

"Ha! We'll never let you have the pod!" Dita cried out with glee as she turned to face her partner. "Right, Mr. Alien?" However her glee turned into shock and horror as she saw that her Mr. Alien was in real bad shape. He was in deep pain, breathing hard, and having a faraway look in his eyes. When he started bleeding from the nose and mouth, the Dread pilot knew that they were in real trouble. She looked down in increasing fear as the red liquid flowed from within Kyo's combat helmet.

"NO! MR. ALIEN!" The red-haired girl cried out as she began to panic. Kyo had just been given back his life, and Dita knew she would never be able to bear it if he were to pass away again.

Meia came in as she spotted that GunDread Dita wasn't moving at all and began to be limp. She also wanted to try and get to Jin and help him, but she needed to get the pod to safety first. "Dita! What's wrong? Why aren't you and Kyo heading back to the Nirvana?"

"It's Mr. Alien! He's hurt really, REALLY bad! I can't operate the GunDread without him!"

Just then, another massive beam of scarlet came out of nowhere and slammed into GunDread Dita's right arm, causing many of it's circuits to short out and break down and render it totally useless. Inside the cockpit, Kyo screamed as pain burned it's way to every nerve in his body and most of all to his right arm, Dita also felt pain but not in the degree of her co-pilot. Through supreme effort and will, they were able to direct the left arm with the energy cannon mounted on the wrist. They were able to direct the cannon to where the beams had come from, but the arm suddenly deactivated. All the main weapons and systems were now offline, except for life support and communications. That left the GunDread totally useless and floating in space.

--

"Have you completed the analysis of what happening out there?" Buzam asked with a bit of anxiety in her voice.

Her answer came from the engineer Parfet who called in to the bridge. "Captain! Commander! The Paeksis is reacting to the red beams as well! Apparently it's a counter-form to the energy waves emitted by the Freedom and the Dreads whenever they fuse, that's why it's taking out the GunDreads!"

"What?!" Both women exclaimed.

It was then that the sensors detected three incoming signatures, the threat alarms went on full blast as a form came out from the cover of cloaking devices. The craft was huge, resembling a manta ray turned diabolically metallic.

But if they thought that it was the only new weapon the Harvesters had in mind, they were wrong.

--

Kyo realized that the machine was the one responsible for the damages to the Dreads and to Freedom. He then re-routed the power and once he was done, he powered up the cannons once more.

This time however, despite the GunDread wasn't designed to move as fast enough, Kyo had to move the mecha out of the way as a barrage of weapons fire came at them. Dodging several of the blasts, Kyo righted the GunDread and was confused, the blasted DIDN'T come from that manta-ray…so where did they come from?

It was then that another weapon appeared in front of the manta creature. At this was no manta…

But a Mobile Suit…A Gundam!

--

"You have GOT to be joking!!" Kyo said as he glimpsed at the new arrival.

Dita was also in shock as she looked at the new threat.

Meia and Jura were also shocked as they saw the next weapon the Harvester brought in this fight.

It was the Dominion!!

--

The Nirvana…

"Impossible!" Buzam exclaimed as gazed at the newly rebuilt Gundam Dominion.

"It seems that the Earth didn't plan on losing this time." Magno said gravely as she gazed at the AI-controlled Gundam of the Earth Forces.

The rest of the pirates, both in the ship and the forces outside were rendered speechless as the Gundam once more unveiled it's demonic wings and ignited it's beam sabers.

That was when another curveball of disaster was hit their way…

Celtic panicked as she spotted five more objects beginning to de-cloak alongside the Dominion.

"There are five new units appearing on screen!"

"What are they?" BC asked.

Celtic and the rest of the bridge crew tried to determine the new signals as Ezra called it out. "The new signatures…are Mobile Suits, and they are the same as…the Dominion!"

--

In that same instant, everyone was even more shocked and dismayed as five more Mobile Suits appeared beside the now de-cloaked Dominion. And the new arrivals were totally the same as the Dominion!

The Harvesters had not sent one Gundam…but SIX Gundams!

--

Kyo growled in frustration as he realized that this was going to be one hell of a battle. He also knew that the GunDread, while powerful couldn't possibly battle six Dominion Gundam units, especially in it's current state. He immediately began disengaging Freedom from Dita's Dread.

Dita panicked as she realized what Kyo was planning.

"NO! Mr. Alien! You can't fight those bad machines on your own!"

"Believe me I know that, but with the GunDread in this state, we can't beat them easily."

"NO! Let me fight…!!"

"NO! YOU WON'T SURVIVE AGAINST THOSE UNITS!"

Before Dita could argue the GunDread broke apart and Freedom dived straight at the manta ray machine and the six Gundam models.

"Mr. Alien!" Dita cried as she got her Dread to work and tried to jet towards Freedom.

"Kyo!" Meia and Jura were likewise moving at full throttle to help Kyo out, but they were intercepted by more Cube Fighter reinforcements.

--

Kyo knew for a fact that this wasn't going to be the least bit easy as he crossed beam blades with one Dominion, but had to play a dodging game as the other Dominions open fired with their cannons. He didn't need an illustration as to what would happen the Nirvana and everyone if he and Freedom lost the fight.

The Dominion units then divided into two teams, one would attack Freedom with beam sabers and the other would blast away at Freedom with beam rounds and assault gunfire. They were rapidly getting the upper hand as Kyo had to defend constantly and couldn't attack at all.

Kyo strained himself and Freedom to the max as he tried to strike back, every time he tried to use his beam cannons, he had to dodge as three Dominion units attacked with beam sabers, and when he tried to strike back, he had to dodge and block with his beam shield as the other Dominion units open fired. The damage on Freedom began to pile up as Kyo, despite using his SEED ability to the utmost, had been taking hits. The Prominence Phase Shift Armor was strained to it's limits as ballistic and beam attacks slammed into it.

The manta ray machine's own CPU went back to it's prime directive of weakening the pirates before finishing the Gundam and the pilot off completely and turned it's attention to the Nirvana. Without any hesitation it unleashed beam after beam of amplified scarlet Paeksis energy to the pirate ship.

The Nirvana's shields buckled under the strain to the blasts, while in the navigation well Bart was feeling pain in a whole new level that he never experienced before. He immediately contacted the Nirvana's engineering section and demanded why the shields weren't holding off the blasts.

--

"That's what I'd like to know too!" Parfet shouted back as she checked the sensors on the Paeksis core and looked with worry written all over her face. The reactor was glowing green, intermixed with red, just like before, during that battle with the Earth mothership, and it seemed that Pyoro had become sicker.

--

Kyo struggled to make due as the enemy Gundams kept at it. Freedom had lost sections of it's armor as the punishment piled up. The battle had strained everything in him and his Gundam as the AI Gundams kept at it. He was barely able to dodge incoming beam sabers and lances, when a storm of plasma, rail-gun, and assault round fire would strike at him, to add to his problems, several Cube Fighter squadrons got involved as they took shots at Freedom. Kyo managed to fight his way and then meld with Liberty that managed to get back online and make it's way to it's partner. Once they interlocked, Kyo began routing power to the beam cannons and got ready to open fire.

A massive beam storm of green and yellow lanced out and headed for the six crimson and black Gundams. The beams reduced a good number to Cube Fighters, and would have won out. However, the enemy Gundams and the new vessel turned and then Kyo's opponents launched beams of their own in retaliation. The storms pf different beams slammed into each other and for s a moment or two, it seemed that they would cancel each other out, but in the end, the Dominion units' and the manta ray ship's beam attacks overwhelmed Freedom and Liberty's own, and the massive energy backlash slammed into Freedom and Liberty. The enhanced Vanguard support unit was rendered out of commission and it seemed that both the Gundam and it's pilot were no longer capable of fighting any more. The enemy units then advanced to where the helpless Freedom Gundam was drifting to finally finish it and the pilot off.

--

"KYO!" Meia and Jura cried out.

"NO!" Sara shouted.

"DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN!" Maia sobbed.

"MR. ALIEN!" Dita cried out as she desperately tried to get her Dread to work, but it wasn't moving fast enough. She had to do SOMETHING to help Mr. Alien!

At that moment, a dot light appeared in front of her and it turned into a strange seed in the color of her eyes, and it exploded into a kaleidoscope of lights in front of her. Dita then felt her entire body being filled to the brim with energy as her eyes focused even harder. At that same instant Meia and Jura had lights drifting to their own eyes with took the form of seeds in the same color of their own eyes. Those too exploded in a kaleidoscope of color and light, as they too felt their bodies being filled with energy.

They had just earned SEED mode!

--

The Nirvana…

"Captain! I'm picking up a massive increase in bio-rhythms in Dita, Meia, and Jura! Their bodies are working more effectively!" Duero reported as he had been monitoring the battle outside. He had been shocked to see the sudden spike in the three Dread pilots' physical and mental abilities.

"What?!" Magno asked as she immediately ordered the bridge crew to check on Dita, Meia, and Jura.

--

The Cube Fighters harassing the Nirvana were caught totally by surprise as the three enhanced Dreads suddenly ignited into battle with blinding speed and power. The Dreads rained blast after blast of their weapons as they darted into the forces of the Harvesters and began taking out Cube Fighter after Cube Fighter at an astonishing rate.

Dita, Meia and Jura felt themselves suddenly move faster and better than they ever have in their years as Dread pilots. They and their machines moved at such a pace that defied normal Dread pilot reaction times as the battle raged on. They could see and predict the enemy forces' moves at an amazing pace and despite their shock at the sudden spike of their piloting skills, they only wanted to reach to Kyo and help him.

--

The bridge…

"What's happening?" Magno asked.

"Meia, Dita, and Jura's Dreads have broken through the lines of the Cube Fighters and are now making their way to the Freedom." Amarone reported as she tracked the three Dreads.

"How did they get THAT good?" Belvedere asked as she checked the Dreads movements.

Duero called in. "I've determined that Dita, Meia, and Jura have somehow augmented their abilities. Their respective reaction times are now at 0.00015 of a second."

Buzam was in shock. "That…That's the same reaction time Meia recorded from Kyo when we first saw him fight!"

--

The three girls then busted their way past the Cube Fighters and then engaged the Dominion units that were about to attack Freedom, two of the Gundam units broke away and fought with the Dreads, and the two found themselves facing a stronger group of enemy units.

But would the three girls make it in time?

--

Kyo tried to move Freedom out of the way, but he was feeling numb as pain washed over every fiber in his body. Freedom wasn't in good straits either as energy began seeping out of the cracks in the Gundam's damaged. They both were losing ground every second, as they had no other choice but to wait for the final blow. However Kyo didn't plan on losing just like this, he focused and re-routed whatever power Freedom had left in the reactors to full systems.

(This is just like that nightmare…but I'm totally awake…and those dreams only come when I'm asleep. I am not going to let some dream say what's going to happen to me!)

Kyo thought as he fought back.

The Amplified Paeksis beam and the beams of the other Dominion units were totally primed as the manta ray and the Dominion units closed in.

(When I am awake… I don't have to worry about some stupid nightmare!)

Kyo said to himself as he got ready to fight once more, as he activated Freedom's systems to full output.

(I'M NOT GOING TO BE BEATEN BY THE LIKES OF YOU! )

Kyo said as he got Freedom back to fight. At that moment the Freedom's cockpit interior glowed with a fierce light and the whole Gundam seemed to glow with an even greater light. The young man felt his body tingle and glow with sensations he never felt before…the hidden power inside him and Freedom also began to grow and was ready to be unleashed as the Gundam's OS began executing an unknown command.

The Amplified beams of the manta ray ship and the Dominion units slammed into the stricken Freedom, causing a massive explosion.

--

"KYO!" Meia and Jura screamed in horror.

"MR. ALIEEEEEEENNNN!" Dita cried.

Were they too late?

At that instant, the lights in their eyes became as bright as newborns stars.

--

Magno became solemn as she watched the apparent demise of a great ally…and an even greater friend. It seemed that the Grim Reaper was finally here to collect what it was denied the last time. However, just as tears were about to run down her cheeks, something caught her attention. Something…was making it's way out of the massive explosion from the center.

The figure cleared the explosion and flashed towards the enemy vessels and units. It was surrounded by a crystal cocoon that shone of pure blue-green-white light, and if one looked closely, the figure was totally humanoid. It seemed that the pressure of the attacks, a hidden power, plus three outside catalysts had triggered a powerful metamorphosis.

"What's…happening?" Buzam gasped out as the pirates watched in awe.

--

Kyo felt power flow into every fiber of his being as he saw several people in front of him as he was once more in the Paeksis. He saw them reaching out to him. He then heard a voice speak to him.

"Always remember, you can do things that others cannot, but they too can do things that you cannot do. Never judge anyone by their abilities, but judge them by how they use their abilities and what they use their abilities for."

Kyo then felt the scenery fade away as he found himself in a brand new cockpit, and it looked like Freedom's old cockpit, but he was in a spherical cockpit with a new set of combat systems and computers. He then nodded as he activated the OS and got ready to fight once more as he found himself staring into space. He then activated his SEED mode once more, the cockpit then responded as it glowed with line so of power in every corner of it's systems.

The Freedom had totally changed. The joint areas were now in a rich gold color and the Gundam now had in the place of it's old wing thrusters were two pair of large appendages that resembled bird's wings without the feathers. There were also two pairs of massive gun pods on the back and there appeared a set of massive swords and on each forearm was what appeared to be an energy collector. The gun pods on both the shoulders and head were there, but they looked far tougher, the rail-guns were there but had fused together, and there still were the beam sabers. The Freedom had also gained what appeared to be an enhanced dual beam rifle on a combat rack. In an instant the wing appendages opened up and out from the wings erupted crystal feathers that glowed deep blue as the Gundam's eyes glowed with great power, and is also glowed in it's joint sections as if it too had gained it's own SEED mode.

The Freedom…had evolved it was now the Infinite Freedom!

--

"COOL!" Dita exclaimed.

"And…I thought that it was awesome before." Jura said breathlessly.

"Unbelievable…" Meia said with her eyes wide open.

--

"I don't believe it. Freedom and Kyo have…" BC tried to find the right words to describe what she had just seen.

"They have…evolved." Magno said simply, though she also was in awe at the sight.

--

The Dominion Gundams and the manta ray ship were taken totally off-guard by this latest development, but immediately went on the offensive as they released more amplified energy blasts.

However the newly evolved Gundam dodged the beams with little effort, seemingly teleporting from view.

The Earth Gundams were totally taken aback as they tried to lock in on the newly evolved Gundam but they were about to get an answer.

Two Dominion Gundams were suddenly disarmed as Infinite Freedom suddenly appeared in front of them, and both were attacked by the I-Freedom's newly modified beam sabers. Before they could use whatever weapons they had left the evolved Freedom slashed them once more with it's beam sabers and they were torn into confetti in moments.

The remaining Earth Gundams were able to evade the attack and retaliate, one attempted to blindside the I-Freedom. But it was then greeted by a barrage of plasma beams from the pods on I-Freedom's back that opened up, revealing the more powerful dual plasma cannons and fired at it. It's wings were torn off and before it could move, the newly reborn Gundam took out it's beam rifle, slammed it into the Dominion unit and blasted it to bits at point blank range.

Two others, namely the ones fighting Dita, Meia, and Jura had to break away and attack the Infinite-Freedom. Kyo responded as he took out his new anti-ship swords and fused them together to form a massive beam edged blade. The massive weapon tore apart the heads of the two Dominion units and then the double barreled rail-guns, blasted into the gaping areas of the two Gundams turning them into scrap. The surviving Cube Fighters tried to interfere but they were immediately peppered by bolts of energy firing out like mini-missiles from Freedom's hands and the gun pods in the shoulders and head.

I-Freedom then turned it's attention towards the manta ship, the manta, along with the remaining Dominion unit prepared to open fire. Kyo responded in kind as he activated the HiMAT system and locked on. Massive amounts of power flowed into the beam cannons as Kyo locked on.

--

The combined energy blasts, unleashed by I-Freedom were sixty times more intense than the ones used by the manta ray ship and the remaining Dominion's own attacks. The red, black beams were totally consumed easily and the beams from I-Freedom slammed into the targets. The resulting combined explosions sent tremendous energy surges throughout the battle area. The enemy vessels were totally atomized and the remaining Cube Fighters were given a one way ticket to extinction. The Dreads, Vanguards, the Dreki, and the Nirvana were far away from the blast and had to admit that it was one heck of a blast.

Once all space became peaceful and dark, the Gundam lowered it's beam rifle. Kyo was totally exhausted, though he was able to stay awake, the I-Freedom nevertheless drifted in space like a chunks of space debris. Lucky for Kyo, Sara, along with two of her allies arrived and picked I-Freedom up while the Dreki towed in Liberty.

Inside their Dreads, Meia, Jura, and Dita gave sighs of relief. They were unaware as the effects of their SEED modes faded away as they followed the female Vanguard pilot and her compatriots to their mothership.

--

As the evolved Gundam was brought on the hanger deck and had locked into it's paddock. Kyo walked out from the Gundam's cockpit, totally exhausted. In an instant as soon as he got to the floor, he was gently laid on a stretcher and immediately rushed to the medical bay.

--

At least a few hours later…

Kyo woke up and found himself resting in an infirmary bed, he was then immediately hugged by a really concerned Dita.

"Mr. Alien! You're awake!"

"Arrrggghhh! I know! I know! Take it easy!" Kyo said with gritted teeth, still feeling somewhat sore from the battle.

The redhead immediately released him while stepping back with embarrassment in her voice. "Oh, I'm really sorry Mr. Alien!"

Next to Dita, in the Medical bay were Duero, Meia, Jura, Captain/Grandmother Magno, BC, Bart, Mai and some Crusader Squadron members, including Sara.

"Good to see you up and about." Duero said with a smile.

"Uh huh, Oooh!" The young man said as he felt a slight headache coming on.

"How long was I out cold anyway?" Kyo asked.

"At least half a day." Duero answered. "You were sleeping the whole time, and thankfully that new uniform you have removed the threat of you getting even more injured, though I'll have to request that you have new padding both in your Gundam and the uniform."

"Yeah, I'll do that, not to mention I need to toughen up my helmet, and get something to eat." Kyo said as he got to his feet. "What happened to my Gundam?"

"We were hoping you could tell us. What happened that made your Gundam suddenly transform into that form?" Magno asked.

"I'm…not sure. Maybe the Paeksis reactor in Freedom did the same thing that the one on the ship did all those months ago. It's the only thing that makes sense to me." Kyo answered.

"Could be…I already have the other engineers studying it. I think we'll get a report on the pod from Parfet soon as well, we managed to pick it up after the battle and towed it in along with you and Freedom." BC said.

It was then that Parfet called in the medical bay.

"Captain, Commander, we've managed to get the pod ready to open, we've finished clearing out the excess energy, and all life signs are still stable with the occupant inside."

Magno nodded as she turned back to Kyo. "So, do you think that you're in good shape to say hello to the person you saved today?"

The Gundam pilot took a drink offered to him by Paiway, took a deep breath and nodded.

--

An hour later, in the main hanger…

"There, that should do it." The head engineer nodded as she keyed in the last of the codes to deactivate the locking mechanism of the pod. The capsule opened with a hiss as the pod depressurized and the hatch swung open.

The crowds gathered in the area leaned forward to see the contents of the pod.

"It's a girl."

Meia said as she and the others gazed upon a slender, young human female in a yellow and white jumpsuit. She had the same dark blue hair as Kazuki which was in a simple ponytail, she wore triangular earrings, and she appeared to be in deep sleep.

Kyo decided to take a closer look and moved forward.

"Is she an alien?" Dita asked.

"No, she's a human just like all of us." Parfet replied.

Kyo discovered that he was a little bit uneasy on his feet, due to the effects of his battles, so it was understandable that he tripped over someone's foot and he fell forward like a domino. He landed in front of the pod and found himself looking at a pair of eyes.

Eyes?

The girl in the capsule had awakened and then looked around, she then found herself looking at Kyo's eyes, her earrings twinkled with light and out came a small blob like entity made of light with eyes. The image twittered a bit and began speaking in a language composed of chirps and beeps.

The girl smiled as she looked at Kyo. The she spoke to him.

"You…you saved me?"

Kyo felt a little unsure on how to answer that question. "Well…technically speaking, I helped save you."

The girl cried out with joy as she suddenly got up and looped her arms around Kyo pulling him close to her.

"Oh thank you so much my Prince Charming!"

Naturally, this little scene elicited some rather unhappy responses from several females.

"PRINCE?!"

"CHARMING?!"

"WHAT IS SHE DOING?!"

"NOOOOOOO! MR. ALIEN WILL UNITE WITH DITA!"

It was anyone's guess if Meia joined in.

In the back of the crowds, Paiway was busy scribbling down notes.

"This is a new and totally interesting development! Pai check!"

--

On Earth…

The Dominion units have failed. Their latest weapon against Freedom and the Nirvana had been totally ineffective. The news of the machine's demise and that of the Dominion units and the appearance of the evolved Freedom Gundam quickly reached the ears of the leaders of the once blue-green planet, and to say that they were getting desperate was a total understatement. The Harvest had so far hit quite a lot of snags, ever since that fateful first battle with the Nirvana and the accursed Freedom Gundam. Despite all their best efforts, the Gundam and it's pilot continued to defy them all and destroy every one of their attempts to gather the necessary human organs for their survival.

The seeds of the warrior's defiance had already bore fruit. The planet Melanos had grown even more resistant, ever since their first encounter with the pilot and Freedom. The planet Anpathos as well had recently given up their ideals of worshipping their gods, the Munya. Having been given the choice to think on their own, the inhabitants had realized that their lives and that of their people were far more important and precious than blind obedience to an unseen deity.

This should not be allowed to continue! For the sake of their own lives, (at the expense of the lives of everyone else), the Gundam and the Nirvana had to be totally destroyed! Copies of the GunDreads and even those of Freedom were not enough, though they will still be used in battle.

It seemed that they had to up the ante a lot more now…

--

Out in space…

The retrieval teams from Earth's technical division arrived and began extracting the data from the CPUs of the totaled Dominion Gundams. Even if they were defeated and the Freedom had evolved, they would not stop until their creation would totally surpass the Freedom. Besides…the Dominion would soon be joined by more unit models.

The stakes have just gone higher.

--

To be continued…

Author's Notes…

This was one long first chapter for the second stage, but it's worth all the time and effort, don't you think?

One of the things I like about Vandread when I saw it on TV is the fact that the crew have to rediscover themselves and the intricate and mysterious relationships between men and women in the past, and that includes how men and women made children together. In this case, Kyo already KNOWS about all of that already and he has to…teach the others about all of it, and that's going to get a lot of people in some interesting scrapes, Who knows what will happen? More into this point, the crew will start questioning their childhood beliefs, their cultures, and their present ideals, this will result in some hilarious and serious situations, but they will work out soon, that I promise you.

The new abilities of Dita, Meia, and Jura are now very obvious as they have gained Kyo's SEED mode. How will be explained soon as the story progresses.

The new Freedom is a fusion of the Strike Freedom and the Wing ZERO Custom of Gundam Wing, the difference is that the wings have pure crystal feathers that propel the Gundam unit even further than normally possible and it can have some other 'interesting features as well, plus it's armed with anti-ship swords and some energy dart gauntlets. Mostly, the real change is now it possesses a program in the OS that totally copies Kyo's own SEED mode, and when it's activated the I-Freedom's systems are upgraded ten times the normal design limit. And…there's some other new tricks…I'll save that for the next chapters.


	3. Chapter 3

GunDread SEED- The Second Stage

Disclaimer: VanDread and Gundam SEED are not the same nor do they exist in the same company. They don't belong to me either. But this IS a story of mine, so anything goes!

( ): Thoughts

Chapter 2

Baby

--

The Nirvana's Medical Bay…

"From what we got from the pod's database, the girl's name is Misty Cornwell and her age is exactly 14 years old." Duero said to the crowd as a good number of the Nirvana's crew got to look at the occupant of the pod. Naturally, Kyo was there as well.

"Correction!"

Paiway chirped with her frog puppet as she spoke to Duero. "She is 14 years old, but plus that from her time in the pod's cryogenic suspension system which is 63 years, she's already 77 years old! Kero!"

Paiway said with a smile.

"I stand corrected." Duero smiled at Paiway's antics. He then directed his attention to Misty as the young girl began to stir.

Misty opened her eyes slowly and she then found herself lying on a bed, in what appeared to be a Medical section of the ship. There was a large number of people in the room around her bed, most were women, there was a guy that looked like a total klutz, but her eyes softened as she spotted Kyo. As her vision came to deeper focus a golden light came on near her earrings as the same blob from last time appeared.

The thing began communicating in a language that appeared to be comprised mostly of chirps and beeps, and from the sound of it's voice, it was apparently asking it's owner a question.

Misty smiled as she spoke to the holographic blob. "It's all right Q-chan." She then sat up and shivered. "I feel so cold."

Duero came forward and wrapped a blanket around Misty. "You're still suffering the effects of cryogenic sleep. It'll take some time for your body to return to it's normal pace, so some rest is in order Miss Cornwell."

Misty turned to face the new voice and immediately smiled as she gazed at the face of the young Talark medic. "Wow! You're one handsome guy!"

Duero was caught off-guard as he had never been commented on his looks before, let alone by a woman, so naturally he was at a loss for words. "Uh…"

It was then that Bart spoke out. "Hey, you lived during the time men and women lived together, right?"

Misty gave Bart a frown. "What are you? Some kind of clueless moron?" She asked in an offended tone of voice.

Kyo smirked a bit as Bart looked like a deflated balloon at being labeled as an idiot. He however then got a bit edgy as the strange girl began giving him a look he recognized as one of uninhibited adoration.

"Hey, what's his name?" Misty asked Duero as she pointed at Kyo.

Duero shook his head as he went back to reality and answered Misty's question. "If you're not referring to my comrade Bart, then I believe you're referring to Kyo."

Misty turned absolutely love-struck as she took a good look at Kyo's features; hearts appeared in her eyes as she sighed.

"Kyo, that's a really nice name! Kyo and Misty…now that sounds real good!"

This development immediately made Dita agitated and jealous; it was hard enough that Jura and some of the other girls were after her Mr. Alien. But now this stranger was giving Mr. Alien such funny looks, why?

Kyo mentally winced as he could sense the tense atmosphere.

(Oh man…I DON'T like the looks of this.)

Though it was undeniably true that he was feeling the hormonal effects of his body's reaction to women. He knew for a solid fact that getting into any sort of relationship with the new girl was inviting disaster. Especially when a good number of the Megele girls were giving the new comer the dreaded 'Evil Eye with Daggers' glare. Among the girls in question were Dita, Jura, Sara, Mai, Meia…

Kyo immediately took notice of that.

(Hold on a moment! Meia?!)

It was true, for reasons that escaped her; Meia felt a sudden, intense dislike for the blue-haired girl as Misty continued to look all love-struck in the eyes at the Nirvana's second in command in defense.

(Why do I suddenly feel the need to tear out this girl's hair? I hardly even know her all that well!)

Misty, seemingly unaware of all the glares, continued to smile at her 'Prince Charming.'

"You know…I'm a devoted believer of love at first sight. I think you and I are tied together by the Red String of Fate! Well… don't just stand there! Come closer to Misty!"

The projection known as Q-chan began morphing shape, first a heart, them elongating into a peace of string, this made Pyoro rather agitated.

The rest of the girls were getting more confused and jealous, but a certain someone was in no mood for more of this.

"NO!"

Dita cried as she got in front of Misty and Mr. Alien. She spread her arms outward while shaking her head urgently.

"What are you talking about?! Red is the color of the BAD aliens!"

The two girls immediately glared at each other as the tension in the room became so thick, that if anybody got a knife, they could cut through it all.

Paiway was scribbling away like a maniac as the scene unfolded. "This whole thing just got even more interesting! Pai check!"

"Hold it…come on, can't we all try and get along here?"

Kyo spoke out while trying to placate everyone and stop a disaster from happening, but it seemed that nobody was listening to him.

Misty began looking about at everyone giving her looks of confusion and utter jealousy a funny look. She then directed her next question to Duero.

"Is she his girlfriend or something?"

Duero looked even more confused. "Girlfriend? I'm…not familiar with the term."

"What?! Are you really serious?"

Misty looked about, she then saw the looks of confusion and non-comprehension on the rest of the crew. She then gave a pout as she looked at her holographic companion.

"Q-chan! These people are really weird!"

The holographic blob merely nodded and chirped.

"You're the one who's weird!" Jura answered.

.

"Whoa, stop that Jura."

Kyo said calmly as he moved Dita aside gently and walked up to Misty.

"Please, don't think that we're being totally insulting. But you see, the people on this ship have come from planets that have either only men or only women. So it's rather easy to see why they don't think the way your used to."

"You mean you also…?"

"No, I'm not from Talark or Megele. I don't really recall which planet I'm from, but I'm very familiar with…the way of thinking you have also…along with the…things you know."

(Nice…I shouldn't have said that)

Kyo said as Misty began leaning closer to him.

"So…that means that you don't HAVE a girlfriend then…"

"NO! KEEP AWAY FROM MR. ALIEN!!"

Dita shouted as she glomped onto Kyo's left arm and began pulling him away.

"OUCH! TAKE IT EASY!"

Kyo yelped in pain as he was still tender from the last battle.

"That's what you think! I think he's better off with me!"

Misty said as she also glomped onto Kyo's right arm.

"I SAID KEEP AWAY FROM MR. ALIEN!"

Dita fumed as both girls went into an impromptu tug of war…with Kyo as the rope.

"THAT HURTS! LET GO OF ME!"

Behind them, Jura became more introspective as she heard all the happenings.

Hmmm…so Kyo KNOWS about this kind of thing! Interesting.

Paiway was in recording heaven as she wrote all that was going on in her notebook.

--

On the way to the Medical Bay…

"Well, this day's certainly becoming full of surprises." Magno commented as she and BC walked to where the new arrival was.

"Indeed, but what do you think is in this message module we found in Misty's suspension pod?"

Buzam asked as she held an item that looked like a football with a glass-like middle and what appeared to be a suspended data-sphere inside.

"I'm not so sure BC, but it would be prudent to ask our guest first."

Magno replied as the two walked into the Medical Bay and then spoke to Duero as he and Paiway were busy working, as Misty rested quietly.

"How's our guest Doctor?"

Magno asked.

"She's fine, but right now her body's being affected by cryogenic-suspension sleep. She needs to rest for a few more hours until her body's able to recover from all the time she spent in the pod."

BC nodded as she looked at the message pod. "I guess that means we'll have to open the message ourselves."

--

In the Register…

Kyo sighed as he began recalling what had taken place in the Medical Bay, it didn't make things any easier now that a good portion of the Nirvana crew began whispering rumors and began looking at him oddly.

(One thing you can never change about women…they love to gossip.)

Gascogne spotted the tired look on Kyo's face and walked up to the Gundam pilot.

"What's up with you today K? Does it have something to do with the new girl we rescued yesterday?"

"Yeah, I'm…quite sure that she's going to be a handful."

Gascogne nodded as she too heard the rumors and gossip flowing about after what happened.

"I agree, though you have to admit to one thing. Now that we've got a girl who knows things the way you do, it'll make some sense around here. What's this term 'girlfriend' anyway?"

Kyo sighed once more as he began to explain.

--

In the cafeteria…

"It's so unfair!"

Dita pouted as she and Ezra were busy eating as Ezra needed to feed her still developing daughter.

"They've just met for a few minutes and she's already hugging him!"

Ezra moved to face Dita from her seat as she tried to soothe her distraught friend.

"Now Dita, there's nothing to be so worked up about. Why, imagine how Misty feels, she wakes up in a totally unknown place and is surrounded by strangers, she's got no one to turn to…except Kyo."

"Why Mr. Alien?"

Ezra thought about it, and replied. "It's because Kyo's the only one who understands her and knows the things she knows. After all, he seems to know what it was like long before between men and women. Plus he's traveled to other world where there are men and women too."

"It's still not fair!" Dita pouted.

--

"Here we go. This new version will help us remove the data more effectively now!" Parfet said with pride as she inserted the message module in a special access slot.

Buzam watched with interest as the message module was being accessed. The new device was made by Parfet was her best work, it was using the base layout of her Inter-Pricko device. It was now designed to take all sophisticated codes and languages by using universal communication concepts and languages. This naturally was then compared to the languages already in the Nirvana's database. Since the message module was likely used on Earth, it would be a simple matter to make the programs use common Terran languages and algorithms along with other methods of old Earth communication, Parfet didn't expect any problems to crop up during the procedure.

--

Back at the Cafeteria…

"I still think it's unfair!"

Dita pouted as she began wishing that she was back to chasing Kyo around the ship. But after that battle with the Dominion and the Harvester Battleship, over a few weeks ago. Kyo had made her promise to quit chasing him.

"Give this some more time Dita."

Ezra soothed. "I'm very sure that Kyo will…"

Ezra then gave a sharp gasp of pain and shock and clasping her belly. Dita immediately forgot her troubles and began trying to find out what was happening to the gentle bridge officer.

"Ezra! What's wrong?" Dita said as she held the hands of her friend.

"My…water…broke…the…Baby!"

Dita went to a greater panic as she realized what that meant. "Oh no!"

--

Kyo sighed as he walked out of the Register after spending a tough time explaining the terms in male and female relationships to the girls in the Register and to Gascogne. Just what was he going to do with this new situation? He had seen the looks given to him by the new girl and the reactions of the other crew members. He felt as if he had been strapped to a bomb that was set to go off in the next few hours.

(Oh man…just what else could happen today?)

As if in answer to his unspoken question, he heard Dita's voice call out to him.

"Mr. Alien! We need your help!"

Kyo was shaken out of his thoughts as he spotted the redhead as Dita was holding up Ezra as the gentle Megele woman was in pain, holding her belly, having known that Ezra was pregnant he knew what was going on with her. He wasted no time as he got out his communicator, contacted the Medical Bay and got to help Ezra to the elevator.

--

The moment Duero heard the call from Kyo, he wasted little time and immediately ordered Paiway to prep the Medical Bay's Emergency Room, it looked as if he was about to deliver his first baby, and it was NOT like the way babies were born on his world. He then read all the contents in his instruction manual. (The How to Book) However just as they were finally able to set up the entire room's systems, lights, and equipment went offline a minute later, plunging the whole room into darkness.

--

"What's happening?"

Buzam asked as she and Parfet were plunged into darkness. They had just began accessing the data module when the screen showed a request for a password, as Pyoro gave out a warning sound as the Navi-robot was also hooked to the device Parfet made and suddenly shutdown. This was followed by a complete system shutdown on the entire ship, from normal systems to main support systems, with the exceptions of life-support, communications, and some other key functions were deactivated.

Parfet wasted little time as she took out some of her own scanning tools. These were armed with their own power packs so they didn't rely on the Nirvana's power gird. She gasped as she got the reports from her devices.

"Oh no! The module was armed with a special defensive mechanism which is some sort of computer virus. The virus was released when we tried to access the module! The virus has caused a complete shutdown of the Nirvana's main power grid! We're totally dead in space!"

Buzam felt a chill flow in her body, the whole ship was completely disabled by the virus and couldn't move at all. And if the enemy would show up…

--

"What's happening?!"

Kyo said out loud as the elevator that he, Dita and Ezra were on suddenly stopped and plunged into complete darkness. The emergency lights came online and the whole room was bathed in a dim blue light. Ezra was on the floor of the elevator as the pain of her labor began to intensify. Kneeling beside her and holding her was Dita, trying to help ease the pain Ezra was going through.

"Duero? Can you hear me over there?!" Kyo said as he spoke to his communicator.

"I can hear you Kyo, but barely." Duero replied as the power drain had affected communications. "Where is Ezra?"

"She's here with me and Dita! We're trapped in an elevator between decks four and five! We're stuck here! What's going on?!"

"Parfet already informed me of the situation. Apparently there was a virus in the message pod that got released when they tried to open it. The virus is in the Nirvana's power grids and all the main systems except life-support, communications and other key systems have been taken offline. What's Ezra's condition?"

"She's not looking good! She said her water's broke and she's going into labor and that means that the baby's already reached the stage of being born! The contractions are getting shorter by the minute, this baby's going to be born and there's no stopping it!"

In the Medical bay, Duero was surprised that Kyo talked as if he knew all that there was to know about child-birth. "You know how to deliver a baby?"

"HEY! You don't happen to go traveling about in the universe to worlds that still have children the old way without learning some things along the way you know!." Kyo said back, but realized that getting flustered and panicked was out of the question. "I know…a good deal about it…but I've never delivered a baby before!"

"Well then, I guess you'll have to deliver one right there K." Another voice came in.

Both Duero and Kyo were surprised as they heard Magno's voice. The captain apparently had been listening to the whole conversation as she had entered the Medical Bay prior to the emergency shutdown and decided to lend a hand.

"YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS?!" The Gundam pilot cried out in shock. He was a Mobile Suit pilot and soldier. He definitely wasn't a midwife!

"Kyo doesn't have the medical expertise for something like that!" Duero protested.

Magno then spoke to Duero.

"And just how many babies have YOU delivered, doctor? Besides, you can't exactly go to where they all are, now can you?" Magno then turned to address the trapped Gundam pilot. "Kyo, I know that you never trained for this and this will probably be difficult for you. But right now, you don't have much in terms of options! Besides that, you already know some things about this, then it shouldn't be too hard for you, I'll help fill in the gaps by talking you through it."

"Can you find a way to get out of where you are?" Duero asked, he knew that Kyo had more than enough training to get out of the elevator with Dita and Ezra.

"No! The scanners indicate that the elevator's stabilization systems have been badly damaged and won't hold for long, and it's only a matter of time before the braking struts give way!"

Buzam interjected as she communicated from the Engineering section.

In the elevator, Kyo gritted his teeth, as far as he could see BC was right, if he tried to interfere with the elevator, it would become totally unstable. At the moment, the safety of Ezra and Dita, along with Ezra's about to be born daughter was the primary concern.

It looked like the toughest challenge of his entire life had just arrived.

That was when a certain band of unwanted guests decided to grace the Nirvana.

--

BOOOOOM!!

The Nirvana shuddered as several Harvester Cube Fighters and a pair of Seed Ships appeared right out of the void and began attacking. With their main long range sensors offline, the bridge crew had no way of knowing that the enemy had already arrived for the kill. And with the Dread Fighter catapult offline, they had no way of launching a counterstrike. Shields and propulsion were also down, leaving the Nirvana totally defenseless!

--

The elevator…

(Great! Just Great! Of all the times for THEM to show up!)

Kyo bit back his anger and frustration as he took off his vest and folded it into a make-shift blanket/cushion. Placing in on the floor in front of Ezra, he made a silent prayer as he took a deep breath and looked the new mother-to-be in the eyes.

"Okay Ezra…are you ready?"

The young woman nodded and gasped as another wave of pain hit her as the contractions began to grow shorter. Kneeling next to her was Dita, as she supported her friend. The redhead gave Kyo a reassuring smile as she also held the communicator to him.

"Okay Duero, Grandmother! Time to talk me through this!"

--

The Medical Bay…

"Kyo, how far are Ezra's contractions?" Duero asked as he checked his stop watch and the book for reference.

"Looks like…she had her last one…at least about two…maybe two and a half minutes ago."

Kyo answered.

"That's it. She's now going into labor. You should be seeing some fluid coming from Ezra. That's the amniotic fluid that will help ease the baby's passage out through the birth canal. The baby should be going out headfirst, so support the baby by the back of the head and the neck."

Duero said as he checked the watch and the book.

At this point, Magno placed her hand on his shoulder and smiled a bit.

"Sorry Doctor, but you'll have to skip all the scientific jargon. This is something you'll need to learn on a first hand basis." She then directed her orders to Kyo. "K! Spread her legs open and get ready to…"

"Don't worry about that part! I think I've figured out that much already!" Kyo said as he got down to business. "All right Ezra, get ready to push!

Behind the doctor and the apprentice nurse, Magno couldn't help but smile. For a man, Kyo was certainly well versed about childbirth and all the things involved with it. Another man from Talark, save for the doctor, would have fainted dead away at the sight of normal childbirth.

--

On the other side of the court…

In the Register, Gascogne was running her staff ragged, literally. Without any power, the Nirvana couldn't launch any fighters to deal with the enemy. So like all professionals in the whole universe, they had to improvise.

Some of her staff had been talking about losing some weight, so the Head Supplier decided to let them do just that, and give some power to the Nirvana's Dread catapult, she had them all running on treadmills and going on exercise bicycles, which were all connected to the main power grid. The girls were sweating, and panting as they used the oldest form of power in cosmic history, muscle power to generate enough energy to activate the Fighter Catapult.

Down at the Hanger, Barnette, Meia, and the other Dread pilots, along with the Crusader Squadron were getting ready to launch. Since the Vanguards could be deployed without the need for the Catapult, unlike the Dreads, Sara led her squadron out through the large hanger and out straight into space, after they finished opening the main doors. The 'manual launch' method of the Vanguards was really basic, it consisted of the humanoid mecha running and jumping out into the void. Once in space, they activated their machines and thrusters and went into combat, therefore demonstrating the now valued versatility of the formerly hated male machines.

Right now, Barnette felt like she really wanted to be out there in a Vanguard as the process of launching the Vanguards was taking way too long for her liking. The Dreads had been upgraded for the new Cube Fighters so they were better in their original functions. One by one the Dread pilots and their Dreads were deployed into space, as they came into formation and got ready to aid their comrades in the Vanguards. By the time Barnette had shot down her first kill of the day, the Vanguards were already taking in an impressive kill ratio.

--

"I…I…can't… do this!" Ezra cried in tears as her pain continued to increase in intensity. Her body was in absolute agony as her breathing became shorter and her contractions increased.

"Don't give up Ezra! We're almost there! You can do this!" Kyo said firmly as he was about to receive a new life in this world as the first signs of the baby's arrival came into view, he had NO intention of losing either the baby or Ezra…or both.

Ezra shook her head as tears flooded down her face. "I…I…can't! I'm…I'm scared!"

"It's going to be okay Ezra. I'm scared here too!" Kyo said as he still urged her on.

"You're scared?" Dita said in surprise. She had not expected Kyo to be scared of anything.

The former Yamato gave the two women a whimsical smile.

"It's been my experience that not being scared of anything will kill you in the end. Being not afraid is for fools, who don't know how precious life is. I learned that from Dominion and the Harvesters. Being scared is totally part of human nature, and helps keep you alive sometimes. But listen to me Ezra. This is what you've always wanted, right? This is the reason you chose to be a fahma and receive the seed. You want to have a daughter more than anything else in the world, right?" Kyo asked.

Ezra sniffled back her tears and nodded, before letting out another gasp.

Kyo smiled once more.

"Being afraid is totally natural, but you should not let the fear stop you from doing what must be done! And you need to do this! Your daughter needs you and I need your help to bring her into this world! I will always be here to help you and your baby. I will do everything in my power and ability to help you and your child, and!"

He said as he continued hold back his own fear at seeing a newborn baby.

"I won't leave your side until you and your child are safe, I promise you, as a crew-mate, and as a friend. You can do this Ezra, Dita and I will be here with you…every step of the way. Are you ready? We're almost there!" Kyo said as he held out his hands as baby slowly emerged.

Ezra nodded once more. "T-Thank you Kyo!" She then resumed pushing.

--

Out in space, Meia and her Dreads darted around as they continued to engage the enemy forces. The Dread Leader knew that they needed to win this battle quickly. Gascogne's supply shuttle wasn't going to be with them to re-supply the Dreads as it would be impossible to launch the Dreki with only muscle power. And the Vanguards were already running low on their own supplies of projectile and energy weapons. Most of them had to resort to their melee weapons.

Just then, she spotted the two massive Seed Ships making their way to the Nirvana. She contacted her teams and ordered an interception of the incoming Harvester Ships.

Sara noticed the approach of the enemy vessels as well and ordered her Squadron to do whatever they could to slow their approach. Unleashing the last of her missiles on one of the incoming ships, she reached and pulled out her Vanguard's battle spear and charged in. Several others charged in with her, wishing for the appearance of their commander and his Gundam,

--

However, the Gundam pilot had his hands full… quite literally. The baby was almost out as he and Dita continued to urge Ezra to give one last push.

The ship once more rocked from side to side.

--

Meia gasped as she and the others watched the two Seed Ships unleash their metallic tendrils and spear the Nirvana's two arms. Once the y succeeded the ships used the tendrils as towlines, dragging the pirate vessel away.

Both Dread and Vanguard leaders immediately commanded their teams to attack the tendrils as freeing the Nirvana was top priority. The mecha fighters cut away with their bladed weapons, while the Dreads blasted away with whatever weapons they had left.

However, it seemed that nothing now would stop the Earth's forces from claiming final victory. That is until…

--

"WAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

Kyo let out a loud sigh of relief as Ezra's baby girl took in her first breath of air and cried out. He had managed not to faint at the sight of the newborn and smiled as the baby breathed in and breathed out normally, afterwards Ezra released the after-birth remnants, including the umbilical cord and the placenta.

--

At that same moment, Pyoro came back online with the words 'Password Accepted' appearing on his screen. All systems were back online as power flowed in once more throughout the ship, and restore all functions, with the exception of the shields, due to the two Seed Ships with their tendrils piercing the Nirvana's arms. Then the pirate vessel shuddered began moving back to escape as Bart was now in the helm.

--

The elevator shook as several grinding noises were heard as the brakes of the elevator which held most of the weight of the group, and keep then from falling to the bottom of the shaft, were about to give out.

Kyo realized that they had to escape now! Summoning all his enhanced strength he tore thee doors open and ripped apart the upper section of the doorway. Though it was painful and difficult for him, the enhancements to his body via his Coordinator background and the Paeksis energy imbued in his cells gave him the power to tear apart the doors like tin-foil, though with great effort on his part. Once he was done he quickly grabbed Dita, and Ezra who held her baby tightly.

"HOLD ON TO ME!"

He ordered the two women as he immediately leaped outward and with a powerful kick, broke through the doors of the fourth level deck. The energy in his cells had allowed Kyo to leap a full twenty feet into the air even with Dita, Ezra, and the baby close to him. And not a moment too soon as the braking struts gave way and the elevator sped downward and crashed loudly on the bottom.

Kyo moved in mid-air allowing himself to cushion Dita, Ezra, and the baby, avoiding injury to the three women. He gave a groan, but didn't care as he protected the girls.

He gave a sigh as he immediately checked on his companions.

"Is everyone okay?"

"I…I'm all right." Ezra said slowly as she also checked on the precious bundle in her arms. The baby let out a loud cry, but she saw no injuries to her little newborn child.

Dita shook her head clear and handed Kyo one of her smiles as she looked at Ezra and her baby.

"We're all fine now! That was SO amazing; you did so well with Ezra Mr. Alien!"

Kyo was so relieved at hearing this, that he didn't get too angry about Dita calling him Mr. Alien though he had already decided to wait until Dita called him by his real name, so he didn't bother with it. At that point, he heard a familiar and rather annoying voice.

"DON'T WORRY! PYORO WILL SAVE PYORO 2!"

The Gundam pilot frowned as he spotted that annoying automaton making it's way to them all; behind the robot were Paiway, and Duero.

"You think that you can handle things here?" Kyo asked Dita as he headed to the hanger bay to get Freedom and Liberty.

The redhead nodded as the young man rushed for the Hanger.

--

Out in space, Meia and her squadron let out a concentrated barrage at the Seed Ships. The attack was focused on freeing the Nirvana from the tendrils of it's captors. One line was finally severed and thus freeing the Nirvana from one captor. However, the joy the Dreads and their leader experienced was short-lived as they all realized that their Dreads were nearly depleted of all ordinance and ammunition. Meia was about to lose all hope when she caught a blue-white flash come out from the Nirvana, which was followed by another streak of blue-white coming from the main hanger bay. At that exact moment, the Nirvana's maneuvering thrusters came online, indicating the Bart tried to pull the ship away from it's captors.

--

"Sorry I'm late!"

Kyo called in as he and Freedom combined with Liberty and made their way into the fight, blasting apart a group of Cube Fighters. Freedom then disconnected from Liberty and then made it's way to Jura's Dread.

"I had my hands full delivering Ezra's baby. You all will be happy to know that both Ezra and her daughter are in good condition!"

All the women, on either Dreads or Vanguards gave a hearty cheer at the news as the Gundam merged with Jura's Dread. GunDread Jura immediately went into samurai mode and made it's way towards the enemy, carving up Cube Fighters with it's halberd and cutting up with both anti-ship swords the one Seed Ship that had lost it's grip on the Nirvana, the samurai then moved to the remaining Seed Ship, which still held the Nirvana.

Inside the GunDread, both Jura and Kyo activated the weapon systems and the Gundam focused the power of the GunDread. He then pressed the button to command Liberty for fusion mode.

"Yes! That was absolutely perfect!" Jura cried out with joy.

"Let's finish this once and for all!" Kyo said as he decided to finish off the last Seed Ship.

The ATCISS obeyed the command and made it's way to the GunDread. In seconds the machine merged and activated the third transformation phase of Jura's fighter, forming the Amazon mecha. GunDread Jura Alpha got between it's enemy and the Nirvana. It pulled out it's twin swords, which emitted massive waves of light as the mecha vanished from sight and the remaining Harvester ship was diced to bits.

The advanced GunDread then reappeared and made it's massive No-Dachi style anti-ship sword and slashed the Seed Ship one more time. The Harvester unit was cut into pieces and exploded in moments, ending the battle permanently.

--

Later…

"What? You're telling me that the password was a baby's cry, BC?" Magno asked BC as she received Parfet's analysis.

"That's correct." BC nodded. "Ezra's newborn baby saved us all from the virus. That capsule turned out to be designed to respond only to a certain audio frequency, specifically to the baby's voice pattern."

"So you're now able to read the data in the module?"

"Yes, we've completed out analysis, and I was about to play it."

"Have it played on all communications. I want the entire crew to hear all of the information." Magno ordered.

--

Everyone onboard the Nirvana immediately stopped what he or she was doing, as the view screens and began relaying the message inside the capsule. The images showed the crew an image of a laboratory who's sole inhabitants were two people. One was an aging, balding man wearing a lab coat and wore a technological monocle and had a beard. The second person was a woman with long brown hair and also had a lab coat, and had on what appeared to be a technological visor. The images were somewhat grainy, but everyone could still see it clearly.

"I apologize for whatever trouble we have inadvertently caused to you all, but it was my belief that the only the cry of a baby was a sure sign that there was a flourishing human civilization out there in space. We are from Earth, or rather…what is left of the cradle of the human race. To make things more understandable as to the situation you all are facing, I feel that reviewing our planet's history is in order."

The images changed and depicted a blue-white planet with life signs teeming all over it. And in the view of space were several clusters of colonies that doted the orbit of the blue-green world.

"This was what our home-world once was, more than three hundred years ago. And even though it may look peaceful at first, our home world has nearly been wiped out in a war that was totally senseless, and tragic."

The woman then spoke.

"Three hundred years ago, there were two sects of the human race. There at that time was a man that pioneered the science of genetic manipulation and enhancement. His name was George Glenn. He was a star athlete, scientist, and astronaut. He was the team leader on the first manned expedition to Saturn, and before he left, he revealed the technology and methods of altering the DNA of a child to make the baby faster, stronger, more resistant to disease and sickness, more intelligent, and could have better skills than those of normally born children. He called himself a Coordinator of the human race. Months after his return to the Earth, he had made many discoveries and built a number of giant satellite city/stations called PLANTS, which were shaped like hour-glasses. It was there that he began his research."

The man nodded as he began showing images of the man in question.

"George had great intentions and those were for the better future of man…but sadly, there were others who saw it differently. As many people began to have their babies turned into Coordinators like Glenn. There were those who considered such things as heretical to human nature and the morality of life. These groups considered the Coordinators who were born using the methods and techniques made by Glenn as abominations and completely inhuman. Though these were moderate at first, it didn't take long for bitterness, fear, anger, envy, and jealousy to evolve the hatred into violence. As more Coordinators were born on Earth, the racist attacks against them all, became both verbal and physical. There were now two sides of the human species, Naturals or those who had children naturally and opposed the methods used by Coordinators, and Coordinators themselves who accepted their gifts, but looked down on Naturals as weaker beings."

The images changed as people were being attacked and killed others, while homes were torched, Labs were being attacked by mobs all chanting hatred for Coordinators. The people in the message then moved to other images.

"George decided to explain a part of the story, his real motive to allow Coordinators to be what they were. But before it could be done, he was killed by a follower of the organization known as Blue Cosmos."

"The Blue Cosmos was once an environmental activist group, but they quickly became brutal and cold towards Coordinators, and took every opportunity to spark hatred towards the Coordinators, and they staged bloody attacks against them all. The organization was strong in the leadership hierarchy of the Earth Alliance's chief nation, the Atlantic Federation. As the attacks intensified, many Coordinators fled to space and settled in the PLANTS. They then formed a security/government body which was known as Z.A.F.T or the Zodiac Alliance for Freedom Treaty. Though the Atlantic Federation was dominant and so were other nations of the Alliance, there were those who didn't see things the way Blue Cosmos did, namely the Orb Union, who's population were both Naturals and Coordinators living side by side. However…it didn't take long for this hatred and prejudice to break into full scale war."

The images then depicted a battle group from Earth attacking a nearby PLANT as the woman spoke on.

"The Blue Cosmos had given their final strike to Z.A.F.T as they allowed a combat group under one their members in the military to strike a nearby agricultural PLANT known as Junius 7. The Blue Cosmos unleashed their true weapons to 'cleanse the Coordinator stain for their blue and pure world.' Those were a barrage of nuclear missiles. The PLANT was totally destroyed, and over twenty thousand Coordinators, men, women, and children were killed. This day became known to the Z.A.F.T forces as the 'Bloody Valentine Massacre.' And this sparked the war that raged on Earth for two years."

The images then depicted the wars between Earth and the PLANTS, the man then spoke further.

"The Z.A.F.T unleashed weapons known as Neutron Jammer Cancellers that rendered the Earth Alliance forces unable to use nuclear power and reliant on battery reactors. When Z.A.F.T launched their counter-strike, it was believed that the Alliance would have the advantage in numbers. But Z.A.F.T had delved into greater weapons and created a weapon that had the armor of a tank, the maneuverability of a fighter, and the arsenal of a battleship. They introduced Mobile Suits, these weapons and the variants produced totally caught the Alliance off-guard and the war became bloody struggle."

"The Alliance was overwhelmed and were beaten time and time again, until they decided to created a series of weapons needed to balance the tide of war. They created GAT-0001X General-Unilateral-Neuro-Link-Dispersive-Automatic-Maneuver operating system powered Mobile Suit series. These new weapons were to help them gain an edge over the Z.A.F.T. These suits were know as the G-Weapons…or the Gundams."

--

That bit of information got Kyo's attention as he looked at the screen. This might be what he had been searching for all this time.

The rest of the Nirvana crew were shocked and began thinking about Kyo and Freedom, was Kyo a part of the Earth forces that were after their organs?

--

The message went on as the two people began recounting the events of the war between Z.A.F.T and the Alliance. (1). The man then spoke of the time when Z.A.F.T created their own generation of Gundams, this garnered even more of Kyo's attention and that of the Nirvana crew until the pair ended the explanation with the climax of the war.

"The Three Ship Alliance and the Clyne Faction were able to step in as the combined might of the Alliance and Z.A.F.T's own might met in space in front of the Z.A.F.T command station known as Yachim Due. It was there that the Alliance attempted to use nuclear missiles protected by the technology of Neutron Jammer Canceller systems stolen from Z.A.F.T to totally wipe out the PLANTS. The missiles were destroyed by the Three Ships Alliance and in the final moments of the battle, the super weapon of Z.A.F.T known as GENESIS was also destroyed. Both the extremist leaders in Z.A.F.T and the Earth Alliance, who were Patrick Zala, and Muruta Azrael were killed along with the madman Rau La Klueze, and with that both sides decided to come forward in peace talks."

"In the course of over eight years, the PLANTS and Earth sighed the Junius 7 peace treaty and both sides began the long but worthwhile path to peace and cooperation. There were later marriages between Coordinators and Naturals. These marriages helped usher an era of peace and reconciliation between Z.A.F.T and Earth as others took that path. There however were rogue elements in Z.A.F.T and the Earth Alliance that still lingered to threaten the peace. Both moderate elements in each government decided to create a group of counter-terrorist units from both Z.A.F.T and the Alliance. They became the Guardians and in a span of two years, all elements that could have sparked another war between Coordinator and Naturals were arrested and removed, without major incident. This allowed Coordinator scientists to cure the threat of sterility in their race. When the recording unit of the founder of Coordinators was found and revealed. Both sides decided to finally remove the hatred and prejudice and a new era dawned on all humans, there was no longer any distinction between people as marriages between both sides grew fruitful and helped the efforts for peace grow. This Era became known as the Cosmic Era of Unification. And all governments of the PLANTS, Colonies, and Earth became known as the Cosmic Alliance."

"But eight years after, the peace was nearly lost when a group of scientists on a routine expedition in space discovered a massive fragment of unknown crystal that seemed to radiate immense power, and it seemed that it could be a new source of power for Earth, as they were now ready to search of cleaner energy sources. Clean Fusion energy showed great power, but new energy sources were a must in their world to continue advancing, and it seemed that it would prove helpful."

The woman then took over. "The scientists decided to use special magnetic field containers to hold the strange material as they took away a chunk of the crystal which was the size of a grapefruit. It was first tested in space in a newly established research station for safe testing."

"Three more weeks later, the scientists decided to construct a new colony which will contain the fragment for a special field test. The Orb Union government decided to begin construction of the large field station between the PLANTS and Earth in the Debris Belt which was a safe distance away from many of the PLANTS and Colonies, but close to the nearest space port and supply station from either the Colonies or PLANTS and Earth. The scientists had determined that if kept in a proper containment field, the new crystal core could run a large city the size of Orb's main island for over two hundred years. However, they made it quite clear that the crystal is merely for field experiments only, if it was too dangerous, then the project would be discontinued."

"But it went wrong, as the reactor began to react violently and it nearly went critical. The blast would have doused the Earth and PLANTS in massive radiation and kill millions of people and forever altered the Earth's biosphere. The results could have meant the death of the Human race, but due to the sacrifice of Kira and Lacus's eldest son who's name was unfortunately forgotten. Earth and the PLANTS were spared that fate."

"Two hundred years later…Humanity began to colonize the stars and reach beyond the solar system. Thus a fleet of colony ships were built to reach out to the vast areas of space. It was then that the same crystal was proposed to be used in the colonization efforts. Though there was some dissent, the project was completed in a span of fifty years. The crystal reactors were in a pair and both were named the Paeksis Phlagma. One was stored in a Colony ship known as the Ikazuchi, while the second remained on Earth."

The woman then spoke as she played another sequence of clips.

"But the young Yamato's sacrifice was made useless as an extremist faction took over the Paeksis plant on Earth, and somehow made the reactor go critical. The crystal survived, but the resulting blasts destroyed countless cities and million were immediately killed by the explosion and radiation. The blast and radiation waves also consumed space and affected the Colonies and PLANTS. Millions also died there and the control systems of the space cities were totally destroyed and they fell on Earth, turning the already radiated landscape into a totally inhospitable world, the biosphere was totally altered and twisted. The surviving humans from the space colonies and Earth called the first days of this tragedy as the 'Days of Despair', they rebuilt the reactor and tried to rebuilt Earth, but they failed. They were driven to a state of utter despair, they now believed that they were the last vestiges of the one proud human race, eventually they entered a state of madness. This is what the Earth now looks like."

The scene changed into a picture of a dark world surrounded by machines and gears. The surface was totally filled with water and there were massive storms and energy clouds that sparked out massive lighting and energy pulses. Kyo became even more shocked as he recognized the land as the same one he had awakened to when he first activated Freedom.

(It…can't be!! If…if…that's the Earth, then…I'm…)

--

The man once more spoke. "The Earth is now surrounded by massive gears and metal belts to keep whatever biosphere was left on Earth. The moon was also engulfed in the belts as well. Within this cage, the surface is bathed in torrential storms of radiated water and massive energy storms, and the biosphere can no longer sustain any form of life. He surface is like a washing machine with little landmasses, as such the humans on Earth reached a genetic end, they tried to use the old Coordinator method of having children before the Era of Unification, but because of the severe radiation, this was no longer possible as the genes of all the surviving humans were totally destroyed. They were not even able to clone themselves as children could never be born by ANY method. As a result… there no children on Earth at all.

--

This news brought even more shock to the crew of the Nirvana. Ezra became very affected as she held her sleeping daughter tightly to her chest.

--

"The humans were only able to survive using life support, then at last the desire for self-preservation became all consuming. The Council then implemented the plan to use the organs of those who survived the trip to colonize space. The people of Earth have long ago shed all sense of morals and were only concerned with their survival, despite it meant the death of everyone else. Using the Paeksis left on Earth they began constructing their automated Harvester Fleet to harvest all the humans in the new worlds. They have recently decided to recover the old designs for the Gundams of both the old Earth Alliance and Z.A.F.T so that will become totally unstoppable."

The two shook their heads sadly. "I can't fathom how we have delved deeply into this madness, but I feel that this action will only destroy the once proud human race. In our own desire to save the future, we have allowed one of the few children that survived the Days of Despair to be the bearer of this message to go out into the void of the universe and warn the rest of humanity of the madness that now rules those left on Earth. For those of you who receive this message I implore you to resist the Harvest. You are the last holders of the torch of humanity and it's future!"

--

Magno nodded grimly as the message ended. "Let it be known that we have received this message and we swear to continue to fight." She then turned to her first officer. "BC, it is now imperative that we return to warn Talark and Megele to this danger. We must do everything that is within our power to ensure a future for all humanity…" She then thought of Ezra's baby and added. "A bright and clear future where a new life can grow in peace."

Buzam solemnly nodded as she gave the order for Bart to make the trip back to their home-system at top speed.

--

In a corridor…

Kyo wandered the hallways of the Nirvana, caring little for his destination, his whole thought was bent on what he had learned and was busy trying to find the truth.

(I'm…from…from Earth! For as long as I can recall, I wanted to know where I came from. And now I find out that I came from the same world as those…organ hungry butchers! I'm from the same world as the enemy we've been fighting for so long! I…I…can't believe that the Earth was where the Gundams were built! Then again…that…that could explain why they could have made the first Dominion and the other units…Does that mean…No! NO! That can't be true! I'm not one of them! Why this?! Just as soon as I learn an answer there are more questions in my face! Who am I? Why do the names of Kira, Lacus, Athrun, and Cagalli seem so familiar to me?! I feel like I know them personally! What does this all mean?!)

"Kyo?"

Kyo immediately turned about, totally startled as he heard Magno's voice. He assumed that he was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't hear her voice or sense her coming behind him.

"Oh…hello, Captain."

"Kyo, I've been looking for you for an hour. I've tried to contact you from your communicator and on the PA systems, but you didn't respond."

Kyo nodded as he gave a far away look. "I'm…sorry…but I've been thinking about a lot of things."

Magno nodded.

"I can understand that considering what we've learned about our enemies, and about you. If you're worried that the crew will become hostile towards you because of that message involving the Gundams and the Earth…. Then don't be, we may not have learned all about you, but after all that you have done, how many times you risked your life for us, and your helping to deliver Ezra's baby today. We know for a fact that YOU are NO enemy, but a trusted ally and friend."

The Gundam pilot nodded with a small relieved smile. "Thanks, Grandmother…that makes me feel a good deal better."

"Good, speaking of Ezra's baby. She wanted to see you about something, concerning her child."

Kyo immediately became concerned. "What? Is something wrong with the baby? Did she get…"

Kyo was afraid that his actions in escaping the elevator had injured the innocent child.

Magno waved away his fears. "The baby is fine and healthy. Ezra told me that she wanted to see you know. It's something of great importance."

--

The Medical bay…

"She is sooooooo cute!"

Dita cooed with a wide smile was she and Pyoro gazed at the sleeping baby. Lying on a bed near her new daughter was Ezra, who was recovering nicely from childbirth.

"Hey Ezra, what's the name you're going to give to her?" Dita asked her friend excitedly.

"Her name is Pyoro 2!" The little automaton said with great enthusiasm.

"No way! That's so not cute! Especially for a little girl!"

"The decision is has already been made!" Pyoro insisted.

"We should ask the captain for a name!" Dita interjected as she continued to gaze at the sleeping form.

"Pyoro 2! Pyoro 2! Pyoro 2!"

Ezra gave a gentle smile, but shook her head. "I'm sorry Pyoro-chan. But I already told you that I will choose my daughter's name myself. I never said that it would be Pyoro 2."

"Of course her name's Pyoro 2!" The little automaton said stubbornly. "What else could it be?"

At that moment Kyo arrived and made his way to the people in the room.

"Uh…hey, how are you doing?" Kyo said a little nervously, but he relaxed as he could see that both mother and daughter were fine.

"Hello Kyo. I'm so happy that you came here." Ezra greeted with a smile.

"Hey Mr. Alien! Can you help think up a name for Ezra's little girl?" Dita asked.

"She already has a name!" Pyoro argued. "It's Pyoro 2!"

The young man looked with deep irritation at the automaton, Kyo spoke in a firm tone that brooked no argument. "In case you didn't know, it's every mother's right to name her child. Ezra is the baby's rightful mother and the baby is her daughter. She belongs to her and YOU have no say in that matter since YOU had nothing to do with the baby's creation."

Pyoro wanted to argue further, but immediately got the message when Kyo raised his fist. The little robot may be stubborn but it knew better than to argue with the former Ultimate Coordinator, since he could either dismantle him into scrap or re-program him into a vegetable with minimal effort.

The man then lowered his fist and smiled at the new mother and her baby. Kyo asked. "So Ezra, have you decided on a name for your baby?"

The gentle bridge officer smiled back as she answered. "I've decided…"

"Pyoro 2, right?"

Kyo and Ezra glared at the little robot, which immediately made it silent.

Ezra continued. "As I was saying, I've decided to let you choose my baby's name."

That made Kyo look with surprise at the mother. "Me?"

Ezra nodded while Dita smiled. "You stayed and saved my life, Dita's, and my baby. You helped me and gave me the strength to bring my little girl into this world. I can't think of any better way to thank you for what you've done, than to let my daughter grow up with the name you will choose."

"I…don't know what to say…I'm… deeply honored."

Ezra nodded. "So what will be my daughter's name?"

The Gundam pilot became introspective as he recalled names for female children. They for a moment considered naming the little bundle Seran, after the brave and kind Melanos engineer he met long ago. But that name didn't fit well, so he thought of another name. He began to recall a name that was deep in his mind, something that gave him a smile whenever he heard it. He then walked to the baby's crib and began to speak.

"So you've all chosen the name Pyoro 2, right…?"

WHAM! CLANG!

The little automaton's circuits glitched, after Kyo used his other hand in a fist to knock the annoying machine aside. It now lay on the far side of the room in the Medical Bay, with it's main screen showing nothing but static as the little robot let out electronic sounds of pain.

"Bzzzt! Beep! Squark! Error!"

Kyo addressed the little bundle in a quiet voice. "Your name shall be…Lacus."

The little baby smiled at the name as she continued to sleep.

At that moment, Misty came into the room, completely awake and in a simple nightgown.

"Hello everyone."

Ezra nodded and smiled. "Oh Hello, and how are you feeling now?"

The young girl nodded and replied with a simple smile.

"I'm feeling fine now. Congratulations on the baby." She immediately gave a grin as she made her way to Kyo. "I heard that you all decided to name the baby Lacus. That's really nice."

Kyo nodded a bit. "Uh…yeah."

"That name's really beautiful. So what name will you give to our baby?"

"HUH?! WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!"

"You're so darn handsome when you get like that!" Misty remarked, she immediately reached up, took Kyo's face in her hands, brought him closer to her, and without any finesse kissed him full on the lips.

That had immediate results…

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

Dita was in a state of total shock as she saw their lips touched. Mr. Alien belonged to her!

Misty licked her lips as she pulled away, leaving a completely shocked Kyo.

"Mmmmm…honey! My personal favorite!"

She went back and reached up to kiss Kyo once more.

ZOOOOOOOMMMMM!

Kyo left a huge dust trail as he ran out of the Medical Bay at top speed.

Nearby, a certain someone was scribbling down on her book and taking pictures with her camera.

"Pai Check!"

--

Later…

Duero frowned at the results of the first test and analysis of his theory came up on their monitors. He had hoped that his suspicions were not correct, but instead they were right on target. He immediately added several calculations and an extra amount of data, along with what he had learned from the recording and from the medical database of the Nirvana on his findings, but the results when placed on the main monitor were dead correct. He shock his head as he read the readouts.

Duero gulped loudly and gave a sigh of fear. Things weren't looking good at all! The data was very disturbing and very foreboding. He had to do more tests and research, but if those tests also showed the same situation in the first one, then the future of both his planet of Talark and that of the women of Megele was in grave danger.

--

The bridge…

Magno smiled as she heard the name Kyo had chosen for Ezra's little child.

(Lacus, eh? That's one name that I haven't HEARD in a very LONG time. Where did Kyo hear of it?)

To be continued…

Well… this takes care of chapter two. From here on out, the universe of VanDread-The Second Stage is about to get some serious overhauls as elements of the Gundam SEED universe are about to meld in. What those elements are, that's under MY discretion. I've got some ideas in the hotpot for the coming chapters, but I'll have to do more research on it first before I make them. Who's going to get Kyo? It's up to both YOU readers, and ME.

(1) This is a recap of all the events in Gundam SEED, but in a third person perspective, not from the crew of the Archangel. So this will be a good factor for the rest of the story.

P.S

If you really WANT to know what elements I HAVE in mind, then check out the SEED series, along with Destiny.


	4. Chapter 4

GunDread SEED The Second Stage

Disclaimer: VanDread belongs to Gonzo, Gundam SEED belongs to Bandai. Neither companies nor series belong to me. But I wish they did.

( ): Thoughts

Chapter 3

Differences between Men & Women

--

Two weeks later…

Kyo sighed as he finished his work on his new Gundam the I-Freedom, and decided to get some rest and work out at the gym. Over the last two weeks after Ezra's baby Lacus was now born the Nirvana had gone through some radical changes. Those changes included two individuals, namely Bart Garsus and Jura Basil Elden, Bart had now decided to shed his cowardly nature and become a real man, and Jura had now taken a strong interest in men, with him in particular in her sights!

Kyo's thoughts were sent back to the world they had visited over two weeks ago, a planet under the yoke of the Harvesters' merciless and tyrannical rule. (1)

To say that he became disgusted for the world of his origin would have been too near the mark. The place was guest to a massive host of atmospheric and genetic experiments were conducted by Earth…all with dangerous results. When the Nirvana arrived on the planet, they all had been given immunity shots, with the exception of Kyo as his body was somewhat immune to the diseases. Sadly the people living on the tortured world were not. From the moment of birth and death, they were already affected on the genetic level by their world's corrupted environment. As a result all of them were doomed to slow and painful deaths from various ailments from the moment of their birth. Less then 25 of the population would reach the age of forty.

The Earth didn't care about that as they had other plans, every end of the year the blasted monsters would come to this world and take the bodies of those who died, leaving nothing for their loved ones to remember them by. As a result, the whole population had to carve wooden dolls and other methods in order to leave behind evidence that they did exist, albeit painfully and sadly on their mutated world. Each completed doll was stored in a large ware-house, each a silent testament to the life of the person they were crafted of.

Kyo's fury knew no bounds as he learned this. When he had seen the ware-house full of dolls, the girls around him, even Barnette, and Gascogne had to step back and watch as he in his rage tore apart a small table to shreds. Kyo swore that he was going to remember this, and he was NEVER going to forgive Earth for their inhumanity. Duero, despite being a healer confided in him about his own disgust and horror at what the Earth had done to these people, there was no way to take these people with them into the Nirvana, despite the fact that there was so much room in the pirate vessel, the bodies of the people already born, were too fragile to withstand the rigors of space travel and they would die.

The pirates wasted no time in trying to help these people. They did everything they could, but short of terra-forming the entire world, they could do little to ease the suffering and pain of the population. They however were able to create special chambers shielded by the fragments of the Paeksis crystals to ensure that future generations born would be healthy and forever be given a fighting chance to change their world to save the next generation, and those that would follow.

It was a great pity however, that those already born would have to die, before such a day would come to them. One young person in particular deserved that privilege to live. She had to die at the tender age of nine, her name was Shirley and it was because of this young girl that Bart decided to grow up and face the enemy with real courage.

Over the course of their stay to try and help the people, Bart had met the little waif and they made an instant bond, which was very close. Bart had already gotten used to living with women, but didn't have that many female friends on the Nirvana, and Shirley was his first, and tragically his last. He regaled her with his tales of his 'grand travels in space'. Though the guy was lying like a fallen tree, Kyo didn't find the heart to stop him from keeping the little girl's hopes up. Kyo had already seen how much Shirley loved Bart and called him her big brother, as the rest of her family had already passed away, and she couldn't even see their dolls as she had been confined in the ICU for most of her life. In fact, Bart was touched when he found out that Shirley was making a doll of him as a keepsake. (2)

Bart was very sad to learn that there would be no way for his female friend to leave this world, and despite his care-free attitude at times, he knew that Shirley would die, but that fact never stopped him from either openly asking or covertly trying to convince Duero and Magno to take the people with them, including Shirley. He wasted no time in trying to find a way to save Shirley. But fate had other plans, as the Harvesters had arrived to make their collection of bodies on the world. Kyo and I-Freedom were combined with Jura's Dread to protect the atmosphere for the Paeksis chamber experiment to work. As a result the Dreads and Vanguards were badly out-matched and would have been defeated if it hadn't been for Bart. Bart had been very reluctant to leave Shirley as she suffered another agonizing attack to her heart and lungs, and he was there as Duero and Paiway tried to save his little friend. It took some convincing for him to leave her side, but Bart with true courage in his heart for the first time destroyed the enemy with a weapon system like that of Freedom's beam arsenals and the HiMAT system and wiped out the enemy single-handedly. All the while he recalled his own anger and sadness for the people dying below him, his friendship with Shirley and the smiles she gave him, and his wish to see her live a bit longer, he prayed to his Talark Gods and ancestors that Shirley would live for him to tell her how he fought the monsters back. Sadly, the little girl, who only wanted to finish her doll for her 'big brother'… perished.

Bart had become heart-broken as he saw Shirley's body being covered by Paiway and Duero when they told him that she had died. He fervently tried to convince Duero to try and save Shirley. He even went as far as to try and threaten Kyo to use what power had brought him back to life and do the same for Shirley. No matter how powerful Kyo was as a pilot and Coordinator and how much he also wanted to see Shirley live, he had no authority over the realms of life and death. Bart seemed to slip deeper into despair but thanks to some motherly advice from Magno, he found the will and courage to keep on living, for the sake of his friend. In fact to honor his friendship with Shirley, he decided to shave away his blonde hair away as the doll Shirley made for him had no hair. The new look shocked most of the crew, But Kyo knew that in Bart's mind, he was honoring Shirley and there was no mistake or joke in it. Though the look would take some time to get used to.

He then thought about Jura and shuddered slightly as he recalled what had happened in the GunDread.

--

Flashback…

"Understood Parfet." We'll keep things stable here for now." Kyo answered Parfet as he went back to the GunDread's control system, the ground party had to take a break as the Paeksis chamber needed some extra fine-tuning. Kyo had his uniform in the Engineering Bay for repairs as it needed to be updated for his new Gundam, as of now he was in his normal clothes. The GunDread of Jura retained all it's existing features, but was now better armored and larger and now had a set of beam cannons. The GunDread's shield was currently around the entire planet. Beside him was Jura who had finished polishing her nails. They had been there for over a day already as the engineering teams needed a three to four day window to make the special experiment work. He had no idea what Jura about to drop on his lap.

"Kyo?"

"Yes?"

"Do you realize that we're all alone up here?" Jura stated as she began to lean forward seductively.

"I'm…aware of that…what's the reason of you…asking?"

Kyo became rather nervous as he began to edge away in his seat from the gorgeous blonde. The way she was leaning forward and showing more of her ample breasts and figure, and since Kyo could tell that Jura never wore a bra at all, he had no difficulty making out her… He immediately clamped up his mind as he tried not to think about SEX at a time like this! This wasn't the time for his hormones to start again!

Jura's smile became even slyer as she could see the effects of her seduction tactics on Kyo, and he looked so…attractive when he looked like that! She wasted no time as she continued on.

"My reason is that there's nobody else up here but you and me….so what ever happens here will be only between the TWO of us!"

Kyo had no problem recognizing that look in Jura's eyes, he had seen it since the day she asked him about him contributing to her baby. He immediately back-pedaled away from Jura as his heart and breathing rates began to rise.

"Hold it Jura! WHAT are you talking about?!"

Jura giggled a bit as she stalked him like a jungle cat after a meal…or in this case, a mate.

"Oh come on now, Kyo. I know that you already KNOW what I want! I told you before that I wanted to be a mother and have a baby and I just KNOW that you'll make a perfect ohma for my little girl! Also I want you to name her when she's born, just like what you did for Ezra's baby. She's going to be so beautiful! I just know it!"

Kyo's face was so red that it would been mistakenly thought that all the blood in his body had decided to pool in his face, of course, his body was also reacting to Jura. He knew that that would mean, namely with babies.

"Whoa! Slow down Jura! I don't think you took the time to think this all through!"

Kyo said as his hands were in front of him, trying to keep the willing and voluptuous Jura away while trying to also restrain his raging hormones as his body began to immediately react to Jura's advances. A VERY large part of him was more than ready to make love to Jura, and it took ALL of his physical, mental, and emotional discipline and strength to keep his primal male instincts from leaping out like caged wolves. (3)

"What else it there for me to think about?"

The blonde Dread pilot said while shrugging her shoulders without care. "I've decided that it's time for me to become a fahma."

"What exactly brought this on? As far as I can recall, you've never given out that idea when we first met all those months ago?"

Kyo wanted to know.

"Well…I had listened to some things, and I've been reading some books about having children. And… when I saw how well Ezra's baby turned out, I feel that I can make a good mother myself."

"Okay…that part makes sense, I guess, but why do you want me?"

"Why not? After all, men and women could HAVE children together, right?"

"Ah…that's very true…So what's your point in dredging that up?"

"My point is that I want my daughter to be perfect, and I think that by using your seed, my daughter WILL be perfect!"

"What?! Now hold on a minute here!"

The Gundam pilot exclaimed as he kept moving away from Jura. He was immensely thankful for the fact that the seats in Jura's GunDread could move around the cockpit, allowing him time to try and convince Jura not to go through with this plan, along with him not going all out with his hormonal urges.

"I think there's a good number of things that you still have to know."

"Oh? Like what?"

"Well, I…think I should explain the process a little bit more."

Kyo gulped as he tried to get his thoughts in order. He, under normal circumstances didn't mind talking about the act of natural procreation between a man and woman, but his situation on the Nirvana was unique along with the circumstances, and he had only given a general overview of the process to his Talark allies. And he now had to explain that process to the flighty Jura, and it wasn't easy, as Jura had no knowledge about it and not to mention the detail of Jura…being a…virgin, in this department. And in this case, so was he. (4)

"Well…for one thing, yes it's quite true that a man and a woman can have babies together, but it's very personal,…and it involves…very…close interaction…between the two."

This perked up Barnette's friend's interest immediately. "Really? Go on."

"Uh…well… it's like this. hmm… the man and the woman have to be… bonding."

"Bonding…you mean like this?" Jura asked as she practically glomp onto him, making the Gundam pilot move back further away from her. "What's wrong? Aren't I supposed to be bonding with you?"

In his frantic efforts to move away from Jura after she had come into contact with him even more, before his hormones would take control of him, Kyo had accidentally brushed his arm against the GunDread's console. This activated the communication systems, audio only, on all channels. In effect, EVERYONE heard.

() Here we go!

--

The bridge…

Kyo: Well…that's not exactly what I was driving at…but yes, you have to be bonding…and, then…

Jura: I'm getting confused here. Am I suppose to be bonding with you or not?

Kyo: Uh…well, I meant bonding as in…how should I explain this?

Jura: You're making less sense. Look, all I want is your seed. It's not as if I'm asking for much.

Kyo: Oh really?! You're already asking a lot from me here! Besides, procreation between a man and a woman ISN'T that simple! Do you even have ANY idea what you and I have to do in order for me to give you my seed?

Jura: No, I don't. But I'm very sure I can do it! How hard could it be?

Kyo: YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS?!

Magno and Buzam looked at one another in total confusion over the conversation. Then both women along with everyone else in the bridge began eagerly listening in.

On the planet's surface…

The situation was very much the same as the Nirvana's landing party was confused when they heard the conversation, and they all decided to listen in eagerly.

--

The Register…

Jura: You know about how a man and a woman could make a child together. Well, I'm a woman and you're a man, so I don't see any problem!

Kyo: Ah…well, technically speaking that's correct…more or less.

Jura: So why don't we do it now? I can't wait to have my little girl!

Kyo: Jura…There's something that you should be aware of.

Jura: What's that?

Kyo: Well…if you're really set on having a baby the natural and old fashioned way between you and me…I can't guarantee you that you'll have a daughter.

Jura: What are you saying?

Kyo: Together if they…mate…, a man and woman can have EITHER a boy or a girl. If I decide to give you…my seed, and I am trying not to agree on that yet…, then you'll have only a fifty-fifty chance of having a female baby. You could end up having… a son.

Jura: A son? You mean… a little boy?

Kyo: Yes, that's the point. You STILL want to do this?

There was a long period of silence as everyone held their breath and listened eagerly for Jura's answer. Finally the blonde pilot answered with a smile.

Jura: Hmmm… the first woman not only to have a baby made with a man's seed, but also the first to give birth to a boy! That's great!

Kyo: Did you say that?!

Jura: Let's get started right now!

Kyo: You can't be serious! It's not THAT simple, and besides, we can't just strip off our clothes and then start…er, uhmm…forget that I just said those things!

Too late…

Jura: Oh, so we need to be naked to get the seed? Sounds VERY interesting. I can do that with no problem.

All of the Register girls, namely Mai, began blushing furiously when they heard the sounds of fabric being removed from skin. It became really obvious that Jura had no shyness with certain things, namely one of them being nudity.

Kyo: JURA!! WHAT ARE YOU DONIG?! PUT YOUR CLOTHES BACK ON!

Jura: You mean, we're not supposed to be naked?

Kyo: Well yes, 'gulp' no…arrgh! Just please put your dress back on!

Jura: What's the matter? (sniffle) Do you find me…ugly, repulsive? Is that why you're not willing to give me your seed?

Kyo: N-N-N-No! I can tell you here and now that you're very beautiful, and…ah, it's not like the idea of having a child with a woman like you hasn't crossed my mind before, er… but I chest, I mean I JUST can't…uhh, ahh, err, I think that it should be breast, (OH GOD!), BEST if you took the time to think about this a little bit more! Please put your dress back on!

A sigh was heard along with the sound of fabric, indicating that Jura was clothed once more.

In her office, Gascogne tried desperately not to laugh out loud, but settled with a wide smirk, as she thought that what she was hearing was WAY better than any soap opera being shown on Megele.

--

The Vanguard and Dread hanger…

Jura: I've already thought about it, and I WANT a baby! I want it to be made with a man's seed, and I want it to be yours!

Kyo: Not that I'm not honored with the idea, because I am, but why me?

Jura: I've already told you, my baby should be made from the best and you are the best man I've ever met.

Kyo: Uh…thanks, I guess. loud gulp, as Jura gets closer, with her clothes on, but slightly loose.

Jura: But there's some more, you are not like the men showed on Megele's films. You also are a real GOOD kisser. Anyone who kisses the way you do would be a REAL great ohma for my child. Remember Anpathos? Mmmm, I can still remember you grabbing me by the shoulder and…

Kyo: Jura! I thought you promised me we weren't going to mention that!

This immediately got the attention of certain girls.

"What?! Mr. Alien kissed Jura?!" Dita asked with a shocked expression, and with jealousy.

"It's not fair! Jura and that girl Misty got to kiss him! I want to kiss him too!" Dita felt herself blush slightly at the thought of kissing Kyo.

Meia became a bit envious, jealous, and angry at Jura after hearing this, though she didn't understand why, she didn't understand it even more when she began having thoughts of pressing lips with Kyo herself.

Sara also felt a bit jealous and angry of Jura, as she still entertained thoughts of being a fahma and having a man as her ohma.

The girls on the Nirvana wanted to gossip, but they were too engrossed to do so. A man kissing a woman? This was too good to forget!

--

The Medical Bay…

Jura: Come on Kyo. Show me how it's done between a man and woman! You said that you also know about that sort of thing.

Kyo: Yes I do know…but…I can't just…look, something like that is really personal and intimate…you and I can't just…

Jura: I can't believe that you're scared of giving me your seed! Are you a man or not?

Kyo: Hey, now you're hitting below the belt.

Jura: If you are really a man, then you should show me just how strong and brave you are!

Kyo: What do those things have to do with my seed anyhow?

Jura: No excuses! No more waiting! I want your seed! NOW!

Crash! Bang! Whomp! Thud! Slam! Whump!

Duero became even more puzzled as he heard the noises. Hmmm, I wonder if this is what Kyo meant about the ancient courtship rituals between men and women? Is the female supposed to be this aggressive?.

Paiway was scribbling away like a maniac, and her recorder copied every word.

"PAI CHECK!"

--

Jura: Now where is it? Where do you find the seed of a man? (takes off vest)

Kyo: Hold it! Hey!? What the hell are you doing?!

Jura: Is it here? (removes shirt)

Kyo: Ouch! Careful with those nails!

Jura: Maybe here? (removes pants)

Kyo: Yow! Keep off!

Jura: Maybe over here? (takes off under shirt)

Kyo: That tickles! Knock it off! (removes shoes and gloves)

Jura: Now just where is it?! (reaching up to a certain leftover article of clothing.)

Kyo: Whoa! Don't you do that! Hey! Keep away from there! What are you trying to do?! Keep those hands away from there!

Jura: Or maybe…it's HERE! (takes off that certain garment)

RRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIPPPPPPPP! (The sound of cloth being torn)

Kyo: AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGG!!

The noises suddenly stopped and all became silent. Everyone on the Nirvana and landing party on the planet eagerly listened into their communicators. Finally Jura's voice was heard.

Jura: Whoa…so…those, rumors…about men were true after all.

Kyo: Jura! This isn't the least bit funny! Now give me back my boxers! ()

--

Amarone and Belvedere looked at one another in total confusion.

"What do you suppose she meant by that?"

"Maybe it's about that…?"

"It is." Magno answered with a smirk and a chuckle, as BC still was totally confused.

The girls including Celtic blushed deeply as they now realized what Jura must be looking at.

--

Jura: I…err, ah…never…ah, believed that men really did have…ah…wow…it's…

Kyo: Yes Jura, all men have them! So stop gawking and just give me back my boxers!

Jura: I mean, I've heard all the stories, but…

Kyo: Give me back my boxers!

Jura: Is it real? I mean…it's so…big…and…

Kyo: JURA! FOR THE LAST TIME!! WILL YOU JUST GIVE ME BACK MY BOXERS?!

Jura: Oh sorry! Here you go.

(We all here the sounds of boxers and the rest of the clothes being put back on.)

Kyo: I can't believe you just did that!

Jura: I'm…sorry. I was really hoping to find your seed…and…wait a second!

(Jura snapped her fingers in realization)

Kyo: What are you planning this time?

Jura: That's it!

Kyo: What?!

Jura: It's there, isn't it?

Kyo: Huh?

Jura: That's where your seed is! It's in your…

Kyo: THAT'S ENOUGH! We are NOT going there! In case you've completely forgotten, we have a job to do, so let's forget we ever had this conversation!

Jura: I'm right, right? That's where a man's seed is!

Kyo: I'm not saying anything to you!

Jura: Oh no you don't! Now you are going to show me just how I can get your seed from that…

Kyo: I said no and I mean no! And let's stop talking about all of this any more!

At that point, the interior of the GunDread was flooded with holographic communiqués.

"I want to know how to!"

"Kyo is going to be MY ohma!"

"I want Mr. Alien to kiss me!"

"Does Kyo really have that…?"

"Do all men have that?"

"Can you really have a baby with a woman, Kyo?"

"Is that possible?"

"So those rumors about you are true?"

"Can we see it?"

"Can you show me that…'thing' you have between your legs, Mr. Alien?"

"Just how do you get a man's seed?"

"Can I also have your seed too, Mr. Alien?"

"Get in line Dita!"

"Come on! Kyo! Tell us how to get your seed!"

It was then that Kyo shouted one whole phrase to the very reaches of heaven.

"WILL ALL OF YOU JUST SHUT UP?!"

--

End of Flashback…

That was quite possibly the MOST embarrassing experience he had been in and he vowed to ALWAYS wear his uniform whenever possible when with the Dread pilots. When he had seen Jura disrobe, his body went so hard and hot, that it took him all his power to restrain himself, before he lost himself to his male instincts completely. Since that time, he had been constantly bombarded by questions from the female crew about the ancient practices of inter-gender procreation, and quite a FEW requests to strip down…. The only times he had been naked or close to it was when he practiced bare-chested in the gym, but he was thankful he wore his pants in those occasions.

Kyo grumbled as he then made his way to the Nirvana's bath area, making up his mind

that a good soak was a lot better to beat out the stress, and made his way to the communal bath. He knew that the place was empty at this time of the day. So no one would bother him for at least an hour or better yet….two. Besides, it's been months he had been in a hot-tub.

--

A few minutes later…

What Kyo did not know that several girls had decided to take an impromptu bath, and were making their way to the same place. As they all made their way to the bathing area, they were in conversation with each other. Each girl carried her own bath items.

"Ah, I have been looking forward to a good long soak in the Jacuzzi all week!" Jura said as she was in the lead of the group. "After all the constant fighting, it's going to be really good to relax."

"I agree! I've been looking toward a bath after being in the Register so long." Mai said in agreement.

"Nothing relaxes the muscles more than a good soak in a tub, after all the training sessions and battles." Sara added.

Meia, Dita and Misty all nodded in agreement as they followed the others into the changing room, which adjoined to the main bathing areas and stalls. In a few minutes, they all shed their clothes and placed them in a nearby laundry hamper As they wrapped towels on themselves, Jura then caught sight of several piles of clothes which were neatly folded and were definitely not feminine.

"Hello, what do we have here?" She said as she reached up and pulled out a certain vest. She immediately smiled as she recognized the owner easily.

Dita gasped a bit as she also recognized the article of clothing. "That's Mr. Alien's!"

"What are Kyo's clothes doing here, unless he's also…" Meia's question trailed off as there was a splashing noise in the other room where the large bath-tubs, shower stalls, and sauna were located.

"Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhh! Now this is nice!"

The girls all stiffened up as they heard the former Yamato's voices. Sara, Meia, Misty, Mai, and Dita all began to blush wildly as they realized just who was in there. Jura on the other hand began to smile deviously as a plan came into mind. She immediately took hold of her towel, and with a simple flourish, Jura was now in all her naked glory. (What a sight that would be if it was in the series! Uh Huh!)

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" Misty asked in alarm.

"What do you think I'm doing?" Jura smiled with a glint in her eye. "This is the one chance I have been waiting for! I'd have to be blind and stupid to pass this up!" She still said as quietly as possible.

This caused the other girls to be shocked even more.

"No!" Dita cried as she got between Jura and the entrance, she shook her head vigorously and spread her arms outward. "Mr. Alien is in there!"

"That's the whole idea." Jura nodded slyly. "With no clothes, and there being only one way in or out, there's no where for him to run and hide! Looks like I'm getting that seed sooner than I thought!"

"You can't! I won't let you!"

"For once I agree with her. We're not going to let an old lady like you get near Kyo!!" Misty spoke as she joined Dita..

Jura gave a look of outrage at that comment. "Who are you calling an old lady?!" She then smiled a bit and lowered her voice as she tried a different approach. "Come on now girls, aren't any of you the LEAST bit interested in seeing Kyo in his birthday suit?"

The cheeks on the two girls reddened as they suddenly brought up images of a nude Gundam pilot into their minds. The rest also felt deeply embarrassed, but totally curious. Sure, there had been occasions that Kyo took off his clothes, but that was only when he was putting on, or taking off either his uniform, or his training clothes, and he had his under shirt on every occasion, though the thing material allowed them to see the outlines of his body.

Jura smiled as she addressed Dita. "Come on Dita, Don't you want to KNOW everything about 'Mr. Alien'?" She then turned to Misty. "And Misty, since you are from the time of men and women living together, then I can tell that you KNOW what I SAW of Kyo. And I must admit, he was very…impressive."

Misty's cheeks reddened even more as a series of very NAUGHTY thoughts came into her mind. She immediately twiddled her fingers and bowed her head in embarrassment.

"Well…."

"I can tell that you are quite aware of that and although I don't understand ALL of it, I can tell you that it was VERY interesting. And that's where a man's seed is, right?"

"Umm…yes." Misty said with the barest of whispers.

"Good, then I won't have any problems getting the seed this time!"

"Hold on a minute!" Misty recovered from her embarrassment and blocked Jura's path once more. "You can't just go in there!"

"Oh? And do you want to tell me why I shouldn't?" Jura asked challengingly.

"Because Kyo wouldn't want anything to do with an old wrinkled bag like you!"

Jura raised an eye-brow at that comment.

"Old, wrinkled bag?! I think you need to have your eyes checked up you little rake!"

She made a pose that showed the full power of all her feminine attributes, namely her breasts (Oh yeah!). Then she pointed a finger at Misty's developing chest.

"Maybe you should wait a couple more years to fill out before you call anybody an old wrinkled bag! That is, if you DO fill out!"

Misty gave Jura glare of both anger and envy at the insult. Jura had a point, the fact that Jura had an extremely sexy body added more iron to the punch. Misty, having grown up under the same life-style as Kyo, knew how men well aroused, and Jura's form and appearance, namely in her naked state would surely get a…(cough, wink) RISE out of Kyo. However, she had one trait like Jura, she wasn't planning on giving up on anything, especially her 'Prince Charming.'

"Hmpf! Having big boobs doesn't mean you've got everything! I'll wager a bet you lose a lot of good oxygen to your brain since all of the blood goes to those breasts of yours!"

Misty retaliated.

If there was one thing Jura didn't like apart from being called old, or ugly…it was being called an idiot, she hated the old concept that blondes were idiots, as she strived back on Megele to be smart at what she does apart from looking good.

"What the heck did you just say?!"

"If you didn't understand that, then that means I was right. Your chest is taking all the smarts. I'm very sure that Kyo would be more attracted to girl with a lot more up here!"

She pointed to her head.

"Than down there!"

Misty remarked with a glare, as she pointed to Jura's cleavage.

"Why you little weasel!!"

Misty then took advantage of her knowledge about sex between men and women. "And besides, even if DID go in there, I doubt you know that to do with Kyo in order to get pregnant the old fashioned way!"

Jura however, wasn't planning to back down anytime soon. "Oh, I don't think I'll have to worry about that part. I've got no doubt that I can convince Kyo to show me. I was VERY close to succeeding last time."

"Dream on sister! Close doesn't count at all!"

"Oh yeah?! I was a LOT closer than you! Even if you already know about it!"

"Oh yeah?!"

Meia and the others merely watched in shock, this was by far the most unprecedented event in the whole history of Megele. Two women were actually fighting…over a man. What was even more surprising is that they also wanted to go in there and get Kyo's seed. Meia herself wondered why she suddenly felt so warm and…wet at the thought of meeting Kyo in the nude. (5)

It was then she spotted someone from their batch trying to silently sneak past Jura and Misty and inched towards the entrance. It didn't take long for her to know you it was.

"Dita! Where are you going?"

The redhead stiffened like a statue as she sheepishly faced her squadron leader, she was blushing and twiddling her fingers as she spoke.

"I…ah…was thinking…that Mr. Alien might…need some help scrubbing his back…and."

"OH NO YOU DON'T!!"

Jura and Mist y said in unison as they forgot each other and immediately ran to the entrance to the bath area, along with Dita in tow.

Sara and Mai nodded. They had also decided that now was an opportunity they can't waste. Five females began pushing and shoving each other to get in. In the course of all the writhing bodies, the girls with the exception of Jura lost their towels as those things fell to the floor. One final push allowed the girls to fall inside in a tumbled heap into the bathing area, to find it… completely deserted?

"Where's Mr. Alien?" Dita asked she and the others looked about, once they picked themselves up from the floor.

Once they were all finished with their inspection, it became apparent to them that there was no sign of the former Yamato and Mobile Suit operator, naked or otherwise.

"Oh no! We just missed him!"

Jura pouted and moaned in dismay as she realized that her chance was wasted. She then glared angrily at Misty.

"You scared him away! This is all your fault! If I had just gotten hear sooner, then I would have gotten pregnant nine months from now!"

Misty glared back defiantly.

"Don't you go blaming this on me! He wouldn't have wanted anything to do with an empty-headed bimbo anyway!"

Jura fumed. "Oh yeah?! I doubt Kyo would want anything to do with an under-developed scare-crow like you either!"

The two resumed their previous argument while the others talked.

"How do you suppose Kyo got out?" Mai asked.

"There's little chance he got past us." Sara replied as she pointed to the door.

"There's only one exit and the vents are too high for him to reach."

"Maybe he used a secret alien power?" Dita chimed in.

Meia sighed. "Come on Dita, don't go on being ridiculous."

Dita countered that comment.

"Well, how much do we really know about Mr. Alien?" She insisted.

"I mean, there's not that much we know about him and whatever powers he also has, maybe he can make himself disappear?"

Meia thought about it and realized that Dita raised a valid point. Kyo was a man with a good deal of talent. What she didn't realized that invisibility wasn't one of this talents. Kyo may not be able to turn invisible literally speaking, but his skills in evasion and concealment more than made up for it.

--

Kyo swore mentally to himself as he clung on a beam high above the Nirvana's communal bath. When his exceptional hearing got the voices coming from the changing station, he knew he was in serious trouble, namely when Jura's voice was heard. The blonde Dread pilot was dead set on getting his most 'precious' bodily fluid, and it was already obvious that she was going all out when she got naked…

Kyo swore again as he tried to banish those thoughts and it was then that he found out, that he didn't have a good grip on the beam. His hands and feet were still wet and his grip was loosening up.

(Don't look down! Don't look down! Don't look down! Don't look down!)

Kyo kept telling himself. But when he thought the silence meant the girls decided to leave, he heard splashing noises and like any normal man…he looked down.

(DAMN!!)

Kyo immediately restrained his hormones as they went on total riot mode, along with his body as it throbbed in arousal. The girls had decided to bath…and that was when he saw EVERYTHING!

--

(Author's Warning: We're about to see and read some descriptions of nudity here. So if there are any minors alongside reading…Then I politely request you to leave peacefully. I don't want to be held responsible for any wet dreams after this. If you really insist on reading still, then it's your hide, and not mine.)

--

The blonde Dread pilot was lounging in a pool, Jura's body had silky smooth skin, which glowed with the light making it look like cream, making her look even sexier. Her hair glowed with the light, making it look like there was a real halo of gold color around her, her hair moved like silk strands in the wind as she shook her head slightly. Her heart shaped face had absolutely no flaws as she smiled almost like a predator with her emerald eyes making her pleasure quite obvious. Her plump rose red lips her in a smile as she bathed.

Her body had the curves and swells that ignited a man's basic desires, and Kyo's were burning to the point that he was wondering why his body didn't turn into a steamed bun. Her arms were long and delicate in appearance, her legs were long and well formed, and if seeing her in her dress was bad enough with her gorgeous legs showing through the slits, then seeing them now, without any cloth covering them racked at him. Her breasts were full and firm and well-proportioned, with dark pink nipples…

(Get a hold of yourself!)

Kyo tried not to stare at Jura's chest, but made the mistake of looking lower. Jura's hips were well formed and her flat and smooth looking stomach beckoned to him like a magnet, and his gaze dropped even lower, right to the juncture of her thighs, and to the…patch of golden blonde hair.

(Arrgh!)

He immediately turned his attention away but found himself staring at Sara…

Sara's light orange hair was spread out making it look like orange silk as she began applying liquid soap to her body after dousing her body with water. The rivulets of moisture trailed down her body making her skin glisten in the bathing area's lights. Her face was clear and very much feminine as she smiled making her brown eyes glow like liquid chocolate, showing what one hundred years of in-breeding on Megele had done.

Her body wasn't as well filled but showed her deeply athletic background and was slender and could ignite a fire in any man's blood, and Kyo's already heated body was getting hotter by the minute. Her arms were long but well formed and muscled from her time training in the fighting arts and so were her legs as the water ran down them. Her breasts were pert and firm with pink nipples…

( Damn you Kyo! Quit staring!!)

Kyo tried to move his head but his eyes didn't stop as he went lower, Sara's hour-glass frame showed in her hips and flanks as his gaze dropped even lower to the V of her thighs, where her patch of copper hair…

(Crud! Not now!)

Kyo moved his gaze but spotted Mai as she was pouring a pail of water over her head.

The water soaked up Mai's unbraided hair and make it look like a soaked brown velvet. She sighed a bit as she too revealed what breeding in Megele did for women as her face was clear and flawless as water began flowing over her skin.

Mai was well formed. Her body showed her own active back-ground as it was slim and well balanced in curves and swells. Kyo felt his blood warm up even further as he kept looking. Her arms were also athletic and so were her slender legs. Her breasts were tears shaped and well formed, her light red nipples… (Darn it!)

Before his traitorous eyes could go any lower Kyo tried to move his vision but was greeted by the sight of Meia soaping her legs on a stool while she was standing.

Meia's face, though she still wore her circlet was flawless and cream white. Her body showed it's athletic build quite well when she had her uniform on, but that did no justice as when she was naked. Her short boyish-cut aqua hair made her look different yet deeply attractive. Her eyes were wide as she as she suddenly became aware that she was now naked in front of him. Her red lips parted as she sighed in being able to clean up.

Her body was slim and lithe, just as a show of her athletic background. Her curves and swells were all in the right places, which made her look like the most attractive woman to a man, namely to Kyo as his brain was cooking in the heat of his thoughts, her skin was white, like milk. Her presence was quickly making Kyo become even less in control of himself. Her legs had some muscle and so did her arms, but that only served to show her feminine body even more. Her breasts were not as…bouncy as Jura or the other girls, but were both well formed and also perfectly sized to suit her build along with her deep red nipples…

(Damn it!)

Kyo tried desperately to control himself and get back on track, but his normal brain functions seemed to have taken a vacation. His eyes went down to the rest of her; her stomach was flat and had no sign of fat on her. His gaze went lower as he spotted the patch of blue hair near the juncture of her thighs…

(Stop it!)

Kyo winced as he tried to look elsewhere but spotted Dita and Misty glaring at each other while scrubbing their chests. He was looking at Dita as she took a break and cleaned her arms of the suds.

Dita looked as slim and lithe as she had been when she was clothed. But that image did no justice to her appearance when she was naked. Her hair was still as vibrant crimson as ever and flowed down her back. Her face was tinted with a light blush which accented her flawless complexion and features, her blue eyes were a bit wide, and her slightly parting lips were cheery red, almost beckoning to be touched.

Her body was well curved and very well built for her age. Her curves were flawless and her skin was light cream in complexion, almost like ivory. The image Kyo was receiving was almost an overload to his senses. Her legs were also long and smooth, as were her arms. Her chest…her breasts were well formed and looked quite…firm…though not the same in size as Jura's and her red nipples were very inviting…

(Get a grip!)

Kyo tried to regain his composure but wasn't getting anywhere at all, as his eyes had other ideas as they immediately explored further. Her slim stomach was being covered with some cooling water and there seemed to be diamonds on her flesh. His gaze went lower to her navel, until he saw the patch of her red hair on the juncture of her well formed thighs…

(Stop it!)

Kyo tried to put a lid on his hormones and his body, but wasn't getting anywhere soon as his eyes then went to Misty

Misty may be fourteen, but her body showed signs of development in her years, as her face radiated the innocence of youth and the maturity of older age. Her long blue hair looked like sapphire silk as she wet them and they hung in tendrils over her shoulders. Her face was well formed and had the innocence and purity of a girl coming to full bloom, a combination that nay man would have to be both blind and dumb NOT to notice.

Her body wasn't as well developed as other girls on the Nirvana, but it suited her age well as it had it's own curves and swells, all in the right places and her skin was as white as milk. Kyo's mind was swamped with so many thoughts of a less innocent nature that he felt that his very personality was going to crack into two. Her legs were smooth and well proportioned like her arms. Her breasts was still showing signs of development and her own nipples were light pinkish-white…

(Get a grip!!)

Kyo felt his body turn into heated steel as blood and energy were pulsing in certain areas of his body, namely in his groin and a certain part of his male anatomy. It was also then that his nose began to gush out some blood.

(I can't let them see me now!)

It was then that Kyo's grip on the beam finally gave up and gravity decided to get involved.

--

Back on Earth…

"Are the new Gundam units ready?" A Council leader asked as he and the rest of the once proud Earth Council were in a laboratory. In front of them were three new cylinders where three new mecha were in the process of final assembly and system installment.

The technician nodded as he gave his report. "The assembly process is nearly complete, masters, we estimate that the new Gundams will be ready for systems updating within three to four days. The new Dominion units will also be ready as well."

"How about the other units for the new GunDread variants?"

The production schedule will match that of the new units as well." The tech replied.

"Excellent, we expect them all to exceed the new Infinite-Freedom and crush the Nirvana."

--

Outside of the communal bath area…

Crew members onboard the Nirvana were passing by when they heard massive splashing and noises from the bath area, and the noises were loud enough to be heard.

"AAARRRGGGH! JURA! STOP THAT!"

"OH NO I WON'T! NOW TELL ME HOW TO GET YOUR SEED!"

"STAY AWAY FROM HIM YOU OLD BAG!!"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

"WOW! IT REALLY IS TRUE ABOUT MR. ALIEN! IT'S GETTING BIG! WHY IS THAT HAPPENING MR. ALIEN?"

"STOP THAT DITA! I SAID STOP THAT!!"

"MEIA, WOULD YOU MIND?!"

"I'M…OH MY GOD…IT'S…"

"MMMMM! YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF MUSCLE MY PRINCE!!"

"MISTY! QUIT DOING THAT, YOU'RE MAKING ME…"

"COMMANDER, IS THAT REALLY…?"

"NO SARA! DON'T…!"

"SO THIS IS WHAT BELVEDERE AND THE OTHERS TOLD ME ABOUT…"

"MAI! STOP THAT STARING!"

"SO THIS IS WHAT JURA SAW…IT'S…"

"AAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!"

--

There was a massive sound like a contained explosion and then another as the door suddenly busted open like a can being hit be hammer. A minute later the dust settled as Kyo walked out with a towel around his waist, he had his clothes on one arm and was wearing a totally unfriendly expression saying… 'NOT A WORD!' The women then made a wide berth to allow the irritated man to pass.

When Kyo made his way past the corner and disappeared from sight, several girls made their way to the bathing area which had it's door broken in the middle, and spotted, sprawled on the floor, somewhat glazed over in the eyes, were six nude females with strange looks in their faces.

Meia was silent with a strange expression on her face, Dita was looking like she was knocked out cold also with the same expression, and the situation was the same with Misty, Sara, and Mai.

Jura gave out a low moan.

"I was SO close!" (5)

--

From that moment on, Kyo took showers in his own quarters. After all that, he took only COLD showers. (6)

Of course, the fires were already lit, and there was no way to turn them off.

--

A few days later…

The peace of the Command Bridge was shattered as a cry of anger was heard…

"WHAT THE HECK?! NOW THIS HAS GONE TOO FAR!!"

The bridge crew, Magno and Buzam, were startled as Kyo stormed into the bridge. His hair was still damp and it looked as if he had hurriedly placed on his clothes after coming out of the shower.

"Kyo, what's gotten you upset?" Magno asked.

The young man then opened his right hand. In them was a small camera designed for one purpose, spying on people.

"Care to explain to me why there are hidden surveillance cameras in the showers?!" Kyo asked with a barely restrained tone.

"They don't." Buzam answered. "Why would we install cameras in the showers?"

Kyo seemed to flare up even more, and with great speed, disassembled the camera and slammed the now useless parts to the floor, breaking them all easily.

"Then care to explain to me why MY shower has a camera in it?!"

At that moment the other men on the Nirvana, namely Duero, and Bart came into the bridge. Bart was in panic mode, while Duero looked very…disturbed.

"Captain! We have a bunch of spies onboard the ship!" Bart shouted out.

That made Buzam a bit nervous, but she immediately recovered.

"What are you saying? How in the world could there be spies on the Nirvana? We're in the middle of uncharted space!"

"I found a hidden surveillance device in my quarters just this morning near the toilet of all places! How else could this happen unless there are spies from Earth?"

The doctor shook his head in disagreement while pinching the bridge of his nose. In a calm yet somewhat restrained tone, Duero addressed the captain. "Please excuse my comrade's outburst and behavior at this time. The possibility of spies onboard the ship is slim to none, and I severely doubt that Earth is interested in the process of Bart's…bowel movements, so to speak."

"HEY! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!"

"My apologies Bart." He then addressed the captain once more. "However, I can't blame him for being in such distress. I have also spotted some questionable devices hidden within my own chambers, namely in the bathroom. Since we cane rule out the possibility of spies quick easily, I can guess that one or more of the crew had placed that devices. We all had assumed that as part of the crew, we were all entitled to our basic rights to privacy."

Magno and Buzam had really BIG sweatdrops as they had a really good hunch as to the culprits' identities.

--

Medical Bay…

"I didn't want to do it, but Jura and the others made me!" Parfet protested as Duero had gotten the truth out of the young engineer during a routine examination. He knew for a fact that only Parfet could have installed the cameras "Really, you have to believe me! I didn't want to do that to you or the other men!"

The doctor made no answer as he continued to check the brown-haired girl's vital signs. Once he was finished, he looked up from the monitors, sighed and nodded. "I believe you Parfet. Actually I can't blame any of you." He thought a bit about it and then shrugged his shoulders. "If the whole situation was reversed, then I would have done the very same thing."

"R-R-Really?"

"Yes, well not in the same fashion, but I still would have been curious about it as well. Come on and admit it. You wanted to know about my gender as much as Jura did when she asked you to bug our rooms correct?"

Parfet swallowed hard, and was about to flatly deny it. However, when she looked into his eye, (the one that wasn't covered by his hair), she found out that she couldn't find it in herself to lie to him. With her head bowed down and her eyes away, she gave the barest of nods.

Duero offered a small smile. "I thought as much. When Kyo told me and Bart about the process of natural procreation between men and women, I immediately went to work on it by looking through all the ancient files and texts I could find in the old section of the Ikazuchi. I then started making some connections between the physical differences between men and women, namely in extremities."

The bespectacled woman swallowed hard as she recalled what Jura had told her about Kyo in the raw, along with the explanations from Dita, Misty, Sara, Meia, and Mai. "Y-Y-Y-You mean…you also have that…thing…between your…"

"Correct." The young physician answered as he finished his examination.

"So…you…know, how…men and women…made, uh…kids?"

"Only in the general sense. Kyo didn't exactly went into explaining the exact…mechanics of it, and the books I have been reading haven't exactly given any concrete details either. I've complied all my data on this matter, along with that, I've also compiled everything I've learned about female anatomy."

"Female…anatomy?" Parfet blushed a bit at the thought of Duero looking at naked females including her.

"I happen to be a male doctor onboard a vessel who's crew are nearly all women, remember?" Duero reminded the engineer. "In all cases, until Kyo will explain all the details of the process of natural procreation between men and women, I am only able to make approximations and theories on how it was accomplished. After all that has happened lately I highly doubt that Kyo will ever speak about it openly. In fact, it was nearly close to impossible for me to get a sperm samples from him during him last physical."

"What's…sperm?"

"That's the old term for a man's seed back in the old days. I use the samples for various DNA tests, along with the samples from Bart and myself. I have safely stored the samples in special containers. I don't have much of Kyo's own samples left and I intend to use the remaining ones for some core experiments I'm conducting. After that…uh, 'fiasco', I highly doubt that I could convince him to hand me any more."

"Y-Y-Y-You…mean that you HAVE Kyo's seed?! Do you realize what's going to happen if Jura and the others were to find out about it?"

"Yes, I have very little difficulty imagining what can happen when they do. So I trust that you will keep all this information to yourself, all right? I've already broken the oath of maintaining patient confidentiality by telling you all of this, but out of all the people on the Nirvana, you are the only person, in which I can place my complete faith in."

Parfet's cheeks turned pink with complete embarrassment at the praise she had received and she felt her heart beat faster.

--

Jura's quarters…

Jura smiled as she turned off the listening device. Unknown to Duero, and Parfet, she had secretly planted a bug inside the Medical Bay, in the hope of learning about the ancient process of procreation and most of all, of Kyo. Now a chance of a lifetime had presented itself.

Now the question in her mind was, how will she be able to get the sample of Kyo's seed? This would require a lot of careful thought.

--

Jura however wasn't aware that while she listened in on Duero and Parfet's conversation, there were quite a lot of other people listening as well. Apparently the blonde pilot wasn't as technology savvy as the spunky head engineer Parfet, she didn't know that in connecting the bug to her quarters, she had also routed the device with the main communications grid. The conversation between the head engineer and the Talark doctor was transmitted to every open comm.-link that was open at the time.

--

The Vanguard Hanger…

(Huh? What's this?)

The same thought was in the minds of all the women present, including Sara, who watched as the data appeared in their Vanguard's monitors.

--

The Register…

Mai and the other Register girls were working on processing the latest orders, when a certain bit of information flashed on their consoles.

--

The Dread Hanger…

Meia and Dita were busy on their regular Dread maintenance, doing a systems check when they both saw the message. The two girls immediately blushed red like tomatoes as they read the data.

--

Misty's quarters…

(I'm NOT going let that blonde bimbo or that redhead get the better of me! I'll be damned if I lose my Prince Charming to those two!)

Looks like the appetizers are over…Oh boy…

--

Earth…

"Masters…they are all completed."

The Council nodded as they gazed at the newly assembled Gundam units. They were perfect for their chosen designs. The Leader nodded as he downloaded their recognition codes.

….Devastator

…..Hell-Fire

…..Wyvern

--

To be continued…

Author's notes…

I guess that some people may have chuckled at the events in this chapter as we move on to the next chapter, I know I did when I busted a gut laughing at this story. With this situation, it was only a matter of time before the topic of SEX came into play and how will Kyo 'educate' the Nirvana's crew about it and all the things involved with it. It's rather obvious that the girls will NOT release Kyo easily, meaning more shenanigans for the Nirvana! It won't be long before Kyo finally loses his composure, as to who he's going to have sex with first, I still have to decide, but like I said, Kyo's not the kind of guy to play around with emotions, namely when he too has deep feelings for the girl…or girls in question!

On the next chapter, we'll be meeting a new character who's got a real unique relationship with Kyo, or rather, a part of Kyo's past life, and his own Gundam, they will play a good role in the coming storylines on the other chapters. Plus other surprises! I'll see you all there!

(1) I didn't want to recap episode three all the way of Vandread The Second Stage, since it would be really tiring, so why not cap it all into a nutshell?

(2) I wanted to expand Bart and Shirley's friendship a bit further. Besides, the girl never made mention of her folks, so I wagered that they died probably around when she was eight years old. This event when I saw it in the anime really made me nearly want to cry. But I have to admit, Bart's finally out on his own.

(3) He's never gotten into a relationship with women after waking up from his crystal cocoon, so it's no wonder that he's trying NOT to become like a randy rabbit. But with a blonde bombshell beside him, and one hundred forty-nine other hot babes in a ship, how else would Kyo act and what would he feel?

(4) When I mean a virgin in Jura's case, the only sexual relationship's she's familiar with is with her fellow women on Megele (nothing sexist here nor insulting to those of the third sex, but if you were born in a planet with only women as company, how else would you be introduced to sex?) and she's NEVER met a man in her whole life. The same deal with Meia, and Dita, along with the other girls on the Nirvana. In Kyo's case, he hasn't gotten into a sexual relationship in his past life as he was busy in classes back then and piloting Freedom, before all this happened, and so he knows about it and all involved, but he's never…done the deed, so to speak with anyone yet. He's one of the old-fashioned type of guys, but he's going to have to modify his way of thinking real soon! ()

(5) Kyo used some stun maneuvers to knock them out physically, but it's now clear that Jura and the girls have seen Kyo without a stitch on…and they LIKE what they saw! More on that soon!

(6) Naturally…


	5. Chapter 5

GunDread SEED - The Second Stage

Disclaimer: Thy shall not affiliate VanDread nor Gundam SEED to me. They do noth belong to this mere writer, but to their respective makers. Fail to understand…and thou shall be purified! (Heh, just kidding! But you do get the general idea, right?)

( ): Thoughts

Chapter 4

The S-G-Weapon and the K-G-Weapon

--

Two hundred seventy-one years in the past… before the events of GunDread SEED…

"Mom! Dad! Mayu! Hurry inside this is the last convoy to leave!"

"We're here Shin!"

A young man nodded as he helped several more people into the convoy trucks as several Mobile Suits stood in guard mode to escort the passengers. Once he was done, he immediately helped his family into the last convoy truck and got onboard himself. He and his family, along with the others were left with no choice as they were about to leave their homeland.

The Orb Union…

It had been nearly three hours when the battle started. The Orb military and the government had tried to avoid this senseless debacle, but it became apparent that the Atlantic Federation and the Alliance forces weren't going to listen. They had already listed their demands, if the Orb Union didn't support the war against Z.A..F.T and the PLANTS then the Orb Nation would be branded as traitors to the Earth and would be attacked, until they gave in and were drafted into the final war between the PLANTS and Earth.

Their Prime Minister Uzumi had made the announcement that all civilians were to be escorted with whatever reserve units the Orb military could spare and were to make their way to the Mass-Driver and escape to the Orb controlled Space Colonies, where they would be defended from the Alliance's forces by the space forces while the standing forces of Orb would hold off the Alliance. It made many citizens angry that the Alliance would consider them as traitors to Earth, merely because they didn't involve themselves in the war, and because of their neutrality, they were not going to be aided by the PLANTS and Z.A.F.T. The citizens were a mix of Coordinators who still wished to live on Earth and Naturals who didn't look at their Coordinator neighbors as inhuman abominations as what the Blue Cosmos had been trying to teach. The Prime Minister had made it a point to remove any and all traces of the extremists from Orb, and any influential members of the organization and other organizations as well, it had been hard before, but Uzumi succeeded in doing so.

Shin Asuka sighed angrily at the thought of leaving his home just because some big-shots in the Atlantic Federation considered them all as traitors. When he grew up on Orb, he knew that he was a Coordinator and wouldn't be accepted by the other nations, but here in Orb, he found a place along with his family. It had been tough at first, but he made some strong friendships with Natural children, and he no longer saw any form of difference between his play-mates and himself. Some of his older friends were already serving out there in the field of battle and were both Naturals and Coordinators.

He looked at his sister and wanted nothing more than to see her happy, and even though he didn't look like it, Shin was no slouch in fighting, but he was still not in the proper age to be in the military, he wanted to help his homeland and his people. It aggravated him as he looked out at the windows as the convoy was already on the move. The view showed him the other side of the island where the battle was raging. He took out his binoculars and looked at the sea, as to where the Alliance forces were and he looked where the might of his home nation was stationed.

"Shin?"

He turned and looked at his sister Mayu, who was in tears. His parents were there holding her and talking to her.

"Yes?"

"Why do we have to leave home?" Mayu asked sadly.

"Because we have too, if we don't, many will be badly hurt sis."

"Why can't we be left alone, we didn't do anything wrong!" Mayu whimpered.

Shin was about to say more when his dad spoke. "Because there are people out there who don't like us, and they're afraid."

"Why? We haven't done anything wrong to any of them!" Mayu said in tears as she held her cell-phone, the one thing she took with her as a keep-sake.

"Mayu, there are times when people just don't want to listen to reason. They think that their point of view is better and the only way things should be seen, they've closed their hearts, minds, eyes, and ears to the truth. Lord Uzumi has already tried to reason to them, but they won't listen at all." The two Asuka siblings' mother answered.

"So how can we make them listen?" Mayu asked.

"Why don't we go over to the Atlantic Federation and kick their sorry…!" Shin was about to retort when his dad gave him a warning glare.

"Shin! There will be no such talk coming from you!"

"Why not?! I can't understand why we can't just…!"

"Remember this Shin, if we did attack the Atlantic Federation we would be indeed considered as enemies. Besides if we did that, we'd be no worse than either those people in the Alliance and those in Z.A.F.T, and it won't change anything."

"Dad?"

"If you were killed by someone, I would hate him, and if you killed another father's son, he would hate you. It's also the same in the case of a mother, a brother, sister, a husband, and a wife. War brings out hatred, and it will still breed even more hatred, until there would be nothing left in this world but death. There would still be war, and more will die, do you think killing will solve it?"

"But dad! Doing nothing's even worse! We'll just be letting ourselves be killed off without fighting back!"

"That, Shin is where we all must find out what we must do. We must do everything we can to end war. Though, we will have to kill others, and it contradicts what I've told you, we must only take out those that order this senseless fighting. Killing soldiers who follow orders won't help, those responsible will just use it as a way to send more people to die for their plans and desires, they, not the soldiers are the real enemy along with war."

"So what should we…?"

"We must fight for our people, but we must recall that we will fight for a reason that makes sense to us and those around us and we fight those responsible for the war in the first place. If we fight merely out of hatred and prejudice, then we will be no better than raving beasts, devoid of hope, love and integrity, we'll be the same as the people who started the war. Remember that."

Shin nodded reluctantly as the convoy was already half-way to the Mass Driver. However, there were enemies on the way…

--

"Attack group Alpha! Has there been any activity?"

The Alliance's forces were already attempting to secure the Mass Driver despite the interference of the Orb Forces and that of the three G-Weapons in the area. A small group of Strike Daggers were making their way to attack and secure the Mass Driver, though they were facing heavy resistance from the M1 Astray units of Orb and the defensive forces of the Orb Nation.

"There's a convoy making their way to the Mass Driver, a large number of them." The Strike Dagger pilot said to his commander.

"Orb Soldiers?"

"Negative, from the looks of it, the convoy appears to be a civilian convoy."

"All right, I'll radio Mobile Command on what to do."

--

Alliance Fleet, Main Command Ship…

"Sir, forward attack group Alpha has determined the location what appears an Orb civilian convoy heading for the Mass Driver." An aide spoke to the admiral, head of the Orb invasion force.

"Our concern is to secure the Mass Driver, so we'll let them escape…"

"No admiral…we will not let them escape." A man with blonde hair said as he looked at the images of the convoy in the monitors.

"Mr. Azrael?"

"I want to make it clear that since the Orb Union has not accepted our demands for their aid more than once as a nation of Earth, then they are now considered as enemy combatants."

"I understand that sir, but even if they are now enemies, they are still civilians…"

"Are you questioning my orders admiral?" Azrael asked in a polite but very threatening tone. Muruta Azrael was the chairman of the alliance defense commission, but many also knew that he was the current head of Blue Cosmos, and as such, he had a his own personal hatred for the people of both the PLANTS and those on Earth who were Coordinators.

"No sir."

"Good. Send the Calamity and some Strike Daggers to take out the convoy…Immediately."

--

The Archangel…

"Captain! I've intercepted a transmission from the Alliance's command ship!" Sai said as he got the incoming data while the ship and the rest of the Orb forces were fighting off the multitude of Strike Daggers and assault units from the Alliance.

"What's the transmission about?" Milly asked, along with Murrue as they still coordinated the battle along with the Orb's military command center. It had been only the first wave, and the Orb forces were holding on despite the presence of the Alliance's three new Gundam units.

"My god! They've dispatched a Gundam unit and several Strike Daggers to attack the civilian convoy!"

"WHAT?!" The bridge crew of the Archangel were shocked that the Alliance would strike at civilians.

Murrue wasted no time as she got into contact with Kira, Athrun, Cagalli, Mu and Dearka who were busy fighting, Cagalli was coordinating the Orb counter-strike, while Kira, Mu, Dearka and Athrun, in their respective Gundams were busy fighting with the Strike Daggers and the new Gundams of the Alliance.

"What?! They're going to attack the civilians?!" Cagalli said in shock and anger as she got the report from Murrue. The convoy had only a few Astray units assigned to it, and would stand no chance against a Gundam unit.

"Damn it! I can't believe that the Alliance will do this!" Kira fumed as he was able to beat the Forbidden Gundam back while Athrun was able to also beat away the other Gundam unit, known as the Raider.

"We've got to get the civilians to safety!" Athrun said as he was recovering from the battle with his enemy Gundam.

"You guys get over there and help the people! Me, Mu and the Orb soldiers can handle it from here!" Dearka said as he and Buster got ready to battle harder with the Alliance.

"You sure Dearka?" Kira asked on the inter-comm.

The blonde haired tanned Coordinator nodded with a simple smile. "Yeah, I can hold the fort here with my Gundam."

"Take it easy, the power pack for the Buster's nearly depleted, if you're power is low, get back to the Archangel ASAP!" Athrun answered in a tone of voice that brooked no argument.

The normally cocky Dearka nodded. "Got you Commander."

Kira's former Gundam the Strike, using the Sword Pack arrived as Mu called in while checking the power packs of his new Mobile Suit. Thanks to Kira's help with the OS, Mu could now fight on equal footing with other Coordinators in a Mobile Suit.

"Kira, you and Athrun get to the convoy and get it to safety. Dearka and I will hold off the enemy, along with the Astray units. We'll fall back if our power packs run out."

"Understood Mu. Come on Athrun!"

The Freedom took off and headed towards the Mass Driver, with the Justice in tow.

--

The convoy came under heavy fire as the Astray units guarding it fought valiantly to take out the Strike Daggers, and all seemed to go well, But that all changed when the Alliance's Calamity Gundam appeared.

The Astray units were destroyed and the convoy was now about to be destroyed by the Strike Daggers and the Calamity.

Orga Sabnak grinned evilly as he locked in his Gundam's beam arsenal on the convoy. This was fun, to the Extended pilot as he was about to kill the civilians.

"Time to die, you stinking patch-workers!" ()

Shin gritted his teeth, as he stood in front of the Calamity with a fallen soldier's assault rifle as he tried to shield Mayu and his parents. They were badly injured, but alive, along with the others in the truck. The truck was nearly hit by a beam bolt, and nearly fell to the side of the road, but the truck's weight stopped it.

"Leave us alone you bastard!" Shin shouted as he fired his assault rifle. He knew that is weapons was worthless against a Mobile Suit, namely a G-Weapon, but he would rather fight than let the monster in the machine kill his family and fellow citizens like cattle.

Orga laughed evilly as the young man fired at his Gundam, he didn't do anything as he waited for the rifle's ammunition to run out. The little patch-worker fired until he ran out of bullets, but instead of cowering like a rat, he glared defiantly at the Calamity pilot.

"You've got guts for a kid, you patch-worker…now let's see what they look like splattered all over this Earth!"

Shin saw the Gundam arm up it's beam bazooka, and knew that he was about to die, he held his unconscious sister and parents as the end came, but he wasn't going to give the murderer the satisfaction of seeing him die like a coward.

Shin closed his eyes and waited for the end…but it never came as the explosion he expected to tear into his entire family came elsewhere. He opened his eyes and spotted a huge explosion on the sea to his left. He then turned and spotted the Gundam nowhere in sight,. He looked up and saw another Gundam with it's weapons firing, it had wings and cannons on it's hips and shoulders, and it seemed to be firing at the right. He looked and spotted the Alliance Gundam in retreat.

He then looked and spotted another Gundam taking out the other Strike Daggers, which were trying their best to beat back the new attacker. It didn't take long for more Astray units to arrive on the scene.

--

Kira fought with his full power as he engaged the Calamity. He arrived in time to spot the Alliance Gundam from firing, and had charged in, striking the Calamity's beam bazooka aside, stopping the Gundam and it's pilot from attacking the civilians of Orb.

In his Gundam, Orga was totally irate…

"Damn you! I'll kill you!" he shouted as he continued to blast away at the elusive Freedom, but kept missing as the Gundam dodged his beam attacks. Orga had no choice has he had to dodge the Freedom's own bean cannons and beam sabers.

He was about to use the Calamity's Scylla cannon, but he realized that his power supply was already near the redlines. Though he was seeing red, he knew that he couldn't keep this battle up. Plus the pain was increasing as his booster drugs were wearing off, and Shani was out of action as his Forbidden was running out of juice, and Clotho was in the same shape and so was the Raider. He was lucky that the Calamity had enough power to make it back to the fleet. But not enough to make the blasted Gundam of Z.A.F.T or wherever the Mobile Suit in front of him sided with pay with it's destruction.

"You bastard! I'll kill you yet!" Orga swore as he retreated.

Kira wasted little time pursuing the Calamity. He made his way to the convoy after Athrun and his Justice Gundam had dispatched the Strike Daggers. The two friends then made their way to the convoy as the Astray units that arrived went into defensive positions around the convoy as it got back into order.

Kira then got into open audio and began talking to the people on the ground as he made Freedom kneel in front of the people that gathered around, including Shin.

"Is everyone all right?"

The people nodded and began thanking the Gundam for making it's timely rescue. Thankfully, before the Calamity showed up, the Strike Daggers had to retreat as the Astray units held them off evenly when the fighting started. Shin smiled and spoke to the Gundam and it's pilot as his parents and sister smiled as well to their savior.

"Thank you for getting here on time!"

"Not a problem! Me and the Justice will escort you to the Mass Driver, get whatever you need once the medical crews have dealt with the wounded."

An hour later, Shin, his family, and the last of the Orb citizens were able to board the last shuttles to the Orb space stations safely as the Freedom and the Justice went back to the battle for the second assault.

Shin nodded as he looked at both the Freedom and Justice, thankful for the pilots that came in time to save his family and fellow citizens

--

In the Orb Union's space colony Heliopolis 4… hours later…

Shin sighed as he walked the streets with his sister Mayu, they were happy to have made it to the Colony without incident with the rest of their fellow citizens. The colony wasn't like their homes, but the two siblings had been in space before and were just as at home in a colony as they were at home on Earth.

It had been a bittersweet moment for all the citizens of Orb, they had escaped from the Alliance and the Blue Cosmos leader, but they had learned that most of Orb was ravaged by the invaders, and Lord Uzumi Athha had given up his life along with his fellow ministers in preventing all of Orb's weapons and the Mass Driver being used by the Alliance. It was a moment that Shin never forgot and he knew that, despite his dislike for some of the Prime Minister's policies at times, he felt at home in Orb, and that man had made it so…and now because of prejudice and hatred, he was dead, his home was destroyed and many of his friends murdered.

"Shin, are you all right?" Mayu asked as she saw her brother's brooding look. She didn't like the idea of her brother looking like that.

"Huh? Oh, I'm okay, just thinking about what happened."

"Don't worry, we're all safe and one day, we can go back home, so quit giving that gloomy face Shin, I don't like it." Mayu pouted cutely to make Shin laugh.

And Shin did laugh, it was then that they entered a restaurant, and spotted several people there talking silently. Shin was instantly on edge when he spotted a brunette male in an Alliance uniform talking with two other men, one with dark blue hair and another with blonde hair, both wearing Z.A.F.T uniforms. He was about to let part of his impulsive nature kick in and hit the guys for having the guts to be here, but he stopped when he spotted Cagalli Ulla Athha with them, with a sad look in her face. He wondered about that, as he was already familiar with Prime Minister Uzumi's daughter. He was even more surprised when she was being held by the blue haired Z.A.F.T pilot and being spoke to by the brown haired Alliance pilot. Before he could stop himself he came up and grabbed the Alliance pilot by the shoulder.

"What are you doing with Miss Athha?!"

Kira turned and spotted himself looking at an angry looking boy with black hair and red eyes, and next to him was a young woman, who apparently was trying to placate him, and he could tell that these two were brother and sister.

"Whoever you are…please stop that, Kira's not doing anything wrong." Cagalli answered as she stopped crying for a bit and glared at Shin.

"But what's an Alliance pilot doing here Miss Athha?!" Shin asked.

"I'm no longer part of the Alliance, I've already defected to Orb, besides, before being in the Alliance I was a citizen of Orb before, and I still am. So there's no need for you and me to fight." Kira answered as he too tried to calm the young man.

Shin looked at Kira and then could tell that he wasn't lying, besides, there appeared to be no insignia on his Alliance uniform. Shin sighed and released Kira, and then looked at the Yamato youngster. "I'm sorry…I'm not feeling all that happy about what happened just a few hours ago."

Kira smiled. "It's all right. My name's Kira, Kira Yamato. And you are?"

"My name's Shin, Shin Asuka, this is my sister Mayu."

"Pleased to meet you Shin, you too Mayu…" Kira said as he shook Shin and Mayu's hands, he then gave a curious look to Shin. "You know…you sound familiar Shin, and you look familiar, have we met before?"

"Not that I…wait, I do know your voice! You were the pilot of the Gundam that stopped that other Gundam from the Alliance from destroying the convoy me and my family were on!"

Kira nodded. "No wonder you look and sound familiar, You were the one I saw shooting an assault rifle at the Alliance Gundam when I arrived on the scene."

Shin smiled widely. "I'm really sorry now for acting this way! I'm thankful for you saving my sister and family Mr. Yamato!"

Kira smiled and shook Shin's hand. "I'm thankful that you and everyone else are safe. How are your parents? I heard that a good number of people were injured in the attack."

"They're all fine, thanks to you and the pilot of that other Gundam, Mr. Yamato!" Shin said as Mayu also shook hands with their savior.

"You can thank that pilot now, since he's right next to you. This is my friend from my childhood days, Athrun Zala. And I'm not that old Shin, so just call me Kira."

Shin and Athrun shook hands, as they began to talk about the past events.

It was several minutes later that Cagalli was picked up by her body-guard Kisaka, who then told Kira and Athrun that they had to leave soon to assemble for their next move to stop the war between the Alliance and Z.A.F.T. on the Kusanagi and they were needed on the Archangel.

Kira then turned to face Athrun as soon as Cagalli was out of hearing range. "You didn't tell her about your plan Athrun."

Athrun sighed. "I know that Kira, but I have to go anyway. I need to go back to the PLANTS and try to reason with my father. I've got to also see just how far my dad would go in this war between the PLANTS and Earth."

"You realize what you're about to do Mr. Zala? You're already a.." Shin was about to say more, but decided to keep silent on this part. He knew enough of military leadership and protocol to know that Athrun had deserted Z.A.F.T, along with Dearka. It was a bad enough move that would earn Athrun and Dearka a shot at being imprisoned or executed, it was bad enough if Athrun's father was a general, but Shin now knew that Patrick Zala, head of the Z.A.F.T military and the PLANTS' Governing Council was Athrun's father, and Dearka's father was a decorated hero of Z.A.F.T. That would make their punishments even worse, Mayu also knew that much and showed worry for Athrun.

"I know what you mean Shin, but I have to do this. When my mother died on Junius 7 my father and I grieved for a long time for her, along with those who died and we hated what the Alliance did, namely the terrorist force Blue Cosmos. But my father went even further. Even if I grieved for my mother, I fought without my emotions getting in my way…but I've been noticing some changes in my father. He's acting more withdrawn, angry, and more extreme as the war continued. He began talking about things in a very radical fashion, much harder than anyone, he's been gathering people who share the same views as he does. He thinks we're a superior race, us Coordinators, you, me Kira, and Dearka, but we're subject to death like anyone else on Earth, and I've seen what war has done to people, even children when I was fighting, children on either side began to hate the other without reason. I know that such things will lead to total disaster in the end."

"And you fear that your dad will bring that on the citizens of the PLANTS?" Kira asked.

"I don't just fear it Kira…I know that he will do it. Lacus, who I was ordered to either arrest or kill before I came to Earth told me that something was terribly wrong with the way my father was handling the military and what he was speaking to the people on the PLANTS, at first I wanted to deny it, but I knew in my heart that she was right. And against my father's will, I saved Lacus instead, she's already trying to get people on the PLANTS to renounce what my father plans. And I won't be surprised in the least if she's being hunted by his agents now. I have to try and reason with him, before what he plans will ruin not just Z.A.F.T and the PLANTS, but the whole world's future, and I want to stop this war before it gets out of hand."

Dearka nodded. "I'm with Athrun, I've already seen how people struggle in Earth and there in the PLANTS, and there really is no difference between each, I heard what happened in Panama a few hours when Z.A.F.T took over it. I hate to think whatever Patrick's been telling them, of course what happened at Alaska was no surprise at all. I'm not liking the idea of fighting my own comrades, but if we don't put a stop to this, there's no telling how much longer this war will last, and how many will die needlessly."

Shin nodded as he listened to the conversation, and in time he realized that what his father told him was true. There was no true end to war, no victory, no glory, only death and suffering. He also realized that unless the people who started the war were dealt with, it would never end, until there would be nothing but graves and dust.

A few minutes later…

Shin said his farewells to Athrun and Kira as they left for the shuttle to get to the Kusanagi, he watched the two friends leave for the battle-field and he thought back on his conversations with them, and their own ideas of the war.

"Do you think Kira and Athrun will be all right?" Mayu asked.

Shin nodded with a smile. "I know that they'll be okay. They've the power to save this future of ours. All we have to do now is believe."

Mayu nodded with a smile. You don't act like this Shin, what's up?"

"I want to fight."

"As a soldier?!" Mayu gasped. "You know dad would never…"

"No, not as a soldier. But as a man who wants peace, and would fight for it and protect it."

"You want to be like Kira and Athrun?"

"I want to be able to fight for peace, not for revenge or anger, but to stop those who want to start war."

Shin stopped talking and looked to where Kira and Athrun's shuttle had gone.

(I want to protect the peace, the ones you two will bring to all of us. )

--

Two years later…

A soldier was busy checking enlistment papers and as he was finished he processed another one, he looked up and spotted a young man with black hair and red eyes.

"Name?"

The young man saluted and answered. "Shin, Shin Asuka."

"Age?"

"Sixteen."

"You've got a good record Private Shin Asuka. You've been assigned with the Guardians for the next few years. Your commanding officer will pick you up in the lobby, so you wait for him there. And you better not cause any disturbances, I've heard rumors of that part a few months back."

"Yes sir!"

Shin sighed as he took his duffel bags and headed into the Guardians' main Command center on it's own station known as Echo Station 10, it was his latest combat assignment since becoming a transferee from Orb to the Z.A.F.T forces. He didn't defect, but was given the option to learn about Z.A.F.T tactics and methods when he had become part of the Orb's special combat personnel exchange program.

Once he arrived he waited as he set down his bags and began scoping out the room. It was comfortable, but not too showy. And there was a refreshment booth nearby. Shrugging his shoulders he went to it and ordered a soda.

"Nice to see you made it, Shin."

Shin turned about in surprise and there was a tall man in front of him. And he looked…

"Kira?!"

Kira nodded with a grin. "Good guess, Shin, or should I call you Private Shin Asuka?"

"You're…my commanding officer?" Shin asked.

Kira nodded. "Yeah, but only here in the Guardian HQ, not in other areas, understand?"

"Yeah…uh, I mean! Yes Sir!" Shin said as he saluted Kira.

"Knock it off Shin, when we're with the officials, then you can salute me." Kira reprimanded gently.

"Uh, right."

Shin and Kira then took their drinks and got into a discussion, about their new jobs, two years after they met.

"What happened with you Kira?"

"After the war, I decided to take some time for myself, along with my sister Cagalli. I got wind of the Guardians being formed up, a couple of months when I was in exile. I helped with the orphanage with Cagalli and Lacus. I decided to enlist in the Guardians after I got married."

"To Miss Clyne? Man, you're lucky, a lot of guys I know tried to get her attention a lot. Kind of weird when I think about it. Wasn't she supposed to be your friend Athrun's fiancée?"

"Former fiancée Shin." Another voice called in. Kira and Shin turned and spotted Athrun as he walked into the lobby. He was still in his civilian clothes but now had a Guardian symbol on his jacket.

"Athrun, you're a little late… My sister kept you busy for a while or something?" Kira asked with a slight smirk.

"Ha ha, very funny. But you were close." Athrun said with a grin. He then handed a letter to Kira.

"Cagalli wanted you to have this. She didn't tell me what it was though."

Kira opened the letter and when he was done reading he was grinning from ear to ear.

"It says that I've got to make sure you come back home to her."

Athrun sighed, but smiled a bit. Ever since he was married to Cagalli, she showed a side of herself that really endeared her to him. She would blush and get mad and do things that went against her tough girl image, and yet look even more radiant than before, and that made Athrun laugh a lot.

Shin was grinning; he had kept in touch with his friends and enjoyed the company. He acted like a stuck-up fanboy when he met Lacus, and he served as best man along with Athrun when Kira and Lacus were married. He had been there as well, in Athrun and Cagalli's wedding, he was surprised to learn that Kira and Cagalli were siblings, and he was excused anyway.

Kira then spoke to Shin and Athrun. "We'll go give the briefing to the rest of the new arrivals, plus we're going to begin assignment to partners soon."

Shin nodded as he picked up his duffel bag but he wasn't aware of the fact that there was another person in front of him and naturally…

"OOF!"

"AAAH!"

Shin recovered his balance and spotted the person he collided with was falling, reacting instantly he caught the person, and when he accidentally held the person's chest, he found them to have feminine breasts, he immediately blushed and realized that he had just groped a woman. He looked at the person in question…

And found himself staring at a blonde woman, with short slightly puffy deep yellow hair and had light violet eyes. She was about his height, had a figure that was really beyond pretty and looked like a real babe, he then noted that she wore an Alliance uniform, but had two different articles, a Z.A.F.T belt and a Guardian badge.

"Uh…"

"Excuse me, but do you mind letting go?" The woman asked politely as she smirked at his raging blush, while she was also blushing slightly.

"Oh! Sorry!" Shin said as he and the girl released each other, he then muttered an apology to the young woman he had accidentally groped.

"It's okay. I'm sorry for bumping into you, but there's only a few minutes left before the briefing, maybe I'll see you again?"

"Um…sure." Shin stammered a bit as the blonde woman walked away with her gear. He sighed and then noticed Kira and Athrun with smirks on their faces.

"W-W-What?"

"We saw that." Athrun smirked a bit.

"T-T-T-That was an accident!"

"Yeah, sure it was." Kira joined in the teasing.

"I'm dead serious! It was an accident!!"

"She's cute, isn't she?"

Shin nodded. "Yeah she's really… Hey! Will you guys knock it off!" he said as he realized what had just slipped out of his mouth as he still blushed.

"Sure, come on let's go to the briefing room."

The trio then went on their way to the main command room.

--

The Command Room…

Kira nodded as he and Athrun began speaking to the selected cadets from both the Earth and Z.A.F.T.

"The reason why you are all here is that both the Earth and the PLANTS have called a cease-fire that has now been going on for over two years, along with a still in progress peace process. To ensure the success of the peace-talks between the Earth and the PLANTS, the Guardians were created to ensure that there would be no incident that would endanger the lives of ordinary citizens on both the PLANTS and Earth, and to subdue and resolve conflicts as humanely and covertly as possible without the full intervention of the military."

"Many of you know the reason for the first war. It was because of not just the founding of Coordinator technology, but also of those who used fear, hatred, envy and prejudice as an excuse to wage war. In the end result was the destruction of Junius 7, by the organization known Blue Cosmos, who as you are now aware have been very dominant in the Alliance military leadership ladder. Likewise, there were radical elements in Z.A.F.T and the PLANTS as well. Both sides had grown more radical over the months of the wars and their radicalism, led to the battles such as Alaska, Panama, and the battle of Yachim Due, with the use of both nuclear arsenals and gamma laser weapons. This scenario, if it had gone on, would have not resulted in victory for anyone, but the destruction of the entire human race as we all know it. The Earth and PLANTS as of today have begun a slow process of healing the wounds on both our sides, Alliance, and Z.A.F.T, PLANTS and Earth. But as you know, there are still radical elements in both the PLANTS and Earth that are hell-bent on completing their plans of eradication, despite how many lives have been lost on both sides, and the near genocide on the PLANTS and Earth."

Athrun then took over. "The Guardians' supporters are those who are deep in the peace process, and nations on Earth and the PLANTS that want to see the end of such conflicts on both sides that bring only sorrow and hatred to both the existing generations, and those that will come after them. Our job is to make the path to peace less bloody and less costly as possible. Most of you are aware that Orb itself is a supporter of these efforts, along with a few other selected nations of Earth. The new Z.A.F.T Council is also a supporter of the Guardians. Thus the organization is a co-operative force to halt terrorist acts committed by Blue Cosmos, the radicals in Z.A.F.T, and other possible organizations that will try to re-ignite the conflict between our people. We will be provided with weapons from Z.A.F.T and the Alliance, along with intelligence reports from both sides, and other selected sources. The key reason is to stop war before it has a chance to spread. But we will not use force initially, we will attempt to defuse the situation peacefully, and force will only be used if all options are exhausted. Thus, kill only if it cannot be avoided or if civilians or fellow Guardians are threatened, and if there is no reasoning with the targets in question. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir!"

"To make sure that both sides can see eye to eye, each member of Z.A.F.T's contingent will be paired with a member of the Alliance's contingent. If there is any difficulty with the arrangements, then the question must be given to the upper command for correction and verification. This is a multi-faceted team, and each member's skills must compliment each other's so as to ensure the success of each mission. You have been given numbers to your dorm-rooms, bunks and offices, and so will your bunk mate. The training will begin at exactly 0600 hours sharp tomorrow. All cadets dismissed!"

--

Later…

Shin sighed a bit as he got his things together. His bunk was clean, and very comfortable, he had a table, locker, cabinet, and a computer to do any personal work that he would prefer to keep to himself.

He took out his clothes and placed them in separate portions in the cabinet and locker, it was then that he heard the door open, meaning that he was now about to meet his bunk-mate. He was having a hard time getting used to the idea, he wasn't sure that he would like working with a member of the Alliance forces. Though it's been over two years since the invasion of Orb, he still didn't like to hear working with the Alliance.

"Look, I don't want to sound rather…" Shin was saying until he turned and spotted that his bunk-mate was a gorgeous blonde woman…who was the very same one he had met in the hallways.

"Hello…you're my partner?" The blonde woman asked Shin who was speechless.

"Uh…yeah, from the looks of things…I am."

The two stared at each other for a few more moments, until the girl laughed a bit, shaking Shin out of his stupor.

"Uh, yeah?"

"I'd like it more that if you're done staring at me, I'd like to know your name?"

Shin realized that in all the time they had met, he had never told her his name. He walked up to the young woman and smiled.

"My name is Shin, Shin Asuka."

The girl nodded with a smile as they shook their hands.

"Mine's Stellar, Stellar Loussier."

--

Over the course of the Guardians' existence as a covert counter-terrorist unit, they had succeeded in quelling various disturbances in both the Earth and the PLANST without any full scale violence being unleashed on the people of the PLANTS, Colonies, and the Earth. In the years that followed, Shin and Stellar became a great team in countless sorties, alongside Kira, Athrun, Dearka, and others such as Lunamarie Hawke, her sister Meyrin Hawke, Yzak Joule, and those of the Alliance forces and other nations, namely Cagalli's body-guard Kisaka, Murrue and the Archangel crew, members of Orb's specialist Astray pilots, and Talia, captain of the Minerva battle-ship, her crew and the fighter-commandos in Z.A.F.T.

In the course of the time that passed, Shin had let go of his distrust with the Alliance as he worked with Stellar on many missions. He had gotten to know Stellar, and had met Stellar's care-taker and mentor. Dr. Catherine Hensley. It was at this time that he learned about Stellar's past.

Flashback…

"You are…an Extended?" Shin asked in surprise as he and Stellar had some time alone in the Guardians' secret Earth Head-Quarters in one of the islands of the Pacific. He was shocked to see Stellar in battle in her Mobile Suit and in person. He had heard about the Extended program made once by the Alliance, and he was surprised to know that Stellar was once a member of that project.

He immediately regretted asking that question when Stellar's normally care-free and happy expression became grief-stricken and sad. In all the time he had known his partner, she loved to have a pleasant time and was care-free, he had never seen her so terrified but for the mention of the Extended program.

"I'm sorry, I guess that…"

"No…" Stellar began to wipe away the tears in her eyes. "I guess the time's right for me to talk about it with someone other than just Dr. Catherine, Kira and Athrun. Yeah, I was part of the Extended program. The program was intended to train and condition normal pilots to fight in the level of Coordinators using extreme physical conditioning, mental conditioning, surgery, biological enhancements and implants, along with mental and physical boosting drugs, and therapy. We were…synthetic Coordinators, or combat computers to the people that ran the program."

"I was…I have no knowledge of my parents, so I'm not sure where I was born, but I knew that I was in the project from the moment I was able to walk and speak. The program used gene therapy and mental conditioning to increase our biological functions and our natural abilities to make us the best warriors to match up to Z.A.F.T and it's own elite forces, along with neural implants, and drugs. I was among those chosen to lead the Second Generation of Extended pilots. The first generation was the trio of Orga Sabnak, Shani Andras, and Clotho Buer, they were the first generation and the pilots of the Alliance's Calamity, Forbidden, and Raider Gundams, respectively. They had been criminals given the choice of death or be Gundam pilots, and to be turned into biological CPUs to battle the Z.A.F.T forces."

"They agreed?" Shin knew the Calamity was the one that tried to kill his family, and he was a little unsteady when he learned of the fact that Stellar was part of the project.

"Yes. When they were destroyed, the Alliance had no choice but move the Extended program to another location. I was only fourteen then, and my other companions, Auel and Sting were finally ready to finish the process of Extended pilots…"

"One question, how does Dr. Catherine fit in this?"

"She was…my care-taker or observer. She actually maintained a professional façade around her colleagues in the program. But in private she told me that she had never loved what the Alliance did to me and others like me. She understood the need for weapons of war, but not the way the Alliance and it's supporters were running the Extended program. Plus…she had a boy-friend, named Vince Reno, he was a Coordinator, but he was the kindest and most honest man she ever met. Despite what could have been the consequences, he planned to take her with him to the PLANTS. But he was killed before he could propose to her, by Blue Cosmos terrorists. She was able to keep the affair a deep secret, and when she graduated from med school, majoring in gene therapy and bio-medical technology, she was drafted by the Alliance. She learned quickly that many Blue Cosmos members were in the Alliance and she wanted to make sure that others like Vince wouldn't be hunted by the group. So she infiltrated the Extended program…and that's where we met. I knew her for fourteen years and she…was a mother to me. When the Extended program was disrupted, she was able to escape undetected with me in tow. We fled to Orb, and there she began petitioning scientists in Orb and those who were both Naturals and Coordinators to try and correct the enhancements done to me by the program."

"Why? I mean, you've got some serious abilities."

"But not without a price. All Extended pilots need to undergo regular drug doses and gene therapy to heal their wounds and keep them alive. If one of us didn't do that, we'd suffer severe mental and physical collapse, our bodies would go into severe nerve shock, and our implants would cause immeasurable pain to us, both mentally and physically. The first Extended pilots had to take enhancement drugs almost regularly, as they needed to fight in par with Z.A.F.T. The effects would make them powerful, but totally violent and unpredictable, they would attack allies and each other, and they would suffer severe withdrawal symptoms once the drugs wore off."

"So…did you?" Shin asked slowly.

Stellar nodded as despite her best efforts, she began to cry. "I had a hard time fighting the mental and physical conditioning plus the desire for the enhancement drugs. But the scientists in Orb were able to at least lessen my dependence on the drugs and allowed me a chance to live like a normal girl, I kept my Extended abilities, and only wear the Alliance uniform as a way to show my own disgust at what the supporters of the Extended and those in the program for what they did to me. I'm hoping…that after the war is over…I can finally be cured of all that happened to me… and well…be a normal young woman, and, not to be called a disposable…killing doll."

Shin felt sadness and sorrow for Stellar as the young girl cried a bit harder than before. He reached out to her and held her closely.

"I will never, ever call you that, Stellar... I want to say something to you."

"What?"

"No matter what happens, I'll protect you."

Stellar looked at Shin and smiled a bit, despite her tears. "Are you trying to say…you want to be…my guardian angel, Mister Shin Asuka?"

Shin laughed a bit and nodded solemnly. "Only if you will allow me to be…Miss Stellar Loussier."

"Then…I accept."

"Thank you."

Those were the last words between Shin and Stellar, when they gave each other a light kiss, as they looked at the setting sun. (1)

End of Flashback…

--

The years went on, and it was then that the Guardians, got their youngest, but most talented member. Eight year old Kyo Clyne Yamato was a bit of an oddity, considering that he was originally a visitor, to the Guardians, under the eye of his dad Kira, but he quickly got the attention of many of the teams as his own skills in strategic and tactical maneuvers began to show.

He then accepted to be a junior member of the Guardians, and made quick friendships with many of his dad and uncle's colleagues, namely with Shin and Stellar. The three got along rather well as Kyo made no bones about teasing his older comrades about their budding relationship, along with the rest of them. His talents in the Murumase Mobile Suit allowed him to pilot his dad's Freedom Gundam quite effectively, and he became a trusted member of the Guardians in many combat missions.

In the end of the two years, the Guardians were able to remove all members of not just Blue Cosmos, but it's supporters, another shadowy group known as Logos, and the radical followers of Patrick's old plans in Z.A.F.T without a single major incident occurring to disrupt the peace process and ignite another war.

Following this, Shin and Stellar were married, and their children Alex and Claire were born. Kyo at the time of Shin and Stellar's marriage had also retired from the Guardians and went on with his education.

Shin and Stellar were devastated years later when they heard that Kyo was supposedly killed in the new reactor accident, and made it to where Kyo was buried, along with their kids who wanted to see their big brother.

--

Flashback…

Kira shook hands with Shin he and Stellar arrived in time with their kids. Shin was taller now and he wore his normal Guardian uniform as a symbol of his friendship with both Kira, his family, and Kyo. Stellar also wore her uniform as her two children were holding her hand.

Alex was like Shin, but he had his mom's hair and eyes, he loved hanging out with his 'big brother Kyo' a lot whenever they would meet. He loved to play games, and was a good basketball player in his school. His sister Claire had her dad's hair and eyes, and had her mom's intensity, and cheerfulness. She too was sad to know that her big brother was no longer with them.

"I'm sorry Kira, I am really sorry about Kyo."

Kira nodded as he spoke to Shin. "I know, but I know that he thought about others, and not just himself. He did what he felt was right, and I…I think that he did all of us a great service. Lacus and I, will always keep him close to our hearts."

"I know, Stellar and I will do the same, along with my children."

Stellar also spoke counseling words to Lacus, along with Cagalli, Murrue, and Talia. Talia had grown to admire the young Kyo and considered him a good man. It was understandable, that countless other Guardian members looked up to Kyo, they called him their baby, and their closest friend. And they all came in their usual team rosters to pay their respects to their comrade…who gave up all so that the world and future generations may live.

--

Flash-Forward to one year before GunDread SEED…

"The Harvesters are breaking through!" A soldier said to his commanding officer as they heard that most of their orbital defense fleet were destroyed or in retreat.

"We're getting reports that their deploying their ground assault units on the surface. Three cities have already been hit and the ground forces are getting hammered!" Another aide reported as she too was in fear of the invasion.

"Damn it!" the general swore as he read the tactical reports and knew that his world of Yureni Prime would eventually fall. The Harvesters had attacked their colonial outposts and stripped their people of their hearts, and the enemy had just arrived to claim their primary homeland. Like the people of Megele and Talark, the Yunrenian people were descendants of the colonists who left Earth to explore the stars.

Now it seemed that death had found them…

--

A group of people were rushing towards what appeared to be an underground shelter, along with a large number of trucks and other citizens. Explosions were echoing all around them and debris were falling like mad rain of steel and stone.

The man in front of them was tall, and had the build of a young soldier. He was looking left and right, hoping that none of the Harvester forces had found the shelter that he and the others were fleeing in. He kept a powerful assault rifle close to him as he guided the people to safety, beside them a large pair of trucks were being brought in the shelter as well.

The other person next to the man was also another soldier, but this one was a woman, she too was looking left and right, but also behind them, also hoping that none of the vile servants of the Harvesters were in pursuit. She held her own rifle as she ran with the others.

Lt. Kouji Asuka and Sgt. Maia Asuka, who both were brother and sister had managed to rescue a good number of the civilians and fellow ground combat personnel as they had been ordered by high command to retreat from space to aid in the defense of their planet, they were able to get their in time and got into the fight.

Kouji was a tall man, and had his father's deep black hair and his mother's amber eyes, along with a tough demeanor. He proved himself to be a great soldier at the age of twelve and had joined the space defense fleet of Yureni when he was fourteen, rising to the rank of Lieutenant when he became sixteen. He had the skills and the experience for the rank and was respected by his fellow soldiers and officers, and he also proved himself to be a tough master of both piloting machines, weapons training, and hand to hand combat. He was a hit to many of the women, both in the military and civilian quarter, and had been approached on many occasions as he was now twenty-one years of age. He also had a big hatred for the Harvesters, having seen their atrocities first hand on his missions.

His father Vince Asuka, was also a top ranking officer in the military and was very respectful and proud of his son's achievements, but he also acted as a real father, giving help to his son and daughter when they needed it, and allowed them a sense of freedom, but also reprimanded them when it was needed. He also had a strong relationship with not just his children, but with his wife Helena, and they both would spent as much time together, and with their kids, as long as they could do so.

Kouji's mother Helena Asuka was a civilian nurse and had met her husband when he was still in training. It was love at first sight for Helena and Vince, and their relationship had been very strong, though she had some reservations of her son and daughter being in the military, but she nevertheless supported them, and also taught them more gentle arts than just warfare, such as medicine, arts, and cooking. She was a gentle person, but had a fire in her that anyone with a reasonable regard for their health was better off not igniting.

Maia Asuka was part of the Intelligence department, she had her mother's deep blonde hair and her dad's blue eyes, and looked like a real babe to most men in her team, and had to leave off the love declarations of many admirers. But she was not all looks, she had brains, will, and brawn to go with it, joining the fleet alongside her big brother at the age of thirteen, rising quickly in the ranks of the intelligence division. She had lead countless sorties in battle, and wasn't the least bit shy about joining in the front lines when it came to that. She also had skills with machines, weapons, and hand to hand combat as her brother at the age of eighteen. She too had a hatred for the Harvesters having seen the atrocities committed by their vile servants.

At this time, they had to retreat as the Harvesters began attacking the outlying cities and the capital was soon under siege.

"We're almost there!" Kouji shouted out to the others as they reached the main entrance as the two automated trucks went in first. The trucks were rumored to carrying two special weapons newly developed by the military and were meant to battle the Harvesters. When the Harvesters invaded, the weapons had to be rushed into development, but they were only finished as the Harvesters had broken through.

"Go! Get inside!" Vince shouted as his family got into the shelter, but before anything could be done…

BOOM!

A massive explosion filled the area as a side of the wall and the roof fell in front of the married couple, separating them from their two children, as debris and flames got between them all.

Kouji and Maia were inside the shelter and were knocked unconscious, but were very much alive. Vince and Helena decided to do the impossible. Vince accessed the emergency control panel and shut the door from the outside. This effectively left the two Asuka elders outside of the shelter at the mercy of their enemies, but their children would be safe. The shelter was a special one, armed with a shield system that made anyone outside believe that no one was inside, alive or otherwise, even with advanced scanners. Helena calmly took out a small recording, and held it tight.

The couple then faced the outside and spoke to their children in their minds.

"Kouji…Maia, be strong, and be safe."

Those were their last words as an explosion tore through the outer security doors, signifying the arrival of the Harvester units.

--

Hours later…

Kouji and Maia awoke and immediately realized the situation as they looked about for their parents in desperation.

"Mom! Dad! Where are you?!" Kouji shouted out fear as he tried to recall what had happened.

"Brother…where are they?!" Maia asked in growing fear as she could find no trace of their parents.

The two then realized what had happened hours before, and in terror, realized that their parents were trapped outside to the monsters. They then began to reactivate the shelter and open the doorway. They found a mess of debris in front of them, which were now easy to climb over due to the fact that they no longer burned. Carefully climbing the barrier and avoiding the sharp areas of the debris, they came to the place where their parents were… but found only bullet casings, and blood-stains where their parents once stood.

"No…"

"Mom…Dad…"

Kouji picked up the small record unit and recognized it as the one their mother made for them when they were still kids. He and sister knew despite their denials what it meant…their parents, along with all the people they knew and loved had been…harvested.

Two screams of anguish, sorrow, and rage filled the shelter, and seemed to fill the entire wasteland of what was once the lush and prosperous world of Yureni Prime.

--

Current time…

The bridge of the Nirvana…

"So you're saying K, that you have been here before?" Magno asked as she and the Gundam pilot looked at the main monitor at another Mission station. Unlike the previous one that would have passed for a ghost town, this one had several hundred people occupying it.

Kyo nodded, as he began to explain. "Yep, I've been here, this one's called Delta 6. It was one of the stops I've made when Freedom and I were still planet hopping around, before we joined up with you here on the Nirvana. The people there happen to be a real rowdy and crazy bunch, and, they think that the only way they can offer you something is when you fight to prove that you're worthy of it."

"So they love a good brawl?" Magno asked

"Yeah, very much, though they do have their own reasons, but when I was here, they were pretty tight-lipped about it. So, why don't we pay those folks a visit?"

--

Deep within the Mission Station, two other individuals were busy working on something, or in this case, two special weapons. They stopped their work as they heard from the communications systems that a strange ship was requesting docking clearance with the station.

--

A little bit later…

"So you're the leader of this station?" Buzam asked as she and the Nirvana's diplomatic party stood in front of what appeared to be a throne at the front of a large room that passed off as a type of arena. Behind her was Kyo, Dita, Jura, Gascogne, Sara, Mai, and Barnette, who happened to taking with her part of her collection of antique firearms, namely a few assault pistols, pistols, SMGs, shotguns, assault rifles, and a lot of other weapons. Sitting on the throne was a tall, slender woman with long blue-black hair, and dressed in a skintight bodysuit. On her left was a large, muscular, bald man who looked like he never took a bath for a matter of weeks, if not months.

"Yeah, I guess you could call me the leader here, though it ain't exactly something great." The woman replied. "It's just that no one here's been having the guts to challenge me." She then addressed the man on her left. "Isn't that right Patch?"

The one named Patch nodded. "Yeah, I mean nobody's suicidal enough to go one on one with you, Ms. Liz."

"I guess you could have called ME a suicidal nut last time I was here."

Everyone's attention turned to the three who spoke out, and many, including the leader and her subordinate, gasped when they recognized the person behind Buzam. He had been avoiding detection, and never took in eye contact with anyone. Now he stepped out into the open as he looked at the leader of Delta 6. "Just how long has it been since I kicked your butt, Liz?"

"KYO!! What the hell are YOU doing back here?!" Liz was in an absolute fury and shock as she got off her throne and gripped her weapon, which was a beam sword.

Dita became confused and a little bit jealous as she spotted the look of amusement on Kyo's face. "Do you know this person, Mr. Alien?"

Kyo nodded and smiled. "Oh yeah. Don't let her Tough Girl act fool you. Deep down Liz is just a lovable character and…"

"AAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!"

Liz gave out a bloodcurdling scream of rage as she leaped down with her weapon activated. The energy blade was aimed at Kyo. In an instant Kyo moved Dita to one side and leaped into the ring, just as Liz's blade slammed into the area where he was all before. The rest of the Nirvana's party gave a wide berth for the station leader as she went after Kyo as she focused her attention to the brown haired Mobile Suit pilot and swung wildly. All around them, people shouted and cheered as the impromptu battle went underway.

"Minus the fact that she's a little hot tempered." Kyo finished.

"Don't you think we should help Kyo?" Mai asked as she gripped her battle sword. Behind her Barnette and the others were tensing up for battle.

Sara shook her head.

"Nope, I don't think the Commander will need any help. Look at Kyo. He's toying with her. If he wanted to win, he would have taken her out the very moment she attacked."

--

In the arena, Liz was getting frustrated as every one of her attacks were blocked by the former Yamato in an almost lazy fashion. Kyo was merely smiling as he casually commented on each of her attempts to slash him, he then took out his own sword. He had the sword coated with special chemical agents that made it highly resistant to beam weapons…and he knew that Liz knew it too.

SLASH!

"Hmmm, you're STILL swinging at too wide an arc. Didn't I tell you how easy it is to avoid?"

"Hold still!"

WHOOSH!

CLANG!

"Still too choppy. That's a sword you know, not a club."

"I said hold still!"

SWOOSH!

"Again? Come on Liz. I though I taught you how to compensate for that move!"

"Damn you!"

SLASH!

CLANG!

"Oh boy, what did I tell you about losing your temper in a battle?"

"SHUT UP AND FIGHT ME!"

SHOOM!

"All right then, have it your way."

Kyo immediately gripped his sword and charged as he attacked.

CLANG! WHOMP! KTANG! WHOMP!

Liz staggered back as she received a kick in the midsection, and she lost her sword as Kyo enveloped it with a few simple motions with his sword and tossed the weapon aside without cutting her. He then placed away his sword and with a simple judo toss and a restraining hold, subdued Liz in a span of seconds. As she tried to struggle to her feet, Kyo applied a little extra pressure and kept her restrained while he still smiled.

"Give up Elizabeth?"

"Don't call me that!" Liz spat back as she tried her best to free herself, but she discovered that she didn't have the needed leverage.

"Okay then, how about Lizzie?"

"Grrrrr!!"

"Well?"

The longhaired woman growled a little bit more, then reluctantly gave the signal to Kyo that she would surrender.

The Gundam operator immediately released his grip and stood back, as the Mission station leader got to her feet. Seeing that her weapon was too far away for her to try and grab, she settled to just glaring at the young man for a long time. The silence in the arena was deafening for several moments, as the two people then trembled and finally broke into peals of laughter.

The crew from the Nirvana were in a state of puzzlement over this new development as the two continued to laugh. As they tried to figure out what was going on, two other people were giving Kyo contemplative looks.

(He's good…better than anyone I've seen. )

(But why does it seem. That he looks…familiar.)

(Like we're supposed to know him.)

--

Later…in the Station's bar…

"You were always an unbeatable bastard." Liz commented with a sigh as she looked at her friend Kyo, while sipping her drink in her favorite wineglass. She and the Mobile Suit pilot were privately discussing some very important things, while the rest of the Nirvana's party were mingling with the rest of the Station's populace. Since Kyo was already acquainted with the leader of the Mission Delta 6, Buzam appointed him as the negotiation representative.

"Not exactly Liz, I'm not indestructible." Kyo said with a smile as he took in his own glass of club soda. He had learned that no one, even he was unbeatable, from the battle with the Harvesters and the Gundam clones. "I'm just not planning on dying early."

"Hmm, I suppose so…anyway, what brings you and your Gundam back to this side of Hell? Are you with those other women and men?"

"You're right, but it's a LONG story. Besides, right now, we're stopping here for supplies and other items that might come in handy. We're dropping by the Megele and Talark home worlds to warn them about the Harvesters, you know them by any chance Liz?" Kyo asked.

Liz let out a snort of anger and sadness. "Know them? Hell, nearly every refugee on this station are here because of those bastards!"

That statement caught the former Earthling by surprise; Liz never mentioned anything about this when he was here. "Really? I never knew about this and nobody here told me about it when I was here last time. Freedom and I met with the Harvesters six months ago and I've just received more information concerning those organ hungry lunatics two months ago."

Liz nodded. "Well, I'm not all that surprised that you don't know about it the last time you were here. It's not something people want to discuss, especially since they become the last remnants of their own worlds."

"Say what?"

Liz made a sad and tired sigh as she began to explain. "That's how things are out here in Delta 6. Nearly everyday, we take in a few stragglers who managed to make it out from the Harvester invasions of their home planets. The real dagger wound in the guts, is that they don't have a world to go home back to anymore. The Harvesters usually take their entire populations and leave nothing behind, but barren wastelands. Patch and me…we're all that's left of our own home world."

"I'm sorry…I never knew that."

The station leader nodded. "Yeah, I guess you can see now why things are like this here on Delta 6. We don't nearly have enough food and supplies for HALF of the people here, let alone for all the new arrivals that we pick up. So the only rule here is to take what you want anyway you can. Only the strong survive here, but then…you already knew that, and you proved that you're not somebody to take lightly."

The young man nodded, as he recalled his last visit to Delta 6. It had been rather interesting, and he nearly resorted to just activating Freedom's beam arsenals and aiming them on the Station. "Sorry that things had to be that way, but things will change, you can bet on that." Kyo said with concern.

"I don't see how things are going to be better honestly. We're barely able to hold on together as it is. The fights and duels are probably the only things that keep everyone going and sane."

"We can help you, and the crew on the Nirvana can as well."

"How?"

"Well…I can see that the first order of business is to get this Station's systems repaired and operational. When I was here last time, the place looks so busted up, and I can tell that things aren't getting any better."

"That's an understatement." Liz agreed. "Nearly forty percent of the Mission is either on it's last legs, or totally unusable. The generators are barely creating enough power to sustain life support and most of the people here live in the dark. Water, food, and anything essential won't last for much longer. Medical supplies are basically nonexistent. We're barely holding on. And I won't even begin with the Mission's defensive systems. If the Harvesters pay this place a visit, then it's all over for us."

"We can deal with those parts. That Nirvana's got a great team of engineers, and they can really help get all your systems back online, I'll do some of the repair work myself too. I might be able to get a water recycler and purifying unit here for the water problems." Kyo answered.

"How about medical supplies and food?"

"That's going to be a little harder, since we're needing a little of that ourselves, but we can manage. Our doctor Duero can help out, treating the sick and injured, not to mention that the Talark doctor can spare some of his own supplies of medicine, the stuff's not as high tech as Megele technology, but they work. As for food, well…that can be fixed, though normal food's a little dry." Kyo said with a slight chuckle.

"Excuse me? What do you mean by normal food?"

The young man scratched his head a bit. "Well…we've still got good supplies on the four basic food groups, and we've got a real large surplus of Talark nutrition pills, that stuff can feed at least four thousand men for twenty years. The reason we've got that much is that none of the women want anything to do with the pills that we already have. We were hoping to stock up on the normal rations, but we can see that's a little out of the question." Kyo explained.

"Maybe not." Liz interjected. "What sort of food are these pills?"

Kyo nodded as he explained. "They aren't exactly on the level in terms of taste. They taste like hell, but the can provide enough nutrients, vitamins, and energy for three hundred hours of work per serving. The men of Talark have that as their staple meals and as far as I could tell when I was there, they're just healthy relying on the stuff."

"I want them."

"Really? Why would you want the stuff?" Kyo asked

The attractive leader replied. "They may seem terrible to you and the women, but they can be lifesavers for everyone here on the station. Think of it. Enough food to feed four thousand people for twenty years! Regardless of the taste, they would ensure that no one here goes hungry until we're able to get back on our feet! Considering that we've got only enough food for three hundred people for only a few months, those pills would be the best answer for everyone here on Delta 6 to survive!"

"You know, you've changed…a lot since I've seen you Liz. And I can say it's for the best." Kyo interjected with a smile.

Liz smiled while giving Kyo a whimsical look. "I guess when I become the official leader of this Mission, I feel the pain of everyone else onboard. Maybe giving everyone three square meals a day might ease the tension here. So is it a deal? We'll trade a portion of our own rations for say…half of your supply of pills."

"To me it's a done deal, I'll need to speak with the captain first, but I've got no doubt that she'll agree to it." The young Coordinator then decided to look at the crowds of people milling around.

Liz nodded. "That's great news. Now, we'll need to talk about medical supplies and…" Liz stopped talking as she noticed that Kyo wasn't paying attention, and his normally friendly expression became dark and extremely hostile. "Kyo, what's wrong?"

Kyo gave a very ominous growl as his answer as he got to his feet and walked towards a table in the far corner. He had just spotted an old…'friend.'

--

Rabat was taking a good sip of his glass of whiskey, when he noticed that someone was making his/her way towards him. His eyes widened as he got a good look on who was approaching…

"FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFTTTTTTTTTTTTTT….ACK!"

Immediately after his spit-take, he got to his feet and went immediately reached for his sidearm. He had heard that a large vessel had docked on the Station, he never expected the ship to be the Nirvana.

However, as fast as he was on the draw. Kyo was even FASTER…

"You little punk! I'll……arrrrrrgggggghhhhhh!"

"Shut up traitor!"

Rabat's right arm was caught in Kyo's iron grip, he immediately twisted the guy's wrist and arm as he disabled the trader's grip on his blaster pistol, making the man lose his weapon. He took the pistol and casually tore it into nothing but scrap like paper. He tossed the now worthless pile of junk and slammed a punch into Rabat's solar plexus. Kyo then tossed the trader over his shoulder into another unoccupied table, and then got out his sword and placed it on Rabat's neck and placed his foot on his left shoulder blade.

By this time, everyone in the bar stopped at what they were doing and turned their attention to the source of the commotion.

Kyo glared hatefully at the man he universally despised and gave him a smile that was totally devoid of any friendly emotion. "Well…I never expected to meet up with you here in Delta 6 of all places, you Rotting Corpse. What's the matter? Your old Harvester clients aren't paying as well as they used to?" Kyo asked in a mocking tone filled with loathing, hatred, and contempt.

That immediately got Liz and a few other people's attention as the leader of the Station began running towards them. "Kyo? What's going on here?"

He didn't answer as he concentrated on his discussion on the man…no the genetic reject, he pinned down. "So how has my favorite TRAITOR to the human race been doing all this time? Looking for more planets and people to sell out to your masters? Or you still planning on finishing off the people that you sold out to the Earth before, by telling them where Delta 6 is?" Kyo asked.

Rabat merely struggled, but the man merely added extra incentive for the trader not to move. Kyo twisted the arm in his grip a bit more. "I'd stop moving if I were you. I can pull upwards and bring my foot down and rip out your arm and use it scratch my back or I could just press down with my sword and relieve you of all your sins, namely that one you call your head…Your choice."

Upon hearing his alternatives, Rabat immediately stopped struggling and settled for glaring at the young man with hate filled eyes. He could say anything as of the moment since Kyo's sword was on his throat.

The cosmic warrior looked up to Liz without paying any attention to Rabat's gaze. "What's this worthless pile of reject tissue doing here anyway?" Kyo asked.

"You know Rabat?"

"I know him all right, all too well. This cancerous excuse for human DNA should be dumped along with the garbage…no, we'd be insulting the garbage to call HIM one anyway." Kyo replied as he withdrew his sword.

"I don't understand, Rabat's a liar and a cheat, I'll admit to that, but why are you…?"

"Let's just say he's got a LOT to answer for." Kyo explained as he glared deeply at Rabat. "Now I neither have the time to catch up on old times with you Sleaze Bucket, so why don't you take a nap?" He instantly lifted the con man to his feet and belted him in the face.

WHAM!

Rabat dropped to the floor out cold like a puppet cut loose from the strings.

"I still don't…"

Kyo held up his hand, stopping Liz's question as he reached for his communicator and contacted the Nirvana.

"We've got a problem, Captain, and it's got the name of a certain traitor on it."

--

The Nirvana's Command Bridge…

"What? Rabat's onboard the Mission?" Magno asked in surprise.

"Yes, Grandmother." Kyo nodded as he went on. "And when he's onboard, you can bet the Harvesters won't be far behind either."

The pirate captain began concerned as she ordered all the Dread pilots and the Vanguard pilots on combat standby. Things just took a turn for the worst.

--

A few minutes, and an abridged explanation later…

"I…don't believe it." Liz whispered in shock as Rabat was dragged away to a holding cell. "He sold us all to the Harvesters?!"

"Believe it." Kyo said with a grim expression as he stood next to Buzam and the others. "I got enough proof from the people of Melanos and from one of Rabat's own data modules. If you ask all the refugees on the Mission, I've got no doubt that a lot of them will confirm that Rabat had been on their planet a few days or hours before the Harvesters came. Probably, no one made the connection at first, that's why he's gotten away with the crimes he's made of every human in space."

"I…still don't believe it."

"It's the truth, I'll show you the evidence soon." Kyo answered.

"But right now, we don't have the time for it. We can deal with Rabat later." Buzam interjected. "We need to get ready for the Harvesters. The Nirvana and our Dread and Vanguard forces will work with your people to fight them. Exactly what do you have in terms of weapons and defense?"

"Not…much. A few firearms and ranged weapons, but those are only for personal protection. The shielding on the station's pathetic, and…well, all of you have already seen how much repairs this place needs. The reason we've been able to hold out for this long what due to the two Asuka siblings."

That name suddenly sent a shiver of recognition in Kyo, though he didn't know why. He then recalled a vague image of a couple, a man with what appeared black hair, and vague red eyes, and a woman with light violet eyes and blonde hair.

Buzam noticed this change in Kyo along with Liz. "Kyo…are you okay?"

"Huh…nothing. But…Liz, did you say that their last name was…Asuka?"

"Yeah, Kouji and Maia Asuka, they're both brother and sister. You know them?"

"No…I've never met them in my whole life…But they…sound familiar. Who are they?" Kyo asked.

"They came here a few months ago." Liz explained. "They're the last survivors of the planet Yureni Prime, after the Harvesters massacred the entire population for their hearts. They told us everything they've learned about the Harvesters and their fleets. They each have some sort of secret weapon that kept the enemy at bay so far."

"Secret weapon? What exactly is it?" Kyo asked with a curious eye.

"We don't know and they never tell us. It's just that every time our long-range scanners pick up any Harvester ships coming in, then they take off in two scout ships to locate them. Usually after a few minutes, they arrive back and there's no more signs of the Harvester ships. We don't know how they destroyed them, but in return for their help, we give them some food and their own places in the station."

Patch walked up to Liz and asked. "You think we should call them now?"

"Not yet Patch, there's still no sign of the Harvester forces and I still want to question Rabat."

"I'll need to speak to those two, if you don't mind. I'd like…to see these secret weapons of theirs. Those might be able to aid us battling the Harvesters also." Kyo said with certainty.

The longhaired woman shrugged a little. "Be my guest, though you might not get much out of them, they are very much loners and prefer their privacy. You can usually find them there at the fourth level of the station, D-Block, Section Thirteen. Just look for Kouji, he normally shows up first, his sister shows up next."

"Got it." Kyo turned and was ready to leave.

"I want to come with you, Mr. Alien!" Dita called out as she began to follow him.

Kyo stopped and shook his head. "No, it's better that I handle this, you stay with the others, I'm sure that the Captain's going to need your help real soon when and if the Harvesters decide to show themselves. I'll try to be right back as soon as possible."

BC nodded as she turned to Dita. "We're going to need you to start prepping up your Dread along with Jura and Meia." She then turned to Kyo. "Stay in contact with us. We might have to use the GunDreads real soon."

"GunDreads?" Liz asked in puzzlement.

Kyo shrugged his shoulders as he left for the fourth level. "You've got your secret weapons, and we've got our own." He ran down the corridor and turned around a corner.

--

A little bit later…

Kyo looked around intently as he was in the fourth level Section Thirteen, D-Block.. Aside from the normal piles of debris and junked station components, there was nothing else, there were signs of habitation though. There were two makeshift cots, a large table for communal eating, and a good amount of personal effects, but Kyo could see no sign of the area's residents. His senses were on high alert as he scanned the area for the people he was looking for. Then, suddenly, his danger senses were online as he turned around, sword drawn, he then came face to face with…him.

The former Yamato wondered just how did he miss the two strangers, they weren't there the last time. So how did they manage of evade him? It seems that these two were trained in evasion and concealment the way he was.

"Kouji Asuka I take it?" Jin asked as he sheathed his sword to show that he was not an enemy, as he then spotted a woman who no doubt was Kouji's sister Maia.

The tall, raven-haired warrior nodded as he assessed the young man front of him, then replied. "You know…after seeing you battle Liz today, I had this feeling that you were going to look for me and my sister. She probably told you about the secret weapons my sister and I possess, and you want to know what they are, don't you?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Kyo said with a nod.

"Sorry, but we don't let anyone know what our weapons are. So you can forget it." Maia replied.

"So why not tell me?" Kyo replied with a smile. "I think we might be able to help each other out against the Harvesters."

Kouji snorted. "You don't have anything that we want and I doubt that you could help us against those Harvester bastards. You have no idea how powerful we are with our Gundams."

Kyo's eyes narrowed at that. He didn't know why, but he can't help but feel that these two were telling the truth.

"A pair of Gundams? You can't be serious, right, as far as I know the only place where Gundams could be made is on Earth. My own Gundam was built there, a long time ago."

Kouji and Maia became even more hostile as they heard that. "You're from Earth?! There you're one of them!"

They were about to attack Kyo, but he merely shock his head. "No…I'm not one of those organ hungry bastards of Earth, and I NEVER will be. I have no idea where I am from, and why my Gundam was built there on Earth, but you can bet I have my own reasons to fight the Harvesters."

Maia noted this, and since she had been in the intelligence division, she knew when one was lying or telling the truth.

"What do you mean?"

"Let me put it this way, I want to defeat them and make sure that no more worlds suffer because of them. And I KNOW for a fact that you want the same. Liz told me that your planet of Yureni Prime was invaded by the Harvesters, and everyone, except you two, were butchered for their hearts. You want justice and revenge for what happened, so do I."

It was then that Kyo's communicator came online.

--

"Kyo! The enemy is attacking the station and they've sent in some kind of plasma drones that have a prismatic effect that's making beam weapons useless on them!" Buzam said, as she and the others were busy using the antique projectile weapons that Barnette had brought along with her, along with any other physical weapon they could get their hands on.

"How did they get past the station and the Nirvana's long range sensors?" Kyo asked.

"We're not certain, but apparently, they seem to have some sort of high grade jamming field that hid them from our sensors. I've already deployed Dita, Mai and Sara to their fighters, along with the Crusader Squadron to help Meia and the others, while the others are getting the civilians to a safer location. Did you find those secret weapons?"

Jin glanced at Kouji and his sister, and shrugged. "Yeah, I found them…er, I mean, I've found the weapons."

"Well, we can really use all the help we can get right now. They're going to need you and Freedom outside."

"I'm on it."

--

After making the call, Kyo turned back to Kouji, and his sister. "Well, seems the Harvesters got the drop on us and we're going to have to fight them today. Now, I won't have to convince or…"

"You don't need to bother with that idea." Kouji replied, cutting off Kyo. "After what those monsters did to our home planet, you couldn't hold either of us back with a fleet of capital ships. We all have the power and skill in our hands and our Gundams to destroy them, and we're not going to allow them to butcher this station the way they butchered Yureni Prime. Just remember one thing…you've got some explaining to do."

"Yeah, by the way, my Gundam's name is Infinite-Freedom. What are the names of your Gundams?"

Kouji looked at Kyo and answered. "The name of mine is Shinobi, ancient Japanese for 'male Ninja'

Maia then came out with her own. "Mine's Kunoichi, also ancient Japanese for 'female Ninja.'

--

"Mr. Alien, where are you?" Dita cried out as her Dread was being pursued by several of the new Cube Fighters, Meia had made the request to Bart if he could take out the enemy using the Nirvana's guns, but the navigator refused, saying that the Dreads and Vanguards were too close to Delta 6. Even if he did manage to miss the Dreads and Vanguards, it was a big possibility that the station would be caught in the firing paths.

Just then Dita gave out a cry of joy as she sighted a familiar mecha launch from the station, however, no one was prepared to witness two more flashes of light following Kyo and his Infinite-Freedom Gundam. For the first time, everyone was about to see a new pair of Gundams, and on the side of humanity.

--

Infinite Freedom opened it's wings unleashed it's crystal feathers as it went deep into the fight. Kouji's Gundam was powerful enough, decked in grey, red, silver and black armor, and looked like a powerful but slender Gundam unit with some similarities to Freedom in terms of appearance. It had two wing like projectors on it's back, two weapons that appeared to be beam boomerangs on it's shoulders, a high grade beam cannon, a special beam rifle, a set of Japanese style swords stowed in the back, a powerful looking anti-ship sword, and what appeared to be a set of shield projectors on the hands. The other Gundam appeared to be of the same armor specifications but was red, black and yellow, it had a more slender profile and seemed slightly beast like. It too was armed with beam sabers, head-mounted guns, a high power beam rifle, a collapsible shield on it's left arm, two beam cannons on it's shoulders. The two Gundams then flew in tandem with Freedom as they began to engage the Harvester units.

"WOW! More good aliens and their Gundams!" Dita squealed in joy.

--

Rabat groaned in pain as he regained his senses and found himself in one of the Station's holding cells. He winced as a throbbing sensation of pain flowed into the front of his face. Kyo certainly didn't hold back any punches. (Unknown to Rabat, Kyo DID pull back his punch, since if in full force, that blow should have split Rabat's skull open like a can filled with firecrackers). The walls shuddered and echoing noises were heard in every direction.

(The station must be under attack. They must not know that I'm still onboard.)

Rabat had originally come to the station in search of the 'secret weapons' that had been preventing the Harvesters the opportunity to approaching Delta 6. He figured that once he got a hold of these so-called weapons, he could either use those for his own purposes, or sell them to the highest bidder. At the very least, he could gather some needed information for his best clients, the Harvesters.

The trader looked at the bars of his prison cell and noted that they were of the same type used onboard the Nirvana. As luck would have it, the guards didn't make a thorough search of their prisoner for any hidden weapons or tools. Taking off the heel of his right boot, he used the remote unit to deactivate the cell bars. He then used another device to call in his primate companion Utan, who happened to be lurking about the station.

--

"Fall back!" BC ordered while firing several more shell rounds from the automatic shotgun she got from Barnette, who in the mean time was busy using an M-16 to back the others up.

Early on she and the other girls found that beam weapons were useless on the latest Harvester creations, which were floating green blobs, which the Cube Fighters had delivered into the station. They had a prismatic effect that caused light to be refracted, therefore rendering beam weapons useless, however, physical attacks were far more effective against the things, and Barnette's collection of old handguns, rifles, SMGs, and machine guns were the perfect tools against them. But they had two major problems, the first that they could only keep things up as long as they had the ammunition to shoot with, and two, the plasma drones had the advantage in numbers.

Gascogne and Parfet were in charge of getting the civilians out of the danger zones and into a better location while BC, Jura, and Barnette laid down the support fire. Liz, who was armed with a flame-thrower, soon came into the fight. Meanwhile Dita, Sara, and Mai were out with the Crusader Squadron in beating back the Harvesters. Just recently, Mai had signed in as a member of the Crusader Squadron and was a certified Vanguard pilot.

--

After obtaining a gun from one of the guards, Rabat and Utan soon found themselves on a balcony overlooking the action as the Megele pirates were battling it out with the plasma drones. The trader and informant had to give the women credit. Here they were, risking their very lives to help the people they were also going to rob blind. As he watched a small part of his character, namely his conscience got into action, soon he found himself in the one dilemma he's been avoiding for a long time, and that was the moral dilemma.

On one hand, he could simply get to his ship and escape as he did with the Nirvana before. He was pretty certain that the Cube Fighters wouldn't hinder his escape progress, as Rabat usually did with every planet he sold out to the Harvesters. He had left the pirates to their fate back at that battle on the gas planet and hadn't thought about any of them, until today. After all, he was an informant of Earth, and it certainly won't be of any good to his health and well being if he helped those who opposed the Harvesters. That was how he survived for so long, and it was very lucrative…until he met Kyo.

Thinking about the Gundam pilot made Rabat furious, and he had been longing for some measure of revenge against the punk for every injury, insult, and humiliation he had caused him. The problems were that Kyo was NO pushover, either with or without his Gundam. Attacking him head-on was like committing suicide. The con man then had to think of other ways to gain his revenge on the Mobile Suit pilot. He had been bidding his time, gathering whatever evidence on Kyo and any weakness of his Gundam as he could, so the he could report it to the Harvesters and let them gain his revenge for him.

Then again, what would happen once the Harvesters DID defeat Kyo and his Freedom Gundam? That would leave the rest of the human worlds open to their invasion fleets, and the Harvesters would have no trouble taking all the human organs they wanted, and then…what was next? Would that mean that his services as an informant were no longer needed? And what would be next for him then? The con man had no other choice but to think that the possibility that the Harvesters would then turn on him once they took everything they needed from the other worlds. The way that they were desperate for human organs made that fact very obvious and Rabat would become nothing more than spare parts to them once they were done.

It was then that Rabat decided that things would be in his favor if he aided the pirates this time. Since the Cube Fighters had released mindless plasma drones, it wasn't going to take a genius to know that those things couldn't ell the difference between ally and enemy. Therefore, for his own survival, and to perhaps, score points with Liz, he'd fight alongside the Megele pirates.

As he leapt down and joined the fray, that small part of his being, namely his conscience began to grow.

--

Liz was quite surprised when she caught sight of Rabat out of his cell, even more so when he went to battle the Harvester units inside the Mission. She became confused by this turn of events and wondered if Kyo's information about Rabat's connection with the Harvesters was wrong. From her long-time relationship with the scoundrel, she had gotten to the point of actually liking the trader. He was a free spirit like herself, never obeying other rules except his own.

Then Kyo's words came back to her and she also recalled the look of pure hatred, disgust, and rage in the face of Kyo when he had Rabat in his mercy. She knew that the young Mobile Suit pilot was blessed with a very even disposition and it took a LOT to make him that angry, and he said they had irrefutable proof of Rabat's dealings with the Harvesters to his claims. If that was true, then that meant the Rabat was totally responsible for every massacre on the planets they conquered, including the massacre on her own home-planet. As the time wasn't appropriate for her to sort out her feelings for him, and her sense of justice, she decided to reserve her judgment for later, once the threat to Delta 6 passed away.

--

Out in space…

Kyo had to admit one thing. Kouji and his sister knew how to kick someone's ass REAL hard! For over a few minutes, they were raking in the Harvester forces by the seconds. The Harvesters now didn't contend with just one Paeksis powered Gundam, but two new and totally unknown Gundams

With the appearance of three Gundam types, not on their side, the Cube Fighters went en masse to try and box them out, therefore taking away the incoming pressure on the Dreads and Vanguards and the Mission. However, that meant that the space pilots had more Harvester units to send to the scrap pile, as they tore through them like hungry wolves on a dead reindeer.

Unlike the weapons wielded by Freedom, Kouji's Shinobi Gundam was really hamming it up. Kouji used his anti-ship sword and began hacking out any Harvester fighter crazy enough to get closer. Once he scrapped more of them, he unleashed his beam boomerangs and the beam edged weapons were hacking anything in their flight path. Once they returned, Kouji took out his stored beam cannon and rained shot after shot, along with his beam rifle, atomizing any foe that came in range. Once the Harvester forces were torn up, Kouji then showed another surprise for Kyo. An amber seed appeared in front of him and exploded in the same kaleidoscope of lights.

Kouji also had SEED mode!

He then took out his other swords and began hacking away at any target in range. Kyo was speechless, but he then became concerned when the blades of the swords broke, but he was shocked to see the broken blades being jettisoned from the handles…and being replaced with beam blades! The new beam swords were supported by the head mounted guns, and it appeared that Kouji's Gundam was armed with Phase Shift Armor, and what appeared to be an all purpose energy shield emitter on the fore arms, and the hands of the Gundam was also armed with smaller but no less lethal beam cannons.

Maia's Kunoichi Gundam was also bashing in any foe trying to bushwhack her brother. The Kunoichi tore through it's foes with it's beam sabers, beam cannons, and with one saber stored away, it's beam rifle. Any blast from the Harvesters was blocked by it's own Phase Shift Armor and a collapsible shield on the left arm. Maia also had another surprise as a blue seed appeared in front of her eyes and exploded in a mass of color.

Maia also had SEED mode!

Kyo watched as the Kunoichi then began to change form, and it became a four-legged beast machine. Apparently, Maia Asuka's Gundam was a transformable type and had a secondary mode similar to that of Jura's GunDread. Once it's second form appeared, it's normal mode weapons were altered and some were disabled, but the Kunoichi was far from helpless. It's beam rifle merged with the shoulder and became a high energy beam cannon, four guns were now present on the head, and it's sides now showed a pair of high powered beam blades. The transformed Kunoichi began raining beam bolts, and gun-fire on any foe at any range, and any Harvester force that came too close was diced by the beam blades.

Kyo may have been impressed, but he was about to learn why Delta 6 was still in one piece for all this time.

The wing-like projectors on the Shinobi Gundam had unleashed glowing wings of light that augmented the speed of the Shinobi, but they began to retract into the body, and then a strange shimmering effect surrounded the Shinobi Gundam, and in a second…The Shinobi…vanished.

"What the…?"

He turned and spotted the Kunoichi also have the same shimmering effect for a few seconds, then it too vanished.

"Where'd they go to?!"

The Gundam pilot got his answer as several waves of Cube Fighters were decimated just before they could get close enough, cut into chunks, as if some invisible blades were right in front of them, others were blasted to bits by what appeared to be weapons fire, but with no visible source. The Freedom Gundam and it's pilot were busy tracking the battle and wondered what was going on.

(What's going on?! The two Gundams vanished, but the Harvesters are getting trashed!)

Kyo then got an idea as he looked on. I get it! The Shinobi and the Kunoichi are named as such since they must have some sort of advanced cloaking system that renders them invisible to both human eyes and electrical sensors. That must explain how Delta 6 has been intact all this time against the Harvesters. Both the Asuka siblings must use the stealth systems of their Gundams to hide themselves from the Harvester sensors and ambush the lot of them.

After taking out more enemy units, Both the Kunoichi and the Shinobi reappeared beside Freedom.

"How was that?" Kouji asked as he got into contact with Freedom and Kyo.

"Not bad! No wonder the Harvesters haven't seen the Delta 6 and attacked it for a long time."

Maia was about to join the conversation, but her Gundam's OS began issuing warning signals to her console. She looked and realized that her power supply was hitting the red-lines. She understood that their Gundams had reached the prescribed time limit for their combat endurance and had to recharge.

"Brother! We have to get back to the Station!"

"What?! Why?!"

"The Kunoichi's already reaching critical power loss levels, I can't keep fighting forever!"

"Damn! I forgot!" Kouji looked at his own power indicators and found out that the Shinobi was also reaching redline power levels. They had also forgotten to bring along their spare power packs, but since those would interfere with the cloaking systems of their Gundams they had to leave them behind.

"What's going on? Why are you…?"

"I'm sorry Kyo, but it seems that you'll have to be on your own for a while." With that, both Kouji and Maia made their way back to the Mission in their Gundams. They had no choice but to leave Kyo and his Gundam to the Harvester assault.

They however weren't alone as a certain Dread pilot came on the scene.

"Mr. Alien! Let's combine!

When GunDread Dita came on the scene, it wasn't a contest anymore as it went through the Harvester ranks, being, to aid those inside the station. As for the Dreads and their Vanguard allies, Meia and the others dealt with whatever was left as they lead them away from the station, and right into Bart's gun sights, as the self guiding plasma bolt cannons of the Nirvana took them out. In a matter of seconds the whole battle was over.

--

After dealing with the remaining plasma drones and getting the inhabitants of Delta 6 to better locations, Kyo, Parfet, BC, and Magno handed all the data they had on Rabat's crimes to Liz and the rest of the Delta 6 personnel and the Gundam pilot offered his own data concerning the worlds hit by the Harvesters, including that of Kouji and Maia Asuka. The former Yamato then went in search of Kouji and his sister, they found them leaning back on the walls while their Gundams were powered down.

"Kouji! The battle's over, we've won."

The former Yunrenian soldier gave a small nod as he and his sister walked up to Kyo. "We're glad to hear that. Sorry about throwing in the towel early."

Kyo nodded. "It's cool, though I'd like to know why you and your sis turned tail and ran, no offense meant though."

Kouji was a bit angry at that comment, but decided to at least explain, noting that his sister gave her approval, besides, he felt that he could really trust this Kyo, though for some reason, his name seemed…somewhat…familiar. "It happened a year ago, before we came to Delta 6, when we were back on our world…"

--

"Now hold on a minute. What's this all about?"

Rabat was quite surprised to see his old flame now pointing a gun at his chest with the activated laser designator straight to his heart. All around him were other people, brandishing a wide assortment of projectile and melee class weapons as they all glared at him with hateful and enraged eyes. The trader had decided to grab a drink at the bar after the battle, and perhaps get reacquainted with Liz. But the moment he walked in, he was immediately surrounded and with the leader of the station the first to draw her weapon at him.

It seemed that Rabat's many crimes had finally come back to demand a long overdue payment.

--

Meanwhile…

As Kyo listened to Kouji and Maia's story as to how they had gained their own Gundams, he was very intrigued. Apparently, and old section of the Cosmic Alliance of the old Earth had indeed created the first generation Gundams, and the old government of Z.A.F.T had used the designs to make their own Gundams, and the second generation. Apparently, there were people who had taken the older blue-prints of the Gundam series and those developed by Z.A.F.T to create their own Gundam units. Shinobi and it's sister, the Kunoichi were the descendants of the Second Generation Z.A.F.T Mobile Suits, respectively the Destiny, and the Gaia Gundams.

"So you're ancestors, piloted these Gundams, since they were part of the Guardians?"

"Yeah, They were great pilots and good friends to many. Our male ancestor's name was Shin…Shin Asuka, and his partner and wife's name was Stellar, Stellar Loussier Asuka." Kouji began.

The two siblings began speaking of their family history, but unknown to them, Kyo was only listening partially. Kyo was waging another matter in his head.

Kyo once more felt a shiver of recognition, this time not at the Asuka name, but the names of Shin and Stellar. It was as if he had…met these two before. But that was impossible! They were alive no more than three hundred years ago, and he had just awakened from his sleep no more than a year after that…yet, he felt that he…DID know of them.

"We have this little family tradition, you know. We talk about the friends that our ancestors had for the last few generations. This had something to do with a very dear friend of our ancestor Shin and Stellar. The strange thing is…"

Maia began to say.

"Is what?" Kyo asked once he shook himself clear.

"That person's first name is Kyo…same as yours. But you couldn't be that same person, you know, he was supposedly killed no more than three hundred fifty years ago. He was the one that allowed the rest of the colonists and their descendants the chance to live in the worlds they do now. Though I think…he would be horrified as to what's going on if he was still alive."

Kouji said with a far-away look.

"I wager that he would. What was his full name, if you don't mind me asking?"

"His parents were very famous, and when he was older he met our ancestors. His parents' names were Kira and Lacus Yamato. His full name is Kyo Clyne Yamato."

Kyo became deathly silent at this. He was wagering now an even greater conflict in his mind. Though it was impossible to believe, he couldn't help but feel that he DIOD know this man named Kyo Clyne Yamato. But it went deeper than he and this man having the same name.

He felt…that he and that person…were…one…and the same.

Once his thoughts subsided, Kyo began talking to Kouji and Maia about other matters, namely about their plans and if he could help them with their Gundams along with anything else of importance.

--

"Get out!"

"Hold on a second here Liz. Let's sit down and talk about…"

"There's absolutely nothing for us to talk about…you filthy traitor!" Liz hissed with venom as she deactivated the safety of her gun. Several others with firearms were also cocking up their weapons, and were a heartbeat away from pulling the triggers.

"What's this all about?" Rabat demanded. Sure he made a good number of people on Delta 6 rather angry the last time he was here, but that wasn't enough to warrant this kind of reception, or so he thought.

Liz glared hatefully as she began to explain. "I had a little chat with the crew of the whole Nirvana and they showed me QUITE a few things about you. You're the reason why ALL of us are here on this station! We lost our homes, our friends, OUR FAMILIES, BECAUSE OF YOU!! YOU SOLD US OUT!!"

"Now hold on a minute, I…"

"SHUT UP!!" Liz snapped as she fired a shot that hit the floor, millimeters away from Rabat's right foot. "I SAW KYO'S EVIDENCE! ALL OF US DID! Every planet you've visited, the Harvesters came afterwards and decimated it! You're nothing but a gutless parasite! A slime bag, A FILTHY TRAITOR!! Give us one good reason WHY we shouldn't send you to Hell right now!"

"Hey, I helped you! With great risk to myself if I should add!"

"And that's the only line that keeps you on the side of being able to breathe a little bit longer!" Liz shot back. "I don't know why you decided to betray your Harvester clients, and frankly, I don't give a damn! Probably just to save your own skin. But one good turn will NEVER excuse you for all the grief and pain and the HELL you've put all of us through! Now you've got exactly two minutes to get you parasitic hide out of Delta 6!"

"Now can't we talk…?"

"No talking, no deals, nothing! Two minutes." Liz answered with a deadly tone. "If you're not out of this station in two minutes, we'll toss your bloody carcass out the nearest airlock! And if you EVER come back here…then we'll kill you on sight!"

Rabat wanted to protest a bit more, but when everyone aimed his or her weapons on him, he knew that negotiation was completely useless. With a deep scowl, he turned and ran out of the bar, and towards the space dock. Along the way, he contacted Utan to follow him. Within two minutes, his ship was out of the docking bay, and went into the star-studded void of space.

--

A week and a half later…

The Nirvana pulled away from Delta 6, after gaining fresh supplies and making the much needed repairs and upgrades to the station's systems, including the communication systems and defense networks to better prepare itself for future Harvester attacks. As the ship went on it's way to Talark and Megele, Kyo was on the observation decks and looked back at Delta 6. Meia and BC soon came to his side and joined him.

"So, do you think they'll be okay?" The Dread squadron leader asked.

"Yeah, they'll do all right." Kyo answered. "After all, they've got two pilots with their own Gundams to aid them." Kyo had spent time in helping Kouji and Maia come up with new tactics and strategies for their defense of their place in Delta 6, plus he helped create an automatic power recharge system for both the Shinobi and the Kunoichi, this new power system allowed the Delta 6 to send a powerful charge pulse to refuel the battery reactors of the Gundams, to allow for much longer fighting periods. It wasn't perfect, but it gave a better edge for Kouji and Maia to defend their new home from the Harvesters. And in return, Kouji and Maia helped getting more information about the group of people on the old Earth known as Coordinators and any other notes that Kyo felt could help him unravel his greatest mystery…himself.

"Are you sure they want to stay on that Mission?" BC asked. "They could come with us. We could use all the support we can get in this war, especially with their Gundams."

"No." Kyo answered. "Kouji and Maia told me that they've found a place where they belong now, just like I call this ship my own home, they call Delta 6 their new home, and they won't leave it behind after losing their own world to the Harvesters. They have a purpose in defending all those refugees and they told us that they'll be all right on their own. They told me however, that if we need their help, then we could just page them. The new Tachyon transmitter/receiver Parfet installed will allow them to receive and transmit signals across the entire galaxy."

"I suppose they'll be okay." Meia answered, but then frowned as she recalled something. "I'm only sorry that louse Rabat got away so easily after this."

"Actually, he didn't get away so easily this time." Kyo said with a grim chuckle.

"What do you mean?" Buzam asked curiously.

Kyo turned around. "I told Rabat that when I got the chance, I'll send him to Satan's cookout, and I meant it too. However, after I heard that he fought alongside us against the Harvesters, I decided that there just MIGHT be SOMETHING worth salvaging in that reject. So I decided that LIVING in Hell will be the next best thing to sending him there personally."

"What do you mean by that?"

Kyo nodded and explained. "Rabat's going to take ALL the medicine he forced down other people's throats. He's going to know that it feels like to be hunted and denied the right to even exist in this world. With that new tachyon transmitter, Delta 6 is going to send all the data concerning Rabat's crimes to every human world in the universe. He won't be able to trade or land on any habitable planet. And if he can't land on a planet, he can't get any information to sell back to his Harvester masters. And to make things even more interesting, he won't be able to resupply his ship in EVERY sense of the word. Let's see just how long it will take before the Harvesters decide that Rabat is now nothing more than a pack of spare body parts."

The two women became a little bit disturbed at just how harsh Kyo had become; though they had to admit that Rabat had this coming to him.

The Gundam pilot's expression softened as he continued to look out to space. "It isn't about revenge, if that's what you're thinking. No, this is about justice and retribution."

"What?"

"Revenge usually leaves you with a feeling of great emptiness. All the people that Rabat sold out to the Harvesters deserve justice for their suffering and pain. I have every intention to see that they can rest easier knowing that the monster responsible for their deaths gets his due." Kyo replied as he looked at the blanket of stars.

Meia and BC wanted to say some more, but decided that there was nothing more needed, they looked back as Delta 6 became a dot in space.

--

Author's notes…(Final)

I feel better now! Everything's been resolved and I'm back in the saddle. So now I'm updating today and the following days afterwards. So…this is what I've got in the hotpot.

This chapter's going to be rather long since we're going to go back to the event that changed the happening of Gundam SEED Destiny, since in the Prologue, Shin and Kira are not enemies, and Stellar is not killed in this story, nor is she part of the Extended commando force that steals the Z.A.F.T Mobile Suits in Destiny. Instead she and Shin are partners, becoming fast friends, as Shin is with Kira and Athrun. He's not as impulsive or angst-ridden in this story, unlike in SEED Destiny, and Stellar's not a kid in the mind, but is more mature and apparently, is more than ready to tease Shin. Though I have to admit that I've seen pictures of Lunamarie Hawke, and Shin does cultivate a relationship with her. I'm more partial to the Shin + Stellar paring than most.

I think that Bandai kind of wasted Stellar on her getting killed by Kira in Gundam SEED Destiny, giving Shin a greater reason to kill Kira. So I changed the outcome, and although it's not totally good, it's a lot better in my mind than just watching Stellar die needlessly.

Plus, I know I said in the previous chapter that there would only be one character in the GunDread SEED story who had a tie to Kyo's past life, but I decided to make things…more interesting with a duo instead, not to mention a duo of Gundams.

As you may have read, Kouji's Gundam is the same as Shin's Destiny Gundam, and Maia's Gundam is the same as Stellar's first Gundam, the Gaia. But they have the Mirage Colloid feature of the Blitz, but in a more compact and useful form, though they use battery reactors and that does limit their combat time, another Gundam SEED element there.

Plus, Rabat, didn't get free this time, now his leaving the Mission of Delta 6 will no longer be smooth sailing, now that Kyo's revealed what else he and Liz had planned for the scum-eating trader, just what will the broadcasts do to Rabat? Wait and see!

On the next chapter, I decided to shed more light on two of the major characters, namely our man-hating Dread pilot Barnette, and our cool doctor Duero, plus another Gundam SEED and SEED Destiny Element will come into play in this special chapter. I don't know how many parts I have in mind. But this will be worth the time and effort.


	6. Chapter 6

GunDread SEED- The Second Stage

Disclaimer: I do not own either VanDread or Gundam SEED

Chapter 5- Part 1

Fallen Paradise

( ): Thoughts

/ \\: Computer language

--

The Cafeteria…

It's been a busy day, over five days had passed since the Nirvana had docked and traded supplies and information with Delta 6, in exchange they helped the residents in their defense of their home.

And it seemed that Kyo was in a more festive mood than most people…

"All right, who ordered the steamed potatoes with vegetables and smoked beef?"

"Me!"

Kyo was doing another one of his duties, and that was being a cook and waiter for the women on his off time from piloting Infinite-Freedom, and leading the Vanguards in defense of the Nirvana. And the women he was serving, was none other than members of his squadron, they loved his cooking, just as they loved the food being cooked by their fellow pirates in the kitchens, including Barnette. But the image of Kyo cooking for them made them feel a little pride. Of course the image of Kyo in nothing but a white sleeveless shirt, black pants, and a pink-apron made them want to laugh, along with some other strange emotions as Kyo's slender but muscular build was shown by his clothes.

"Mr. Alien!"

Kyo sighed a bit after giving the order he made as he looked at the entrance and spotted the perky Dread pilot who waved at him. She then rushed up to the counter, and hugged him.

"Whoa! Hey…Dita, I'm still cooking here!"

"Oops! Sorry!"

Dita said as she released Kyo, but part of her wanted to hold onto Kyo, as she felt the hard muscles on Kyo's shoulders and back. "Do you…?"

"My Prince Charming!"

Misty said as she too rushed into the cafeteria and without any finesse reached out and kissed Kyo on the cheek, making Kyo blush…and a certain redhead rather…angry.

"HEY! LEAVE MR. ALIEN ALONE!!"

"OH YEAH?! MAKE ME!!"

Misty and Dita glared at each other, and the situation in front of Kyo became rather tense. So like any normal man, Kyo got out of the kitchen and got between Dita and Misty.

"Look, you two stop that right now. For my sake, okay?" Kyo slightly pleaded as he made both girls look at him and gave them a stern glare.

Dita felt a bit bad at making Kyo rather angry, and apologized. "I'm sorry."

Misty sighed and nodded. "I'm sorry too."

Kyo smiled and then went back into the kitchen. "All right, now what do you want Dita?"

"I'll have anything you make Mr. Alien!" Dita said with a warm smile and with a sugary tone of appreciation.

Not to be outdone, despite her promise not to fight for now with Dita, Misty gave a smile and spoke with a tone coated to the core with sugar. "Everything you make is delicious Kyo."

Kyo felt a little bit embarrassed at the looks of love struck adoration from the two girls and decided to get to work. In a span of ten to fifteen minutes, he made a meal of scrambled eggs, ham, corn-bits, and soup for Misty, while he made a meal of bacon, brownies, toast, and waffles for Dita.

As he watched the two move away with their meals, he could still tell that the two were still going at it as he could see them still have dagger looks at each other. He sighed as he went back to the foods.

"Hello Kyo."

Kyo sighed as he looked back and spotted none other than Jura who was smiling hungrily, and he knew that it was NOT just the food she was smiling about.

"What is it Jura?"

Jura grinned mischievously as she leaned forward, showing her ample bust at Kyo once more, and like any normal man his age, Kyo blushed a deep red as he went to take Jura's order of food for today.

"You know me Kyo, I'll have my usual break-fast."

"All right…give me a minute." Kyo said with a sigh as he went to work.

Once he was done, he checked the rest of the room, and he spotted Meia, who had taken break-fast earlier with the rest of his team in the Mobile Suit department. He already noted the looks of anger and jealousy being shown to Jura by two certain girls, and along with anybody else in eye distance and he could have sworn that Meia was glaring a bit at Jura. But in general, everyone was happy and enjoying the meals.

Kyo sighed as he watched everyone in the cafeteria, it was hard for him to believe, but over two months ago, half of the women there wanted him gone or imprisoned during that ridiculous mutiny Barnette had started, and the other half wanted him to stay and be with them. The changes were already there, Bart and Duero were no longer being treated with suspicion, and the women had grown more and more tolerant of men, namely with them, being the only men on the ship. When the idea of men and women working together would have been a heresy on either Megele or Talark, the idea flourished in the Nirvana, and the alliance that had been shaky and easy to break became solid and strong, this idea will be all that they have in order to beat the Harvesters and their automated fleets.

Though Kyo knew one thing…not EVERYBODY liked the idea.

--

"Will you just hurry up?"

Barnette griped as she sat on the examination table in her underwear. Beside her, young Duero McFile, the head physician (The ONLY qualified physician onboard the Nirvana) on the Nirvana, was calmly giving the Dread pilot her regular checkup.

Jura's best friend was in a more irritated mood than usual especially when she was around men. Though she had more or less, buried the hatchet between her and Kyo and had grown to tolerate the presence of the opposite gender, she still held true to her beliefs that men were still the enemy, and that the situation in the Nirvana was only temporary, but was a necessary measure. There was also the fact that Jura was still chasing Kyo in her growing attempts to have a baby with a man's seed, namely that of the Gundam pilot. As a result, Barnette had been feeling a bit neglected to say the least.

However, with the way things were on the Nirvana, she couldn't do anything else but accept the presence of the men. Bart was a needed part of the ship's navigation and to fire the Nirvana's weapon systems. Kyo was essential as the leader of the Crusader Squadron, as a pilot for his Gundam, and as part of the GunDreads. As for Duero…well, it was better than returning to Paiway's not so tender-loving-care, though her skills have improved under Duero's tutelage.

"I'm almost done." The good medic said as he took out his stethoscope, placed the listening ends to his ears, and placed the front probe on Barnette's chest, just above her left breast. The cold metal made the green-haired girl shiver a bit, but what unnerved her more was the fact that his hand was close…very close to her breast. She swallowed slightly as he instructed her to take in several deep breaths while he moved the probe about.

"W-What are you doing?"

Duero looked at Barnette, a little bit confused by her question and replied. "I'm just examining your heart and breathing rates, that's all."

The Dread pilot gestured with her head at a machine that was nearby. "Why don't you use one of those things…what did you call them, the Pulse Meter? You used it the last time I was here."

Duero nodded but offered a slight smile as he replied. "True, I could have used that, but I saw no reason to waste power on some basic field exams that I can do with my own hands. Technology is a wonderful thing and is greatly needed in the medical field, but I've learned that relying too much on it can sometimes be a hindrance in one's work. A good doctor should always be able to perform his duties regardless of what tools he has or doesn't have. That was the prime lesson at the Academy, and at Med School. At times, I prefer a more hands-on approach to doing things."

"Ridiculous!" Barnette scoffed. "Why bother having technology if you don't use it?"

"I never said anything about me being adverse to technology." He corrected as he logged the data concerning Barnette's pulse and breathing rate, then logged all of it into the console. "I use technology when the need calls for it, but I also like to keep my options open. I, along with every soldier and citizen on Talark, were taught that we need to rely on our own personal skills first and foremost. Technology can break down and become unreliable, so we always have something to fall back on. At times, those skills can be the difference between living and dying."

The Megele woman snorted a bit at the Doctor's naiveté. "Hmpf! No wonder Talark is so far behind Megele."

"Excuse me?"

The Dread pilot shrugged her shoulders. "No offense, but if that's the way things are done on Talark, then it's a miracle that you men have even made it into space. Look at us. We women of Megele have the best that technology has to offer. And we're always improving on it. We have the better hospitals, the better food centers, the better living quarters, the better spacecraft, and let's face it, the better weapons. In just about all things, our way of life is a lot better than that dreary existence on Talark. I don't know how all of you EVEN lived eating those awful tasting pills!"

"Well, that's your own opinion, I suppose." Replied Duero as he finished his log work for today. As a medic he had been trained to be unbiased when dealing with patients. He wasn't an expert in politics nor did he ever have the interest in entering that maelstrom of confusing ideals, and his training and actual experience, made him realize that having an open mind was the best way to survive and handle certain things. Though a part of him, being a man of Talark made him bristle slightly at Barnette's words. He found it somewhat odd that Barnette would heap praise on the wonders of technology, considering her hobby, more like obsession with collecting antique firearms and her interest in close quarters combat, which was totally similar to the Talark Military's way of thinking. However, he kept his peace.

"It's not just my opinion. It's just a fact. And that's why women are always going to be better!" Barnette replied smugly as she began to put her clothes back on. "Are you done now?"

The Talark male replied with a nod as he finished entering the final data on Barnette's examination. As the short tempered girl left the Medical Bay, he couldn't help but admire the smooth, graceful lines of her figure, and how that contrasted to her personality. Women to him, as his time here on the Nirvana were like bundles of extremes, one moment they can be kind and very gentle. And the next moment they could become fierce and uncontrollable beings, sometimes for reasons that bordered to downright confusing in the mind of the Talark medic's mind, (namely the mutiny over Dita's tears). They weren't like the horrible innard-sucking monsters that the propaganda ministry had shown him and his fellow Talark comrades in films, but women were just plain difficult to place in cohesive terms. They were mysteries that Duero just loved to try and solve.

Unlike the crude, yet simplistic and straightforward, all male planet that he descended from, women had many nuances and quirks in their society that mystified and fascinated the accomplished healer. When he first encountered the so-called 'enemy' he took an immediate interest in studying up close the females he met. The irony of the situation for Duero, it was Barnette that interested him the most, along with Parfet.

--

Flashback…

"There…that should do it." Duero said as he finished bandaging Barnette's arm, then gazed at her form for a very long time.

"What? What are you looking at me for? Do you find something interesting about me?" Barnette asked in annoyance.

"Yes…I do find something interesting." Duero answered as he mentally catalogued all that he noted on Barnette, namely anatomical structure differences and similarities of her appearance and that of the other women he had been treating.

(Interesting. Except for some…variances in the chest and abdominal regions, they're generally human…like men. )

"Well don't expect any thanks from me!" The Dread pilot snapped back.

"I don't…I suppose I'll leave now."

--

End of Flashback…

Since that time and the creation of the Nirvana, Duero found himself in a rather unique situation. As the only skilled medical and surgical expert onboard the vessel, he had been given the opportunity of gaining valuable information about women and their society. At present, he had nearly examined all of Magno's crew, and had seen his own fair share of…(cough), feminine attributes (). The process in which they reproduced, the birth of Ezra's little daughter Lacus and what he had learned from Kyo, along with Misty about the ancient practices of procreation between genders, only fueled his desire to learn as much as he could about the opposite sex.

Of course, he had made friends with some females onboard the Nirvana who were very much as open-minded as he was. Duero had made a strong friendly relationship with the plucky head engineer Parfet, whose way of considering machines as living things always intrigued him. Magno, Gascogne, and Buzam were always willing to listen to the both of them with their opinions and suggestions, but he felt like the First Mate was hiding something. BC always refused to be examined and always seemed to be avoiding the other women when not at duty.

However there were also women who still resented the presence of him and his fellow male comrades onboard the pirate vessel, Barnette, naturally at the helm. Her latest remarks clearly stated her irritation over the entire affair of men and women working together. Duero sighed a bit as he decided that now wasn't the time to dwell too much on these things, checking his chronometer, he discovered that it was time to end his shift. Signaling for Paiway to take over the Medical Bay for the next three hours, he logged off on his console and decided to meet up with Parfet at the Engineering Bay and after they worked on their patient, the Paeksis, he would meet up with Kyo, who would also end his shift in the cafeteria.

--

Engineering Bay… an hour and a half later.

"That's it…a little more…There! How's that Duero?" Parfet asked over her console as she and the other medical officer of the Nirvana was busy working with their personal patient, the Paeksis.

Duero nodded as he checked his console. "That should do it Parfet."

Parfet nodded as walked over to her medical counterpart onboard the Nirvana, and got down to looking at the Talark doctor.

She took note of his appearance, while he was in his normal Talark uniform, minus the trench coat. He was tall all right, but that didn't bother the short girl all that much. She had to admit that Duero McFile was totally different. Being open-minded all her life she had to admit that he didn't in the very least look like a cowardly person, he had great courage under fire, as their first encounter with a Harvester battleship proved. Not to mention that there was…

Parfet turned around quickly as she faced a nearby console and pretended to work, while hiding her face, which had a pink tinge for some unknown reason. She had been feeling this way, since, the very day they met and held hands in the Engineering Room all those months ago.

Duero looked at Parfet, who had unzipped her jumpsuit, and was wearing a black tank-top. He had to admit that hanging around the spunky Megele engineer had been…rather interesting to say the least. He then noted that she seemed tense, and sure enough, he heard her groan.

"Owww, I wish that I could take a little break, my body's aching!"

"Where exactly?"

Parfet turned and found her facing Duero who can a concerned gleam in his eyes, at least the one not covered by hair, he happened to be rather close to her. She then placed her arms on her shoulders. "I've gotten some muscles cramps here, and they ache a lot right now."

"Hmm, you've been working non-stop for three hours, no wonder you're body's sore. Maybe I can fix that."

"How?"

"I'm knowledgeable in physical therapy, maybe I can use that to relieve the muscular tension."

Parfet suddenly got the idea. "Y-You mean…a massage?"

Duero nodded. "If that's what you women call it…yes, a massage."

"Uh…sure."

Parfet sat on a box, while Duero got behind her and then got his hands on her shoulders, and began to tenderly massage Parfet's muscles.

Parfet moaned a little, mentally, as the knots in her muscles began to loosen, under Duero's firm but gentle ministrations. She sighed a little as Duero continued to work on her muscles.

"Mmm, that feels…nice."

"Good, I take it you're feeling better?" Duero asked.

"Yeah, can you do it a little bit harder?"

"Sure."

As Duero mounted the pressure gently, Parfet sighed as she began to feel very relaxed, she rarely got to be massaged, since she always worked in the Engineering Bay, not to mention that she only relied on sleep for comfort. It felt real nice to have someone massage her, even more so if it was Duero doing the work…

Parfet then felt a warm tingle sashay it's way down her spine, as sudden images of Duero, massaging every part of her body…

She gasped a little, as she felt a wave of embarrassment and surprise flow through her, she however, couldn't deny that part of her wondered what would happen if Duero DID get his hands on her whole body.

Sadly that little daydream was removed as Duero moved away, making Parfet wonder why did he stop, she saw Duero checking his chrono-meter and took his trench coat from the table.

"I'm sorry Parfet, but I have to go somewhere." Duero said in apology.

"It's all right. I'll see you later Duero."

--

Duero sighed a little as he made his way to where Kyo waiting for him. He, still wanted to learn more about the nuances and quirks of the female gender, and it was a little surprising that Parfet was the one that interested him apart from Barnette, though part of him wondered why it felt a little wrong for him to be thinking of the two women

Ever since becoming a prisoner of the pirates, before becoming a crewmember, he was intrigued with the bespectacled, spirited, and feisty woman that he worked with in those first months of the journey. She always showed an open mind when they would meet, and that worked well with his own open-minded policy when approaching problems. Considering that, she was his only female friend onboard the Nirvana, though Gascogne and Magno were also as open minded as he was, though he still couldn't help but feel that the First Mate Buzam was hiding something.

Either way, it was always a learning experience for him. And he loved to learn all that he could.

--

Kyo nodded as he spotted the latest arrival to the cafeteria's kitchen. "Hey Duero, you're right on time." he chirped.

Duero nodded back to him. "I wouldn't miss these lessons for anything."

The Gundam pilot nodded as he took out several holographic projector units, which he always carried with them in his backpack. The holographs stored in the units, contained, very accurate, detailed diagrams of the human body, and indicated various areas of anatomy.

"I've thinking along the lines of the extremities and some anesthetic and stun techniques. There no doubt will be times in which you may not have sedatives and painkillers with you, and some of the techniques can be used for defensive maneuvers. You should recall that you have to use the shiatsu training for medical and defense purposes Duero. I'm NOT going to like it if you try killing people with it."

"I understand."

" Okay, I'll guide you through the various shiatsu points and show you how much pressure is needed to use each one and what are the effects, and afterwards…We'll get down to the basics and advanced methods, of deep frying, boiling, spices, and food sampling."

Kyo replied as he pointed to the clean pans, pots and ingredients with a grin.

Duero chuckled a bit. In addition to pressure point manipulation training, plus several lessons concerning armed and unarmed combat, the Mobile Suit pilot gave the Talark man several special crash-courses in cooking.

--

At the Nirvana's Command Bridge…

"Are you certain that it's an old Colony frequency?" BC asked as Amarone reported that she picked up a distress call.

The young dark-skinned woman nodded. "I'm positive. It matches up to the one we're using. It's coming from a planet that's about half a parsec from our present course. I'm getting a lot of interference, but it seems that they're under attack from…the Harvesters.

Magno thought her options over. Although she and her crew were pirates, they couldn't turn their backs on a plea for help, especially when the enemy of all humanity was involved. Even after taking their needed supplies and made an alliance with the people of Delta 6, it certainly would be beneficial to make more alliances with other human worlds, in preparation for inevitable invasion of the Harvesters and the soon to come war.

After deliberating for a few more minutes, she nodded to Buzam who immediately called in Kyo and Duero, as she made her decision.

"Plot a course for that planet."

--

In a secret command center…a massive computer terminal was online.

/ Decoy signal has been answered. Activating combat protocol 0-17-09-X.\\

The computer began accessing it's database archives. The images depicted a massive number unknown combat units and a selection of combat bases, that seemed to be all over the planet's surface. Once the data had been collected and all the standing forces and combat assets were called into combat standby, the computer began sending out a signal to a certain planet, and to a nearby command fleet, hidden over several days to a week of travel from the planet that emitted the signal.

The decoy signal HAD been answered…by the Nirvana!

--

Later…

Kyo, along with Duero nodded to Magno as soon as they entered the bridge. Magno had asked for their presence in the bridge as the Nirvana had achieved orbit around a planet. The Talark male was immediately reminded of his desert home world as he saw it on the view-screen.

"Are you sure that this is the right planet?" Magno asked as she, Amarone, and the rest of the bridge crew gazed at the desolate and VERY unfriendly-looking sphere on the main monitor. The world had a nitrogen/oxygen-based atmosphere that could support human and other Terran life forms, but most of the surface was completely desert, as it made a circular orbit around five suns; a pair of red giants, two white dwarves, and a modest yellow star. There some large oceans on the planet, but the world, for the most part, life on that world would have to suffer extremely hot days, and extremely cold nights. There were various amounts of space debris that floated nearby, limiting the Nirvana's movements. The massive numbers of meteors and meteorites, and other space debris, contained considerable numbers of radioactive metals and isotopes. And to make things real complicated, the four suns were always unleashing massive EM interference due to the solar storm activity that released massive solar flares. This condition made the ship's sensors, and communication networks far less then reliable, which was a bad thing.

"Yes, Captain." Amarone answered. "The EM interference is making it very difficult to get the distress signal's exact location, but it's definitely coming from that planet."

Magno was more than suspicious, as was the First Officer. It wasn't the first time the pirates had stumbled headfirst into an ambush. And the situation was more than familiar to them as they had done the same thing several months ago.

"Is there any sign of the Harvesters?" BC asked.

Ezra shook her head in answer. "Even though the interference has reduced the range of our sensors, I'm not picking up any signals from nearby enemy ships. However, I am detecting faint ion trails that do match up with Cube Fighters and Seed Ships, they're very recent."

"It's a big possibility that the Harvesters have already finished their dirty work and left." Kyo speculated.

"Or maybe, they could be just waiting around to DO their dirty work, on US."

Magno countered as her suspicions rose steadily.

"I don't like this one bit. Sensors and communications are hampered because of all the outside interference and we don't even have any confirmation that anyone's alive down there."

At that moment, Amarone received a weak communiqué on her console. "Captain! We're being hailed! It's definitely coming from the planet's surface, near the Northern Hemisphere. I'll try to clear the interference."

All those present listened in as a voice filtered in.

"Help! Please! (crackle) Life-support sys…(pop)…breaking down. Can't hold on…for long! (zzzzzt)…Twelve survivors…(snap)…escaped somehow…Harvest…(bzzzt)…for the name of human….life….Help us!"

Amarone shook her head sadly as the transmission went dead. "I couldn't hold on to the message, Captain. However, I've managed to detect some faint life signs. They're human."

"There's been no sign of the Harvesters from the recon team's original scan either when they were deployed, Captain, none of them encountered any Cube Fighters either. But they have found debris that are Cube Fighters and also those of the planet's apparent defense fleets around the planet's orbit…So it's possible that the transmission we've received is authentic."

Belvedere said as she checked the database and ran all the information into her console.

"So the Harvesters have been here recently." Buzam stated as she turned to the Captain. "If that transmission is from survivors from the Harvest, then we can't leave them there to die, besides that, they survived the Harvest, then perhaps they can provide us with more information about our enemies."

The ancient woman nodded as she decided that the risks were worth it. She turned to Kyo. "Looks like you're going on a ground operation. Be careful Kyo."

The former Yamato nodded as he turned to assemble the ground team for the mission, and the landing teams. It seems that the Vanguards would be needed once more.

Especially since the environment was totally not suited for Dreads, since the electromagnetic interference would be dangerous to the sensors and navigation systems of the Megele interceptors.

"I'll be coming along in this mission, Captain." Duero announced. That caught Kyo's attention, as the Gundam pilot was about to leave the bridge.

"Oh?" Magno responded in surprise.

"And why would you want to take on a potentially dangerous mission?"

"I am a doctor, Captain. If there are any survivors on that planet, they will need immediate medical attention. Being from Talark, I am quite familiar with the climate and environment of that desert world. Furthermore I am very proficient with piloting a Vanguard."

"You?" Both the Captain, and the First Officer said in surprise.

Duero shrugged, and replied. "As a First Class Citizen of Talark and a member of the military, I have been given training in mecha-controls. I am familiar with most of the inner workings of the standard Van-type combat frame and…" He briefly glanced at Kyo. "I'm certain that Kyo can vouch that I'm qualified."

Both women turned to Kyo with questioning glances. The Mobile Suit pilot gave a lopsided smile and nodded. During the off-hours, Kyo along with the physician had been spending hours in the Vanguard combat simulator units and the one Kyo had customized for his own use, and was impressed with the Talark medic's performance records and results. He was surprised when Duero came to him during a training simulation with the Crusader Squadron, and asked to participate, and did very well. The pilot of the Infinite-Freedom had been impressed with Duero's skills with the Vanguards. "Yes. Duero's certified, and he's also proven himself as an excellent hand to hand combatant. I intended to make him a reserve pilot for the Crusader Squadron." Kyo answered. The Coordinator of old Earth walked back to Duero and shook his hand. "Good to have you onboard, Doc."

"I'm not all that sure that it's such a good idea." BC stated with concern. "You do realize that Duero is our ONLY qualified physician. We can't afford to lose him and…"

Duero held up a hand, cutting off the silver-haired woman. "I assure you that I WILL be back to resume our medical duties here on the Nirvana. At this moment, those survivors will need my help, and Paiway will be able to handle things until I return, she HAS gotten better you know."

"I'll make certain he will make it back here to the Nirvana safe and sound." Kyo reassured the crew.

Magno considered the man from Talark for a long time before finally giving her consent.

--

Later, at the Vanguard Hanger…

"WHAT?! HE'S GOING TO BE PART OF THE LANDING PARTY?! HE CAN PILOT VANGUARDS?!"

Barnette was more than angered when she had been selected to be part of the landing team, due to her previous experience in the first Vanguard mission (). Along with Jura, Dita, she was to be part of the landing team for the planet's surface. Barnette groaned as she just realized, she was going to be stuck with not one, but TWO men! And not just any men. The first had the physical and mental skill to rival a large number of her planet's best soldiers and pilots and the second came from the planet of Megele's most hated enemy.

At first Sara, Mai, and the rest of the Crusader Squadron protested the idea of them not being part of the landing party when Kyo informed them. Since the Dreads were rendered useless, due to the high EM interference and the fact that their maneuverability capacity was limited in the swarms of meteoroids and space debris, Kyo decided to deploy the Vanguards in setting up defensive lines and patrol the area while he, Infinite-Freedom went on the surface with the rest of the landing team. There was also the fact that Jura, Dita, and Barnette were the only female Vanguard pilots with the needed combat experience in controlling the mecha on a planetary surface. And there was the fact that Duero knew how to handle and pilot a Vanguard on land as he had taken the training.

Though the facts irritated the female Vanguard operators, they still did their duties and prepared to guard the Nirvana until their leaders returned safe and sound. Recently, Parfet had equipped the humanoid mecha with new power packs to increase their range. Therefore allowing the machines to maintain operations for extended periods of time as they defended the pirate ship from any surprise attacks from the Harvesters.

"Mr. Doctor is coming with us?"

Dita asked as she began putting on the new bodysuit that the Register created for all Vanguard pilots. The suits were made of an extremely durable special material that was impact-absorbent which molded to their figures. They were colored gray and were extremely lightweight.

"That's what Kyo said."

Jura replied as she zipped up the front of her suit, and admired herself in front of the nearby full-length mirror. "Hmm, gray's not one of my favorite colors, but I just LOVE the boots." The suit easily molded to her lush curves like second skin.

"Will someone tell me, why we HAVE to wear these suits?"

Barnette gripped as she got on her own uniform.

"They're designed for your own safety."

The three girls turned and spotted Duero and Kyo walking towards them. Kyo was in his uniform and held his helmet in his hand, while Duero was in one of the bodysuits, but had his uniform over the suit, and his trench coat. In the hands of the Talark medic was a large black satchel bag, which contained his medical and survival gear.

"What do you mean for our safety?"

Barnette demanded.

Duero tapped the suit he wore.

"These new bodysuits are made with special material designed to lessen the force of impact on your bodies. I asked Gascogne and Parfet to make these suits when several members of the Crusader Squadron were injured in battles with the Harvesters, due to being jostled around in the their mecha cockpits after receiving hits. Restraints in the Vanguards are not enough. The suits happen to be great protection against extreme cold, punctures, and excessive moisture. Aside from the space suits the Dread pilots wear, your regular wardrobes aren't…exactly appropriate for certain battle situations and don't provide enough protection. Furthermore, the space suits you use are too bulky and clumsy for manipulating Vanguard controls, which require fine hand manipulation and control. I spoke to Kyo and he agreed to have the suits made."

"Hmpf!"

Barnette fumed as she zipped the front of the suit she was now assigned to wear, she then glared at Kyo.

"So, how come you aren't wearing a suit?"

"Infinite-Freedom has a lot more padding than standard Vanguards or any Mobile Suit type, and besides my uniform is actually made from the same material as the suits you ladies have. The uniform I have is a specially made combat/utility/survival uniform body-suit that I had adapted from my older uniform. It's durable, stain resistant, impact-absorbent, repels all dirt and odor causing molecules, and lasts for quite a while longer than normal cloth, plus the padding and body armor comes in very handy. Parfet used my uniform as a template to create those suits that you're all wearing. The sooner we get moving the better. So no time like the present, let's go."

Dita nodded as she ran to her own patented Vanguard, which she had decorated deep blue with little green alien designs on it, after blowing a kiss to Kyo. Jura blew Kyo another kiss as she headed off to her own, that she colored pink and red.

Barnette growled a bit, as she made her way to her own mecha, but not before turning and glaring at Duero. "It's bad enough that I have to take orders from a man again, so don't get in my way! I'm not going to baby-sit anyone, especially a man. If you get into trouble, then don't expect me to go out and save your butt!" She then stomped off and got ready to board her mecha.

Duero planned on replying to her remark when he felt a restraining hand on his shoulder. He turned to spot Kyo, who had a reassuring smile while shaking his head.

"Don't let her temper get under your skin, Duero. It's just her way of covering her own insecurities. She may act tough and a become a pain in the neck, but deep down, she's a good person, she's just not all that inclined to show that side of herself."

Duero nodded with a chuckle as he nodded in agreement. "I know, that's what I think also."

"You do?"

"Yes. I've often suspected that her abrasive exterior actually hides something a more…well, now isn't the exact time to talk about such things."

"Right, let's go."

--

"I hope that everything's going to be okay." Parfet said nervously as she paced the room of the engineering bay in a slight fit of worry about Duero.

Chief, Parfet's second in command of the Engineering Bay watched her superior pace nervously, she had been like this when the announcement of the team roster was given, namely when Duero's name was involved. Though she wouldn't say a word to embarrass her leader, Chief and the others in the Engineering Bay had been betting on when Parfet would try and ask the man out on a date. They had come to respect Duero as despite being the medical profession, he had the same talent with machines.

"I'm sure they'll be fine. They might not be there long, an hour or two at the most, so they will be home before you know it."

Though it was meant to reassure Parfet, the speech did little to stop the bespectacled engineer from pacing.

--

"I hope I'm not making a big mistake, BC." Magno said as she watched the drop-ship approach the desert planet. She recalled the fear the crew had when the mission they had several months ago had happened.

"So do I, but we have to trust them all, to make it through. They made it out before." BC answered as she too recalled the trap they had fallen into.

--

"Why can't I come along?" Misty said with a slight pout, as she and Meia watched the Vanguard drop-ship, and the Infinite-Freedom depart from the Nirvana. Both girls were watching everything from the observation deck.

"You're not qualified to pilot a Vanguard."

Meia answered Misty's question..

(And neither am I.)

She added with a sullen tone as she knew that she wasn't part of this mission due to her claustrophobia, and she couldn't be out in her Dread due to the high EM interference and dense clouds of debris. For the first time since joining Magno's crew, she had been placed in the role of spectator.

"That redhead and that blonde bimbo had better not try and steal MY Prince Charming!" Misty fumed with Q-Chan speaking in the same tones and mood.

Meia's eyes took on a slightly hard look as she hoped for once that her claustrophobia didn't exist in her so she could at least be in a landing mission, though a small voice in her head stated that she only wanted to make sure that neither Jura and Dita, or even Misty would try and get TOO close to Kyo.

Meia shook her head at those thoughts as she watched the monitor.

--

As the Vanguards and Infinite-Freedom broke through the atmosphere and began to make their way to the source of the distress signal, the computer AI watched in patient analytical anticipation through the monitors. It wasn't going to take any longer.

Once the drop-ship and the Gundam were now deploying, the computer began making other plans…namely concerning the Nirvana and the rest of the pirate crew.

--

Barnette gritted her teeth as she fought the high winds of the atmosphere while controlling her fall towards the planet's surface. With the same umbrella-like devices as before, the mecha all made their way down. Jura's friend spotted Duero's Vanguard making a perfect descent with professional-like precision, which made the Megele female, feel extremely irritated. Determined not to be outdone by Duero, Barnette attempted to make her landing a perfect one. However, in her haste and anger, she misjudged the distance between her Vanguard and the ground. One foot of her machine struck an outcropping of stone and this caused her mecha to go tumbling face first into the sand.

Barnette was bounced around the cockpit of her Vanguard a bit before coming to a full stop. As she righted her Vanguard to a standing position, she noticed that her body wasn't feeling the least bit sore and realized with an irritated sigh, that the new suit she was wearing had cushioned the impact. Damn! The man just HAD to be right.

At that moment, Duero's white and red mecha landed easily beside her own. On the chest was the name and the emblem of the Talark Medical Unit. It walked up to Barnette. Duero then got into contact with Barnette.

"Are you all right Barnette? Do you need any medical aid? You took one serious fall back there. Did the suit do it's job?"

Annoyed that he made a perfect landing, and even showing concern for her own well-being, Barnette simply turned her machine's back on Duero's mecha and began to stomp off to where the other Vanguards and the lone Paeksis-enhanced Gundam were approaching.

In his own mecha, Duero sighed at the stubborn woman, he knew that this was going to be a LONG mission.

--

The Nirvana's bridge…

"Are we still in contact with the landing party?" Buzam asked. "How's communications?"

Amarone and the rest of the bridge crew were still at it. "Communications are still pretty garbled up, but we are able to track the team's locations at any time through the special locator beacons in the Vanguards."

"Good." The First Officer nodded as she got into contact with the patrol teams. "Sara, have any of your teams sighted the enemy?"

Out in space, flying in her Vanguard, the pilot shook her head.

"None of my teams have seen the enemy and all the EM interference out here's making our own sensors unreliable. All this debris makes movement here a real challenge. It's a good thing that the Van-Types are smaller than the Dreads. No way Meia and her squadrons are flying through this morass. We'll notify you if we all see anything."

--

A while later on the planet's surface…

"This must be the place."

Kyo answered as he and the rest of the Nirvana landing party arrived before a large derelict man-made structure, which was built into the side of one massive mesa. They were able to track the signal to this specific location. There was just one unfortunate detail. The Vanguards were too large to fit into the main entrance…his Gundam included.

"Well, I guess that mean's we're on foot from here."

Kyo said simply as he had the sensors on Infinite-Freedom do some preliminary scans of the environment around them all. The readouts said that the air's very much breathable and though the temperature was a full 110 degrees Fahrenheit, it was tolerable enough for the team to walk in.

"Why can't we just smash our way in?"

Barnette gripped impatiently as she wanted this rescue mission to be finished.

Before Kyo could answer that somewhat rhetorical question. Duero beat him to it.

"Structural integrity analysis of the interior shows instability, so such an action will make the whole structure collapse, killing the survivors inside. My sensors are picking up faint human life signatures. This is a RESCUE mission, after all. Kyo's right. We'll have to disembark and go in ourselves. I'm also picking up some echoing signatures, meaning that there are large caverns as well. If there are any survivors, then that probably means that they were hiding to escape the Harvesters."

Infinite-Freedom turned to face Dita, Jura's machines. "You two will be on guard duty, while, me, Duero, and Barnette go in and search the caverns."

"HEY! SINCE WHEN DID WE HAVE TO TAKE ORDERS FROM YOU?" Barnette fumed in outrage.

(Here we go again.)

"Since the Captain made m the leader of the Vanguards and all missions of this type. And I never wanted this job in the first place. Now we can stand here and argue until the power packs for the Vanguards run dry, or we can go down there and get those people out of here and be back at the Nirvana as quickly as we can, or would you prefer to have the deaths of those people on your neck?"

Kyo said with a strained tone, since he didn't want to have an argument so early in this mission, namely with Barnette.

Barnette barely managed to rein in her temper as she wordlessly opened her Vanguard's hatch and made her mecha kneel down so she could disembark. She took along with her an old FAMAS submachine gun with several slides of ammunition from her collection of antique firearms. She carried with her a small survival kit with rations and other pieces of equipment.

Duero followed suit and emerged from his own Vanguard with two medical kits in hand, one his own Talark on and a Megele designed one, filled with the best that Megele technology had to offer. As he prepared to join the others, he took note that the instruments needed to have a check. So the Talark youth did a quick routine check of all the vital equipment, and became concerned when he saw that the calibrations were off slightly.

(Hmm…they were all working fine when we still in the Nirvana. It must be from all the EM interference from all the solar activity. This might become a problem. )

When he heard his name being called, he mentally put his thoughts and concerns on the matter on the back burner for a while and walked towards Kyo, and Barnette. On his shoulder, he had a Talark assault rifle with a retractable bayonet. The same weapon was all standard issue to all Talark soldiers and was standard equipment in the Vanguards.

Barnette eyed the weapons with slight interest, as she knew that all Talark firearms were still based on the principle of projectile weaponry. After all, the wound that Duero had patched up during the attack on the Ikazuchi had been from a rifle round penetrating her space suit. She then directed her attention to the Talark Doctor with a slightly sarcastic tone.

"Do you know how to use that?"

Duero shrugged.

"I've been considered a fair shot at the Academy, though I haven't used one since I came onboard the Nirvana. I might be rusty a bit, but I can manage."

Barnette snorted with disdain as she and Duero went to Kyo who was waiting for them join him, he too had his sword, hand-gun with several clips, and an assault rifle.

"But why can't we go with you, Mr. Alien?" Dita pouted.

"Yeah, why do we have to be the ones on boring guard duty?" Jura asked with disappointment.

"We can't risk all of us getting into trouble, if this IS a trap."

The Gundam pilot explained. "You will be our backups if things go bad. If you don't hear from any of us in thirty minutes, then come in and get us… and if things get too extreme then return to the Nirvana, and no arguments."

With that, the former Earthling, the Talark medic, and Barnette went through the small opening and began to explore the structure.

Unknown to them, they crossed over a near invisible beam of light, and that triggered a nearby camera to begin a diagnostic…on them! And on Dita and Jura as well! Once the diagnostic on them was done the data was fed towards the main computer console…hidden somewhere on the planet.

--

The computer then began accessing the latest data concerning the visitors it managed to attract…namely their biological data along with their anatomical graphs.

/Subject 01\\

/Male\\

/Constitution: 99.5\\

/Biological Functions: Optimal Performance\\

/Respiration Rate: Normal\\

/Hand/Eye Coordination: Normal\\

/Circulation Rate: Normal\\

/Genome Stability Ratio: 100\\

/Cerebral Function Rate: Normal\\

/Organ Viability: 100\\

/Biological Anomalies: None\\

/Conclusion: Subject is viable for Harvest\\

….

/Subject 02\\

/Female\\

/Constitution: 99.5\\

/Biological Functions: Optimal Performance\\

/Respiration Rate: Normal\\

/Hand/Eye Coordination: Normal\\

/Circulation Rate: Normal\\

/Genome Stability Ratio: 100\\

Cerebral Function Rate: Normal

/Organ Viability: 100\\

/Biological Anomalies: None\\

/Conclusion: Subject is viable for Harvest\\

……

/Subject 03\\

/Male\\

/Constitution: 100\\

/Biological Functions: Beyond Optimal Performance\\

/Respiration Rate: Above Normal\\

/Hand/Eye Coordination: Above Normal\\

/Circulation Rate: Above Normal\\

/Genome Stability Ratio: 200\\

/Cerebral Function Rate: Above Normal\\

/Organ Viability: 200\\

/Biological Anomalies: None\\

/Conclusion: Subject is extremely desirable for Harvest\\

……

/Subject 04\\

/Female\\

/Constitution: 99.5\\

/Biological Functions: Optimal Performance\\

/Respiration Rate: Normal\\

/Hand/Eye Coordination: Normal\\

/Circulation Rate: Normal\\

/Genome Stability Ratio: 100\\

/Cerebral Function Rate: Normal\\

/Organ Viability: 100\\

/Biological Anomalies: None\\

/Conclusion: Subject is viable for Harvest\\

……

/Subject 05\\

/Female\\

/Constitution: 99.5\\

/Biological Functions: Optimal Performance\\

/Respiration Rate: Normal\\

/Hand/Eye Coordination: Normal\\

/Circulation Rate: Normal\\

/Genome Stability Ratio: 100\\

/Cerebral Function Rate: Normal\\

/Organ Viability: 100\\

/Biological Anomalies: None\\

/Conclusion: Subject is viable for Harvest\\

--

The computer then activated a command that allowed several sensors hidden in the asteroid belt to begin it's data scans on the pirate vessel and it's crew. It then began analyzing ALL the remaining crew and even those that were in space patrol on the Vanguards. Once it was done…it decided what to do with the pirates.

/ All subjects are desirable and viable for Harvest. Initiating communication protocol 06-90-14-2-H.\\

The computer then activated a pair of powerful transmitters to be opened from a hidden communications node in an asteroid in the debris belt, the first transmitter was aimed towards the former Terran Home-world.

Earth…

And the second aimed to another area…to it's allied support fleet, which began making it's way to the planet's system.

--

Fifteen minutes later…

"These caverns go on forever!" Barnette complained as she, and the two men continued deeper into the mesa's interior. "Are you sure you know where you're going?"

Duero, and Kyo became more annoyed as they found themselves wandering about in the maze of stalagmites, stalactites, and many more rock formations. The further they went into the caverns the more uneasy they became. The medic was using hand-held scanners to track where they were and where the survivors were. However, the further they went from the other members of their landing party, the weaker their homing beacons became. To add to the problem, there were amounts of ores and crystals that emitted strange and disruptive energy waves that continued to interfere with the equipment.

(This is not good. We've been searching for quite a while now, and there's something blocking our ability to sense anything around us, and there's no sign of the survivors. )

Kyo thought as he continued to look further. However… there was a strange feeling in him, he had felt it the very moment he entered this mesa/facility, there was something tugging at the boundaries of his perception. It felt like…there were people here, people that should have been here, but were not. There were…voices, voices, but with no speakers, like they were there…but not there as well. Kyo tried to concentrate on the task of finding survivors, but this feeling was really getting stronger, and to make it really problematic… the feeling of something really wrong was still…

"We've got something!" Duero said as he pointed to a nearby cavern. "Life signs are the strongest in there! We're already picking up vital signs."

"How many?" Kyo asked.

"Just four." Duero said with worry.

"Four? But the message said that there were twelve survivors." Barnette interjected.

"It could be possible that that other nine are possibly dead." Duero, then added. "Or they could be somewhere else, this is one big place, you know."

"Well, at least we can help those four. Come on!" Kyo said as he went ahead and waved for the others to follow him into the cavern.

The three of them ran towards the source of that signal and soon found themselves in a huge space and were facing a vertical wall with a massive computer terminal…But there were no survivors…only deep brown stains in various areas.

Kyo knew what they were…blood.

(Oh no…)

"What's going on?! Where are the people?!" Barnette asked as she looked about in confusion.

Duero was also confused as he ran the scanner all over the room, the medic began even more confused as the scanner kept on saying that there were people in the area.

"This doesn't make any sense. The scanner says that there are people here. But there's no one. Kyo…?"

Kyo was facing one of the blood-stains and he placed his fingers on the brown stain and a feeling of disorientation hit him, and in just the same speed, the feeling faded. Suddenly, he found himself in a strange haze of misty light, and the haze faded and he was back in the room, but the blood stains were not dried…but fresh and wet... He looked for Barnette and Duero but they weren't there…Instead he found himself surrounded by other people, fighting and treating the wounded, people who appeared to be in insane desperation. He looked and spotted the computer terminal being cursed at by one of the people in what appeared to be a combat uniform, who was bleeding and shouting in pain and rage. He looked at the screen of the terminal and saw a phrase that chilled him.

/All current subjects are to be taken for Harvest.\\

He then heard a phrase that chilled him even more.

"TRAP!!"

Barnette and Duero were getting nervous as they saw Kyo seemingly looking at the dried blood as if he was a statue. He suddenly got up, and quickly accessed the computer terminal and in a matter of minutes, using his Coordinator skills and that of his computer engineering skills, Kyo bypassed all the computer's security protocols and read the data.

They were shocked as he suddenly took out his sword and tore up the terminal's console in a fit of rage, and began shooting the computer once he sheathed the sword.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! HAVE YOU GONE NUTS?!" Barnette said as she covered her ears.

Kyo turned and quickly changed the magazine of his rifle, Barnette was about the get more irritated when she saw the look of shocked betrayal.

"We are getting out of here! RIGHT NOW!"

"But what about the people Kyo, we can't just leave…" Duero began to protest, but Kyo shock his head sadly.

"Sorry to say this Duero, but there were never any people here to begin with!"

"What are you saying?" Barnette asked as she looked at the Gundam pilot in utter confusion.

"What do you mean?" Duero asked edgily as he slowly began to grasp what Kyo was saying.

"The reason the scanner's been telling us that there were people, but there's nobody here, is that someone…or something made it BELIEVE that there were people here. There was nobody here at all. This was all an elaborate setup!"

"But we received a transmission from…" Duero began.

Kyo shook his head. "What we received was merely a recording the last words of a group of people, just before they were killed and their bodies broken apart by the Harvesters. And it was VERY effective…"

"WHAT?!"

"The computer database said that this planet's been visited by several vessels, before we came here…months ago. And the program that sent us that recorded transmission…was made by the Harvesters."

"No…" Barnette said in shock as she began to grasp what was going on.

"So this was a trap after all." Duero said as he got the idea.

"Yeah, the Harvesters gutted this world already, and took over the planet's communication networks to lure unsuspecting ships to this planet. They modified the communication signals and protocols, and made the computer in the planet's main command center act as a fisherman would. They send out the signal and wait for anyone to take the bait…and we took it, hook…line…and SINKER!"

"But we can just lift off…" Barnette began…

"We're too late…the computer's activated the rest of it's combat protocols. We're not the only targets this time! They've got the Nirvana in mind, and there's a Harvester Battle Fleet heading this way! They'll be here in a week and a half and the Earth's been told that we've been captured!"

"Oh no!"

Kyo and the others realized the ramifications as the Nirvana would have no way to get the information in time, they faced the door and began to run back. But that was when panels began opening all over the other areas of the room and out came several humanoid machines, that appeared to be armed with an array of weapons…all of which were surgical!

And the door had closed behind the number of automated surgical mecha.

The trap has just been sprung!

--

The computer logged in that the trap had just been activated, however, it didn't realize that the third subject was able to discern what the trap was. But either way, the they were not going to escape long. It then went to work on it's plan for the Nirvana.

/Accessing…\\

….

….

….

….

….

/Data accessed. Activating communications dampening field. Initiate combat protocol 09-76-12-49-X. Activate Iron Wall planetary shield…\\

/Unleash Chimera defensive drone battalions…Cloud formation Alpha.\\

--

The Nirvana…

"Captain! Commander! I'm reading a pair massive high frequency energy pulses being emitted from the planet." Belvedere called out.

"Can you pinpoint the sources and where they're being directed?" Buzam asked.

Before the blonde girl could answer, several dozen meteoroids and other masses of debris suddenly began to converge around the planet. The pirates were caught by surprise as the masses made a net like pattern around the desert world like a swarm of piranha. Once they all reached their apparent target areas, each mass emitted lines of pure light energy…forming a massive energy cage which surrounded the planet.

"What the heck is that?" Magno demanded to know.

Ezra quickly began to scan the power fields with her sensors and had the answer ten seconds later. "There seems to be an elaborately constructed barrier around the planet. Those meteorites and other space debris were armed with specially made emitters, and powerful thrusters installed in them."

"How did we miss them?" BC asked.

"Because of all the outside interference from the solar flares and the huge amounts of background radiation, that's why our sensors didn't detect any of them." Celtic replied

"Oh no! Captain! I've lost all communications with the Landing Team!" Belvedere cried.

"WHAT?!" Magno and Buzam gasped in unison.

"Those emitters are also creating a massive dampening field all over the planet. All communications and homing signals have been completely severed!"

"Can we make an attempt to break the barrier?" Buzam asked.

Ezra gasped as she did some extra scanning and checked the energy readouts on the trap the secret Harvester controlled computer had created. "Oh my! The energy emitters are emitting enough energy to deflect all the firepower of the entire Megele Space Fleets. It's in par with the barrier of GunDread Jura! And those emitters have a self regenerating power supply, I don't think even our cannon banks at full power can break through it."

Magno thought about it for a second and decided to chance it, raising Bart at the Navigation Well. "Bart, activate the cannon banks to full power and try to punch a hole in that barrier. Try and lock in on one of the meteoroids! Maybe if we take out one, then the rest will power down."

"Roger Captain." Bart answered as he engaged his personal targeting computer and powered up his cannons, he locked in on one to the space rocks near the Northern Hemisphere of the desert world. Once he did that, he unleashed a barrage of plasma-based particle beams at the target, as the beams looped towards the target, everyone hoped it would work.

However the hopes that they all had were dashed, as just before the beams could collide with the target in question, the meteorite glowed for a brief second and absorbed all the beams like a sponge taking in water, without the shield's integrity being compromised. Then to everyone's shock and horror, the target decided to target them! The emitters glowed with power, and unleashed one powerful, concentrated shot of particle energy, ten times more powerful than the blasts unleashed by the Nirvana.

"YYYYYYAAAAAAHHHHHH!!"

Bart cried out as he managed to get the Nirvana to narrowly dodge the incoming fire. He took some breaths to try and calm his heart and get his thoughts back on track. Once he did so, he called in.

"Sorry, Captain, but from the looks of it, trying to hit those space rocks is like shooting lights at a mirror…except the mirror's reflection's even worse!"

Magno frowned as she realized that a direct attack on the energy net was out of the list of options. But if she was thinking that the shield was their only problem, she was going to be seriously disappointed.

"Captain! This is Sara! We've got company!"

Magno got in touch with the second in command of the Crusader Squadron. "What is it Sara?"

"I don't know, one minute we were not picking up anything, but now we're under attack by some unknown attack units!"

"Harvesters?"

"Negative! They're not Cube Fighters, but appear to be similar to our Dreads, but they are smaller and can run rings around the debris, and appear to be well protected from all the EM interference. They caught us by surprise, but we're lucky the power packs and the extra armor really came in for us! But they keep on coming!"

Magno gritted her teeth as she realized that they had just walked right into a trap. They had no choice but to fight, the only thing she could hope for was that the landing party was safe, and they could attempt a rescue.

--

Sara and Mai fought with all their skills, along with the other Vanguard pilots as their adversaries went at it.

The new fighters resembled Dreads, but appeared to be able to deploy what appeared to be remote-controlled gun pods in a group of four per fighter. This allowed them to attack in multiple angles at once. To add to that, they appeared to have been specially designed for this combat environment, moving quickly behind the debris and taking shots at the Nirvana's Vanguard units. (1)

Though that would have been devastating to the Vanguard pilots, they had the advantage as they could destroy the pods at the pods needed to be in a stable position when firing. Plus they had gained more than enough experience in dealing with attacks like this.

Like Magno and the others, Sara and Mai hoped that the landing party was safe for them to attempt a rescue.

--

Right now however, the landing party was anything but safe…

--

BAM! BAM! BAM!

The sounds of gunfire filled the entire chamber as piles of bodies began to fill the floor. These bodies however weren't human at all. They were robotic in nature.

Kyo, Duero and Barnette continued to fire on their enemy as the body count rose. The machines bled whitish fluid as the bullets from the weapons tore through them. But Kyo and the other two knew some things. One they could only hold off the enemy as long as they had bullets, and those were running dry. Two, they were in a chamber and they would soon run out of room to move. And the last was the fact that no matter how many they took out, more seemed to keep on coming.

"Damn it! We've got to get out of here!"

Kyo said as he changed his rifle's bullet clip. He then took out his pistol and emptied several slugs in the heads of three of the surgical mecha, knocking them out. He knew that if they didn't move soon, they'd be cut off. And they were not going to be alone in that. Before he totaled the computer, he knew that several attack teams were heading this way.

"But they just keep on coming!" Barnette said as she reloaded her submachine gun with a fresh clip.

"Don't look now, but they are trying to separate us from each other!"

Duero said as he spotted groups of the robots began to move at him and his comrades. He quickly reloaded his rifle with a fresh clip.

Duero's observation was right on the money. The robot's CPU units determined that the only way they could harvest their prey was if they were separated and herded to the back of the walls.

Duero was being isolated along with Kyo, but Kyo was far from helpless. Due to his gene back-ground, his training, and the enhancements to his body by the Paeksis, Kyo quickly evened up the odds, switching to his martial arts training and his sword. He began breaking down more mechanical units with his weapon and his fist, once ten were demolished, he took up his rifle and began blasting on the rest.

Duero was able to take out a great number of his own foes, but one had been armed with a beam edged bone saw and before it was destroyed, it swung down it's surgical tool, apparently, planning to literally dissect the young man from shoulder to groin.

The medic however, thought fast enough and held up his rifle while leaning backwards. The edge of the medical robot's weapon cut into the side of the rifle, but the rifle managed to remain intact. However, the force of the blow caused the Talark male to be sent sprawling to the side, Duero found himself sent a full ten feet away, landing on his back and making it another ten feet until stopping.

Barnette, still firing at her own batch of targets. However, she soon found herself nearing the walls, and in a moment later, Barnette found her weapon empty of rounds in the clip, and before she could reload another clip, one of the robots struck with a fusion scalpel, the weapon was cut into two, rendering the submachine gun useless.

Barnette moved back, while reaching for her trusty sidearm weapon, an ancient Calico pistol. However, the rest of the robots merely moved on, totally intent on their mission, daring her to fire, and fire she did. She started shooting and shooting. However, when the gun's slide came forward, she knew that she was out of bullets, but more of the mechanical zombie-like medical robots kept on coming as she found herself surrounded. It was then that Jura's longtime friend knew what fear was. She moved back a few more steps, but she stumbled as her left foot fell into a small crevice. The young woman fell down and landed hard on her posterior. Barnette winced in pain as sharp sensations shot up her leg from her ankle. But, she still tried to get some distance from the robots as they closed in.

--

Duero cleared the ringing sounds in his head and spotted that Barnette was in grave danger. Duero suffered a small gash on the right temple next to his right ear, but time was against him worrying about the wounds. He looked at his rifle and spotted that despite the outer casing was torn by the weapons of the medical robots, the inner mechanisms and barrel were very much intact, and that made the rifle still functional. He picked up his weapons and got to his feet.

The Talark standard assault rifle, the Broad-sword Mark II, was based on combinations from several combat rifle designs from older, yet time tested and proven models, some dating back to the 20th to 21st centuries, namely the CAR-15, HK G36, and the Enfield Assault rifle. It was built to be rugged and reliable, and could work in every environment available, but worked it's best in desert territory. It was relatively easy to maintain, and could be mass-produced with limited cost on labor and resources. At the front of the rifle was a retractable, tempered neo-carbonite-steel alloy blade, which was used, in close-quarters combat. The gun fired a wide array of ammunition types from it's clips, it could use a selection of ammunition specially tailored for a specific purpose. Some choices were tracers (TR), incendiary (IN) high explosive (HE), armor-piercing (AP), and lastly an AP/HE mix.

Duero knew that all of the settings were enough to handle the robots, but he had to act quickly, if he was to save Barnette as they were closing in and even if he destroyed them, one would still be able to kill her. Kyo was busy fighting with the last batch and if he turned his attention away, he would be killed. Looking up, he spotted a huge trio of stalactites, which were aimed right at the group closing in on the helpless Megele girl. Taking several correct calculations and deciding that the risk of a cave-in was worth it. he switched the selector to the AP/HE settings and began firing.

--

Barnette closed her eyes as the mecha surgeons closed in, to do their bloody work on her while she was still alive. It was then that a massive crash happened in front of her. She opened her eyes and found the surgical drones buried in tons of stone from the roof. Apparently Duero had shot the roof down on her attackers.

Barnette realized that Duero had saved her life and she watched as the medic reached her despite some blood flowing down his eyes and ear.

"Duero…I"

"No time to talk, where are you hit?"

"No wounds, but I think my ankle's sprained."

Duero nodded and quickly deadened the pain with a shiatsu point, and took the precaution of placing some counter-infection cream from his medical kit. He had reverted to using his Talark medical kit as he had no choice but to ditch the Megele kit for two reasons, one it was rendered worthless by the radiation, and two, one of the surgical drones had crushed it to pieces with it's feet when they appeared out of nowhere.

Kyo sighed and quickly got out from a hidden pack in his uniform a block of explosive. Barnette cringed at the look of the explosive material. It resembled C-4 made in the old world, but was colored green and blue, and was in two sections.

"What are you doing?!"

Kyo looked at the door.

"Simple, I'm blowing this place sky-high. I'm going to make sure that nobody else will be lured here by the Harvesters."

"How? You don't have a detonator." Duero asked as he pointed to the block of putty-like material.

"This stuff's a little something that I got when I was still out there wandering in the universe. The explosive works in two ways. The green is the chemical primer, and the blue is the main explosive. This stuff's more powerful than a roomful of nitro-glycerin, TNT Mrk.10, Neo Syntax, and a truck-full of Type-4 detonation-cord. If I mix them they go boom in a few minutes, depending on the size of the combined explosive."

Kyo then took out two pebble-sized balls of the explosive and then melded them together. Quickly he ran back as the door was blown outwards to the junk pile in a span of two minutes. Kyo then quickly turned to Duero and Barnette.

"You two get out of here and meet up with Dita and Jura. If I'm not out in ten minutes…You get out of here."

"You can't be serious!" Barnette said as she placed her arm around Duero's shoulders.

Then more panels came open as more drones came out, intent on butchering the three Nirvana crew members.

"I AM SERIOUS! MOVE!" Kyo said as he faced the robots and began streaming out more bullet fire and resorted to his sword.

--

Duero realized another fact as panels also began to open near the entrance, as more surgical drones began making their way towards them. He saw Kyo battle it out with the enemy as he switched from sword to rifle, he however needed to get Barnette out of the area.

"Are we just going to leave him?" Barnette asked as she leaned on Duero.

"I wish we didn't have to, but Kyo didn't give us all much choice." Duero answered. "I personally don't want to leave him behind, but none of us can be of any help at this point you are injured and my patient's well being is high priority for me as a doctor. The best we can do now is to make it out of here to our Vanguards. With Dita, Jura, and our Vanguards, we might be able to help Kyo battle those monsters and…"

"Look out!" Barnette shouted as she spotted three surgical drones appear and approaching them.

Duero quickly aimed his rifle and blasted the three medical drones right between the eyes with some HE rounds. He quickly realized that they had to move fast. He quickly got Barnette and carried her in his arms and quickly began to high-tail it out of there now.

"HEY?! What are you doing?!"

"Don't argue now, we have to move. I'll carry you until we can get out of here."

Barnette wanted to argue, but her practical side told her to quit arguing, though she wondered why it felt a bit nice to be close to a man's hard chest.

--

Outside of the mesa…

"What's going on?" Jura asked as she and Dita heard what sounded like gunfire.

"Over there!" Dita cried as she gestured with her Vanguard's hand towards the entrance. They were quite shocked to see Barnette being carried by Duero. But they and the two were going to be even more surprised at what was going to happen next.

Had the two girls been in Infinite-Freedom's cockpit, they would have noticed that despite the fact that the pilot wasn't in there, the Gundam's OS began activating itself automatically, and systems that normally needed Kyo to operate them began activating without any handler.

"What the?!" Barnette commented as the Freedom suddenly activated it's P.P.S Armor and with amazing finesse with a beam saber despite having no pilot, the Gundam began tearing through the mesa with surgical precision.

The girls and the Talark medic watched in shock and awe as the Gundam quickly tore through the mesa without making it collapse at all.

--

Kyo bashed the last drone with a power kick to the skull, ripping the head clean off, and finishing it with a strong sword swipe, severing the thing from crotch to gizzard. He then combined both explosives and threw it at the remains of the computer terminal.

But before he could high-tail it out of there, more drones came to face him. And his rifle was already down to it's last two clips and his last pistol mag only had six bullets left. And there were more of the drones than bullets.

"Okay, this is not good."

Kyo had used his SEED ability before during the battle and amazingly he noticed that his reaction time had really hit the roof. But he doubted that it would be enough for this mess.

He was shocked then to suddenly see a beam saber slam into the crowd of drones and turned them all into melted goop. He looked and spotted his Gundam nearby.

Not one to waste time nor look a gift just for the sake of the wrapper, Kyo quickly rushed to his Gundam and took a ride up the cockpit and got into the Gundam, finding the systems online, Kyo wasted little time as he had set the explosive to detonate in seven minutes.

--

On the ground…

"DITA! WAIT!" Jura cried out as Dita's Vanguard moved towards the mesa. In addiction to the new power packs, Parfet's engineering teams had also added to the humanoid mecha jet pods for flight on planetary surfaces, and better maneuvering powers in space. They didn't have the power to escape a planet's gravity center, and still needed to rely on their umbrella booster units to achieve escape velocity and enter orbit. Only the Infinite-Freedom was quite capable of that, thanks to it's Paeksis enhanced systems.

"I'm going to find Mr. Alien!" Dita replied as she rushed up to the mesa. But she didn't have to wait long as the Infinite-Freedom blasted out of the mesa.

"Mr. Alien! Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, but we've got to move, the explosive I left behind will destroy the mesa."

Dita and Jura, along with Duero and Barnette who had boarded their Vanguards jetted alongside Freedom and escaped. In the exact time, the mesa was blasted to complete smithereens.

--

A few seconds later…

Kyo and the others were recovering as Kyo spoke to Dita.

"Are you telling me that my Gundam just suddenly powered up and…moved?"

"Yes. We were shocked when it suddenly went online and move Mr. Alien. Did you use some kind of secret alien power?" Dita asked with excitement.

Kyo thought about that. Lately, though he never mentioned it to others, he had been feeling a strange, faint sensation whenever he boarded his Gundam. Almost as if he was not alone whenever his Gundam and him were fighting as one, ever since it had become Infinite-Freedom. In fact, on several occasions, he DID feel as if he had become one with his machine and with the presence apparently inhabiting his Gundam, there was nothing threatening with the presence, instead he felt that it was…VERY familiar.

"Mr. Alien?"

Kyo shock his head and responded to Dita. "It's nothing but you and the others have to know what I, Duero, and Barnette found out in that mesa."

Kyo then told them of the elaborate trap of the Harvesters, and the fact that they and everyone had walked blindly right into it. Naturally, both Jura and Dita were horrified.

"What?! The bad aliens had been here?!"

Kyo nodded. "Not only that, they apparently are attacking the Nirvana right now, they hijacked this planet's orbital defense fleet and are hitting back on the Nirvana."

"Then what are waiting here for?! We've got to get back up there!" Barnette said as she had been treated by Duero.

"That's not going to happen anytime soon. Apparently, they have taken over the planet's defensive shield as well, and it's online. If we try to jet out, the shield would fry us. To add to that, there's an attack group heading our way, along with others, all of which were the original war-machines of the former inhabitants and the other victims. The only choice we have is to fight and find a way to disable that shield. The terminal said that the main command center is somewhere on this planet."

It was then that Jura's Vanguard had picked up incoming signals, despite the EM interference and the communication dampening field's effects.

"Oh no, there seems to be some units heading our way!"

The landing party quickly got into combat mode. Kyo activated his Gundam's beam arsenals and began locking in, though it frustrated him that part of his sensory equipment was being gummed up by the electromagnetic interference, but he still had command of his combat systems and the HiMAT. He and the rest of the now trapped landing party got ready to fight.

Then the unknown units came over the last few dunes and came closer into view. Kyo however, having far better visual sensors, despite some of the strong interference, than the Vanguards could spot the two targets.

One had resembled a Vanguard, but apparently was designed differently. It had a shield melded to it's left arm, plus in it's right was a shell firing assault rifle. It looked sleeker, but as he focused his sensors to highest settings, he was able to see that it didn't seem delicate. It was decked in sand-like color schemed armor, apparently to blend better with the vast desert world, and what appeared to be some sort of smaller combat sword, and considering the condition of the armor and that of the sword, this unit had apparently seen a GREAT deal of action. But it wasn't this machine that gained Kyo's fascination…rather, it was the mecha that was next to it!

The design of the mecha next to the one Kyo had identified, DID NOT appear as that of the Vanguard, rather it was different and amazingly, looked VERY familiar, though he couldn't place it.

It had the same look as that of Kouji's Shinobi Gundam, but was designed to resemble another Gundam type that Kyo had never seen before in his journey, but felt as if he HAD seen it before. It was decked in the same color scheme of Infinite-Freedom, white, red, and blue. It had the same collapsible rail guns, and appeared to be armed with beam sabers. It had a combat shield but it wasn't designed to be retractable, and it seemed to be armed with a standard (at least to Kyo) beam rifle. It had wings on the back which were a pair.

It was then that Kyo realized which Gundam type this new Gundam model resembled.

His own Freedom Gundam!

"What the?!" Jura said out loud as she finally was able to recognize the mecha coming towards them. Was she seeing things, or was this some new trick of the Harvesters?

"It's…Kyo's Gundam?!" Barnette asked in shock as she also spotted the Gundam type.

"How is this possible, There should be only one Gundam under Kyo's command." Duero said as he too was in total confusion.

"It looks like Mr. Alien's Gundam. But why does it have only two wings?" Dita asked as she too caught sight of the Gundam and it's Vanguard like partner.

It was then the landing party got an incoming communiqué…from the Freedom Gundam look alike.

"Hello…Can you hear me?"

The image was garbled, but Kyo and the others were able to see the person calling them. It was a man who had the same tan as Duero. He also had well chiseled features, and had a smooth angular face. He had his black hair in what appeared to be a pony-tail and there was a pig-tail braid on the right side of his face, he seemed to be very much a living person, not like those zombie-like medical drones that the Harvesters had hotwired into mechanical butchers.

It was then that the others got a surprise as Duero suddenly spoke to their new visitor.

"Max….? MAX?! Is that you?!"

The man in the communiqué suddenly looked shocked as he too apparently recognized Duero.

"Duero…? DUERO?!...In the name of Grand-Pa! You're alive! Aleck! You're not going to believe this! It's Duero! He's alive!"

Another man appeared in another communiqué. He had grey-black hair in a simple disarray style and he appeared to be around his late twenties, or early thirties, with a face that showed a great deal of knowledge and was as chiseled as both Duero and his companion. He also gave a look of surprise, very pleasant surprise.

"By the Gods! It IS young Duero. I thought that you were dead!"

"Aleck? I can't believe it! You're here too?!" Duero asked in shock as he too apparently recognized the other man in the other mecha.

Kyo and the others were confused. Apparently the two new comers were men from Talark, just like Duero and Bart, but the real puzzle was, how did they get all the way here?

Kyo then spoke to Duero. "I know that this is a great surprise to you Duero, seeing other men here from you're world, but you might want to tell me who these guys are?"

The man named Max shook his head as he heard Kyo's words. "I guess that can wait my friend, whoever you may be. The enemy's already on their way here. We can do the introductions later."

Max had a point, in less than two minutes, the others detected incoming signals. The turned and faced their incoming enemies.

There seemed to be a mixture of attackers. Some were like Dreads, but were apparently designed for atmospheric flight, flying top cover for the rest of the ground forces.

The other elements of the attack groups were more like Mobile Suits. One such variant was massively built and had a set of dual heavy beam cannons on it's shoulders, cannons on it's wrists along with a artillery style cannon on the back, and lastly, missile packs on it's forearms. It appeared to be slow and very poor in maneuverability, but it apparently was designed for good defensive armor, firepower and durability.

The second model was more of the lines of the a quadruped-style Mobile Suit, it totally resembled the secondary form of Maia Asuka's Kunoichi Gundam. It ran like a dog or cat in the desert world with the same speed and grace. It appeared to have something that resembled a double edged beam saber in it's mouth, and had a double style beam cannon mounted on it's back.

Max got into contact with the rest of the Nirvana landing party and began to explain to composition of the incoming attack forces.

"Those fighters in the air are called Sky Strikers. They act as air support for ground excursions, and are armed with gattling cannons on the nose and some all purpose heavy missile launchers. The beast-like mecha units are called Desert Fangs, they're always accompanying those slower models. They've got double beam blade emitters in the mouth, and what seems to be double beam cannons on the backs. They can be a real problem, but they can be beaten once you can take them by surprise. The slower models are called the Ogres. They can go on normal walking mode, and they can switch to tread mode to be like humanoid tanks. They are slow, but they can take a serious beating. None of them have pilots, they have cockpits for humans, but now they're all AI controlled dolls."

"Thanks my friend." Kyo said as he and the others, along with the new allies. "You're going to fight with us?"

"You bet!"

The Vanguards, Gundams, and the new combat model mecha got ready as the enemy came into range.

The landing party charged into battle as the enemy closed in.

--

Meanwhile…

BOOM!

"Forward shields have been hit!" Belvedere said as the reported the incoming damage on the Nirvana.

"Are they holding?" BC asked as she coordinated the Nirvana's counter attack against their adversaries in space. The Vanguards had to retreat and hold defensive lines around the Nirvana to ensure the safety of the pirate vessel as the battle intensified in deep space.

Magno gritted her teeth, she was not happy that she and the others had fallen into this trap so easily, but then again, she did make this mistake before, and now she learned from it. But she pushed aside her concerns and focused on getting the landing team and her crew out safely.

Outside…

Sara and Mai were fighting in tandem as they managed to evade more blasts from the attack units, and those remote gun pods. The Crusaders had to close in on the Nirvana as despite their skills and experience, they were sadly outnumbered and hampered by the EM interference. Right now the Nirvana had to close in to the planet but avoiding the shield as they were apparently being herded by the attack units., but they were not going down without a fight as Bart blasted away with the Nirvana's guns, while avoiding the Vanguards in his line of fire.

Little did they all realize that they were not fighting OUT of the trap, But they were about to dive nose first INTO it…

--

The computer watched the ground and space battles with an interest. Apparently these new victims were more powerful than it's previous prey. It made them all the more valuable to be taken alive, their organs and anything else of value was too good to lose. That was the reason it herded the Vanguards closer to the Nirvana. It had every intention of catching EVERY member of the Nirvana crew, and now the ship was in it's reach.

/Activate Lancer Gravity Net Cannon battery at Sectors 7 to 10. Target the main space ship. Remove shield section at quadrant Beta, location of ship target\\

--

A set of powerful transmitter dishes appeared in another mesa, and another from the farther section of the planet. They began aiming themselves at a section of space…right at the Nirvana.

--

Magno and the others were surprised when the fighters that were attacking them suddenly broke the attack and vanished back into the hidden areas of the asteroid field. Others thought that the battle was over and they could go back to try and find a way to rescue the trapped landing party.

Magno however didn't buy it, something was totally wrong with this setup.

"Captain! Commander! A section of the shield has been deactivated!" Celtic said as she read the power readings of the defensive field drop.

"Is there any sign of the Landing Party?" BC asked.

Ezra shook her head.

"The shield is down, but the EM interference is getting even worse. None of us can locate the landing party at all."

Buzam turned to the old leader of the pirate crew.

"Captain, this might be our chance, we could send down a rescue squad and…"

Magno shook her head.

BC was confused. "Why Captain? We can go down there and…"

"I know, but this is too easy, and why did those fighters just break away, even if they were being wilted away, they had us pinned near the shield, and now a section of the shield is open? Something isn't right, I can feel it in my bones."

BC wanted to argue. But then she realized that Magno was right, something was surely wrong.

And sure enough…

--

The computer finished it's final coordinate check and calculations. It now was ready to…shall we say…reel in the catch of the day.

/Activate Lancer Gravity Net.\\

The dishes then fired out a massive wave of net-like energy…straight at the Nirvana.

--

The Bridge…

"Captain! I'm reading a massive gravity field growing and aiming…at us!" Amarone said in shock and fear. They had just recalled all the Vanguards to reload and refuel when they had detected the incoming waves of gravity energy.

Magno realized, and so did Buzam, what was the sudden retreat of the enemy fighters, they HAD been herded to the shield. To be captured by the planet's powerful defensive systems.

"All crews brace for impact!"

The warning came just in time for the crew to brace for the incoming attack. Nevertheless the blow was very hard on the Nirvana. The net wrapped around the ship and began to squeeze the ship like a can in a vice. Crew-members were jostled around as the ship shuddered from the impact.

And it was now being reeled in, like a fish into a basket…

--

In the Navigation well…

"DAMN IT! ARGH! IT'S CRUSHING ME! MAKE IT STOP! I CAN'T MOVE!" Bart said in pain and shock as he felt like the same can in the vice.

--

The computer gave a slight calculation and determined to guide the Nirvana to a place on the planet where it could soon be secured by it's military assets, and the masters would be able to receive their latest catch of 'biological' parts.

/Set trajectory coordinates to quadrant Elipsion in the Western Hemisphere. Prepare to coordinate ground and air teams to secure latest target, and begin harvesting operations.\\

--

On the ground…

Beam bolts, missiles and gunfire reigned supreme as the landing party and their unexpected but not unwelcome guests began bashing the living daylights out of the enemy. Kyo was already in SEED mode and was busy turning any incoming attacker into metallic mulch. He Dita, and Jura took over one section of the battle, while Barnette, Duero, Max and Aleck were mixing it up with the enemies on the rear.

Dita and Jura had been merely novices before when piloting a Vanguard, during their first taste of mecha combat. Now they were able to hold their own. And like the Vanguard pilots, were thankful that Parfet had installed stronger armor, spare power packs, and jet boosters into their own Vanguards.

Kyo was able to hold his own against many of the Desert Fang mecha units, and actually was bashing the living daylights out of the mecha. He then activated a new feature of his Gundam once he locked on his HiMAT lock-on system on more of the incoming units.

The Infinite-Freedom activated it's still existing plasma cannons and rail-guns, along with it's beam rifle and assault guns, but it suddenly opened it's wings and the crystal feathers suddenly broke free from their crystal settings and became metallic.

"HERE WE GO!"

The I-Freedom suddenly blasted out a storm of plasma, rail-gun, beam and solid projectile fire. And this time the solid feathers detached from the wings and then began flying all around the battle-filed and began blasting out high-grade energy beams that shredded any target within blasting range! The Infinite-Freedom now had the ability to turn it's feathers into interdependent high-energy output beam cannons, and there were over 50 of the feather-like beam cannons!(2)

The incoming reinforcements had no time to handle this surprise and were reduced into nothing but burning scrap. Allowing Kyo to go at what was left, shredding several Ogres in one pass with his anti-ship swords and beam sabers, and energy darts.

"Wow!"

Dita cried in awe as she saw what Kyo and Infinite-Freedom had done. Jura likewise was impressed, but both turned to face their foes, and before they knew it they were about to get overwhelmed.

Kyo saw that as well and went to help, that was when his sensors detected a powerful spike in Dita and Jura's abilities.

Dita and Jura once more went into SEED mode as they felt their reflexes and senses become even higher and stronger. Once they did so, they were able to push their Vanguards to the ultimate limits of their design. Dodging so many incoming strikes and blasts from their enemies, both Megele girls found themselves able to shoot down artillery shells and missiles with unnerving accuracy. And they were able to fight better with their built-in combat weapons as they faced off with the rest of the foes, almost as if they could read and predict their foes' movements and intentions before they were even attempted!

Kyo watched in amazement as the two girls bashed their enemies with such deadly combat precision, and when he had done a bio-scan he noticed what had happened, and then recalled that fateful day when he had seen their previous spike of abilities, along with Meia, and he vaguely recalled seeing a manifestation of a SEED in each of their eyes.

(No way…Dita, Meia, and Jura…all have SEED mode! But how?)

Kyo shelved those thoughts aside as the battle intensified.

On the other side Barnette and the other men were busy fighting it out. The Megele girl may have hated the mecha of the men. But like before she was able to handle one as if it had been her own Dread. Despite this however, she was still angry as Duero and the two other men were just as deadly or more than her. She had defeated s considerable number of enemy units, but the three Talark men were literally bagging in the kills.

Duero fought the same way as he worked in the Nirvana's medical bay, cool-headed, professional, precise, and quick to modify an approach. He was piling up the foes like dominos as he shot with his rifle effectively and with precision and engaged the closest foes with his Vanguard's sword. Apparently the medic had seen enough battles of Kyo using his Gundam's beam sabers and new anti-ship swords, plus his own training as a First-Class citizen, and his session with Kyo on armed combat to be able to handle his melee weapon. His movements with the blade were swift, precise, and accurate to the last detail as the number of destroyed foes could attest to that.

Max as well was no slouch in the department. His use of his own Gundam's beam sabers, as he fought with both sabers in hand was just as deadly. His movements were the same, but was a balance of power-blows, and quick but accurate strikes. He had also learned how to use the HiMAT of his won Gundam to it's best limits, quickly reducing a squadron of the Sky Strikers into burning hulks as well as several Desert Fang and Ogre units. He also was winning his own battles effectively with beam arsenals and beam sabers.

Aleck was no fool as well, he was also piling up the punishment. His own methods were fierce and powerful, but instead of striking needlessly and wasting energy whenever his enemies would be too close for the rifle to use, his sword would tale it's place and cut the foes down, he fought with a sharp instinct that sourly reminded Barnette of the fact that despite her inherent talents with a Vanguard, she was still a novice compared to the men as the mecha was designed to suit both their psyche and combat preference.

In Vanguard combat, these men were far better than her. And that made her want to prove herself even more as a better to men, but like before she didn't know that pride, placed above common sense was a fool's choice, as one of the Desert Fangs came in and used it's beam saber, severing the right arm of her Vanguard.

"Argh!" Barnette cried out as she was able to dodge the attack, but now had no way to use her rifle. The Desert Fang was about to attack, but then it was hit on the side by a rifle blast, and then was dissected by a beam saber.

"Hey, what the heck were you thinking over there? You should be aware of all your surroundings."

Barnette gritted her teeth she spotted the new man, Max, called to her, giving her a reprimand.

"Shut up!"

Max gave her a curious look, and then gave a look of surprise. "A woman? In a Vanguard?"

"What's it to you?"

Max didn't respond as he then turned tossed a beam saber right into the eye of a nearby Ogre that tried to attack from the rear. He then turned and faced Barnette. "You are not going to be able to fight right now, let us handle this."

"No way! I can still fight!"

"No you can't, your Vanguard's right arm is gone, so you can't hold your rifle the same way, let alone use the Vanguard's melee weapons. Sit this one out, or you'll be killed."

Barnette was about to give another retort, but Max wasted little time to argue with her and dragged her Vanguard away and went back into the fight.

--

Out in space… and halfway into the atmosphere…

The Nirvana was now being dragged towards the planet and past the defensive shield. The ship began to face reentry and was starting to heat up. Inside the command bridge, the crew tried desperately to escape this trap.

"Parfet, can we escape the gravity net?" BC asked, while trying not to fall on the floor.

"Negative! The power output is too high. If we tried to fight back, the gravity net, the gravity well of the planet, plus our own force would rip the ship apart! The engines' safety lines are already hitting redlines. Captain, we have to shut-down the systems and prepare to land."

Magno nodded, but then Belvedere and the rest of the bridge crew were able to locate the source of the gravity net. Once the coordinates were locked in, Magno got into contact with Bart.

"Bart! We've located the source of the gravity pulse. Take it out before we crash!"

In the navigation well, Bart was feeling great pain from the heat of reentry and the pressure of the gravity net. But he pushed it aside, he had people to rescue and lives to protect, so this was going to be his one chance to save them.

"Roger Captain!"

He locked-in and began powering up targeting sensors and power banks for the weapons. But his pain was really getting to him as burns appeared over him, along with medium bruises in blue-black color. Arcs of energy surged in the Navigation Well and also electrocuted Bart like a man being tortured.

"The pain! I can…barely lock on! AAAHHH!"

BC and the others could see the pain the young cadet was in. Unlike them he was linked to the ship and whatever pain and injury the ship suffered, he suffered it as well, but he was human and the injuries to him could become very fatal. They had long realized that Bart was their only way of getting home, but he was a person, not a robot, and he was placing his life on the line, as he had done many times as the navigator/pilot of the ship. He needed help, and they were now the only ones who could give it to him. In a way, they owed him that.

"You can do it Bart, just concentrate." Ezra said as she tried her best to give her support to the young cadet who's life was on the line.

"Come on Bart, You have to do this, and you CAN do it!" Belvedere said.

"Take your time Bart, take your time." Celtic said carefully, hoping that her words could give the cadet the strength to rescue them.

"We have faith in you Bart, you can take the shot, we know you can!" Belvedere urged Bart on.

Magno and Buzam offered a great deal of support then.

"Bart…" Magno began.

"When you offered that idea of us working together to survive all those months ago, I knew that you offered it to try and weasel your way out of trouble. But now I realize that your offer was the same one that got us all this far, and now we have the power to defy the enemy that wants to wipe us out. You've done something that you should be proud of, you in your own way, like Kyo allowed us the chance to allow men and women work together, if you didn't offer that, then we could have never made it this far, because you opened the first peek of the door to the possibility. You may have been a coward before, but you have more courage than most people, being linked to the Nirvana, and every injury the ship suffered, you suffered even more through it, and those injuries, in human terms would have killed lesser people, but despite that, you kept at it. You have grown into a real man, and I am proud to say that you are a son any father would be proud to have. And Talark and your leaders, including Grand-Pa will no doubt be proud of you."

Buzam nodded she gave Bart a smile. "Bart, you have, whether you know it or not earned the respect of a good portion of the crew on the Nirvana. None of us were able to move the ship no matter what we did; only you could. And despite truly being inexperienced in it, you were able to make it on your own. And you have matured into a great navigator and a great person, I can see that, and everyone here can see it now. You have the strength to win this new fight, and you can do it. You don't just have our faith, but our support, and our respect Bart Garsus. Kyo told us that it was all that you wanted when you were here, and we are giving it to you now. You can do this Bart. WE know you can do this."

--

Navigation Well…

Bart felt like he wanted to cry. Kyo was right, and so was Duero, everyone relied on him to make it back home. But he still wanted respect from the crew and it gnawed at him at times when it wasn't being given to him. But he went on, hoping to one day be recognized, though he began to forget about it. Now, he had gotten his wish and it made him whole. Despite his pain, he now found the strength to take the shot to save the crew along with the strength he gained from his brief but strong friendship with Shirley. He grinned back at the bridge-crew despite several bruises on his face and some blood coming from his wounds, along with the burns and the still existing pain.

"Don't worry, this pain is nothing! I can do this!" (3)

--

On the ground…

As the battle died down with the Landing team, the enemy had been totally devastated, and the team and their new allies were now in the process of resting. It was then that Duero pointed to the sky and they spotted the Nirvana coming in.

"Oh my god!" Dita, Jura, and Barnette said in horror as the ship apparently was about to plummet on the other side of the desert.+

Kyo however saw that the Nirvana's guns were aimed in the area that was apparently where the gravity net system that had taken other ships to this death trap, but he also knew that the ship was badly damaged, namely Bart would be in severe condition. It all rested on the Navigator to make it out.

"Come on Bart, I know you can do it. You can win this."

--

Bart bit back the pain and finally locked in the target. He grinned a bit as the Nirvana's targeting computer gave the all clear.

"TAKE THIS!"

--

The beams fired by the Nirvana lanced downwards, ironically being guided and pushed even faster by the same gravity net that held them. In an instant the nest of gravity dishes were turned into rubble by the blast. The Gravity net failed and the Nirvana was freed.

--

Bart wasted no time as he began accessing the Nirvana's database, and despite his injuries, was able to activate the braking thrusters to decelerate the ship as he had done enough research on the Nirvana's systems, despite the increase of his burns. He bit all the pain back to save the crew. He was a man and this Ship's navigator he wasn't going to stop until this war with the Harvesters was over…and they were going to be the winners, he was going to see to that, for the crew, for himself, his world, his people, for Shirley…and for all humanity.

The Paeksis then glowed in pure color as it suddenly bathed the Nirvana in crystals once more, slowing the descend of the ship even more, until the ship landed a couple hundred meters above the land.

The Nirvana was scarred but safe…All because of Bart Garsus…

--

The Bridge…

Magno and the others gathered to the Navigation well as it gently released Bart. The teen looked like he had been to hell and back. Despite his uniform's apparent lack of damage, there was blood on it, and the bruises on his face were there, along with burns in his arms and hands, these were his red badges of courage and in the eyes of the crew, he truly earned them.

Paiway and several crew-members rushed over and began to check Bart. Paiway scanned the unconscious man and gave a sigh of happiness when the crew feared that Bart was grievously injured.

"He's going to be okay, his vitals are still good, I'll do my best to heal him up with all the resources I have in the Medical Bay. The injuries are bad, but they will heal, I promise."

"Do your best Paiway." Magno said as she looked at Bart with a respectful eye. "He's earned this rest, and I guess he deserves to be recognized here now."

Bart opened his eyes and saw the smiling faces of the bridge crew, Belvedere, Ezra, Celtic, Amarone, BC, and Magno. He smiled back as he tried to rise.

Magno gently placed her hand on Bart making sure she didn't harm the teen navigator.

"No Bart, not this time, this time we'll take care of you. You've earned it without question."

The Bridge crew all gave Bart cheers and praise.

"I knew he could take that shot!"

"He did it!"

"He totally blew up the enemy trap without a miss!"

While the other girls cheered. Ezra came up with Lacus in her arms and spoke to Bart.

"You saved everyone today Bart, including my daughter, I am so proud of you. You rest now. Lacus, Bart saved you along with you mother and everyone today, you should thank him."

Bart watched, nearly in tears as Lacus smiled brightly and asked him to hug her with her hands. Despite the pain of his bruises and burns he allowed the child to hug him. He felt her heartbeat and saw her happy innocent smile, and felt pride…immeasurable pride in what he had done. He then gently handed the little baby back to her mother. BC walked up to him and gave him a warm smile and nod.

"You did an excellent job Bart, now you need to rest, you're a hero now."

Bart nodded. "I will, but I'll be back, to find the others…and win this war. You have my oath as a Man, Captain."

Magno nodded with a smile as she hugged the young man, careful not to injure him. The crew still cheered Bart as he was wheeled out of the Bridge on a gurney with several medical instruments being attached to him.

--

Bart was being wheeled to the Medical Bay, but the halls that surrounded him were filled by the Nirvana's crew, all cheering him and giving his words of support. This went on until he arrived in the Medical Bay. Bart was happy that he had earned this respect, with his own hands, and he vowed to live up to his name and what he had done and earned with his own hands, no matter what the Harvesters would do.

--

Had the computer been human, it would have been fuming mad, but it decided to halt it's attacks for now, there was no way for it's prey to escape…so why worry, it decided to rebuild most of it's loses and take it's time. The Nirvana was trapped, there was no escape.

Was there…?

--

As night came…

The Landing Team was busy making camp for the night, as the five suns of the desert world began to set, Kyo looked towards the area where the Nirvana had landed. He hoped that the ship would still be safe out in this desolate wilderness. However, he knew that the team couldn't afford to attempt a rescue. He had already told Dita, Jura, Barnette, and Duero to gather whatever supplies they could get from the Vanguards, the Megele females' Vanguard units were not going to be of better use as Dita and Jura's had been pushed to the point that their internal circuits were fried, and Barnette's was also damaged as well. They needed to build shelter soon, before the temperature dropped and the cold desert night began.

Kyo had spoken to the Nirvana as they were able to regain communications with the Nirvana, he had told the others that the ship was safe, and told them about what Bart had done. Now they had to deal with the desert world. He had been in Talark before and he knew, along with the three other men, Duero, Max, and Aleck, of the dangers that haunted the wastelands. They were now going to have to help the women survive this war and the greatest challenge of all. The game of survival of the fittest…and he and the men knew one thing.

The game had begun…

--

To be continued…

Author's Notes…

This is the end of Chapter 5- Part-1- Fallen Paradise. As you all can see, the situation of the Nirvana is desperate to say the least, they're trapped on the desert planet, with the planet's entire automated army after them, intent on capturing them and handing them to the Harvesters. And now two new men are joining their ranks in the war against Earth. And Kyo and the others are making even more discoveries. What will they discover as they fight in this hostile world, where everything is dying to kill them? Who are the new men, why are two men from Talark out here in the universe, and how come Duero knows them? Can the women survive in this world with the help of the men? Will they all find a way out of the trap as they had done before, or will this be the final curtain for the Nirvana?

Stay tuned for Chapter 5- Part-2- Journey of Life!

(1) The fighters that attacked the Nirvana may sound familiar, and well they should be. Those models are none other than descendants of the Moebius Zero Mobile Armor formerly piloted by Mwu La Fllaga, I recommend others to check it out in a mecha website to know it's full combat specks.

(2) The Strike Freedom is Kira's new Gundam after his Gundam Freedom gets totaled by Shin in the original Gundam SEED sequel Destiny. The new Freedom happens to be armed with the same DRAGOON system as the Legend and Providence Gundams in both first and sequel series. So it would make sense that since the Infinite Freedom is a fusion of the Strike Freedom Gundam Model and that of the Wing ZERO Custom, (though they have nothing in common, series and design-wise, only in appearance), it too would have a feature to the Strike Freedom…but there will be more…a great deal more to the Gundam since becoming the Infinite model, not to mention it's new telepathic link with Kyo, that too will be explored.

(3) Bart certainly has matured to become even stronger and tougher than ever, and now he's a hero on the Nirvana. I wanted to give Bart some more credit for being the navigator of the Nirvana, being the one that suffers the injuries of the ship as well during battle, I think that fact is wasted by Gonzo as they still made Bart look like a coward, they gave him backbone back in episode 3 with his friendship with Shirley, but I decided to take one step further in that part.

As all can see, Chapter 5-Part-1 is complete, and I will begin work on the Part 2 soon. If anyone likes to offer me suggestions to make the second part more interesting I await comments and ideas from ALL readers. But the ideas HAVE to make sense.

Thank You!


	7. Chapter 7

GunDread SEED- The Second Stage

Disclaimer: I do not own either VanDread or Gundam SEED, and I doubt I ever will, but it's fun to wish I did anyway.

Chapter 5

Part 2

Journey of Life

( ): Thoughts

/ \\: Computer Language

--

The Nirvana…

"Is there any way we can break through that barrier?" Magno asked as the pirate ship made it's way on the newly updated auto pilot, while gliding on the surface.

"Nothing that we can see." Ezra replied as she and the rest of the bridge crew, scanned the shield covering the world, and prevented their escape. "The readouts show that there just seems to be no way we can penetrate the barrier from the inside, just the same when we attacked it outside. We can't scan beyond it due to all the interference, plus the scanners will only work at a maximum of twenty miles. We were lucky that Kyo was able to contact us and inform us of what they found. I can't even begin to guess where the power generator for the barrier is located. It could be anywhere on the planet."

BC then summarized her report. "None of our pilots and crew were injured by the gravity trap…with the exception of Bart. He's already in good hands with Paiway, and recovering nicely, according to Paiway, he'll be up in about a few days."

"Let's hope that he is, before the Harvesters are right on top of us." Magno said solemnly.

BC merely nodded as she went on with her report. "The Vanguard pilots are being quickly trained in ground warfare tactics, and they are getting there, but they don't have the overall experience of, Dita, Jura, and Barnette when they had their first taste of ground warfare, and without Kyo to train them in his own experience, they had to improvise. Sara and Mai are working around the clock to condition their squad-mates on whatever Vanguard terrestrial operation tactics they can find. But to be on the safe side, we can ill afford any of them being out of the Nirvana. Kyo had told us that the main command computer has various combat bases in the areas, and they will be after us soon, we were lucky to have escaped before they came after us."

The pirate captain sighed as she considered the options they all had. For over four hours, they had been trying to contact their comrades below, but with no success, at least long term success. They had been able to establish contact with Kyo who told them that everyone in the landing team was safe, and told them all that he could find about the trap they were in before they lost contact with him. In addition to blocking access to the planet's surface, the barrier also interfered with communication and scanning frequencies, making it impossible for the Nirvana's crew to neither locate their comrades' precise location in the Northern Hemisphere nor maintain a long term communication fix. They were happy to know that they were alive, and they vowed that they would all leave together.

--

Engineering Bay…

"Parfet, you really should take some rest." Chief said to the spunky head engineer as she handed her boss a cup of tea.

Parfet waved away the tea as she ran data figures in her console. "I know, but there HAS to be a way to break that shield!" She said with conviction, she and the rest of the Engineering crew was working overtime to try and break the power of the shield. They also had been able to reconfigure the gravity generators of the Nirvana and update the auto-pilot to home in on the Landing Party's last known coordinates. But Kyo had said that they would have to be on the move if they wanted to escape this death trap.

"I know, but we can't find it out if we don't rest a bit." Chief begged.

"I know, but we don't have the luxury of that! I can't rest until Duero is safe!" Parfet answered as she waved the tea away once more.

"What was that?"

Parfet blushed a bit as she realized her slip of the tongue, it buoyed her heart to know that Duero was alive, but it never helped matters that he would have been killed before. Despite Duero being able to handle himself quite well, Parfet can't help but feel in her being this desire to never rest until he was safe.

"Uh…nothing. But we can't afford to lose anybody in the crew now. Not since we're getting closer to home and we need everyone here to win this war with Earth."

"But ma'am, the barrier looks nearly impenetrable." Chief answered. "It's power levels are the same as GunDread Jura's, and the only thing we know that can break such a barrier is something under the same power-wave length, it would be too long to try and devise a weapon that can replicate the effects of the GunDread process. And it won't work since the Dreads can't fly out here. We can't produce that kind of power, since we don't know how the Paeksis works nor do we understand it."

Parfet nodded. "I know that…"

"And firing at it continuously is pointless too. That barrier just absorb and fire back the blasts at us, with ten times the intensity."

Parfet nodded and yet worked harder to gain more data on the barrier.

( Duero…Please don't give up!)

--

The planet's surface…

(I give up!)

Duero sighed with frustration, controlled frustration that is, as he realized that his efforts to make a compass were out of the question and doomed to fail. The principle was easy to grasp and he had the tools to make the device. He had taken a large needle from his medical kit and magnetized it with a powerful magnetic coupling from his Vanguard's wrecked form. He also had constructed a container and direction marker, using the lenses of the eye sensors of his wrecked mecha, and also a small plastic puncher and cork. Once he got the device assembled, however, the needle went in all directions, once he tried it out, telling him that the magnetic fields on the planet were erratic and unreliable in trying to determine direction. He disassembled the device and placed the items back into his jacket pocket.

Kyo arrived along with Max and Aleck, they had already set up camp near the area where their battle had been.

Duero turned and faced the others.

"Any luck with that compass Duero?" Kyo asked.

Duero shook his head and pointed all around them. "The entire' planet's magnetic fields are all messed up by the EM radiation from the suns, and the polarity of the magnetic poles in this place isn't the least bit helpful either. With the exception of Max's Gundam and your own Infinite-Freedom, all other forms of technology are worthless, unless they were designed for this kind of world."

Kyo nodded at that assessment. "I can't believe anybody could even live here. Talark's not all that bad, but this is…" He then gave an apologetic look to Duero and his fellow men. "No offense meant to you guys though."

Max and Aleck shook their heads and looked around the rapidly darkening world. "Considering the situation, I'd say that you are right, Talark is a lot better off than this." Aleck said calmly as he cradled his assault rifle.

"Come on guys, let's get back to the camp, we're going to have to come up with some plans before we move about during the day." Kyo said as they got back to the camp.

--

Later….

"What are you getting Kyo?"

Jura asked as she looked at the Gundam pilot and wondered what he was getting. She and her comrades were currently near a large campfire. Behind them were four large tents, in which Kyo, Duero, Aleck, and Max had built from salvaged materials from the burned out wreckages of the Vanguards and parachutes the two girls used when they ejected as the Vanguards had overheated. Duero's own Vanguard had been depleted of power and unfortunately was devoid of any recharging options. Barnette's own Vanguard was damaged and could not fight in full efficiency. Standing nearby were Infinite-Freedom and the new Gundam being used by Max. Their camp was surrounded with large stones and parts of the destroyed enemy units that helped keep the wind from throwing sand at them and shielded the fire, and also acted as a first measure of defense.

All three girls were impressed, though Barnette managed to hide that fact, with Kyo, Aleck, Max, and Duero's camping skills, in which they constructed shelters and built a large campfire within twenty minutes, ensuring that they had decent protection from the cold desert night. The Gundam pilot from Earth didn't know where he learned how to survive in the open, but he was eternally thankful for the extensive survival training he had taken from his past life and his travels, which helped him immensely when he traveled from planet to planet. Duero also was happy that he had recalled all the survival lessons he too had been taught as a kid by his first father, he also didn't mind as he munched on his own food which were pills, along with Max and Aleck.

Kyo got down from his Gundam and took out several packs of what appeared to be food and distributed them to the others.

"Here, these are some rations I have with me. I kept them in a special storage locker in Infinite-Freedom. They're not much, and they are among the last I have, but they'll have to do until we can get more food and water."

As they got the rations, they looked at the food. There was some dried meat, preserved vegetables, and some protein bars made in semi-hard gel, along with some stored water. The girls took into the food, and despite the dryness of some of the food they dug into the meals. The meat and vegetables, along with the protein bars would be eaten and the water would be taken.

Once the meal was finished, Kyo then began to speak to them about the situation.

"The situation is bad, the Nirvana's been able to recover, but she's on auto-pilot and Bart's still under Medical Bay. He took a hell of a beating from fighting the gravity net trap and the planetary reentry. They have been able to modify the Nirvana for flight in the atmosphere, due to it's being part colony ship. But our problem is that we are too far to for them to get here in time, and it's too risky for us to remain here, we've got very few supplies, the enemy might come back and time's against us."

"So what are we going to do?" Jura asked in dread, Dita tried to keep her spirits up, but had a hard time doing that. Barnette also was afraid, but wasn't about to admit to that.

Max interjected with a bit of a smile as he began to explain some details.

"The supplies won't be too much of an issue. Before we came to you guys, we buried a supply cache on our way here. We made the supply cache at least half a day's worth of travel from here. There's enough water and food in the cache for at least four to five days, a week, if well rationed. Plus there's some spare power packs if you need them."

Barnette snorted a bit. "You sound like you really planned this."

Max gave a bit of a grin.

"Aleck and me are fighting all alone here Miss Barnette, we HAVE to have supplies well away from the enemy, but close enough to reach without being caught."

Aleck then gave out a map, and it had directions to various points in the Northern Hemisphere.

"The area we're in has at least a few supply centers and at least four to six cities that are underground. Plus there are some unoccupied outposts and communication centers in the area. We can get what we may need, but some of the locations are guarded by the computer AI center that coordinates ground, space, and air operations. Most of the sites have been touched and it's possible that a good number of salvageable material isn't available. The rest of the larger cities are in the Western and Southern Hemisphere. But they can be a problem since a considerable fraction of the enemy is stationed in the area. As far as we can figure there are ten medium to large scale bases in the area in and near the territories."

Kyo nodded a bit.

"You guys sound like you really know this world. But this really makes me curious. You guys know Duero and you have the insignia of Talark soldiers, but how did you guys get this far from Talark anyway?"

Duero nodded as he began to explain a bit more.

"I've known these two for a very long time. They were with me when I was still back in the Academy on Talark, before my graduation and assignment on the Ikazuchi. Aleck Koubayashi here happens to be one of the Vanguard test-pilots, and is a combat instructor in the school, both in the Capital City and the rest of the branch Academies."

Aleck nodded.

"Yes, I taught Duero and many others how to fight, but Duero is the best student I had since he was still in his adolescent days. He's got a cool head, level thinking, and isn't reckless. Not like some of the other students. I thought I was losing a deadly asset when he took up being a doctor. But as far as I can see, he's a great bone-saw and STILL a bad-ass pilot. Damn, I must be getting old for being a little lax, letting Duero outshine me like I'm the rookie, and he's the professional. You took out more enemy units than me, and it WAS your first live combat mission."

Duero chuckled a bit. "Come on Gunny, you are the professional. You first test piloted the Vanguard, remember?"

"Yeah. And got the scars to prove it too, I got this trying to escape a defective Vanguard model, lucky to make it out too. At least those bone-headed engineers finally fixed that problem!" Aleck answered as he rolled up his sleeve and showed some long but jagged scars. Dita, Jura, and Barnette shuddered a bit at the scars, and wondered why the men didn't seem all that worried about such bad injuries.

"So you're Duero's Vanguard and combat instructor? What about you Max?" Kyo asked the younger man.

"I worked with Duero in the Academy, but he was a year ahead of me and left, I got to graduate months after he disappeared. I thought he had died, but I knew that old Duo here wouldn't go out without a fight. He's got both brains and brawn, and he's really lucky, having been in all those fights, back when we were kids."

"You and Duero are childhood friends?"

"No. My full name is Max McFile."

"McFile? So that means…"

Duero nodded as he put his arm on Max's shoulder. "Kyo, Dita, Jura, Barnette. I'd like you to meet my younger brother. Max McFile."

--

In the command center…

The computer was still busy gathering data and decided to check the combat reports concerning it's prey. Once it began accessing the data profiles, it went on to check on the condition of the rest of it's standing forces.

/Attack teams 10, 17, 9, 11, and 4 have been totally destroyed. Preparing to order secondary replacements.\\

--

With the Landing Party…

"You're…brothers?" Kyo asked in surprise. He had never learned from Duero that he had any siblings. All the time Duero spent on the Nirvana, he hardly talked about his life back on his home-land.

Duero nodded. "Max was born one year after I was, so yes we are brothers. But Max had been assigned to another city on Talark when he was still in his eighth year of age, I was nine at the time. We only met briefly when I graduated from the Academy in the Capital City, and he too was about to graduate some two months after me. That's why he was never on the Ikazuchi when it took off. He had to return to his own Academy to finish his semester, and pass the soldier exams."

"After you graduated you and Aleck were in a mission?" Kyo asked Max. "If you did, then how did you get here, so far away from Talark?"

"Yes, we were part of a mission but we are the last survivors of an experiment gone bad. That experiment was the reason we got stranded here."

Aleck then took out a list of names.

"These are the names of the men that were part of the 58th Tactical Recon Wing, the unit that I and Max belonged to. How we got here was due to the fact that Talark scientists had tried to use a fragment of the Paeksis in an attempt to create an artificial gateway using the idea of folding space and time. We were to field test it. But then we were caught off guard when a Megele cruiser came at us. The attack was sudden, and unexpected. The crew in our cruiser activated the crystal and gate without any preparation. The crystal opened a gateway, but it engulfed the ship and the Megele cruiser too."

"We were all sent to a random coordinate along with the rest of the crew of the Megele cruiser. And we landed here. Many of us died when our ship crashed, and when we came to the Megele vessel, we found out that many of them were badly injured and others were dead. Max and I restrained the others when they tried to attack, and we took care to treat the wounded Megele women. It took all our diplomacy to try and restrain all the others from both sides to try and kill each other, we even had to lie, saying that we drugging the women to get information. But finally, after several months, things began to settle down, but at a price. The computer that powered the whole army here hunted us, both men and women. So both sides had no choice but to work together. While we were here, we learned that this planet had both men and women as inhabitants. We all did our best to survive, but all of the others weren't so lucky. We… we did our best to try and honor them, so we preserved them using the medical tools on this planet, making sure that those butchering devils don't find them. I doubted any of the women wanted to die here, so we promised them that if we could, we'd try and have them sent back to their planet. Ever since then, neither Max nor I will ever believe what the government will say about women."

He then handed a list of names and some pictures to Jura.

"These belong to the women that were from Megele. The last thing they wanted if they didn't make it was to be buried on Megele. If it's not too much trouble, I hope that you have room in that ship for all the bodies demanding burial. It's the least we could do for them all. They became…our friends. We want to honor them that way."

Barnette was surprised, along with Dita and Jura. These men had done all they could to restrain their own men from killing women from their world. They had lived with women, in a world that resembled their own, and there were enemies hunting them. In a way it resembled the first time the Captain made that announcement of the men being part of the crew. But they were lucky, the people here were not.

Max nodded in agreement.

"I decided to no longer trust the ministry of information when I lived with the women for some months here. It was there that we learned that men and women could work together. But it happened when…well. To be honest things haven't been the same in Talark since the whole Ikazuchi incident, before and after we left. And that's the reason how we got here in the first place."

Duero and the others looked concerned as Max and Aleck took on very serious looks.

"What are you talking about? Did the planets get the message pods that were sent?" Kyo said, He had been told the in the beginning, Magno had ordered the deployment of two message pods. Once for Megele, and the other for Talark and from the sound of it, the purpose of warning them of the Harvest had failed.

Aleck looked curiously at the others.

"Message pods? There was never any mention of messages on the public database, nor in the public address net." He snorted angrily though, and sighed. "But then again, the government will do anything to hide the things that went totally wrong, and make it seem that they had managed to make it out."

Max nodded sadly. "Aleck's right, if you guys sent a message pod, then chances are the message was ignored and twisted around by the propaganda ministry. They were good at that, and they always will be."

Dita, Jura, and Barnette were surprised. The two new men sounded like they had some issues with their own world. And that didn't make sense to the three girls.

Kyo looked at the grave looks of Max and Aleck. He felt that something very bad had happened back on Talark.

"What happened on Talark?"

Max looked at Aleck, and when the older man nodded in what appeared to be consent, the younger brother of Duero began to tell the story.

--

Max's words…

"When the disaster concerning the Expedition Fleet reached Talark, there was total public outrage, and the Prime Minister reviled the Megele pirates for the 'cowardly' attack they initiated on them and not standing to fight. He began saying that countless numbers of men were butchered and given no quarter. Even normal engineers with no combat experience were burned alive when the Ikazuchi was boarded. Wounded men were denied medical treatment. Those who were able to escape the 'massacre of Talark's children' were apparently, in his words, injected with toxins that made them insane and unable to discern the fact that they were poisoned by the women and were to be turned loose by the Megele to try and weaken Talark from within."

"The whole mess ignited a nearly simultaneous riot in many cities, not just the capital as many men bayed for the Megele world to pay for the deaths of the young men on the Expedition Fleet. The riots grew into such great intensity, that it was only quelled when Grand-Pa himself appeared to placate the others through public address. Once order was restored, he instituted a quick increase in all industries to mass produce Vanguards. The military leaders began amassing all the able bodied men they could find and press them into military service. Some of the 'conscripts' had even been threatened to join, but that was rare, very rare. Many of the men were more than ready to fight, and despite the fact that none of them had ever met women before or even set foot in a combat zone."

"The 'survivors' of the Expedition Fleet came forward and began to recount their… 'horror stories' They said that many of their comrades were gutted alive and their livers were eaten, and their organs were passed around by the Megele, some were even used to de-fame statues of Grand-Pa. The whole reception halls and the rest of the ship had been bathed in blood, and the rest of the bodies had been left to rot until the stench was overwhelming. Those that somehow were able to live from being disemboweled were supposedly tossed into space to die. And they, who were allowed to leave the whole mess were injected with neural toxin to drive them mad. It was only through their training, and love for Talark, and loyalty to Grand-Pa that allowed them to fight the madness."

"Ever since then…Talark is in a state of totally livid hatred towards Megele. The more zealous ones swore that they will go back, and this time, before they would meet their own end, they'll make sure that all of Megele will be nothing but ruins. And the propaganda ministry is having a total field day fanning the flames. Talark was only in a state of cold war, but now…the planet's in a total planetary wide state of blood lust, and the few who question the government are afraid to even walk out at night, in fear of being punished as 'corrupted' men, traitors to Grand-Pa. Some were taken to prison, to write confessions, and some were…even executed, without even being able to defend themselves in court. Me and Aleck, among with others, namely from the 58th are those who question the government, and it's by only denying it in public that we gain our freedom, no matter how hollow it feels sometimes."

--

Aleck sighed as Max finished the tale.

"All the men that are loyal to the government back home are totally determined to win this war, and the whole Ikazuchi incident has turned that determination into planet-wide insanity. The whole thing got blown out of proportion and there's no way that anyone, inside Talark or outside of it is going to reach out and change it easily. It won't be long before our planet's military does launch a full-scale invasion. And they won't care how many lives they lose, and will NOT care how many people they kill on Megele, innocent or guilty."

Dita and the other girls were silent about the implications. They realized how volatile the situation was. They didn't know that their score all those months ago would be twisted so far that the men would no longer listen to reason and were now totally committed to war.

"But it's so wrong!" Jura said with conviction.

"None of the men we managed to capture were ever hurt or killed in the attack. All we did after we took the ship months ago was put them all in the escape pods and release them. We didn't do a single thing to them! And now they still want to have a war with us?!"

Kyo sighed at that.

"It's what isolationism does to people Jura, they can become so used to an idea, that if their ideals are threatened, they'll do anything and everything to twist the truth around and to mask what happened, and kill all those they perceive as the enemy, even their own kin."

"Mr. Alien…what do you mean?" Dita asked in dread.

"The reason that it got to this point is that foolish argument that happened over one hundred years ago. I'm not all that sure about the history of Megele and Talark, but if at some point, both sides should have made up and dropped their pride, the new generations that would precede them wouldn't be in this kind of a mess. They are now stuck in the belief that their side is right, they won't even try to find the truth that there is more out there than what they see and believe. Both don't even try to make some form of communication with each other, that they forgot that they are both parts of the human race. Now they are willing to institute extreme measures to win a war that is totally useless, all on the basis of gender. Somebody HAS to stop it and try to bring them together so there's a chance for peace between genders."

Barnette fumed silently, but not anymore and decided to speak.

"Kyo, I know that it's the truth, but you can't expect both sides to just kiss and make up. We were able to do that on the Nirvana, only because we were out here and on our own, and we had to do it to survive. What you're asking the people of my home, Dita, Jura's and all those in the Nirvana to just drop everything and start from scratch! It's not that simple, you know that don't you? I don't think the men in Talark or their government would agree to that idea either!"

Kyo nodded. "I can't argue with that Barnette, and you are right, I know that me asking an entire civilization to change their way of thinking is near to impossible. But we HAVE to try, we need to break this wall between your world and that of Duero, Bart, Max, and Aleck. If we don't, then who will stand against the Harvesters when they strike? You know it yourself that when men and women work together, then nothing in this world is not impossible."

Barnette snorted.

"I know that, and I really do. But I doubt you, Duero, Max, Bart, or Aleck can just go to Megele and present that idea. Knowing my planet's military methods they'd kill you or any of these men before any of you can set even one hair on Megele."

"And if the person, that presented the idea of men and women working together on Megele WASN'T a man, what then?"

Barnette was confused at that statement. Kyo then decided to explain." What if the one who would present the idea was one of the crew on the Nirvana, what then?"

"You're nuts!" Barnette said in anger. "We happen to be pirates, and we're not even liked on our own planet. They'd throw us in jail than even listen to us. And that's just in the pretext that we're renegades from their life-style. The woman who even tries to suggest that men and women should work together is more than crazy, she's practically going to the execution block like a lamb to the slaughter!!"

"Barnette…" Jura began to speak as she tried to placate her friend.

Barnette sighed a bit as she faced Jura.

"I'm not going to start another mess or mutiny Jura. I just want to say that it's not going to be that simple. Things aren't that simple anymore. Kyo, I'm already trying to tolerate you men on the Nirvana, and you all did many things that deserve credit, and you and I are already no longer enemies. But to ask one of my crew-mates to risk her life in Megele to try and teach them something that they will consider heresy the very second they hear of it is indeed suicidal. I just don't like the idea, the whole thing started out as necessity and it became important in the Nirvana, but only on the Nirvana, as it's NOT going to be easy to teach on Megele or in Talark for that matter, and that's that."

Barnette sat down as she finished, and once she had drank some water, she went into a tent, and went to sleep.

The rest of the camp was silent as they also knew the truth of Barnette's words. The green-haired girl was right. It was going to be a real up-hill battle to try and make Talark and Megele work as one against the Harvesters. But they also knew the truth in Kyo's words, no matter what, they HAD to do it, for if they didn't do anything to stem the gap between the desert planet and the water world…

Then there would be no way they could win against the whole might of the Harvester Armada without allies.

"I'll do it Mr. Alien!" Dita cried with the grim expression. "I want all of us to beat those bad aliens! I don't care what they say back on my home, we HAVE to work together for our future!"

Kyo looked at Dita's expression and smiled a bit. He knew that Dita was a woman who meant her words. But he knew that Barnette was right, Dita was running the risk of being banished from her planet forever. He didn't plan on Dita losing her home, and he would never allow anyone he cared about lose everything for an ideal, no matter how noble and necessary it was.

"I understand that Dita. Don't worry, we'll find a way to make things right for all our worlds. You and Jura get some sleep, I'll take first watch tonight."

"Do you think we can do it? Make both Talark and Megele…work together?" Jura asked Kyo honestly with some tears in her eyes.

"We can do it Jura, I know that we can. You get some sleep too."

--

Later…

Kyo sighed as he sat on one of the rocks that outlined the camp. He had his rifle with him, plus some spare magazines and some special grenades. He also looked at the camp where the others were resting. He then heard a sound and was tensed up, but then recognized the person.

"What is it Duero?"

Duero came out of the shadows and sat next to Kyo. "How did you know it was me?"

"You have a unique stride when you walk, not to mention…well, I just knew."

"How?" Duero asked curiously.

"I…can't explain it, but lately, I've been feeling kind of different, very different." Kyo said as he scanned the outside world. Their fire was still alive, and he was using special glow rods to see in the camp.

"You mean, your sensitivity is growing, along with your physical and mental faculties?" Duero asked. He had been working with Kyo on his suddenly evolving abilities ever since they began to spike up from the time of his first death, and his Gundam's sudden transformation. He had been able to discern that whatever had happened to Kyo in both those instances has done something to his abilities. He was able to sense Dita more accurately for the past few days, before they were trapped here, along with the other girls. His physical and mental abilities had grown powerful, being able to move faster and be stronger than ever before. He was able to discern the emotional situations of some of the crew, and lately, his senses of sight, hearing, taste and touch have sharpened even more, that nearly nothing escaped his attention.

And despite how ludicrous it sounded to him, he theorized that Kyo had somehow, some way developed…telepathic and psychic abilities.

"Yeah, you remember when I told you one time about my SEED ability?"

"You mean the Superior Evolutionary Element Destined factor that somehow you could control when you enter combat? Yes, I remember that, though you don't seem to recall how and why you have it, and why you can wield it the way you do, correct? You told me that it is in your genes, and it's a part of you."

"Yes, and that's true. But somehow it's evolving and so am I, the normal effects are still there when it is awakened, my physical reflexes and reaction time are sharper now. But now…I think that I'm able to sense things even better than before. You remember when we were in that mesa….and I touched that blood stain?"

"Yes."

Kyo then began to tell Duero about what he had seen when he had touched that blood-stain, and what he felt at the time, and what he had seen and heard when he walked with them into the mesa.

"I know it sounds crazy, but I could hear voices, faint but present. I thought I was hallucinating, but then…I touched that blood-stain. And suddenly I felt my mind and body sever themselves from each other. Then I saw what had happened there before we came. And well…you know the rest."

Duero was silent. After a minute of silent observation, he spoke.

"You may be right, I think that whenever you invoke that genetic gift you have, your body needed to evolve to suit the changes that trait places on your physiological state, along with your psychological state as well, I'm not saying that your going crazy Kyo, but I think that you had somehow been able to gain a sensory perception that borders on something I've heard about in my days in the Academy."

"What's that?"

"It's called…telepathy. Telepathy is a kind of trait in a person that allows him or her to sense things far beyond the range of the normal physical senses possessed by people that don't have this trait. You didn't show it before nor did I tell you or anyone else on the Nirvana, but I have to tell you this now, whenever you would have your medical check-up I noticed subtle changes in you genetic cellular structure, whenever I took blood samples. I thought that you were getting sick from some unknown ailment. But when I ran the scanners on your samples and your tissue, there seemed to be no hidden flaws in your genes whatsoever. So that's my take on what may be happening to you. You're evolving, and another fact is you've been exposed to the Paeksis before, all those months ago. I think that the Paeksis' powerful effects on machines could also be done on people, that's why you seem to be evolving at a much faster rate than others as normal humans need to evolve every generation or so to suit their world and situation. The Paeksis must have influenced your biological evolution and made you able to evolve faster than any of us. And your SEED ability is helping to do just that."

Kyo was silent at this. Though on the surface it sounded way too close to a bad science-fiction movie, Duero's take on his growing abilities made some sense. He knew that his body had been exposed to the Paeksis, when the Ikazuchi was boarded by the pirates all those months ago. But he didn't tell Duero, at least not yet, that he felt that he somehow had been exposed to the Paeksis BEFORE he had ever been in the Ikazuchi. But for now he decided to stock those thoughts away.

"We'll need to find some way to get into contact with the Nirvana, not to mention try and find some way off the planet. We need to do something tomorrow so we can be ready for what other surprises this world has for us."

Duero nodded, as he got into his tent and went to sleep. Kyo stayed awake for a few more hours before he too hit the sack for the night.

They had to prepare for new enemies.

--

Back on Earth…

The Harvester Council was still in debate on the actions needed to deal with the Harvest and that of the Nirvana when an aide came to them bearing news.

"Leader."

The Supreme leader of Earth looked at his subordinate and gave a look of irritation. "This had better be some good news, what is it?"

"The trap we set up in the Beta Sector has been sprung, Master. The computer has been able to capture a ship and it's crew, and it is in the process of gathering the crew's organs."

The leader nodded. "Very well, no doubt the support and retrieval fleet is on it's way. Leave the room and report to us it's latest harvest."

"My Master, It's…more complicated than that."

"You are starting to waste precious time. MY precious time and that of this Council, make it quick before I decide to have YOU broken down for spare parts."

"Forgive me, but the ship's name is of great significance to the Council here." The aide said in growing fear.

"Any ship's name is not of great significance! You are wasting our time! We are in discussion on what to do about the Nirvana!" Another leader said in anger as they went back on the question in hand.

"That is just it, Masters. The ship that our trap has been able to capture IS the Nirvana."

That statement immediately garnered ALL the attention of the Council. The Leader of the Council gave a very hard look to the aide, making the former human cringe at his look of fury and anticipation.

"Is this data authentic, do you have ABSOLUTE confirmation that the ship IS the Nirvana?"

"Unquestioningly Master, We have ran all the database in our possession on all known ships in our archives, and it's profile absolutely matches that of the Nirvana. The land assault forces have sent in this data footage concerning the ship's landing team sent to the surface. As you can see in this, it is of no doubt that the ship is the Nirvana."

The aide loaded in a record disk into a nearby slot and the screens in front of the Council came online. And in those moments they saw the faces of Kyo, Duero, and Barnette, then they saw the hated images of Infinite-Freedom and the Vanguards fighting against the ground forces.

Once the video feed was over the entire Earth Council was in an uproar!

"WE HAVE THEM!"

"WE SHOULD TAKE THIS CHANCE!"

"Shall we harvest them?

"HARVEST THEM?! NO! DESTROY THEM!"

"SILENCE!!"

The rest of the Council halted their debate as they looked at their leader. The leader nodded as he decided on what their course of action was to be.

"Have a secondary Fleet dispatched to the Beta Sector. Inform our AI agent in the planet to hold the Nirvana in it's clutches until the secondary fleet will arrive…with our latest weapons."

The Council nodded at this, but with some reluctance. The Devastator, Hell-Fire, and Wyvern models had to go through some final tests and it would be a sad waste of investment if they were destroyed in their first encounter with the Nirvana while only partially constructed and armed.

"The second fleet will make absolutely sure that the Nirvana will have NO chance of escape. We WILL destroy the Nirvana, and this time, NOTHING CAN SAVE THEM."

As the other leaders began coordinating the strike, none of them noted their leader looking at the images he had downloaded into his console.

--

The next day…

Nirvana Medical Bay…

"How are you Bart?"

Bart Garsus looked up from the side and saw the Captain of the Nirvana paying him a visit. He had been able to have a break while in the Medical Bay, but he wanted to get back in the saddle so he was itching to get back to the Navigation Well.

"I'm all right Captain. A little banged up still, but nothing a little rest can cure!"

Magno nodded with a grin at the young man. She had watched the young man turn from a coward, to a full-blooded hero. He had endured such pain to make it this far. Before he had met Kyo, and learned to work with women, she had no doubt that Bart would never have the courage to be able to make this far in their journey and he would never be able to grow up. She then got a serious expression as she began to tell Bart about what they had learned from Kyo from his last transmission last night.

Bart nodded with a grim expression, but he changed to his normal goofy expression later. "No sweat Captain, we've made it out of tougher scrapes than this. I'll get better and give it all that I've got! We're going to win, I just know it!"

One thing Magno had learned in her time with the men. They always put faith in what they had and what they could do, and it took a good deal to keep them down once they were roused. This drive was, in her mind, allowed the men of Talark to survive for so long. She had spent time learning about Talark culture from Duero, and speaking to Kyo about his time among Bart and Duero's people.

Though Talark too had flaws, such as poor food, technology, medical science, weaponry, and technological edges that her world enjoyed, she knew one thing. They had endured life in this kind of world for three generations, though they could have died out, their will and natural toughness made them far better suited in desert life and warfare than any woman she knew from Megele. Megele women had never experienced even a tenth of what men of the desert had to live in. Limited water, food, shelter, resources, deadly predators left and right, harsh wastelands as far as the eye could see, sweltering hot sun, death in every corner, and many more. These factors would have broken lesser men and women to the core. But the men of Talark were hardened by this and never bowed down to their harsh home-land, instead they learned to be self-reliant and well skilled in many forms of survival in the desert world, to live off a world that would break anyone from her planet, they knew the values of learning basic skills over and over again until they were ingrained in their minds, they discarded any vanities so they could live, and they valued survival over appearance. They valued time and resources and wasted nothing in trivial pursuits, they were also well versed to make due with what they have and waste no time lamenting over what they lacked.

She wasn't condemning Megele, her home, or her people. No, Magno knew that the men had become better suited for this world than any member of her crew. They may not be able to have the best ships, weapons, medical equipment, food, entertainment, and the like… But if a woman of Megele would try and say that she could beat a man of Talark in the desert, then Magno had no doubt in her mind that the woman would be the one to give in. In this perspective, she decided to ask Bart if he knew Duero's brother Max and Aleck.

Bart nodded with a smile as he heard the names of Aleck and Max. "You mean… 'Stitch' Max McFile is here, and Aleck 'Gunny' Koubayashi are here? I've heard of Max, he's a good doctor, one the best in the South cities, last I heard before meeting up with you all is that he turned down an instructor's commission in the school, and the same deal with Duero, Duero never signed his position sheet, and now it seems that his younger brother did the same. Don't worry about that part of his skills, Max is a solid medic and combat pilot."

"What about the other one? 'Gunny' as you called him?"

Bart nodded. "Gunny is one the renowned combat instructors of Vanguards in the school back on Talark. He was among the very first test pilots, and due to his recommendations and reports, the Vanguards were designed to allow safety in the pilot's ejection should the Vanguard be badly damaged. He's the top instructor in terrestrial combat tactics, and survival training in the desert. We all call him Gunny, since he's got no bones in gunning down in a mock mission any guy who doesn't perform well or messes up, so he doesn't play favorites. That makes him very popular to great students and a bane to the poor ones, though he's not harsh unless you really irritate him."

Magno nodded as she was now able to know all that she needed to know. Before she left, she told Paiway to allow Bart to move about a bit until he was totally healed. They had to make some plans soon.

--

Early, the next day…

"So what's the plan?" Aleck asked as he warmed up for a bit of exercise with the men who needed to warm up for their day of travel. He, Max, Duero, and Kyo had awakened already to get everything set up.

"First off, we'll need to get to the supply cache and get what we need. Then we'll have to split up into two parties, One will have to make it to a supply base and get whatever materials we may need, while the other heads off to a nearby communications bunker, where we'll try and regain communications with the Nirvana. It's a safe bet that most of the communication equipment here on the surface was designed for serviceability in this desert world. Once we get in contact with the Nirvana, we'll try and coordinate a strike on the main command center and try to take out the power supply for the shield. If we can do that, we can then locate a means of escape from the planet with all the crew." Kyo said as he took in some stretching exercises.

"That's going to be hard, though the launching the ship part may be possible if we can secure one of the Lancer Platforms." Aleck mentioned

"Lancer Platform?" Duero asked his old mentor.

"That's the term for the gravity field launching system of this world. Essentially, it creates a gravity well that can help a ship launch without boosters as the field it generates allows the ship to ignore the gravity well of the planet. It's the reverse of the gravity cannon used to snare ships by the Harvesters. That makes it a prime target for anybody trying to escape. The reason we never attempted it before is that there's way too many enemies guarding them. As far as we could learn, there are four Lancer Platforms, but three of them are heavily defended, and the last one is defended not just by the planet's AI army, but by a nest of automated defensive stations, and two bases."

"Hmmm, that's going to be tough, but I believe we can still find a way, all we have to do now is to wait for the right time. But not to the point that the Harvesters will be right on top of us." Kyo said as they all began to train.

--

At that moment, Barnette awoke and emerged slowly from the tent. She was glad to be feeling a blessed absence of pain, due to Duero and Max's skills, though she didn't want to admit it. At that moment, she noticed a series of movement, flickering just outside of the makeshift shelter. As she peeked out from behind the entrance, her eyes widened as she beheld Kyo and the other men exercising.

Throughout almost all of her life, she had steadfastly believed that men were uncouth, clumsy, and crude creatures that didn't have a concept about subtlety and grace as women did. Of course, she had been proven wrong time and time again, when Kyo started demonstrating his inner skills, such as singing, playing music, and even COOKING! Now she was being treated to the astonishing sight of three men from Talark moving with…elegance.

Barnette became mesmerized, as she followed each Duero, Max, and Aleck's movements as they continued to go through the normal morning exercises. They each had lean and well-toned forms which were like that of a predatory cat's, swift and fluid, yet hinting at great raw power, hidden and ready to be unleashed. Their punches and kicks were similar to the way Kyo fought on occasion, so it was easy for the Megele woman to know that the men had been training for a long time, and had no problem adapting to the Gundam pilot's training style. And it became apparent that they were all quick studies, as they mimicked all the complex attack and defensive patterns used by the young Yamato. She noted that they were doing everything with their eyes closed. What caught her attention every now and then was a slightly white haze of the cool desert air, highlighting their forms as the light of the first sun came, which was the first red giant.

The Dread pilot's heartbeat began to increase in rhythm and she wondered why…she liked looking at each of the men, as her eyes drifted to Duero and Max, moving in such fluid motions. She angrily fought down those strange and unsettling feelings. This wasn't how a woman of Megele should act! The very concept of a man being even remotely attractive to a female was ludicrous! On her home planet, she would have been branded as insane for even thinking such a thing. Let alone thinking about it on two men!

However, she didn't do anything, but continued to watch them, not uttering a word; for the fear of doing so would disrupt the elegance of the scene. Had she looked to the side of her tent, she would have realized that she wasn't alone.

Dita had seen Mr. Alien perform his exercises before onboard the Nirvana. But with the sun proving the background light, she felt her heart beat faster and her body got warmer as she gazed at the object of her affections.

Jura smiled as she looked at every move made by Kyo, she looked as she noted the power that was skimming the surface of his well-toned form. She felt her heart beat faster and her body began to warm up as she gazed at her intended ohma.

--

Later…

"Okay, that should do it."

Kyo said as he and the others got ready to head for the supply cache, and then towards their separate primary objectives. Kyo had decided to go for the communications bunker, outlined by Max and Aleck's map, while Duero, his brother and instructor would head to a supply base and gather what they can, after which they would meet up with Kyo to make their next move.

It made sense that Dita and Jura wanted to go with Kyo, but it was a bit of a surprise for the others when Barnette decided to travel with Duero, Max, and Aleck.

"You sure you want to join us? Our journey is a lot longer than what the others are going to do. The supply base is over at least three days more than…" Max began to say. But Barnette apparently wasn't in the mood to listen…

"Of course I'm sure! You don't think I can do it?" Barnette fumed as she took a spare rifle from their own supply cache, along with some spare magazines.

"I'm not saying that. But…"

"But nothing! I'm coming along so at least I can be able to see what this world is like. I can't imagine how you men can survive out here."

Jura walked over to Barnette and whispered to her. "I need to talk to you."

Barnette nodded and went aside. Once they were alone from the group, the blonde looked at her long-time friend.

"Barnette, why are you suddenly so adamant in joining them? You could join us and…"

"I want to see how these guys managed to live this long. Besides that, I want to prove that…"

Jura stared at Barnette for a while. "I get the feeling there's more to this than just plain sight-seeing, though what sights are there in this world I have no idea. Is there something else here that I should be aware of?"

Barnette shook her head. "No! I want to do this, to prove that we can be strong too. We can be as strong in this world as they are."

"You want to prove that women are stronger?" Jura then spotted Barnette gazing at both Duero and Max, and then a curious idea came into mind. "Or you want to be close to Duero and his brother?"

Barnette looked at Jura with a shocked eye. "Jura! What makes you think that?!" She wasn't aware that for some reason, she had a slight tinge in her cheeks.

Jura caught on to this and couldn't help but snicker.

"Why are you laughing?!"

"Nothing, but I suddenly get the feeling that you are showing an interest to the men, namely Duero and Max." Jura then grinned a bit. "You do realize that Parfet won't like that, as she is already set with Duero. Max however is still unavailable, and since he's just as good as his elder brother, I won't be surprised if you are showing an interest in him. I guess you can join the club then."

Barnette's cheeks took an even darker tinge of red, most of which were from embarrassment. "WHAT are you saying?!"

Jura grinned mischievously. "I'm saying that you've gotten to like Duero, and Max, with each of them saving your life you know. I think you might even begin to like them."

Barnette gave a growl at her best friend's teasing. "Now you're exaggerating Jura. I don't like men whatsoever! Especially either of those two!"

"That might change, much sooner than you think, Barnette. If it happens, then tell me about it." Jura said with a smile as she left Barnette fuming a bit more.

Barnette tried to control her embarrassment. Sure, Duero had saved her life, and Max had done the same, and they do have a quality that she didn't think was bad. But there was no way in this entire universe she would try and like men! She will still hold onto her beliefs that men were still the enemy no matter what happened. She felt her resolution return at her conviction and got her supplies ready.

But why was it that a tiny feeling of self-doubt entered her mind at the thought?

--

Half a day later…

Jura and Dita gulped down one water bottle each to quench their thirst as they took what they could find from the supply cache. They arrived in Infinite-Freedom's hands as the Gundam glided over the sands, and it had been the hottest part of the day.

Since Barnette's own Vanguard was not available, the short-tempered girl had to hitch a ride, with Duero's Vanguard's hands as well, since it would be impossible to hold her in the cockpit as it was only a single occupant design. Max and Aleck's mecha had the same design, though the Freedom style Gundam named the Templar Gundam could allow and extra passenger if needed. The Megele girl took over another bottle of water as they got the food they needed to survive as soon as they reached their objectives.

"Okay…we're going to split up and make it to our specific objectives. But be careful in where you go during the day and night, it's not just the AI units we have to watch out for." Kyo said as they gathered what they needed from the supply cache.

Barnette soundlessly nodded as she got some spare rations and began to eat, along with the others, as Kyo checked his communication systems to re-establish contact with the Nirvana…if possible.

--

The Nirvana…

"Meia, are you all right?"

Misty asked the blue-haired Megele girl as the Dread leader paced in the briefing room, with a look of worry on her face. The normally calm leader of the Dreads had been sleeping very lightly, as she moved about looking at the latest data concerning the Landing Party.

"I can't stand it anymore! I want to do SOMETHING, before I go crazy!" Meia fumed as she looked at the command table once more to the last known coordinates of Kyo's transmission. She was worried sick, and although she would never admit it to anybody, she didn't sleep well worrying over the others' safety, namely that of Kyo.

Misty sighed. "I know how you feel, and so does everybody else. I wish I could go out there and find my Prince Charming in either a Dread or a Vanguard. But I don't know how to pilot either. You can't do anything either as the Dreads were never built for planetary warfare."

Meia didn't answer that as she continued to pace. She was getting very worried, and for good reason, over the months that Kyo had been in their forces, she had gone to admire the young Gundam pilot. He had been a great leader of the Vanguards, and he really did his best to help men and women bridge their differences. He was the linchpin of their current victories over the Harvesters, and so were the other men. They all would have never gotten far without their help.

On her own side, Meia couldn't help but feel that Kyo was…

Meia shook her head a bit. This was no time for her emotions to run away with her. She had to remain analytical and objective, or else they would be in real danger. However, every time she thought of either Dita cuddling close to Kyo, or Jura using her seduction tactics on the hapless pilot, she couldn't help but feel two set of urges, one was to walk up to Kyo and do the same things, no matter how shameless they may be, and the other was to walk up to Dita and Jura and pull out their hair. She didn't want to admit it, even to herself, but her feelings of admiration for Kyo were growing, and despite her denials, it was clear that she wasn't the only one with those feelings. She knew that Dita and Jura had deep feelings for Kyo, though she didn't always like it, but part of her told her that despite them being long-time friends and companions, she wasn't going to be denied the chance to know more about the Gundam pilot who became a facet of her life.

Misty was in the same boat, she had admired Kyo for rescuing her, and he was very handsome. But it went to more than just his looks, Misty liked him because out of all the people on the ship, he was the only one who understood her, and how she saw things. He also was very kind hearted and brave. And from the looks of things, he was very well mannered, though she could bet ten to one, he had a heck of a hard time being in a ship full of drop dead gorgeous, hot as hell, sexy women, her top rivals Dita and Jura included. She was amazed that he had never made the moves on any of them, and she could tell that Meia also had an interest, a growing interest in Kyo. She felt that she would have to work tooth and nail to take Kyo's affections, but she was more than up for the job.

It was then that Meia got a call from the Bridge.

"What is it?" Meia nearly snapped as she listened in.

"Meia, are you all right? You sounded so upset all of a sudden." It was Ezra's voice that was over the communicator.

Meia realized that she had burst out her frustration at the gentle bridge officer and quickly made an apology. "I'm sorry Ezra, I've just been…"

"Worried about the others, including Kyo?"

Meia nodded. "Yes, I'm really worried."

"Well, we've got some good news. We've gotten into contact with Kyo and the others. And it seems that through Parfet's tinkering with the systems, we've been able to boost the longevity of the signal this time."

Meia wasted no time as she went to the Bridge. If there was any chance to see Kyo and know that he was fine and safe, she was going to take it.

"Wait for me!" Misty called out.

--

"What's your status Kyo?" BC asked as she and the rest of the crew listened in to the young pilot.

"We've gotten to a nearby supply cache, buried by…Max, and Aleck. We're…planning to separate…and get to a communications bunker…a few…from here. Barnette…Duero…ax…and Aleck will go to a…base nearby, and get more supplies….Once we're done here…we'll try and find a way…to get the shield…down."

"Boost more power to the receiver! We've got to keep communications up as long as possible!" Magno said with conviction as she wanted to hear the rest of Kyo's message.

Meia got into the Bridge and had to restrain herself from busting through to the communication systems. She knew that they could ill afford to break and lose power to the communication systems, but she had to restrain not just her urge to talk to Kyo, but to hear his voice and talk to him.

"According to what Max and Aleck told us, there are several ship launching platforms in the area and the other Hemisphere regions. Three are too heavily guarded for a frontal assault. And one is only considerably defended….They appear to be the only…off the planet, we have to try and…one of them…if we can get off…before…Fleet's on top of us."

"What's happening?" Meia asked Belvedere.

"The EM wave emissions are getting stronger, we HAVE to cut power, or else we might give away our position to the enemy."

"Kyo…we'll try and do our best to find you." Magno said as she talked to the young pilot. "Once you've gotten to the communications bunker, we'll try and isolate the location of the enemy command center."

"Understood… We need to…communications now. The enemy…might track our…location. Call back in a few…days. Kyo out."

--

Back where the Landing party was…

Kyo sighed as he cut the communication link with the Nirvana. He had to re-program some of the OS settings to boost the signal to reach the Nirvana, and maintain contact with the pirates. He had to make some choices, and one of them included knowing the location of the least defended Lancer Platform for their escape. He then decided to worry about that later, once they got their supplies they had to move fast, despite his masking the signal, he knew that the AI army would be hunting them all like blood-hounds after a fox. But this was one fox that had no intention of being a trophy…ever. Especially when the fox was going to be skinned alive and dissected by sadists like the Harvesters.

He got out of his Gundam and went over to the team. The girls were resting, sweating and all three of them looked like they would have sun-burn soon.

No surprise here. Kyo thought, none of the girls had any training on how to survive in this desert world, and unless they learned some things, then it wasn't going to be the least bit peachy when they moved on.

He went over to Dita and Jura, who thankfully were still in their vanguard flight-suits.

"You two okay?"

"No Mr. Alien, it's so hot out here!" Dita whined as she splashed some of the water from the bottle on her face.

"The sun on Megele's not so bad, but this is terrible! I feel like a roasted chicken!" Jura whined as she tried to cool off.

"I hate this! What I wouldn't give for an ice cool shower right now!" Barnette fumed as she tried to hide from the sun.

Kyo sighed and decided to get some things to try and help the girls deal with the heat. But he knew better, they were almost finished with the supplies being stored. And now they had to be on the move.

He then turned to the other men and called them over. "Okay guys, we've got to make some snap decisions."

They talked it over and Kyo decided that they had to move while the day lasted. Though that meant that he and the men would have to make room, there was no way to girls would try and survive the heat, until they got used to it. And that was going to take too long.

It was time to squeeze in to every space available…and that meant only one thing…

--

With Kyo's unit…

"Ah thank god! The AC here's a lot better than what we had to deal with outside!" Jura said as she sat on a section of the cockpit. She then turned to face Kyo and smirked seductively. "I like this choice you made, though it's bit cramped."

Dita fumed a bit. "Jura! Can't you see that see that Mr. Alien is trying to pilot his Gundam?! And don't move about! It's cool but cramped in here already! Though it's like in my GunDread."

"What was that?!" Jura glared at Dita.

"You heard me!" Dita glared back.

Kyo sighed as he tried to concentrate as he flew to the communications bunker, or far enough so they won't have to travel further until they got there. Unfortunately he had to worry about two things right now. One was how he should try and keep Dita and Jura from fighting, and the other was how to keep his still existing male urges from going into riot mode. The two girls were able to fit into his Gundam's cockpit, since it was rather large, but the space constraints forced Jura and Dita to sit on opposite sides of the cockpit, and that was very distressing for three reasons.

The first was that BOTH Jura and Dita were on either side of him, and they were less then a foot and a half from his face, it would be so easy for either of them to turn and face him, and if they decided to kiss him, there was nothing stopping them.

The second was that their well-formed bodies were seen on either side and their…assets were in full view of him. Though they were not wearing their normal garb which was torture enough for the full-blooded male, the body-suits had no problem showing their curves and swells to his eyes. To add to it, his arms were over their legs and it took all his willpower not to let his hormones force him to run his hands over the areas in question, since it would be easy for him to feel their long legs, stomach, the lower areas of their breasts, which were in full view of him, and their…private areas (smile, wink).

And the last reason is that every time they moved their bodies, then their assets would 'bounce' along with them, in front of him and that was torture enough. But it was even more so as they would be stimulating a certain part of his male anatomy. It was bad enough when Dita was on his lap, Meia was behind him, and Jura in front of him. But with both the redhead babe, and the blonde bombshell on him and on either side…he felt that he deserved a platinum medal for controlling his basic instincts for so long. Though as it was, he felt that he would also be needing a straight-jacket soon as the torture went on.

He hoped that this wouldn't be permanent. But his rational side spoke otherwise.

As he tried to pilot the Infinite-Freedom, he wondered what was happening with the other team.

--

In the other team…

"This is one tight fit! Didn't you have a bigger set of space in here?" Barnette gripped as she sat next Max. The Megele girl went against taking another ride in the hands of the Vanguard piloted by Duero, and decided to hitch a ride with Max.

Max sighed a bit as he went on further. "It won't be long, Kyo and us decided to move as fast as we can all day, we'll stop when we reach the out-skirts of the base, or when night arrives on us."

Barnette merely shrugged as she watched the view. Though there was a part of her wandering why she started to like looking at men. Before getting onboard the Templar Gundam of Max McFile, a part of her began cataloging the differences between the brothers. Apart from hair style, Duero's right side of his face was covered by hair, while his brother Max had his hair in a long ponytail and braid in front, the two brothers had the same looks, but their attitudes were somewhat different. While Duero spoke with professional courtesy, Max spoke with a voice that had seen a lot and felt a lot as well. And that made her wonder what the younger McFile had done and gone through while here on this desert planet.

"Are you all right Miss Barnette?"

Barnette then realized that she had been staring at the younger brother of Duero McFile. And the look he gave her, one of curiosity had brought her back to her senses. She then gave a scowl at Max.

"What are you asking? Of course I'm fine! And don't call me MISS! I'm not that old you know!"

"I am sorry about that, I just wanted to be polite, and I never meant to offend you."

"Fine, just forget it!"

Barnette fumed silently, but couldn't help herself as a tinge of embarrassment flooded her cheeks. Why the heck was she suddenly doing this?! Men are NOT attractive! They were definitely NOT attractive! She must be going crazy to even think that!

Though a part of her doubted her convictions, as that very same part had to admit, that the two men's features were well formed.

--

Later…as night fell…

Kyo and the others had setup camp near an large ridge of stone that gave protection from the cold winds, and Kyo had already set up the camp-fire to ward off predators, and he had conditioned his Gundam to be able to survive in the desert even more, though he could do nothing to update the communication systems.

Dita and Jura grimaced as they gazed at their dinner. They had not been able to eat and their hunger had been gnawing at them for some time. They were happy that Kyo had decided to stop for the night and they were now only a day and a half from the communications bunker. They decided to eat what they brought, but their hungry stomachs had not yet adjusted to rations, namely…

"You really want us to eat these too?" Jura said with a look of distaste as she gazed at her plate. The normal rations were easy to deal with, but the rest comprised of none other than Talark ration pills. She may not have eaten one of these, but she distrusted the food anyway.

"Ewww!"

Dita winced as she recalled the last time she had tried eating one of these things. She hated the taste and hoped that she wouldn't have try another one.

Kyo sighed as he also took the meals on his plate. The rations were a mix of normal ration food and nutrition pills, but he had no complaint. The girls however, as he could see, were not used to living only on dried and set food, as they were quite used to eating cooked food with all the trappings.

"I know that you two hate the stuff, and to tell you the truth, I'm no fan of nutrition pills either, I never could completely tolerate their taste or lack of it. But you all will need the energy once we get to the bunker. Besides that, we'll also have to search around for more food and water sources soon. So we'll have to eat these for now, unless we catch something out here tonight."

"What do you mean by that?" Jura asked as she stared at her plate with disgust.

"I know for a fact that there are creatures that live here on the desert, and they are mostly predatory, but the rest can be eaten. I just hope that the trap I had set up will catch something, at least something edible that is…"

At that instant, they all heard a large snapping sound, plus a deep roar. Both girls tensed with their rifles at hand, and so did Kyo while he scanned the area with his senses, but he then smiled as he realized what the sound meant and motioned the girls to relax. He walked out with sword drawn and walked off in the direction of the noise.

"What is it, Mr. Alien?" Dita inquired.

Kyo merely nodded as he went on. "I'm not all that sure yet, but I can tell you to put those rations away for a while. I think that what I thought about decided to accommodate us."

The two girls were in states of puzzlement, but followed Kyo's advice, and they were glad to place back the pills and other rations in the containers. A minute later, they heard a somewhat wet sound, and a cry of animalistic anguish, they then heard Kyo give a cry of satisfaction.

"Now this will really do well. The right age and size too."

"What is that?" Jura asked.

Kyo laughed as he answered. "Dinner."

"Really?!" The girls exclaimed as they went forward to see what the Gundam pilot had caught. ANYTHING was better than those awful Talark food pills.

That was when Kyo stepped aside and displayed his catch. The creature he caught was a fusion of an old world nearly full-grown cow, but with the mix of an alien iguana. The creature had both fur and scales and had three long tails, ending with a set of powerful looking spikes. It was big, but not too big, nearly the size of an adolescent horse or cow. It's head had a single horn on top and was nearly severed from it's body by what appeared to be Kyo's Katana. The head had long teeth on the fringes of it's mouth and they looked like spades. The eyes looked up to the night sky in death. (1)

The results were…easy to predict.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKK!!"

--

"I am NOT EATING that…thing!" Jura fumed for umpteenth time as she, and Dita watched Kyo roast a large part of the oversized reptile/cow like creature on a spit over the fire. Kyo had only taken parts of the alien desert bull that they could manage, and the rest was thrown away.

Dita was also a bit squeamish as she watched in morbid fascination. She had handled raw meat before, but this was something else…

"Suit yourselves. You can go back to the pills and other rations if you like. I on the other hand am in the mood for some old fashioned barbecued steaks and ribs, though some sauce would be nice."

Kyo said as he went back and hummed to himself, as he prepared the meat. After killing the beast with a single blow to the neck with his sword and gutting the creature of it's innards, he had begun cooking the thing's meat, namely a hind-quarter and a side of ribs.

"However, you all should be aware that you don't have the option of being choosy. Besides, it isn't like I haven't done this stuff before, and when you cook it just right, the meat's really good."

--

Ten minutes later…

"You sure neither of you don't want some? This stuff really tastes great." Jin asked as he wolfed down large chunk sized portions of the animal meat.

Dita couldn't bring herself to answer as she watched Kyo eat. She couldn't believe that Mr. Alien was eating that…thing….and enjoying it.

As for Jura, she had her back turned and managed not to throw up at the sight. Although she had gotten very hungry at this point, her pride refused to let her give in to her natural urges either to eat the alien beast or the pills and rations.

"How…can you DO that?!"

Kyo knew that her question was directed at him, so he answered. "What? You mean eat? That's pretty easy. You open your mouth, put in the food, chew and swallow. Do that many times, then your stomach quits gripping about it." He chuckled a bit, though he knew that Jura wasn't in the mood for humor.

"That isn't what I meant!" Jura said with great indignation as she turned about and faced Kyo. She was beginning to wonder why she even considered him for the ohma of her children.

Kyo's expression softened as he knew that Jura was in no mood for jokes. "Yeah, I know. I was trying to make you laugh a little and lighten the mood, but I guess I'm not all that good with an audience or as a comedian. In answer to the question, I'm merely following nature's rules; and take it from me; nature can be real cruel."

"What do you mean, Mr. Alien?" Dita asked Kyo.

"I mean that if you stayed away from civilization and all of it's trappings for a long time, sooner or later, nature will strip you bare and expose you for who and what you really are. It's something that's very hard to resist, but you can work with it, instead of fighting it, if you are willing. I will not lie to both of you. Let's face the situation we're in, we can't escape this planet because the Vanguards are totaled, and that blasted barrier is still cutting us off from escape. The planet's whole AI army is under the employ of the Harvesters and hunting us along with the Nirvana. The communications systems of my Gundam are hampered by the jamming fields, and we can't track the Nirvana either, plus if we don't get out of here in less than a week, then the Harvester Fleet stationed nearby will be right on top of us. It makes it even worse that the only way or ways of this planet are heavily guarded, and our standing forces are pretty thin. Apart from me, Duero, Max, Aleck, you, Barnette and Jura, none of the Crusader Squadron have any experience in desert or planetary combat tactics, and we're the only ones with the combat experience. And we are severely limited in weapons and firepower."

"Then we're doomed! It's all over! We're all going to die here! Without any technology, we're as good as dead!" Jura cried with fear and sorrow coating her voice, along with the shivering of her body due to her fear. A moment later, she ran off into the darkness.

"JURA! GET BACK HERE!"

Kyo cried out as he followed her. He turned and addressed Dita.

"Stay here, and try to eat the food, I know that it won't be bad for you…Trust me."

Dita looked at Kyo's sapphire-amelyst eyes, and she could tell that Kyo wouldn't lie to her, he had never lied to anyone before in his entire life. She looked at the meat on the plate that he had set for her, along with Jura's own plate, taking in the smell, and decided…why not?

--

"GO AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Jura said half-sobbing as she continued to run.

However, the Gundam pilot was faster than she was, and had no problem catching up to her and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"JURA! PLEASE LISTEN TO ME!"

"NO, LET GO OF ME!"

The blonde Dread pilot continued to struggle, trying to free herself from his grip. However, since Kyo was far stronger than any normal human male, her attempts were worthless. However, that didn't make her give up easily.

"Jura, calm down and listen!"

"NO! THERE'S NOTHING MORE TO SAY! THERE'S NO HOPE! I'D RATHER DIE FAST THAN ROT SLOWLY IN THIS HELL!"

"We're not dead yet, Jura. Now will you please calm down and let me…"

"NO! LET ME GO! JUST LET ME DIE NOW AND…"

Kyo wasted no time as he turned Jura around and held her, and before the Gundam pilot could resist the idea, he kissed her once more.

"MMMM…."

Jura was shocked into silence, but unlike the first time when she was caught by surprise by Kyo, part of her fear, and something deeper made her respond. Before she could stop herself, she gripped Kyo even tighter and took in the fact that he was holding her. The fear made her want to deepen the kiss and hold Kyo and pray that he would never leave her side, no matter what. Her body once more became weak and strong at the same time, as feelings she felt before with Kyo flowed in every fiber of her being.

Nearly a minute passed as they then separated. Jura looked very flushed and embarrassed as she gazed at Kyo. Though Kyo tired to look calm, he was very much affected by what he had unintentionally done (yeah, sure () ), as he tried to resist the call of his hormones as his body was VERY aware of the feel of the blonde's curves and soft warmth to his own. Once he was able (barely able by the way) to get his bearings, he spoke in a firm tone of voice to Jura.

"Listen to me Jura. Just because I said that things are bleak, doesn't mean that you shouldn't think that death is your only way out, because I know that we can win this!"

"W-W-What?"

Kyo sighed as he finally quelled his male emotions. "Listen…I will never give up in the hope that we can escape, that's why I still have my wits and my belief in myself and others, and that includes you."

"M-Me?"

"Yes, I'm not going to lie to you. When we first met, I thought that you were nothing more than a selfish, vain, egotistical, fame-hungry woman. The times you tried to seduce me just for the sake of fame was the first indication."

Jura felt a twinge of anger rise in her, but then Kyo softened his words…

"However, in all the time we've traveled and fought together, I know that you are strong, dependable when things become bleak, and you're beautiful, both on the outside, and inside, only a blind and dumb person wouldn't notice those qualities. I know that you may act high and mighty at times, but you do things like that when you're insecure, and that's okay, nobody's meant to be perfect. And I'll be damned if I left you and the others to suffer, I know that you're scared now. It's a natural thing, but you can't let that stop you if you want to live. I'm still afraid, but whenever I feel fear, instead of entertaining my fear, I put it aside because I know that it's normal."

"It…is?"

The Gundam pilot nodded as he spoke a bit longer to her. "Of course. Believe it or not, I was very scared when I was in a place like this on my long travels in space, and it was only through my vaguely recalled but never forgotten training that I survived, and that pushed me forward in the other worlds I've been to, along with what I learned since then. You're scared since you're not with the things that you take for granted. Believe me, I know. When I was still a free-lancer, I had to do things that went against what normal people were used to, and only Freedom was my companion. Long before we hooked up with you all and the Nirvana, I had to make due without a lot of things when I traveled in this universe, especially in partially inhabited worlds with a LOT of hostile enemies. However, that never stopped me from keeping alive."

"They didn't?"

"Oh yeah, and I'm very sure you, and Dita can get through this as well. I have survived all this time, and I believe in my heart that you can make it through this too. If I didn't have the belief in anything and anybody, including myself, I would have fervently dropped the idea of bringing you, Dita, and Barnette on this mission. You are strong, Jura, I know it and I can feel it. You can make it through all this. I'll be right here to teach you what you need to know."

"You will?"

"When have I ever lied to you Jura Basil Elden?" Kyo asked in a teasing tone.

Jura sighed and nodded. "No, you never did, not even once, I guess that you don't know how to lie."

Kyo smirked a bit as they walked back to the camp. "Now that's where you're wrong, I can lie like anybody, but tell me, why would a guy like me, lie to a beautiful lady like you?"

Jura blushed a bit. "Thanks." She didn't know why she felt like a bashful school-girl. She had grown up with many of her fellow women calling her beautiful, but she had never heard a man call her that. Before she ever met Kyo, she would have considered a comment like that from a man as a complete farce. But not anymore, however…it made her heart beat faster that it was Kyo and only Kyo who called her beautiful.

Kyo then took a serious expression as he led Jura back. "You're more than welcome. However, I will have to warn you. It's not going to be EASY to survive out here. In order to survive out here, there will be instances that you'll have to do things that you might not want to, things you have to accept, and some things you have to give up, in order to make it out of here. Do you understand me?"

"You mean…like eating that…thing?" Jura shuddered a bit.

Kyo nodded. "First rule you'll learn out here in the wild, is the rule of eat to live, or die and be eaten. I won't force the meat or those pills and rations down your throat, but keep in mind that food's very scarce in a place like this. We were all lucky that trap of mine caught the cow creature you know. Food's the second precious thing in the desert, the first is, well, water, and even the most distasteful things can be the difference between dying today or living to see tomorrow."

"I…understand."

"That's good…let's go back to the camp."

--

As the couple made it back to the campsite, Jura was amazed to see Dita munching away happily on a plate filled with the cow-like meat beside her was another filled plate.

The redhead smiled brightly from her seat. "Hey Mr. Alien! You were right! It DOES taste like beef! Jura, should have some!"

Barnette's friend blanched a little as Dita handed her the plate, but she thought back to what Kyo had told her. And after being given a reassuring smile by her object of affection, she decided that it wouldn't hurt to try. Gingerly, she reached out, picked up some morsels, gazed at the cooked meat for some time, then after making a silent prayer, popped the meat into her mouth and began to chew.

Jura was very surprised when the flavor hit her taste buds. The meat DID taste like beef, with a sharp but very appealing aftertaste. It was moist, but totally tasty in it's natural fluids, and the meat was well cooked and tender. After swallowing the first morsel, she took the plate and began consuming another morsel, followed by another, then another. Before Jura knew it, she had eaten her entire plate of meat within five minutes.

Kyo nodded in approval, the girls were going to make it. Though he was curious about one thing…

What about sleeping arrangements?

He nodded when he recalled that he stored a pair of the tents they made before in Infinite-Freedom's storage locker and went to his Gundam to retrieve the stored tents… that was when he realized he made a big mistake…

--

Later that night…

(WHY IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT'S SANE IN THE UNIVERSE DID I EVER AGREE TO THIS?!)

Kyo swore to himself in anger and utter embarrassment as he tried to stop his urge to move. When he realized that he had forgotten to pack a spare tent with him. He realized that he would have to stay in the only tent that was available. And that meant more close contact with Jura and Dita!

As if being in his Gundam's cockpit with them on either side wasn't enough torture enough!

When the two girls found out that he had no spare tent to sleep in, they immediately asked him if he could sleep with them. It took all of his mental discipline to resist the erotic picture THAT idea put in his head. He tried to excuse himself by saying that he'll sleep in the cockpit, though he knew that it would be really cramped and he'd be aching from it, it was far better than having two sleeping females, and god only knows what could happen at that, near him! However, it seemed that both Jura and Dita caught on with the idea and pleaded with him to sleep with them. He tried to resist, but his pleas and excuses were unanswered as Dita gave the dread Sad Puppy Dog eyes on him, with a really cute pleading expression, plus Jura giving him her most seductive smile and begged him to sleep with them instead of in the cockpit. And before he could reign in his mouth, his male urges kicked in and well…

Here he was…

Kyo winced but totally resisted the idea of squirming as he knew that even a little movement would be a bad idea, as Dita snuggled up to him and moaned softly in her sleep. The Gundam pilot's male body was scorched by the heat of the buxom redhead's proximity to him, and the feel of her gorgeous, soft, well curved, and feminine body to the right side of his hard and male body was driving him crazy! And her very cute face was merely inches from his right side, it would have been a ludicrously easy thing for Dita to move forward and kiss him if he moved to the right! It didn't help matters that another hot woman was beside him!

Jura snuggled up to him and moaned in her slumber and Kyo knew that squirming would really get him into trouble! The Gundam pilot's male instincts were in a riot as the warmth of the voluptuous blonde's proximity to him and the feel of her well formed, soft and totally female body on the left side of his own hard, muscled male form was going to drive him insane! And her flawless face was merely inches from his left side, their lips, if he turned to face her would be merely an inch and a half from one another!

And to really add to the fires in his blood and loins, the scents of both Jura and Dita permeated the air around him, and he was no fool when he could smell them, they smelled very…tempting!

Kyo decided that a single platinum medal wasn't going to be nearly enough! He'd need a crate of those medals to congratulate himself if he ever made it out of this form of sensual torture! Plus he was going to need nearly a half dozen straight jackets to restrain himself before he lost all his moral pretenses and let his hormones take over!

Despite the fact that there was a large fire outside, and a pair of salvaged small heater units inside the tent, the two females still moved towards the closest source of heat, namely the hard muscled body of their sole male companion.

Jura smiled in her sleep as he lifted her leg and placed it on Kyo's legs and began to slid her shapely appendage over Kyo's own. She then leaned even closer as her lips came to Kyo's left ear and her lips were only half a millimeter from Kyo's ear. Her voice then came out in a sleepy, seductive tone as she spoke in her sleep.

"Mmmmm…hard, warm…"

She moved closer as her curvaceous, soft form closed on Kyo until not even a hair could pass between them. Kyo felt her breasts on his arm as she came even closer, and her scent was choking his nose. But if he thought that it was only going to be Jura, he was wrong.

Dita likewise was smiling in her sleep as she came closer. Likewise she also came too close, and before Kyo could do anything, she draped her arm over his chest, and when he DID turn…

"Mmmm…"

It turned out that Dita had also leaned forward, and now Kyo found himself kissing the redhead. Despite the fact that she was sleeping, the innocent redhead kissed back. She seemed to be following something she had only dreamed about as she kissed him gently but warmly.

Kyo tried his best not to scream as his hormones ran up to every section of his brain and body. He immediately winced as he realized that his male body was violently reacting to his stimulation as his body, along with a certain male appendage (you KNOW what I'm talking about) as THAT began to make it's presence known. Kyo tried not to move as considering the proximity of the girls to his body made the idea even worse.

Dita moved back in her sleep and licked her lips lightly, making Kyo swear silently as that innocent action made him shiver to the very roots of his composure as she too draped her leg over his.

"Mmmm…Mr. Alien!"

Kyo felt his eyes bug out as Dita spoke her nickname for him, the innocent tone, coupled with a tone of bliss made him even more painfully aware of his still growing and unsatisfied arousal.

(GOD DAMN IT! THIS CAN'T GET ANY WORSE!! COULD IT?!)

As if in answer to his unspoken question, he realized that both girls came even closer, until they were literally nose to nose with him. That was when he saw their hands run over his body, he tried desperately to restrain himself, but then he saw their hands making their way to the south of his body, and it was only a matter of time before they would touch his already aroused…

(DAMN IT! THIS IS WORSE! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!)

"AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!"

If Kyo could see this scene in another way, one thing became apparent to him. It looks like it was going to be a **VERY** long night.

--

Elsewhere…

Barnette was still in a state of agitation while in her tent, insisting that she stay alone, and her current state had something to do with what happened earlier at night. When the team she was in had rested for the night near another high ridge of stones. She had to watch the men take off their upper garments to take advantage of the cool winds to set up camp. It was here that she got introduced to the full form of the male body.

And before she could do anything about it, her mind when back to what she had seen.

Flashback…

"Damn! Thank god the suns are going down and the air's cooler." Barnette said as she got to looking at the setting suns, with the various hues of color from the stars coating the desert sands, the place didn't look all that bad.

"Don't get too comfortable Barnette." Duero said as he got out of his Vanguard. "The winds aren't going to be very gentle for long, and when there's such a storm in this area, a sand-storm might be forming up soon."

Barnette turned to face Duero who was nearby. "What makes you so sure that there's a sand-storm heading this way?"

"The winds in the desert normally pick-up during the night, thought the same thing can happen during the day. The winds can reach speeds up to thirty to fifty kilometers an hour, depending on the heat and weather conditions. We'll need to set up camp near that ridge for protection."

Barnette sighed a bit as they hauled their gear, while Max and Aleck set up their mecha in the same spot. Once that was done, Duero, Max and Aleck got down to the task of protecting their mecha from the sand-storm. But that was when they took advantage of the cool winds and took off the upper half of their clothes.

Barnette had already finished stowing her gear when she turned towards the three men. And when she looked, she couldn't help but gasp silently as she saw for the first time, a trio half naked men, or in reality, she had eyes only on two of them.

Duero's form was tall, tanned, lean, but well muscled, there were some scars on his back and shoulders, but they didn't seem to be bothering the Talark medic. Though Barnette hated the thought of scars, she didn't seem to think that they were ugly on Duero…rather they emphasized the muscle structure of the young man, the scars made him look…more…mature than most. The young man's form was that of lean gymnast and body-builder, not too bulky and over-massed, not too lean and thin either. But a marriage of both, and a VERY perfect marriage of both, his arms were lean as well, but had strong muscles, and so did his broad shoulders. From arms to lower torso, Duero McFile had strong-well built muscles in every aspect.

Barnette felt her body suddenly heat up a bit, so she tried to look away, but saw Max next…

Max's form was the same of his brother, but he had slightly larger, but no less strong muscles from arms, shoulders, and back. His form excluded the same balance as his elder brother. And like Duero, he too had scars, marks from fights, injuries and some looked like weapon marks. Max also had the same mature, experienced aura of his brother, but it was mixed with a strong taint of painful knowledge and first hand experience. He was also blessed with broad shoulders, and also a tall, lean, and tanned form. From top to bottom, Barnette realized that Max was a really well built man.

She began to get both angry and confused as she tried to control these strange feelings in her body. She shook her head and looked at the two brothers, right in the face!

Duero had finally parted the hair that covered the left side of his face…revealing smooth tanned skin. His eyes were totally revealed and it turned out that he had deep amber eyes, almost like copper. His face had sharp angular cheek bones, strong but not too hard definition, and they had a somewhat sleepy look, though he had a sharp analytical and focused look as well, and that caught Barnette's attention of various occasions, though on said occasions, she denied it. On normal women, the looks would have been considered…odd and out of place. But on Duero…it looked just right on him.

Max had no hair covering his face, except for the braid, so Barnette had no trouble looking at him. He had the same facial definition of his elder brother, but his amber eyes were of a lighter, but no less intense shade. He too showed knowledge, but his face showed a sense of sadness and pain that Barnette couldn't help but feel a bit closer too…as if she could relate to the younger brother. Max was in one word to Barnette's mind…attractive.

And before she could stop her unintended examination of the two McFile siblings, she went lower.

The two men were just as well built in the front of their upper bodies, as well as the back. Barnette could help herself but notice the lean but well sculptured muscles on the chest and lower abdominal regions. The two men were strong looking, and it was no surprise that they had the strength as she saw them lift out various supplies from their mecha with no problem, though sweat dripped over them, and to Barnette, the sweat gave a sleek and wet look to their muscular forms, making her unable to look away, despite a part of her saying to do just that.

This went on for over three to eight minutes until Barnette was awakened from her unintended observation of the two brothers by three things. He cool winds becoming colder, the lowering of light, and Aleck's calling of her attention.

"Barnette, you okay?"

Barnette looked at the older man who had put on his upper garment as the cool winds picked up speed. She nodded a bit and went back to her normal response to men, with a scowl.

"Yeah, what do you mean about that?"

Aleck nodded. "Nothing at all, though you had better get there with Duero and Max while they set up camp."

Barnette nodded with a scowl. "Fine!"

Unknown to Barnette…

Aleck gave a bit of a smirk as he had been observing Barnette while the green-haired girl had been observing the two McFile siblings. "If she knew that I was able to tell why she was looking at Max and Duero in that particular fashion. She'd probably slap me and try to kill me."

Aleck then gave a sad look to Max, knowing something about the younger brother's experience in this desert world.

"Just like she did…"

--

End of Flashback…

(Damn it! Why am I suddenly thinking about them?! AND LIKE THAT?!)

Barnette sighed in frustration as she tried to sleep after they all had eaten, but every time she tried to close her eyes, she began seeing Duero and Max in her mind's eye. And she felt her body begin to tingle as her imagination began to run away with her.

As Barnette began to get a sense of relief as her mind began to stop wondering about it, she then went to sleep. But it was then that the images came back. Though this time she began to wonder why she saw herself touching either of the two men…

"What the heck is wrong with me?!"

Barnette then recalled what Jura had told her that she was beginning to like the men. She then violently decided to forget the idea. Though she had to admit, she owed them both an apology. Duero saved her life in the mesa, and if Max didn't stop that single Desert Fang unit, it would have destroyed her Vanguard, along with her. She made up her mind to thank them for what they did for her, and apologize for being a little dense.

--

What she wasn't aware was that the two men in question were also thinking about her…

Duero sighed as he tried to go to sleep, but his mind was pre-occupied by several things. One was on how the others were doing, having since been unable to contact Kyo and the others. He second was on how the Nirvana and the crew were doing, and was Paiway using what he had taught her to the best of her abilities. And the last was Barnette…

In the Nirvana's medical bay, he had examined many females and had seen them without their clothes on, including Barnette and Parfet. However, he had remained professional and showed no reaction to their naked bodies, as he treated them all for injuries and illnesses. Now it was…different. He wasn't thinking about being a doctor, as he thought about most of Barnette's good points, along with her form.

He couldn't help but…admire the softer and gentler lines of her face, unlike the hardened visages of his fellow men on Talark. She seemed so…different from what he had thought about women. Her green hair was in a man-style choice of cut, but it suited her well, and her face was at the least in Duero's frame of mind, without flaw. His thoughts strayed back to when he had treated her wounds and he marveled at the light milky-white complexion of her skin. For the men on his home world, many of them were tanned, due to the harsh rays of the sun.

He then thought of Parfet, her form was lithe and very slender, much like the builds of the other women. She wasn't as…well…well-featured as the girls. To some eyes, Parfet's appearance was plain and ordinary, with her hair in her signature braids, and her over-shaped glasses. But he saw a beauty that was hidden on many occasions. And in his mind, Parfet had a great aura of attractiveness that was merely waiting to be unleashed.

Duero shook his head a little. Just why exactly was he feeling this way for the two women? Barnette and Parfet were very different, for one thing, Barnette had been hostile to him since he and his comrades came onboard the Nirvana, but he couldn't help but notice the fire in her eyes and admire her stubborn will. If not for her gender, her tough-as-nails attitude would have been welcome on his home world of Talark. Parfet on the other hand was open-minded and friendly, and she became is mechanical equal on the Nirvana. Both had been somewhat ambassadors of their own cultures and worlds, same as he and Bart were…in a sense.

(Just what is it about females that fascinates me so much? And why Barnette and Parfet? Is this what Kyo meant about the ancient practices of relationships between men and women? Is it even right for me to THINK of Barnette and even PARFET in this fashion? And why am I feeling this…strange sensation when I look at either of them like this? I wonder… Is this feeling going to last?)

Max thought along the same lines, but for another reason. He had been trapped with women before, but unlike his brother, he only had half of his brother's beliefs about women. Though he agreed with the men of his planet, he also agreed with his brother that they should at the very least try to find out more of their world's so-called enemy. Throughout that period, he had been at odds with his sibling about the beliefs, but after being stuck in this world for over nearly a year, and with a crew of women, he felt that he could now patch those differences. He then felt his mind's eye got to Barnette.

He too had been able to see most of Barnette's attributes, and had to admit one thing, the girl was…attractive. He, like his brother couldn't help but…admire the softer and gentler lines of her face, unlike the hardened visages of his fellow men on Talark. She defied every description of women on his desert home. Her face and appearance was at the least in Max's frame of mind, without flaw. His thoughts strayed back to when he had treated her wounds and he marveled at the light milky-white complexion of her skin. For the men on his home world, many of them were tanned, due to the harsh rays of the sun, including his own and that of his companions.

He too began to develop certain feelings for the short-tempered girl. However, unlike his brother…he had experienced them before…during his exile here on this desolate and hostile world. And he wasn't alone…for the girl that he had these feelings for…felt them towards him too.

But it was already too late for them to try and explore those feelings. They still were in the younger McFile, and for reasons he still didn't understand at time, they were coming back….for…

Both halted their train of thoughts and went to sleep.

--

The next day…

Kyo was totally silent as he checked the gear they had as they were about to reach the communications bunker. After what happened last night, he was not in the mood to face either the girls.

"Aw, c'mon Mr. Alien! We SAID we were sorry!"

Dita pleaded as Kyo continued to work in silence. His back was turned to her, and to Jura. However, a part of her loved the idea of the fact that she had kissed Mr. Alien, though she wanted to see what he had been thinking when she did that. The only thing she didn't like is that she wasn't awake to do it.

"How was I supposed to know that I was doing THAT?"

Jura asked as she tried to plead with Kyo, though she was grinning from ear to ear to herself as she realized that she had nearly gotten Kyo to give her his seed.

Kyo sighed and got to turn and face both Jura and Dita

"I told you before Dita, I don't want to talk about last night! Please, don't think I'm being harsh on you, but try not to do that again. You too Jura, I'm not going to do another repeat performance of what happened, but did you girls take stock of what we have to work with?"

Jura nodded. "We've gotten all the survival gear from the stuff we salvaged from both our Vanguards and the supply cache. We've got enough survival gear and medical gear for a good number of days at the least."

"What about food and water?"

Dita continued. "Well…if you count the pills as food, we've got enough for over seven to ten days worth. As for water, we've got enough for three days, from the supply cache. Plus the leftover meat of that creature you caught Mr. Alien, we've got enough meat to last a good fifteen hours."

"You will be able to cook a few more of that alien creature for us tonight, right?" She asked Kyo. "You could find us some more water too, won't you?"

Kyo was a little bit surprised at the fact that Jura was now willing to consume an alien cow creature, considering that last night she wouldn't even look at one. Kyo nodded a bit.

"I can try that and catch another tonight, but you two don't need to eat too much of it, we've got enough left over, but you both should be prepared to chow on those pills and the rations. I know the stuff might taste terrible to you girls, but believe me, eating those will be a LOT better than slowly starving to death and being eaten by something else. The men of Talark had that as their staple meals, and they're just fine eating that.

"What about water?" Dita asked.

"Well…I've gone some checking about with Infinite-Freedom's bio-scanners and I've found some green plants, meaning there's a hidden spring nearby or further. Before we all left, Duero and I did some preliminary scans on the surface and found that there are a good number of hidden springs and oasis scattered all over the area we're stuck in. But they'll take at least half a day on foot, and that's our current target before we finish and get to the communications bunker."

"We don't have to!" Jura insisted. "We've got Infinite-Freedom with us and it could fly us to the springs!"

"Whoa! I hate to disappoint you Jura, but that's out of the question." Kyo answered. "I did some full systems checks on my Gundam, and although it's still at 100 operational capacity, we can't risk using the Gundam for the trip. The EM interference is messing up the navigational systems, operating systems, and sensors, though the Neutron Jammer Canceller is busy filtering them out, and we still have them. We will still be flying partly blind all over the desert looking for the springs. Then there's the barrier that the AI system had set up all over the planet. The dampening field's causing up some fluctuations in Infinite-Freedom's power and relay networks. Until then, Infinite-Freedom will need to be updated with some filtering software for the systems and OS before my Gundam's good for a longer battle. Plus, I won't be surprised if the AI will be using aerial surveillance systems to find us, and being in the Gundam can make things harder. Thankfully, the supplies I had for some time will finally come in handy."

"What do you mean?" Dita asked.

"I went to this planet named Hyrian 4, the locals there are masters in stealth and camouflage. After I dealt with some of their problems, including a raid by some agents of an unknown force, they came in peace and handed me some items. Some of these included an electronic/photographic camouflage tarp, I'll use it to cover Infinite-Freedom and hide both it's appearance and electrical emissions from the enemy."

Kyo then unwrapped from a small storage locker/box he had with him, a mesh style blanket. He then spread it out until it became a massive tarp and it was wide and large enough to cover a Dread. He then removed a small strip from the top of the tarp and stepped back. To the two girls' amazement the tarp changed from the normal dull gray color, into the color of the sand dunes all around them. ()

"Whoa! That is COOL!" Jura gushed as she looked at it. If it hadn't been for a small red strip on the edges, she would have thought the tarp wasn't even there along with the Gundam.

"Yeah! You have so many NEAT things Mr. Alien!"

"The virtue of being prepared, Dita."

Kyo smiled as he then began to climb over his Gundam with powerful, but graceful leaps, carrying the tarp, and began covering the Gundam quickly. While he had been in the Nirvana, he had improved his training to include near to impossible gymnastic moves that defied normal physical limits on occasion. Kyo's rapidly evolving genes and physical attributes gave him a fierce edge, which he knew that with time and training, he could master them to the fullest.

Once he was done, he went back to the locker and removed three more items. Once he did so he opened them and they became similar to ponchos that flowed like liquid sand, effectively copying the movements of the desert world's environment.

"WOW!" Dita and Jura said with amazed eyes.

"These are some special camouflage ponchos I got from Hyrian as well. These ponchos have the ability to meld with the surrounding environment. These will come in handy since we'll need to walk to get the water. We then move back here and get to the communications bunker. I've handed the some of these also to Barnette, Max, Duero, and Aleck. These not only hide you from observers, but they are hard to penetrate, and are non-heat absorbent, that'll keep you cool while we travel, since you two don't want to use the flight-suits, these will help you deal with the heat. "

"Do you think they'll be all right?"

The redhead inquired as she and Jura got on the ponchos. Both girls had decided to wear their normal clothes, despite the fact that those didn't offer much protection. Kyo didn't hold it against them, but gave them some protective sun-block from Talark. Though the stuff smelled bad, Jura and Dita followed Kyo's advice to use the lotion, since it really protected them from the harmful rays, especially in areas of their body where the poncho couldn't cover. They knew that they could trust Kyo, and he would never lie or leave them.

"Of course they're all right!" Jura said confidently. "If I know Barnette, then she's probably half way to the supply base right now. She's tough and she's not the type of person to allow a little desert to stop her."

"Well…I think that Duero, Aleck and Max have got a better chance at surviving out there than Barnette, I'm not insulting your friend's skills or determination or anything Jura, but…" Kyo began.

"What do you mean Mr. Alien?"

"What do you mean about that Kyo?" Jura asked, with curiosity. Before she would have been angry at anybody belittling Barnette. But she knew Kyo had a reason for saying things.

Kyo paused before speaking. "It's not because Duero, Max, and Aleck are men that I believe that they'll survive. It's because of the fact that what they all have endured all their lives. Just think about it. We're speaking about three people who've been born and raised in a world just as hostile, if not more so than this one. Duero, Max, and Aleck's ancestors were not as technologically supplied when they came to Talark and founded their home. They don't have the comforts that you girls on Megele take for granted and enjoy. They had to rely on what they had brought with them and their own innate survival instincts. Judging from what I've learned on Talark first hand, they did an excellent job for over three generations. Their technology may not be as advanced, nor is their food tastier as you girls have, but they have endured EVERYTHING that their world has thrown against them. Trust me, they are all survivors and I'm very sure they'll look out for Barnette."

(Though I have a feeling that Barnette's not going to like it very much.)

Kyo thought as he still knew that despite her change of attitude, Barnette STILL had her pride. He only hoped that she will give it up soon.

--

Sure enough…nearly half a day from the supply base…

"WHAT DO YOU ALL MEAN I CAN'T WASH UP?!"

Barnette had been all set to apologize for all the two siblings had done when her traveling companions dropped that bombshell on her. All of them were now normally clothed and were getting ready to set out into the desert.

Duero shook his head as he stowed away the precious canteens of water into his pack.

"I'm sorry Barnette, but we've got to conserve as much water as we can, at least until we can find some more. We can ill-afford to waste any water right now."

It was nearing mid morning, and the temperature was going all the way past the eighties. The tents had been quickly and efficiently taken down and formed into a small bundle on the three men's backs. Slung over Duero's shoulder was his rifle and medical satchel. All the men had already worn their ponchos, given to them by Kyo during their retrieval of the supplies.

Max and Aleck had already hidden their mecha since it would be better that they secured the supply base, and then bring the mecha there, as to avoid enemy scanners. They also knew that some supply bases had sleeper traps nearby, and from bloody encounters with the said traps, they were NOT in the mood to face the traps.

"But I always take a shower in the morning!" The green-haired and violet eyed female complained. "In this heat, I'm going to sweat and…smell!" She said that last word with a hushed, angry tone.

The medical officer shrugged his shoulders as he asked. "And your point being?"

"My point? I'm not supposed to smell! I won't stand for having body odor!"

"Why?"

"Why? Because…it's not…right! Back on Megele, you can't go around sweating and smelling too! You'd be laughed at and jeered for hours upon hours! Don't you men take any baths on Talark or something?!"

"Of course we do. But water's a precious resource to us back home, we only take short showers to wash the dirt off. We don't have the luxuries like your…what were they again? Ah, yes, we don't have things like Jacuzzis or steam baths. To us, getting clean is simply washing the dirt off. When there's water shortages, then we ration our supplies to only drinking and medicinal purposes. In any case, I should remind you you're not on Megele anymore, and in this world and climate sweating and body odor are unavoidable."

"I'm aware of that, but…"

"But what? Are you afraid of offending people with your smell?" Aleck asked as he got his own gear.

"Well, yes…"

Max walked over with a serious look, along with his own gear.

"You don't need to worry about that Barnette. There's nobody else here except me, my brother, and our old instructor, and all of us are used to things such as that. I'll be honest with you right now, as a doctor like my brother, I've personally smelled things a GREAT deal worse than just sweaty bodies."

Max paused for a few moments before checking his gear one last time.

"Back home we have a very effective saying. 'You can save your water and be ALIVE, or waste and be clean and DEAD.' I'm certain that going on without a bath for several days won't kill you immediately, and is a lot better than being clean and dead. That's the same things that we told the women, and well…"

Max then trailed off as the others, including Barnette saw a line of pain enter the younger McFile's face.

"Anyway… It's a lot better that you get rid of those ideas about wasting water right now since that can be done later, when we find water here. No doubt there should be a supply of water there."

Max then said as he then reached and took on his poncho's hood. He then handed another poncho to Barnette.

"What's this for?"

"Kyo handed it to us. He knows that we'll all need this while we're walking in the desert. In this kind of heat, it's best to keep your head covered at all times, plus avoiding the hot sands and stinging wind. Sunstroke, blisters, and burns from super-heated sand and high winds are nothing to joke about."

After the men had finished suiting up for the journey, Duero looked to a direction and so did the men. "We'd better get on the move. It's not a good idea to be out in the open like this. The sooner we get to our destination, the safer we are."

Barnette growled a bit and instead of wearing the poncho, merely draped on her shoulders, without securing it tightly. She hefted her own pack on her back, and then slung her rifle over her right shoulder before following the men's

"Why can't we use the mecha and keep going until we get there?"

"Two reasons." Max replied without looking back.

"Which are?" The Megele girl pressed.

"One, we have to maintain absolute stealth while we're out here. The AI army has regular patrols, and after that battle at the mesa yesterday, it won't be a surprise if the patrols are much larger and better armed. Since we're only armed with three mecha, we'll need to avoid being caught, since despite having our mecha units with us, we can't hold off a mixed patrol, even more so if they contact more patrols on us. The second is that since we need to avoid them we'll need to be as inconspicuous as possible. So to avoid alerting the patrols, we have to be going on foot. The AI army will not travel at night due to lack solid power supplies. Since the units of our enemy all use solar power cells, they have to recharge their forces with the power surplus at night. The suns' EM waves, coupled with the magnetic polarities, and radioactive pulses from space make it hard for their forces to be all that effective despite them being conditioned to withstand all the irregularities here, so the units burn up their energy on patrols, and have to return to base and recharge. That's why we have to avoid traveling with the mecha units. We can acquire our mechs once we've been able to avoid their patrols, plus we've installed special beacons so we can find them."

Barnette hated to admit it, but she couldn't argue with Max's reasoning, as it all made sense. "So how do you know which way it is to the supply base? It all looks the same to me in every direction and you don't have any navigational computers or even a compass!"

Max sighed a bit "A compass is useless on this planet since the magnetic fields are too unstable. Duero's already tried making one, and we've tried that before. Besides, the EM interference has made any other navigational instruments useless. Fortunately, we all took a bearing reading when we crashed here all those months ago, and I know that we need to head in that direction to get to the supply base. The maps we've made helped us all while we were here."

"How do you even know that you're heading for the base?!"

The younger man replied. "We've been there before, and we've always made sure to recall as much as we can. Our maps have been based on this world's geographical data. Plus the suns always rise at the north, and the supply base is at the northwest. So it makes sense we'd head in that direction and head in a western direction. Right?"

Barnette was struck dumb with his simple and straightforward answer.

--

After a few hours later…

Barnette was NOT IN A GOOD MOOD and she had wasted little time in making her displeasure know to either Max or Duero.

It was hot, but she couldn't do anything about it. She was sweating and smelling bad, but she couldn't do anything about that either. Her deodorant and anti-perspirant had been in left behind in her ruined Vanguard and were destroyed. She was starting to develop sunburn and the men warned her that her regular clothes left too much of her body exposed to the harsh rays of the five suns, and she found that it was true, she knew that she should have worn the poncho when Max told her to, but said to him it was too big and made her look like she had a burlap sack as clothes, plus it was lost in the environment when it was blown away by the winds. Duero had offered her some Talark sun block lotion, but the prideful and stubborn girl refused to take it. She stated that it smelled bad and looked like black tar, never mind the fact that she didn't smell like roses at the moment. Plus the burns she got from the stinging sands that struck her made her even more uncomfortable.

Her feet were aching as her boots were never designed for long distance hiking, the soles and sides were thin, which allowed the heat of the sand to be partly transmitted through. This also meant that any sharp foreign objects, more importantly fangs, claws, and stingers would have no trouble piercing those boots. Many men on Talark have died because of being stung or bitten by poisonous desert dwellers that were able to penetrate their footwear. As a rule, good solid, durable boots were a must for such a harsh wilderness. And the flight suit also had strong built-in boot like features, and that was among the things Barnette had discarded early on.

Duero knew that he, his brother, and his old mentor had a spare pair of combat boots of such design with thick soles that Barnette could have used if she decided to drop the suit. They were oversized for her slender feet, but stuffing the extra spaces with cotton and gauze would fix the problem with no difficulty. But the girl refused them. She said she'd rather burn her feet than wear that unfashionable, ungainly, and heavy footgear. At the rate she was going, Barnette won't HAVE any feet to stand by the end of the day. The two medics were ready to treat the blisters she was no doubt going to receive.

The elder McFile physician was often mystified at the obsession that females have with enhancing their own appearances and prestige, at the cost of common sense. Granted that some applications of make-up made them look more pleasant to look at, but one could only take vanity so high before it became more trouble than it was worth. Duero had talked to Gascogne, and the head supplier had related to them the same story she had told to Kyo, as to why the Megele pirates were first formed. Like Kyo, Duero couldn't understand why someone would want the most beautiful garden at the expense of so much precious power and water. So much in fact that an entire residential area was taken out of service, leaving the occupants with no homes.

Now he was getting a good look of Megele mentality in Barnette, when she refused the practical sun block, poncho, and boots, simply because they were ugly to her. He also suspected that it was out of pride as well as to why she refused help from him, being a man. Apparently she wanted to show that she was just as tough as he was.

Her spirit was admirable, but totally blinded by her pride and way of thinking. That much Duero could tell. Already her pace was slowing down and he could tell her feet were sore. She was just not used to this kind of environment or terrain.

Max also sighed as he gazed at the determined young woman. Over his own months of exposure to women since being stranded on this world, he had also seen the mentality of Megele in the women that were stuck with him and his comrades as well. He recalled how confused he had been when he heard about how much resources the women wasted on things that made little to no sense to him. So much for so little and so trivial to the need to live in this universe. He also recalled how he had tried to defend his world's culture against the women, and he recalled how hard it had been to convince women the value of conserving supplies.

The mentality of the women he had been with had caused a great deal of friction in the initial months of the exile he and the others had endured. But though it took a long time, they all learned about what was truly important, but sadly it was already too late. Namely for her…

Max shook his head as he moved on, he knew that they would arrive soon to the base.

As the two made their way past several sand dunes and the ground began to level off, they spotted the base.

It looked like a normal stone out-cropping, but there was a gate and it would only take them a few minutes to use the special over-ride keys that Max and Aleck had taken. As the base came in sight, they all began to pick up the pace. The base was underground, so as to avoid possible detection by others, unless they knew about this world's ways well.

Suddenly, Max stopped as he spotted something suspicious in front of them, he then surveyed the area of the ground some ten meters in front of them all. There were some slight, but odd-shaped mounds that piled out in front of them, not to mention that there were some depressions that seemed to indicate something. Aleck and Duero also saw them and decided to halt.

"What now?" Barnette asked irritably. Things couldn't possibly get any worse than it already was. She was tired and sweating, and in a very angry mood.

"Hmmm…" The younger brother said as he checked the area again, and them motioned them to follow him.

"Where are we going? I thought we were going to go straight to the base's entrance?"

"We are, but there's something about this area that bothers me. I'll tell you why once we've circled around and found the secondary entrance…"

"Oh! We don't have the time for this!" The impatient girl snapped as she moved on ahead. "You said that the faster we get the supplies, the better! Well I'm not going to take the long way around!"

The second she stomped forward, the three men immediately spotted a few of the mounds beginning to move, as if in response to Barnette's movements. When Max spotted something poking out of the sand… an eye and a set of limbs in the shape of claws, he knew that they were in trouble! Wasting no time, he dropped his backpack and got out his assault rifle and shouted out while running towards Barnette.

"BARNETTE!"

CLICK!

"WHAT DO YOU…AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

A high pitched roar was heard, as a massive reptilian beast erupted from the sands and lunged at the young Megele female. Barnette backed off, but the weight of her backpack and gear made her top heavy, she stumbled backward, and fell on her bottom. In that instant her fear paralyzed her and didn't even think about the rifle she had with her.

The thing was hideous. It looked like a massive single-eyed snake with a maw of massive teeth. It had a set of frontal limbs with claws that looked like scythes. The more terrifying part was that it looked cybernetic as sections of it's body appeared to be mechanical. It then reared back and was about to take Barnette down with either it's teeth or scythe-claws. (3)

Barnette was about to scream even more when a form appeared and began shooting at the creature. It was Max, he wasted little time as he blasted a few bullets into the creature's one eye. The bio-cybernetic beast roared as it's head was hit by several HE/AP shots, and a second later, the creature's head blew up.

Max then turned and helped Barnette to her feet, while giving her a glare. "What the heck were you thinking?!"

Barnette was able recover from the shock when another creature suddenly burst behind her and Max, intending to take them out. Max saw this and without any hesitation moved Barnette aside to safety… nearly getting killed in the process.

"AAAAHHH!!"

Barnette turned at the sound of agony and saw one of the creature's claws piercing Max McFile on the left shoulder. Apparently he had dodged the claw intent on piercing Barnette on the back, but he was a bit slow and got the claw into his shoulder. Barnette screamed as she saw the sight.

Gunfire rang behind her as Aleck and Duero fired at the creature. The shots had caused the limb that held Max to fall off in a gory mix of organic bone and circuits, making the creature scream in pain, before being reduced to shredded meat and metal by the combine gunfire.

Barnette saw Max stagger forward, despite his wound and the claw that was still in his shoulder ….it was there she realized that if he didn't move her out of the way, she would have been killed by the creature's claws. She rushed up to Max and tried to help him to his feet.

"Get out of here Barnette!" Max shouted as he was still in pain, blood had come out from his wound and drenched Barnette's arm, but she didn't seem to care.

"No!"

The two turned as they heard more roars as three more of the horrors attacked from behind. Max pushed Barnette aside and killed one of the horrors, but not before the creature slashed at his chest, making the younger McFile stagger back in pain as blood once more flowed out of a long wound on his chest.

"MAX!" Barnette shouted in horror, along with her was the screams of Duero and Aleck.

Duero and Aleck continued to open fire at the creatures and take out the ones that escaped from the sands. They continued to fire to ensure that there would be no more of the serpentine horrors. The creatures gave harsh cries as they were destroyed, in regular intervals, both Duero and Aleck changed magazines when they ran out of bullets. Barnette however didn't notice as she tried to help the wounded man who was still alive, but was bleeding badly. The Megele girl was in tears as she tried her best to help the man that saved her life twice, nearly losing his own in the process in front of her.

With a final parting shot, the last of the vile creatures was blown to gory pieces. The medic and combat instructor stood there, silent for a moment, intently scanning if more of the creatures were nearby and aiming their rifles rifle. When no sign was seen, they quickly got to both Barnette and Max as they got their injured comrade to the base. Once they got there, they over-rode the security protocols of the base and rushed to try and save the injured Max.

--

Much later…

Duero nodded as he assessed his brother's condition. It had taken him several hours, but he was finally able to stabilize his brother's vital signs. Currently, the younger man was in a special medical unit and was asleep. The thing resembled a high-tech bed but had a glass casing to cover the body, except the head. The device covered his brother in a vat of special medical fluid that began to ease away the pain his brother was in. They were lucky to have found the medical station when they came in. Duero immediately went to treating his brother, and told Barnette to help Aleck, but the Megele girl refused and wanted to help, and help she did. With her help, he was able to keep his brother from going into internal bleeding and trauma. He sighed as he had another person to deal with as he stepped out of the medical station.

Barnette was outside of the medical station, sitting in silence. He had treated her burns, and blisters with some soothing salves. Her sun-burn was treated with the lotion and most of the other injuries were easy to treat, plus he knew that she hated scars, so his treatments allowed him to make sure that there would be no marks. However, until Max was fully healed of his wounds, they had to stay for a day and a half. Aleck knew that what they fought with was called a sleeper trap. The creatures were designed from the creatures that were native to the desert and had been changed to act as traps by the AI forces, when they were killed, they had sent a signal to their master…the AI entity of the planet's AI army of their location, and in less than two and a half days, the enemy would be on top of them.

Currently, they were all in the base. The base had come complete with what they needed, medical supplies, weapons, convoy trucks of the hover type, power packs, spare parts, living quarters, a well stocked cafeteria, hangers, a repair bay and their own communications center. The desert winds outside were blowing gently, but Duero knew that those were signs of a fierce sandstorm, from all his experience back home.

He looked at Barnette, with her knees brought up to her chest and her arms were wrapped around them. She was trembling slightly and her head was bowed down. Ever since her encounter with the cybernetic behemoth desert snakes, Barnette was silent and felt…humbled for the first time in her life. It was as if the attacks were a wake-up call of sorts. The reality of her situation was drilled into her in the most frightening way possible, and she was totally unprepared for it. Her tough girl appearance was stripped away and revealed the frightened and unsure side of her personality. She had never felt so helpless as she had a few hours ago. In her mind, she could still see the hideous cybernetic creature impaling her with it's claws and doing only the gods knew what to her, and she wouldn't have been able to do anything about it. If it hadn't been for Max running to her aid and his excellent shooting skills, she would have been dead.

But he nearly paid a high price for rescuing her, and the price was his life. Duero and Aleck also saved her, and if it wasn't for them Max and her would be dead.

"Barnette?"

The girl was snapped out of her reverie as she looked at the man nearby and gazing at her with a very concerned expression. The Megele girl couldn't figure out this man. He was a living enigma, just like Kyo was. On the very day they met, she had treated him with extreme rudeness, and yet he cared for her safety and well being like his longtime friend. Not once did he ever utter a harsh word at her. He had treated her with the same respect that he showed to everyone on the Nirvana. He saved her life and never asked for anything in return.

She then thought of his brother Max. Like his elder brother, the younger McFile was a mystery to her. When she had met the younger McFile, she thought that he would be the polar opposite of his brother. But she was wrong, he didn't speak harshly to her even when she still made some bad comments about men like him, and his world. He showed patience towards her, and offered to help her…despite her denials. He treated her with the same respect his brother showed her. And he nearly died saving her.

Why? Why didn't any of them act the way a man from Talark was supposed to act? They were supposed to be crude, stupid, ignorant savages, inferior in all ways to women. That's what she had always believed. She had eventually discounted Kyo from that stereotype, as he was never born on Talark. However, both Duero and Max were born and raised on that world of men, so why didn't either of them fit into that category? Until recently, Bart Garsus fit that profile with no problems.

Both brothers were intelligent and their knowledge of medicine would be considered top notch on Megele. They both reflected discipline and refinement, with a mix of street savvy. Their minds were logical, but also flexible as well. There was no doubt of their courage in battle, which was a far outcry from the belief that all men were cowards. However her mind's eye went back to Max and what he had done for her, ever since they met, and his nearly dying to save her.

"Barnette?" The elder brother asked again, trying to get her attention. It seemed that her mind was a billion light-years away.

Finally, she responded with the quietest of whispers. "Why?"

"Excuse me?"

"Tell me why." She said in a stronger voice.

"Why what?" Duero became confused with her cryptic question.

Barnette lifted her head and her eyes shimmered with moisture. The Talark medic was shocked to see the normally tough Dread pilot in the verge of shedding…tears?

"After all that I've done to you…after everything I've ever said about men and you…and what…I…did and said to Max…and what…happened…to your brother…because of me." At that point, she was unable to hold back a lone tear that flowed down her cheek. "…why do you still consider me…as someone you would risk your life to save? To even take care of and heal? Why do you consider me…as…a person worth saving…. After…I nearly…got your…own…brother…killed?" At that point her voice was starting to crack.

Duero caught on to her meaning and did not answer for a long while. After a few minutes of silence, aside from the howling wind currents outside the base as it began to build up, he finally replied. "I think of you as a person to be saved and called a friend…since for all the time we were together…Neither me or my brother have never considered you…as an enemy."

The simplicity of the answer struck a chord deep in Barnette's soul as she was shaken to the core. Then she reacted…

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

Before Duero could do anything, Barnette was on her feet and embracing him with every ounce of strength she could muster. She buried her face deep into his hard-muscled chest and cried harder than she ever did in her life. The medic found himself at a complete loss on what to do with a weeping female. As she cried her heart out, he decided that she needed to let it all out to deal with the traumatic experience with the cybernetic snakes. He let his own arms encircle her and give her the comfort she needed. Instead of pulling away like he expected her to do, she instead held tighter and continued to cry.

--

In the communications bunker's outside areas…

"Do you think Barnette and the others are all right?" Dita asked.

"I've no doubt that they're okay." Kyo said as he turned the spit on their evening meal, which was some of the leftover meat. They had arrived at the communications bunker early at night in Infinite-Freedom. Kyo was spared the trouble of being in the cock-pit with Dita and Jura on either side of him, when the suns set, allowing the air to cool, this allowed the girls to sit in the Gundam's hands. The communications bunker was in a massive outcropping of hollowed stone. They had found the bunker, and decided to rest for the night after entering the bunker and getting the power online. The team rested outside with the stone shielding them from the sands.

"So how do you all like the meat? Medium rare, or well-done?"

--

On the other side of the wastelands…

After crying her heart out and feeling a little bit better afterwards. Barnette and Duero faced each other and began to have a long and overdue talk.

"I'm…sorry."

"For what?" Duero asked, a little puzzled and surprised.

"For insulting you…for ignoring all your advice… looking down on you. Hell, for just about everything I've ever said and done to you, especially after you saved my life. I…I really messed up bad, didn't I?"

"No, I wouldn't say that."

Barnette shook her head. "I would. It was because of me that you had to waste precious magazines of ammunition and a good deal of our medical supplies….and…"

"Well, that couldn't be avoided…"

"No, it could have been if I wasn't so stubborn, prideful, impatient, stupid, and thickheaded!"

"Well, I'll admit to you being stubborn and you could use some lessons in having patience, but I'm not going to say you're stupid or thickheaded Barnette. We're all capable of learning, if we are willing to learn. You've made some errors in judgment and…had to learn the results of those errors the hard way. However, you did learn from those mistakes, so it's not a total loss."

"It was a big enough loss." Barnette maintained as she felt like crying again. "We don't have enough time before the enemy will be on top of us…all because of my pride and impatience…and that nearly…" Barnette sobbed a bit more as she recalled the state Max was in.

"I can tell you Barnette that my brother is not angry at you for what you did. He told me so himself, so I do accept your apology, but when you get the chance; you should apologize to Max as well."

Barnette nodded, she did owe Max that much for what happened between them. She was happy that Duero forgave her, but she hoped that Max will forgive her for her stupid pride and thick-headedness.

"Plus you need to listen to the advice I give you now. I learned in my youth that it didn't matter how I looked, all that matters that I was alive, I can always wash up later. It would do you a lot of good to drop all notions of vanity, because they won't help you out here. The predators and scavengers do not care if you are the most beautiful or the most ugly prey on this world of theirs. To them, food is food, no matter what it's appearance. Furthermore, just because something looks, tastes, or smells bad, doesn't mean that it's useless." He then took out the spare combat boots, the poncho he recovered and the spare tube of Talark sun block. He placed the items in front of Barnette.

The Megele female silently took the offerings and nodded. If she had been wearing the boots in the first place, then she would have worn them to avoid all the blisters on her feet when she discarded the flight-suit. Furthermore she wouldn't be nursing a bad case of sunburn if she accepted using the Talark sun block lotion, along with the burns from the sand and wind if she had put on the poncho and secured it. She placed the boots, poncho, and sunscreen off to one side, and gazed at the healer, excepting to be chided and reprimanded again, which she deserved for all her blunders.

However, the healer gave her a small smile. "Don't think I'm being harsh to you Barnette for pointing out your mistakes. I'm only telling you what you need to know it you want to survive what lies ahead of us. I'm going to be truthful to you. We've got a long, and difficult journey ahead, and at times you might want to give up and just die. This is going to be worse than anything you've ever faced before, and if you lose, you lose forever. Plus listen to my brother and Aleck, they've survived here for a very long time and you can learn a lot from them and not just from me. Do you understand me?"

Jura's friend nodded without any hesitation. "As long as you and others there to teach me, then I can handle this…even without the things from my home-planet."

"Good. I need to leave you for a while. I need to check in with Aleck and see what we can get to use out here, once we meet up with Kyo and the others. Plus, you should go to Max and talk to him."

Barnette nodded as she stepped into the Medical Bay…

Duero nodded at the sight, and began to recall what Barnette had done all those months ago when her actions resulted in Kyo's death. He sighed and walked away to help his old mentor and hoped that Barnette will learn from that experience, and this one.

--

Max looked up as he was awakened from his sleep. He felt his body begin to heal up as the medical fluids aided in his body's natural healing processes. He then saw Barnette, who seemed to be moving towards him in a hesitant and somewhat embarrassed manner.

Barnette felt totally sad about this mess. She recalled the time her pride and jealousy had gotten Kyo killed long ago, and what she had learned too late about the man that she hated had lost more than she ever had. She guessed she was lucky that whatever had saved Kyo from death allowed her to ask forgiveness from him.

Now she was going to do the same, this time however, it was to someone that began to occupy her mind, and she realized that this was the same as when Jura had Kyo on her mind about having a child with the Gundam pilot. She knew that it was also different, she had seen this man nearly lose his life for her, she who didn't give a lot of respect towards men from his planet, and didn't listen to advice that could have saved her all the hurts that she had now. She also saw first-hand how foolish she had been, and seeing the results of her actions, Max nearly dying in front of her, made her want to at the least try and receive the same forgiveness from the younger sibling of Duero. Though a part of her feared that he would hate her for what she had gotten him into, and she knew that she deserved it.

"Barnette, are you all right?" Max asked as he looked at the young Megele girl sit near him with some tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry…If I listened to you instead…and tried to be patient. You wouldn't have been…"

Barnette's tears came back as she recalled how much pain Max had endured when they had to remove the snake creature's claw that was still in his shoulder. She sobbed as she recalled how much suffering Max had to go through when the limb was removed. It had taken all her will not to throw up at the sight, and that totally frightened her. Despite that, she forced herself to try and help Max, and due to Duero's instructions, he was able to pull through.

"It's okay…" Max said calmly as he looked at the sobbing woman near him. "I know what you were going through; I was with people like you for a long time you know."

"I know…but how can you…forgive me…me who nearly got you torn apart by those…horrors. All because of my pride… and stubbornness?"

"I learned this…philosophy if one could call it. It went…'It's human to be angry and to hate…but it's also human to forgive and to redeem.' I know that you are a person, and I know that you were never trained in this world. So, yes I forgive you, even after that incident. That's what I believe in…you and I are part of the human race, and despite our differences, we have to work together to live. There's nothing different about us men and women at all…We all live in this universe, and we have to live. I will say this Barnette, there's nothing left to forgive between you and me. So you must learn to forgive yourself for what you did wrong."

Barnette sobbed a bit more as she knew that it was the truth. When Kyo died, it took a lot of effort for her to gain forgiveness from some of the crew for her mistakes. Now…she had to forgive herself for what she had done. Kyo forgave her, and they became somewhat friendly rivals on thoughts and opinions. Now, she wanted forgiveness from two men she knew she began to admire. Both siblings forgave her without bias, now she must learn to forgive herself for what she had done. She looked at Max and saw that he wouldn't ever lie to her about him forgiving her.

Barnette looked up to Max, wiped away her tears and smiled. "Thank you."

Max smiled too. "You're welcome…And I think that you should stop crying now…Tears don't suit you at all. A smile or a laugh is more appropriate for you…don't you think?"

Barnette smirked a bit, and sighed. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were giving me a compliment Max McFile."

"And what if I am?"

Barnette didn't know why, but she then came forward and kissed Max on the cheek. "Then I take it without question."

Max sighed as he went to sleep, tired as he still needed to heal.

Barnette felt tired, and decided to sleep as well, right next to Max's bed.

A few hours later, Duero came in and saw Barnette near Max's bed sleeping while sitting on a chair. He smiled a bit as he saw the look of happiness in Barnette's face. It meant that she found forgiveness from Max…and for herself. He took out a blanket and covered the sleeping Megele girl.

As he went to the supply base's nearby living quarters after that visit to the Medical bay. He wondered and prayed that the Nirvana was safe, along with everybody else…

Namely a certain spunky engineer…

--

To be continued…

Chapter 5- Part-2 Journey of Life is finally finished. As you can see, this chapter is rather full of surprises and some rather…ah…interesting moments. This is the run-down of all the events.

The Nirvana's still trying to find a way to escape, and they WILL escaper soon, though what will the do to accomplish that is still up for debate. And yeah, the scene between Max and Barnette is a little vague… so if anybody's got some ideas on how to make it better, then call me via e-mail and hand your suggestions.

By the way…if anybody has a FLAME to throw at me, then you had better forget about me stopping to write this story. If you've got nothing better to do with your time, then please do not bother me about that detail and bother someone else. But if you've got a constructive criticism, then I'll listen, but make sure it's an OBJECTIVE critique, if you send me one without a basis, then you wasted both my time and yours…okay?

The scene might tell you all this much, if you were expecting a romance between Barnette and Duero, then I'm sorry but that's not going to happen any time soon…at least not in the traditional sense as Barnette shows admiration for Duero, but the more tender feelings are heading in Max's direction. I'll talk about Max's life in exile with Aleck and the crew of men and women, and we'll be introduced to a character that played a strong part in Max's life, she's the one who made Max change his beliefs about women. And Duero and Parfet will STILL be a couple here, so when the Nirvana escapes, I'll work on their relationship too.

The scene with Jura and Dita snuggling up to Kyo might have made some of you readers laugh and some other guys envious, (I know the feeling since I WAS jealous of Kyo). Kind of makes you wonder what else could have happened if Kyo didn't scream, eh? (Wink!) More shenanigans soon in the coming chapters!

This concludes Chapter 5 Part 2- Journey of Life!

The next chapter in this story is Chapter 5 Part 3- The Morpheous and The Switchblade. If anybody wants to know this chapter's secrets…then don't try to find it yet, you'll spoil the whole surprise if you do!

() A bit of a trivia creature, still haven't got a name though.

() Got the idea from Star Wars: The Courtship of Princess Leia, read this book if you can. It's a great read.

() Think a Hydralisk of StarCraft without the spitting, and you've got this one!


	8. Chapter 8

GunDread SEED The Second Stage

Disclaimer: All weapons, Mobile Suit designs, Dread schematics, belong to either Gundam SEED or VanDread, so don't ask me to help you design the stuff written here. I'm a writer, not an arms dealer!

( ): Thoughts

Chapter 5

Part 3

The Morpheous and the SwitchBlade

--

The next day…

The Nirvana's Conference Room…

"So you believe that if we can secure one of the Lancer Platforms, then we can escape, Kyo?" Magno asked the young Gundam pilot. They were happy to learn that Kyo and the others were still fine, and though they were shocked to hear that Duero's brother Max had nearly died, it relieved them that the younger sibling was going to recover well.

"That's the closest I can figure. The enemy will no doubt defend the Lancer Platforms very well. I think that there might still be a way we can win this battle. But until Barnette and the others get back here, we can't move just yet."

BC nodded as she checked the latest tactical data sent to them by Kyo. "From what we can figure, the closest Lancer Platform is the one with the lower number of enemy forces, but has the highest defensive emplacements." BC then displayed the data in front of both Kyo and the Captain.

"The best chance we have is to launch a coordinated air and land assault on the defensive forces and the defensive net that the platform has. But the problem is that many of the Nirvana's offensive capabilities are badly dented. The Dreads are useless as air support since they were never built for atmospheric combat. The Crusader Squadron has been able to be up to speed on land warfare tactics, but none of them have the battle-field experience and reaction time that the members in Kyo's landing Party have. And we can't risk losing any member of the Nirvana since we need everyone safe and alive to reach Talark and Megele. Bart's use of the Nirvana's cannons are our only effective offensive weapons at this point and it would be too much for Bart to be in a pitched battle as of now. According to Paiway, he's got enough strength, but he's not fully healed yet, we can't afford to lose him now."

Magno looked at the plans and agreed with Buzam's assessment. "BC is right; our ability to strike seems to be severely limited right now. We're going top need some sort of ace in the hole to escape this one. What do you have in mind Kyo?"

Kyo nodded as he spoke to the Captain and the Commander.

"There just might by a way. As far as I can tell, the AI army is just as it is…machines all run via AI computers. That's the key flaw, since they operate just like a one brained organism; destroy the brain, and the body dies."

BC and Magno were surprised at that. "You want to launch an attack on the AI command center itself? You realize that we don't have that kind of a standing force at the moment…"

"I'm not suggesting a thing like that BC." Kyo countered, as he went on with his plan. "I believe that if I can manage to hack my way into the AI systems' memory schematics and database I can re-program all the units' combat computers. All I need is to get into a base and hack into their main data-archives and hotwire as many of the enemy units as I can."

Magno nodded as she began to see what Kyo was driving at. "You mean you're going to sneak into a base, and hack into the base's memory cores, and hack into the OS of all the base's current standing forces, and re-program as many of them as you can, so they can fight for us."

"Yes, that's precisely the plan I have in mind Grandmother. As far as I can figure, the AI data-drives of all the enemy forces have to be uploaded with new combat and response protocols from the main AI entity. From what I was able to salvage from the units I trashed with the others, this idea of hacking and re-programming them is very viable, as the bases in our sector and some of the outlying areas are interdependent systems. They are independent in achieving their combat objectives, but they are still dependent to the main system for advanced combat directives, objectives, and tactical updates. All I have to do is change the data streams being fed to the base's memory cores…"

"And when the base's military forces arrive to gain new tactical updates to their OS software, they'll gain the new programming as well. Along with the other bases as they will also download doctored data into their units." BC nodded as she saw the plan in mind. "So instead of facing us as the enemy, you can update them to fight their own forces."

"Yeah… this will also be a lot easier once it's done. In this fashion, we can avoid losing anybody and this can go even further with the right timing and programming. I'll need Parfet's help on this, and I have an idea on how to make our Crusader pilots fight here on this world." Kyo said as he fed the data to the Nirvana.

--

Magno and BC nodded as they read the plan made by Kyo. This by far seemed more effective than potentially losing various pilots and valued crew-members in a pitched planetary battle…even more so if they can avoid the Harvester Fleet heading their way.

"This is the strongest plan we have to work with at this point. We'll need to move fast if this will work."

'Roger…I'll get everything organized on my side and we can make it out of here. Once the others arrive, we'll begin to smoothen it all out."

--

In the communications bunker…

Kyo sighed as he ran over his plan, once he cut communications with the Nirvana. He was happy that he was able to salvage more than enough data from the wrecks a few nights before and found the flaws of their enemy. This plan by far was very risky to many others, so he decided to run the plan once more as to make sure that he could at the least avoid great risks to those he cared about.

As far as he could recall, the plan may have some flaws. The one thing is that the AI entity may try to over-ride the data downloads, but the computer had some limits, and his growing mental abilities were, in his mind, more than enough for this task. Though it would be cutting it close as he didn't have the speed of a computer's rapid data updates, but it was the only way to avoid losing any member of the Nirvana's crew.

He sighed a bit as he left the communications room and went to the back of the bunker, but not before linking his communicator to the alert system of the communications equipment. He then typed in a pass-word to the other door of the bunker, and when the door opened. He found himself in a massive underground city-town. They had found the medium sized city early in the morning and it was apparently connected to the communications bunker, and both the girls were happy to see signs of civilization. He went to a nearby structure and saw Dita and Jura sighing as they took in the AC of the building which was a restaurant; it was already a well stocked place. And Dita was behind the counter, and cooking some food.

Dita smiled as she saw her object of affections, while wearing an apron.

"Hey Mr. Alien, you want to get something to eat?" Dita said as she was cooking food for her best friend and Kyo. Kyo had to admit one thing, Dita was a great cook and it made him smile to see the bubbly redhead cooking to her heart's content.

"Sure, don't mind if I do."

Kyo sat down beside Jura as the blonde was taking in a dish filled with fresh vegetables, she sighed as took in her dish with bliss. The blonde apparently loved to eat low fat foods, and her hunger was being satiated by the fresh produce dish. And Kyo knew that it really helped maintain the blonde Dread pilot's figure.

Kyo sighed as he tried to avoid those thoughts. After what he went through in the tent over a day ago, he was in NO mood to be thinking about those things. The last thing he needed was to be reminded on how close he came to dropping his morals and just…

Kyo swore once more to himself mentally as he willed himself to calm down. He then took the meal Dita made for him, which was warm bread, butter and fruit slices. Kyo went at it and began to eat his meals well, and without rushing at all.

Jura then faced him and spoke. "Any chance we can check in on the others, Kyo?"

Dita perked up at the thought, she wanted to see how Barnette and the others were as well. "Yeah, can we check up on them Mr. Alien?"

Kyo nodded as the three of them decided to go back to the bunker and get into contact with Barnette and the others. Jura was getting worried over her best friend, and hoped that she was fine.

--

At the supply base…

Duero nodded as he began to check in with Kyo as the young Gundam pilot called in.

"Max is okay, and so is Barnette, he's healed all his wounds and Barnette's helping him recover from the battle. Aleck and I have done some salvaging and we've managed to gather what we need. Plus…"

"Plus what?" Kyo asked the young doctor.

"We've uncovered some older wrecks while out in the desert and we've gotten some new weapons with us. They appear to have belonged to a group of scientists that were lured here as well. And they appear to be Gundam types as well."

Kyo looked surprised at that statement.

"Gundams?"

Duero nodded in agreement as he began to recount what had happened less than a few hours during dawn. He along with Aleck had done to retrieve the mecha using a pair of hover trucks, when they made the discovery of the downed weapons vessel…

--

"We'll need to move back soon to Barnette and the Max, as soon as we get the mecha units on the trucks, we'll need to move out as quickly as possible." Aleck said as he ran a quick diagnostic on his mecha, and that of Max's Templar Gundam. The mecha along with Duero's own Vanguard had been hidden in the ridge with the nearby ridge using a number of the same photographic camouflage tarp Kyo had used before to hide his own Infinite-Freedom. They were happy that the Gundam pilot had brought along quite a few spares from his journeys long before being part of the Nirvana's crew.

"Understood. I'll need to get back and check on my brother's condition and see if the medical treatments have helped with is body's natural healing processes. I'll check the area and make sure that we don 't have company on us." Duero replied as he climbed the ridge-line and used a pair of binoculars from a survival kit.

As far as he could see, there were no sign of enemy patrols, or surveillance units in the area, not much as far as he could…wait…

Duero focused his binoculars' field of vision using some dials to change the lens settings and increase the night vision mode. He didn't know why, but it seemed that there was something nearby, at least a few hours away in the eastern direction of their current location. It looked almost like a vessel. Fairly intact and appeared to be…

"Duero…hey…DUERO!"

Duero turned to face his companion who gave the young man a stern look.

"Just what is so interesting out there in the east that's got your attention so much? You do realize that we've got to get moving before we get ambushed?" Aleck asked with a bit of a scowl at his former student. Despite most of Duero's good points, the only flaw in the mind of his old combat instructor was he paid way too much attention to detail.

"Sorry Gunny, but there's some sort of vessel out there, near our direction."

"Really? Any markings and insignia on the ship in question?" Aleck asked as he came to where Duero was. Once he was there he also took out his own pair of binoculars and looked at the vessel.

"None that looks familiar, but there's some old Earth characters…M-R&D. And the vessel's name is Gaia I. Looks like a military vessel."

"R&D? That's the acronym from Research and Development! That must be some sort of weapons vessel! But how come it wasn't here before?"

Duero checked the area once more, and noted all the dunes had collapsed around the ship. "My guess is that too much sand gathered around it that the rest of the previous dunes must have given way to the weight, and the winds could also do just that as well. That must by how it stayed out of sight for so long."

"You're right Duo. Just so you know, we've already gotten Max's Gundam, your Vanguard, and my GuAIZ unit loaded. So you think we should check it out?"

Duero nodded as he let down his binoculars. "Seems like a good idea to me. But we'll have to make the search quick, there's only four hours before dawn."

"Good, you drive the truck and tow the other one. I'll fly top cover."

--

Later…

The ship's interior looked totally deserted as Duero and Aleck made their way in the derelict vessel. Most of the ship had been totally gutted and looked to have been the sight of one heck of a gun-fight.

Duero nodded with some disgust as he moved one of the bodies to the side, revealing one of the same medical drones that nearly turned the Landing party into spare parts for the Harvesters.

"These look like the same models that attacked us in the mesa three days ago."

Aleck nodded as he looked at the humanoid machine. "Yeah, this one's the same as those models that ambushed the rest of the crew me and Max were in, along with the Megele crew. No matter how many times I try and tell myself they're merely drones, I shudder thinking about all the knowledge these things had on human anatomy turned into tools to butcher people. And used by machines meant to heal no less."

"I know…still we can't waste too much time in this. Though we could say a prayer for all the dead that died in here." The medic said as he pointed to patches of blood and bullet casings, showing where the crew of the vessel had made their last stands. The room was filled with broken rifles and spent cartridges. And there were some beam rifles…similar to what the pirates had used when they took over the Ikazuchi all those months ago.

"Yeah, I don't know who died here, male or female, and where they're from, but I guess they can be allowed to rest easier if they had a proper burial prayer."

Both Aleck and Duero put aside their rifles and placed their hands to the front in a gesture like that of ancient Roman Catholic prayer gestures.

"The winds are blowing, the sands are flying"

"The rain comes, and so does the light"

"The bright sun rises, the rays fill the sky."

"All is free and pure"

"The stars glow, and moons color the sky black"

"Night comes and covers the world."

"Joy fades and sadness flows unchecked"

"A life ends in blackness and shadow"

"Life ends and death reigns"

"Yet another life rises and sees the dawn"

"Joy flows and hope is renewed"

"Life and death are one"

"And now so are you, to all that lived before and after you"

Duero and Aleck then opened their hands and cupped them towards their faces and blew into their hands. And with a solemn gesture they kneeled before the patches of dried blood and broken weapons.

"With our words and prayers, go to your ancestors and loved ones."

"You are truly home at last."

The two men nodded as they finished the burial prayer of their home-planet, and despite the effort and time wasted, the two men know that all people deserved burial rights to the next world, no matter what. Once they were done they checked the rest of the room, and one thing became apparent, the people they had prayed to had fought to defend this room very fiercely.

That was when they spotted an ID card near what appeared to be some sort of secret console. The two decided to check it out before they would have to move soon. They checked the room and spotted what appeared to be one heck of a high security room. The place was hidden behind what appeared to be a heavily shielded door, and from the scorch marks of the door, the AI army were very interested to get what was inside.

"I wager that these people died defending what was behind this door, and considering the way they fought to the death, they had no intention of the enemy ever having use of the weapons." Aleck said with a solemn tone as more patches of blood and destroyed drone bodies littered the area.

"Then we'll do them a favor by finding the weapons and using them against the enemy that holds us prisoner and the ones that killed them."

They went back and took the ID card, and once they checked it, they found that it could be inserted into the console. Once they did so, the computer began to come to life. In front of the two men came online a monitor that displayed a riddle and it appeared to be the key to opening the door.

"I am the beginning, but I am also the end."

"I am the first and the last"

"I am where all begins…and where all ends…"

"What am I?"

Duero and Max thought it over as the puzzle didn't make sense at first. That was then that Duero realized that there is one place all things did come from…and where they will all go in the end. He then typed the password.

"Chaos."

The ship's power core suddenly came back online, monitors and consoles began to flash back to life. The two men then spotted a series of codes, and apparently were the codes needed to open the door.

Both Duero and Aleck went to either side of the door as there were two consoles on either side, and once they were there, they each went in unison to input the codes, and the door opened with a powerful hiss as the de-pressurization went underway…

--

Once the two men were inside, they knew that they were in a massive combat hanger, filled with parts and weapons. But the two men were entranced with the two prominent weapon units that were in front of them… they two were Mobile Suits…

But not any Mobile Suit types… But Gundams!

The first resembled a type of Mobile Suit designed both for combat in space, land and aerial locations. It was sleek but hinted great power and speed. It's shoulder armor stored what appeared to be beam sabers, a shield attached to the left arm, a set of plasma cannons stored on the back which could be attached in front to fire in it's normal configuration, another set of high energy output beam cannons, and four pairs of heavy CIWS guns, a pair in the head and the arms, and lastly a beam rifle on the side.

It had collapsible wings on the back and it appeared to only activate when in flight mode, meaning that this Mobile Suit could be able to convert itself to a fighter, just like that of the Dreads.

The second Mobile Suit seemed to be similar to Kyo's Infinite-Freedom Gundam, lacking the advanced weapons systems of the fierce Paeksis-enhanced Gundam. It appeared to be only armed with head mounted CIWS guns, a general purpose anti-beam shield, and finally a beam rifle, but upon closer inspection by the two men, it had a storage system on its back for a pair of weapons.

Next to this particular Mobile Suit were a number of large storage containers, each with several names. The first was named the "Koenig Form Pack", the second was the "Schneider Form Pack", the third was the "Kaiser Form Pack", the fourth was the "Aero Form Pack", the fifth was the "Galahad Form Pack", and the last one was named the "Raiha Form Pack". It became clear that these must be the support weapons packs for the second Gundam type, meaning one thing, this Mobile Suit was a multi-role Mobile Suit unit designed to fight anywhere at all.

Both Duero and Aleck realized that they had found some serious firepower in which to effect their escape from this desert world. They then went to several consoles and began to download whatever data they could get, as they discovered that despite the still present barrier and various radiation emissions, the computers and systems in the crashed ship were still active. These weapons were going to come in real handy.

--

Later…

"We then were lucky to fond some hover trucks in storage and used them to haul the Gundams back here before dawn came. As far as we all were able to download from the data-archives of both machines. They happen to be highly powerful combat machines, and they seem to be based on two other Gundam types, ones we're not all that familiar with at this point. I'll download the data to you now." Duero said as he began to load in the data disk.

"Go ahead; these new Gundam units might come in handy." Kyo said as he decided to scan the data stream and the two Gundams' schematics. The first was the Gundam that could convert its form.

Design Number: 'TPAGMF-X56.'

Code Name: 'SwitchBlade Gundam'

Design Date: Oct 10 2349

Type: 'Experimental All Environment transformable Mobile Suit'

Height Dimensions: 18.61 meters

Weight Dimensions: Total Gross weight 77.20 metric tons

Power-Plant: Ultra-compact Photon energy self re-charging power generator, MAX output, unknown.

Design specifications: Experimental Polaris Phase Shift Armor (PPS), Sensors-Max range 3000 meters, Reclaimer support power packs, improves charge time. Transformable frame and combat system.

Fixed Weapons: 2x MG-GAU-96 'Flaikai' 20mm CIWS guns, fire-linked; head-mounted; 2x 'Kasier' Beam saber; stored in shoulder armor units, hand carried when used; MDS2-B aerodynamic all purpose shield, mounted on left armed; 2x 'Gauku' collapsible plasma cannons, mounted on back, can fire in Mobile Armor and Mobile Suit mode; 75mm GAU 'Fraula' machine guns, stored in arms; 2x 'Super Kai' beam cannons.

Optional weapons: MA7BU-X 'Shira Kias' Beam rifle, power rate unknown, can be used as high powered beam cannon in Mobile Armor mode.

The Gundam's Mobile Suit mode and Mobile Armor mode pictures flashed before Kyo. He had to admit this Mobile Suit was tough looking, plus, it was able to fight as a Dread in the secondary form, but with a big difference…it can fight in the atmosphere, unlike the Dreads which were designed only for cosmic combat in mind.

He then checked the schematics on the last Gundam.

Design Number: 'TPAGMF-X62.'

Code Name: 'Morpheous Gundam'

Design Date: Oct 10 2349

Type: 'Experimental Multi-role All environment Mobile Suit'

Height Dimensions: 18.53 meters

Weight Dimensions: Total Gross weight 74.10 metric tons when not using any Form Packs

Power-Plant: Ultra-compact Photon energy self re-charging power generator, MAX output, unknown.

Design specifications: Experimental Polaris Phase Shift Armor (PPS), Sensors-Max range 3000 meters, Reclaimer support power packs, improves charge time and supports Form Power supply system.

Fixed Weapons: 2x MMGA-GAU 30mm CIWS, fire-linked, mounted in the shoulder, 2x M9AS-41 'Angrist' sonic resonance anti-armor short swords, stored in hip armor, hand carried when used; MMG-MXF-6 All purpose defensive shield.

Optional Weapons: MGH-MAU-09 Beam rifle, power rating unknown.

Kyo then accessed the optional modes of the Morpheous and he learned what this Gundam could become using its Form Packs.

Design Number: 'TPAGMF-X62.'

Code Name: 'Morpheous Gundam 'Aero' Form'

Design Date: Oct 10 2349

Type: 'Experimental Multi-role All environment Mobile Suit'

Height Dimensions: 18.53 meters

Weight Dimensions: Total Gross weight 76.15 metric tons using Aero Form Pack

Power-Plant: Ultra-compact Photon energy self re-charging power generator, MAX output, unknown.

Design specifications: Experimental Polaris Phase Shift Armor (PPS), Sensors-Max range 3000 meters, Reclaimer support power packs, improves charge time and supports Form Power supply system.

Fixed Weapons: 2x MMGA-GAU 30mm CIWS, fire-linked, mounted in the shoulder, 2x M9AS-41 'Angrist' sonic resonance anti-armor short swords, stored in hip armor, hand carried when used; MMG-MXF-6 All purpose defensive shield. 2x 'Shan-Drai' high powered beam saber; stored in Aero Pack, hand carried when in use.

Optional Weapons: MGH-MAU-09 Beam rifle, power rating unknown.

….

Design Number: 'TPAGMF-X62.'

Code Name: 'Morpheous Gundam 'Kaiser' Form'

Design Date: Oct 10 2349

Type: 'Experimental Multi-role All environment Mobile Suit'

Height Dimensions: 18.53 meters

Weight Dimensions: Total Gross weight 77.32 metric tons using Kaiser Form Pack

Power-Plant: Ultra-compact Photon energy self re-charging power generator, MAX output, unknown.

Design specifications: Experimental Polaris Phase Shift Armor (PPS), Sensors-Max range 3000 meters, Reclaimer support power packs, improves charge time and supports Form Power supply system.

Fixed Weapons: 2x MMGA-GAU 30mm CIWS, fire-linked, mounted in the shoulder, 2x M9AS-41 'Angrist' sonic resonance anti-armor short swords, stored in hip armor, hand carried when used; MMG-MXF-6 All purpose defensive shield. 2x M-20096 'Fafner' High energy long range Plasma Pulse cannons, mounted on Kaiser Form Pack; 2x M-0789 'Heirden' Long range rail cannons, stored in Kaiser Form Pack; mounted on shoulders; 2x 'Diarken' quintuple missile launchers (K-90XC 'Lancer' laser guided missiles, mounted on Kaiser Form Pack, locked to sides when used; 2x 'Judgment' retractable Beam tipped anti armor Javelins, stored in Kaiser Form Pack, hand carried when in use.

….

Design Number: 'TPAGMF-X62.'

Code Name: 'Morpheous Gundam 'Schneider' Form'

Design Date: Oct 10 2349

Type: 'Experimental Multi-role All environment Mobile Suit'

Height Dimensions: 18.53 meters

Weight Dimensions: Total Gross weight 76.59 metric tons using Schneider Form Pack

Power-Plant: Ultra-compact Photon energy self re-charging power generator, MAX output, unknown.

Design specifications: Experimental Polaris Phase Shift Armor (PPS), Sensors-Max range 3000 meters, Reclaimer support power packs, improves charge time and supports Form Power supply system.

Fixed Weapons: 2x MMGA-GAU 30mm CIWS, fire-linked, mounted in the shoulder, 2x M9AS-41 'Angrist' sonic resonance anti-armor short swords, stored in hip armor, hand carried when used; MMG-MXF-6 All purpose defensive shield. 4x FG-56 'Edge Star' Beam boomerangs, stored in Schneider Form Pack, 2x 'Shadow Dart' Anti armor, high explosive hyper dart launchers, stored in Schneider Form Pack, locked to forearms when in use, 2x MM074 'Requiem' beam edged anti-ship swords, stored in Schneider Form Pack, hand carried when in use, can be converted to MM089 'Storm Call' double anti ship sword system, blades on either side of one another.

….

Design Number: 'TPAGMF-X62.'

Code Name: 'Morpheous Gundam 'Raiha' Form'

Design Date: Oct 10 2349

Type: 'Experimental Multi-role All environment Mobile Suit'

Height Dimensions: 18.53 meters

Weight Dimensions: Total Gross weight 76.89 metric tons using Raiha Form Pack

Power-Plant: Ultra-compact Photon energy self re-charging power generator, MAX output, unknown.

Design specifications: Experimental Polaris Phase Shift Armor (PPS), Sensors-Max range 3000 meters, Reclaimer support power packs, improves charge time and supports Form Power supply system.

Fixed Weapons: 2x MMGA-GAU 30mm CIWS, fire-linked, mounted in the shoulder, 2x M9AS-41 'Angrist' sonic resonance anti-armor short swords, stored in hip armor, hand carried when used; MMG-MXF-6 All purpose defensive shield. 2x MMG-78 'Thor' Hyper-Pulse EM Pulse Cannon, mounted on Raiha Form Pack, deployed near shoulders when used. 2x 'Hell-Kai' High energy wave emitting spear launchers, fire-linked, attached to arms, used to deploy concerted EM jamming pulse or can deploy viruses into enemy OS.

….

Design Number: 'TPAGMF-X62.'

Code Name: 'Morpheous Gundam 'Koenig' Form'

Design Date: Oct 10 2349

Type: 'Experimental Multi-Role All environment Mobile Suit'

Height Dimensions: 18.53 meters

Weight Dimensions: Total Gross weight 76.89 metric tons using Koenig Form Pack

Power-Plant: Ultra-compact Photon energy self re-charging power generator, MAX output, unknown.

Design specifications: Experimental Polaris Phase Shift Armor (PPS), Sensors-Max range 3000 meters, Reclaimer support power packs, improves charge time and supports Form Power supply system. 'Illusionist' 360 degree holographic projector field system attachments; 'Hawkeye' Tactical Range computer and target designator system.

Fixed Weapons: 2x MMGA-GAU 30mm CIWS, fire-linked, mounted in the shoulder, 2x M9AS-41 'Angrist' sonic resonance anti-armor short swords, stored in hip armor, hand carried when used; MMG-MXF-6 All purpose defensive shield. 1x GFX-8 'Shindai' anti-armor sonic resonance Spiegel blade, attached to elbow, extends to left arm and hand when active; 1x GHSR-78 'Ballistae' All purpose high energy anti-armor beam sniper rifle, stored in Koenig Form Pack, hand carried when in use: Range 7000 meters min range, 8100 meters max range, complete with 'K-ZAT' close combat beam bayonet.

….

Design Number: 'TPAGMF-X62.'

Code Name: 'Morpheous Gundam 'Galahad' Form'

Design Date: Oct 10 2349

Type: 'Experimental Multi-Role All environment Mobile Suit'

Height Dimensions: 18.53 meters

Weight Dimensions: Total Gross weight 79.32 metric tons using Galahad Form Pack

Power-Plant: Ultra-compact Photon energy self re-charging power generator, MAX output, unknown.

Design specifications: Experimental Polaris Phase Shift Armor (PPS), Sensors-Max range 3000 meters, Reclaimer support power packs, improves charge time and supports Form Power supply system. 'Panzer' secondary armor system, with special interdependent 'HALO' defensive energy shield emitters. (10 emitters) All attached to Galahad Form Pack, and deployed all over Mobile Suit when used.

Fixed Weapons: 2x MMGA-GAU 30mm CIWS, fire-linked, mounted in the shoulder, 2x M9AS-41 'Angrist' sonic resonance anti-armor short swords, stored in hip armor, hand carried when used; MMG-MXF-6 All purpose defensive shield. 1x MMAGS-90 'Zwei-hander' anti ship sword, stored in Galahad Form Pack; 2x MMAUG-12 'Arbalest' Beam cannons, stored in Galahad Form Pack, shoulder mounted when in use; 2x CQEW-X45 'Eagle Talon' collapsible beam katars, hidden in forearms, located on hand guards when in use; 1x MMUAG-09 'Blood Kiss' beam edged glaive, stored in Galahad Form Pack, hand carried when in use, upgraded beam boomerang.

...

Kyo whistled as he read all the data concerning the weapons Duero and Aleck had uncovered. They had just found themselves some very interesting hardware. But the one thing missing…or in this case two things missing with the systems and new Gundams…

Pilots…

Plus the TPA sounded familiar to him…That's it! That was the acronym for the Taisia Planetary Alliance. This Alliance was among the worlds he had encountered in his travels. But last he heard of them, they had to flee their home system for unknown reasons, and had established traveling moon-bases. This must have been one of their weapons projects since the Taisian people were experts of weapon engineering and design.

"Hmmm… I think I know who developed those Gundams."

Duero then asked Kyo exactly where he had heard of these Gundam units. The doctor knew that Kyo, by most standards, knew more about Gundam types than he did.

"The Taisia Planetary Alliance was among the human systems I visited before I came to Talark. As far as I can recall, they're a culture that's pretty solid in some fields of society. But the last time I heard of them, they were forced to flee from their home system. The ship you and Aleck found must have been one of their mobile weapon storage and development labs, though as far as I can remember from my meetings with them, they were not all that keen into developing Mobile Suits, let alone Gundam types…"

"Oh yeah, before I forget…" Kyo then called Jura. "Jura, Duero's here on the line, you wanted to ask him about how Barnette is."

The blonde nodded as she came forward to speak to the young doctor. "Hey Duero, how's Barnette right now? Is she all right?"

Duero nodded with a smile as she spoke to the blonde. "Barnette's all right, but the reason she's not here is that she's taking care Max right now. They're at the cafeteria since I last looked, and it seemed that she's…cooking food for him."

Jura raised her eye-brow as she heard this, the reason is that despite her best friend's acceptance of Kyo's forgiveness for that mutiny she instigated over a few months ago, Barnette would not try to be near men all that much, as she still didn't trust them at all. Apparently that changed in this mission, it seemed that Barnette DID have an attraction to the men, and it seemed that her friend had a deep change of heart about men. She couldn't help but giggle a bit about this turn of events.

Both Kyo and Duero looked a bit confused by Jura's laughter as they gazed at the blonde woman.

"Is there something you want to share with us Jura Basil Elden?" Kyo asked with a raised eye-brow.

Jura grinned a bit, and shook her head. "I want you to tell Barnette I want to speak to her about it when she gets here, okay Duero?"

Duero nodded with a bit of a curious expression. "All right, I'll tell her that. By the way…The enemy knows we're here, so we have to set up a trap, and that means that we'll need to move as soon as we're able. But we can't win the whole battle on our own."

"I've got an idea Duero, I want you to hot-link me to those Gundams you have with you. Connect me to them, and then I'll customize the OS of both Gundams and make them work for you guys over there." Kyo said as he began to feed instructions to Duero. He knew that they needed all the help and fire-power they could get.

Duero nodded at the logic of the idea. Should his Vanguard be badly damaged, he will need to fight quickly and to move as fast as he could, and those Gundams were the best choice.

"All right Kyo, I'll begin to connect you to the Gundams, there is a computer terminal in the hanger where the Gundams were stored. I'll up-link you using some connection cables. But are you sure that you can do that? Make a customized OS for the Gundams we have here?"

"No problem. But this will only be a temporary measure, until I can really get into the Gundam cockpit. I can create a customized OS access program where you can anyone else there can use those Gundams to the best of your abilities. All you have to do is insert the program disk into the support data drive, and initiate the download, once it's done, you guys can use the Gundams."

Kyo then turned to face Jura. "I'm going to be a bit busy, so I guess you and Dita can explore the city for a while. Don't wander too far and try not to leave the area." The city had some strong defensive walls to make sure the city was safe, and to ensure that the people wouldn't lose the memory of the sights of the sun, they city's upper dome had advanced holographic projectors. So it felt very much at home here for the girls…minus the fact that they were under the desert.

Jura nodded as she went to get Dita…it was high time to explore this city and get used to it soon, until they could escape… besides, who knows what they could find here, namely some things to help her with her plan to snare Kyo.

--

Duero was right about Barnette taking care of Max…

After his brother had told him that he could be strong enough to move out of the medical bay, Barnette volunteered to help Max while Duero and Aleck went out to retrieve their mecha. They were in the living quarters as Max was busy taking a bath, unfortunately he wasn't allowed to wet his body in a shower, so Barnette had decided to at the least use a wet cloth on him.

Barnette had to admit one thing to herself, men from Talark were strong. When she had done washing Max's back, while avoiding the other end of his wound near the left shoulder-blade, she had been able to feel the muscles located on Max. The young man was well built all right, but Barnette noticed that his back had firm and hardened muscles, though his skin was rougher, she had to admit that it was warm and tanned. She kept in mind that Max and his fellow men had lived in a normally hostile world for almost all of their lives, and had to be strong and enduring to deal with the rigorous demands of their barren homeland, which explained their ability to work until the fall of the suns in this world. And she had to admit one more thing to herself…she was starting to like the feel of it too.

After that, she decided to help Max get into the cafeteria and get something to eat. Though Max had some of his planet's nutrition pills with him, the Dread pilot insisted that she cook for him. The cafeteria had the normal selection of food groups, but due to the lack of fresh supplies, they base's larder had not been replenished with fresh stock. But the ones still in storage were kept fresh and well preserved.

Max sighed as Barnette arrived from the kitchen no less than an hour and a half with some cooked meat, soup, and vegetables. The young man nodded as he began to eat his meal.

"I'm sorry that it's not all the best I can make right now." Barnette said with an apologetic tone. She knew that she could whip up more delicious food, but she wanted to talk to the younger brother of Duero some more. Besides that, the food she had made was enough for a person who was still recovering from battle, the dish wasn't fancy or very delicious, but it was nourishing to those who needed it.

"No need to worry about that part Barnette, Considering that I had rations for a long time now, this stuff tastes divine to me. You're a great cook and I hope that I can try some of your more delicious meals." Max said with a bit of a silly smile as he ate the meal patiently, savoring the tastes.

Barnette felt a bit embarrassed and flushed a bit. She didn't mind compliments, but this was absolute first she got them from a man. She looked at Max and saw a lot written in his face, all the things he had endured while in this world were there. And like any woman, this perked up her curiosity.

Tell me about yourself, Max."

"Hmmm?"

"I want to know more about you."

"You've never… asked me about my life before, and this is only the first time we've ever met."

"Well I'm asking now. Do you realize that I've only known you for just four days, and you saved my life in more than one occasion?"

"The incident with that Desert Fang, and that mess with those mechanical monsters, right? Maybe I should thank you too, without your help; I would have bled to death."

Barnette nodded with some shame and embarrassment. "I mean…all I know about you is that you and Duero are siblings, you're a great doctor as well, a great pilot with that Gundam you found. You're tough, and…well…" She didn't want to sound like a smart mouth, so she tried to phrase her last word carefully.

"A man?"

She nodded. "Where did you learn how to be a great pilot, a medic and a hell of a survival expert in the desert? What changed you while you were here and made you treat women almost like Kyo? You can be very hard-cased at times but you treat everyone with such respect, including me? A woman who nearly got you killed? Just…who are you, Max McFile?"

Max nodded as he decided to spin his tale…

--

(Author's notes… These next few page sections are totally dedicated to Max and Aleck's struggle in this world, along with his experiences with the women of Megele when they were all trapped here in the planet. We'll learn some history about Talark and its customs…and if possible, we can discuss the woman that changed Max's outlook on women, and made him feel things that seemed to defy what a man of his cultural upbringing is used to.)

--

The Nirvana…

The ship still continued on its automated course, and for all the crew…it was a constant struggle to try and remain calm. The circumstances they were in made that a hard thing to do. The whole planet was hostile to them, the army of the planet was after them, and the Harvesters were well on their way here to take them out.

As anybody would expect, the strain of the circumstances was bleeding into the systems of the crew members, but they were professionals and maintained a sense of concentration and calm that was very much the result of patience and hard-work. Though there were some that thought deeply about the situation.

--

The Vanguard Training Room…

"How are the others Mai?" Sara Elsman asked her fellow co-leader of the Crusaders, Mai Miazaki as they both watched the members of the only all female Vanguard squadron practice in ground warfare simulations. The two of them were very worried about Kyo and the others, along with their current situation on this desert world. They knew that the enemy would be here soon in a week, and they had to train non-stop to fight in an operation, that they however were not experienced for in the least… desert warfare.

"Team Alpha is getting more and more proficient, along with the other teams, though Team Charlie and Team Omega still have some holes in the training. I just wish we could really do some training outside!" The young Miazaki said as she sighed. "No matter how many hours the others are in the simulations, nothing's going to be worth it if we don't fight in the real thing."

Sara nodded at Mai's logic, but she knew that there was a reason for the lack of authorization for the Vanguard pilots of fight outside for practical experience.

"You can't blame the Commander and the Captain for the order not to let anybody out of the ship, even if it's needed for training. The whole world's very hostile and the whole world's inhabitants want us dead."

Sara shuddered as she recalled seeing the same serpentine organic robots attempt to attack one of the nearby explorer teams. The creatures had damaged the Landing Shuttle's underside, and thankfully they got away. None of the landing team were harmed, but the sight of one of the cyborg alien serpent and the gory display after they destroyed it with weapons fire was enough to make the normally tough Elsman woman nearly puke. After the attack, Magno totally forbade any member of the crew to go on foot, and even more so for the Vanguard pilots, as they could ill-afford to lose anybody at all.

Mai nodded as she too thought about that cybernetic horror they had managed to kill.

Both girls hoped and prayed that they could meet up with the rest of the Landing Party, namely with a certain brown-haired, and amelyst/ sapphire eyed Gundam pilot. They had grown to admire and respect the young man for all he had done for them, and both hoped that someday they could show their appreciation for him.

--

The Living Quarters…

Meia gave a sigh of frustration as she paced her room; it had been nearly a week since she had last heard from Kyo and the others. She may not admit it, but it was hard for her to retain her hard earned discipline when it involved people that she had grown close to. And Kyo was exactly one of those people.

Ever since she had been an orphan and being ridiculed by others, she had learned to face the world alone. And despite her anger towards her life after the accident that took both her Fahma and Ohma from her, Meia was proud that she survived it all, until she joined the pirates. She didn't plan on socializing with others since being in the pirates, because she was afraid of ever having to go through what she had endured, seeing the dark side of her world. Fighting and surviving were the only things in Meia's mind, and she only spoke to others if she was giving orders, or when she had an opinion to give. She wanted nothing but to live no matter what, and though she wanted to die, she at least had a chance to die for something.

Meia never let anybody into her own world, none of her fellow pirates, or anyone else…But now, one person had broken that wall she built around herself.

Kyo…

She never thought that in her entire life, after her days in the streets, she'd allow anybody into her heart, even more so if it was a man. But Kyo did just that, as they had been working together, he had began to break down the wall that she had built, and in many ways…Meia was happy for that. She found reserves of strength with the others she never knew were there, her relationships with the other pirates grew, and in time she felt that she was becoming once again the young carefree girl she once was, but now she was more mature and stronger. Kyo had opened many doors for her, even if at times she didn't want to open them. But the one thing she knew for herself, it was that for all that he had done, Kyo never let anyone open the doors into his own life.

But he didn't seem to have one at all. Ever since seeing him die all those months ago, and his confession before his death, made Meia realize that she was far luckier than Kyo ever was. She at least had memories of her past and though most were bad and vile after the incident that made her an orphan and outcast, there were memories of happiness and joy there as well.

Kyo didn't have any of that…like he said all he had were broken shards and shadows as memories. He didn't recall if he had a family, or if they were waiting for him, or even if they were alive. He knew nothing of his childhood and growing up years and where he grew up, if he had siblings, or any friends, long before meeting her and the pirates, he didn't recall all the good or even bad memories. He was an empty shell of a man. And despite the fact that he acted normally, Meia felt that it really made Kyo angry that he couldn't even recall all the things that even she takes for granted.

( It must be really hard for him…no past at all. I wish…)

Meia then stopped as she thought to herself. She became aware that she was beginning to want to get to know whatever she could about Kyo, and to at the least try and help him feel that he wasn't alone and he will have a good life. In a way…they were alike…

(Why am I thinking these things?! I feel like I want to be more than a friend to Kyo! This isn't right! It…It…AAAARRRGGGHHH!!)

Meia sighed as she tried to remain calm; she then turned to her room's table and saw the ring Kyo had given her during Christmas. She took it into her hands and held it tight. No matter what she will hope the Kyo will make it back alive.

Please be safe Kyo…I don't want to lose you…

As she sat there on her bed…for once in her life, Meia Gisborn wished that her parents were with her to tell her what to do.

--

Engineering Bay…

Parfet was wide awake and despite the fact that she didn't sleep well, she was still going at it in trying to find a solution for their current dilemma, and most of all she was hoping to speak to Duero.

It had been a tough time for the spunky engineer, but she wasn't going to give up until everyone was safe, namely Duero.

The Megele girl had to admit that over the past few months her affections for the young doctor were growing, and though she tried to hide it, there were times she had to stop herself from doing something that would embarrass her in front of the object of her growing affections. But it seems that she would have to change her mind about what she should do when Duero was once again back on the Nirvana.

She sighed as her weariness beat at her, but she forced it back with some tea and went back to work on solving the problem at hand. Besides, according to the Captain, once the Landing Party were reunited, they would plan an attack soon for their escape. And Parfet had every intention to do her part as well.

(Please be safe Duero.)

--

Back at the supply base…

"I'm not all that sure about talking about my life. Are you sure you want to know about me." Max asked as he faced Barnette who was waiting for him to tell her about his life on Talark, and here on this world…

Barnette gave the soldier/healer a smile and nodded. "It's… not like we have anything else to do while your brother and Aleck plan things and…well, I'd like to know more about the man who saved my life."

"Well, if you truly want to know who I am, then I guess I should start at the Cronus Center."

"Cronus Center?"

"The place where I was born, along with Duero and the other men of my home planet. In simple terms, it was one of the birthing factories. All Talark men such as myself were educated that all our fellow men were born in those factories."

"Birthing factories?"

The younger McFile nodded as he continued.

"Yes, you see, unlike the women of Megele, the men of Talark reproduce by more artificial means. When two fathers consent to have a child, they donate their genetic material or 'seeds' to be spliced together in special facilities called birthing factories. The Cronus Center was the First birthing factory ever built on Talark when the world was founded. The genetic material from couples were gestated in artificial matrices and grown to term. Once properly formed, the babies were then given to one of the fathers or both to be raised."

"You mean…you were…assembled…like a machine?"

Barnette was a bit unnerved to hear this. Though she strived in her life to be tough and independent, she didn't like the idea of being born without the warmth of a mother's arms.

Max shrugged his shoulders. "I suppose you could put it that way, though neither my brother nor I have absolutely no memory of being born ourselves. Since men are not…uh, anatomically suited to have children the way you women do, this process of modified cloning was our best bet in propagating our people."

"I see." Barnette said as she changed the subject.

"So what about your Fahma and Ohma? What were they like to you and Duero?"

"Heh, well, our Alpha and Omega were…somewhat, how should I say this…unusual."

"Excuse me? What's an Alpha and an Omega?"

"In your world's terms Barnette, they were our ohma and fahma, respectively. The Alpha is the first father, in which both Duero and I would take his family name. He was considered to be the head of the household and the one who made all the important decisions. It was he who was totally responsible for raising me and teaching me all that I needed to know, hence the word 'Alpha'. The Omega is simply our second father, and he could also take part in raising both me and Duero. Although Omegas do have the option to share their seeds with others."

"Huh?"

"We are a very open society when it comes to…choosing… mates. Like in Megele, where any woman can be a Fahma or Ohma, then in Talark, we have the same belief as well, though to us, all children of Talark are part of the whole population, so we're very much a free society.

"So this Alpha and Omega were the ones who raised both of you?"

"Yes, but our Omega died before we were old enough to be part of the Talark hierarchy. In our world, children can be drafted by the government officials and their stations can only be changed by those of the higher ups, which wasn't often, due to the ridged class structure we were born into."

"I see…but how…did your Omega die?"

"He was killed in an earthquake that rocked the city for less than a day. A lot of men were killed, and our Omega was crushed to death when a side of the building fell on him." Max said with a soft tone.

Barnette immediately stopped as she heard that both Max and Duero's second parent was killed.

"I'm sorry."

"It's all right, we were still babies when we were release from the Cronus Center so we didn't know him all that well. Our Alpha was the only father me and Duero knew as we grew older."

"What was your Alpha's name?"

"Hiryu McFile was the name of our Alpha, and we were happy when we were with him. He taught us a lot of things, and we used them a lot to get by in the world we lived in, and it was good, since me, Duero, and our dad were still in the Second Class citizenry. You see, our world has a strong Class section, the first class were the elites, they held government positions, business, and military leadership. The Second Class were the middlemen and held the lower ranking jobs on Talark, and the last was the Third Class, considered nothing more than laborers and menial workers."

Max went on with his description of the society and history of Talark. "When the eight founding fathers including our leader Grandpa came to Talark, they had limited supplies and resources. It was the bleakest time of their lives. Minimal food, medicine, water, materials, predators left and right, death in every corner of the world. Sad to say, by all circumstances we would have never existed at all."

"Hmmm."

Barnette was bit irritated to her the name of the despised leader of Talark, as like all women of her home-planet, she was conditioned to hate the leader of the men. But she kept her opinions to herself as she listened.

"But through the determination and sheer will to live, our fore-fathers were able to forge an existence on Talark. They gathered whatever they could salvage from the Ikazuchi and rationed the supplies. Though they lacked a great amount of equipment and technology, none of them wasted time bemoaning the lack of those tools and made due with what they had. Once they had been able to gather what they could, they had to deal with water shortages, so Grandpa went out alone into the desert with limited supplies and weapons. He found an underground spring of water that saved him after nearly a month and a half in the desert, braving the sun, sand, wind, predators, starvation, dehydration, and near loss of sanity. With that he was able to bring enough water to the others with the container truck that they had managed to build from scratch, and our capital city of Tarllaseis was founded."

Barnette was silent a bit as she grasped the circumstances of what it took for the men to survive in the hostile world they called home.

"Most of our cities are built in canyons and underground fissures. The reasons are very simple. It's easier to avoid the massive sand-storms that blanket our world's surface. There aren't enough places to establish a city on the surface, and the weather's not all that hospitable, so most of the cities are in domes as well, it also makes it easier to gather water and metals in this fashion. Another is that the way the cities are built, makes things far less consuming of resources and precious manpower. We mostly rely on wind power, so our cities rely on what we call Wind Traps, the generators harness the winds and create power for our cities, but we try not to over-rely on them as they are very hard to build and expensive to maintain at times."

"Our culture's very straight-forward, we rely on practicality to live and we have the more utilitarian approach to life. That's why we train our very best, right from the moment we're able to use our limbs, and to think in order to survive in our planet. That includes rationing whatever supplies and resources we have with us, and to rely on what is available to us and naturally, think outside the box. Our values stress strength in both words and action, and keeping a promise even under the most dire of circumstances is considered a mark of the good man of Talark."

"Just so you know, the reason we eat only pills is for several practical reasons. The first is that the majority of Talark's native populations are highly predaceous creatures, they can come in pair or in packs, and we'd lose too many men trying to capture them, meaning we'd waste precious lives in the process. The next is that even if we could capture one or two of the creatures, it would be far too expensive and dangerous to try and breed them in captivity. Finding plants on Talark is twice as hard and twice as dangerous, as there are other creatures that eat them, and most likely are food for the hunters of our planet. Growing plants is also out of the question as the water supplies in Talark are few, so the soil's not good or nearly impossible to grow food on. I can guess that on Megele, you rely on advanced farms for your fruits and vegetables and cloning facilities for meat and other animal products, am I right?"

"Yeah, we have those things, and most of the process of harvesting is done by mechanical means." Barnette answered honestly. There on Megele they relied a great deal on those said farms and facilities to grow and breed their food, and machines did most of the harvesting so none of her fellow women had to get their hands dirty.

"I thought so. Another reason for the food pills is that they are easy to manufacture, and are easy to store. Plus They last for a very long time, don't need to be prepared or cooked so no time and energy is wasted, the pills can be carried in small easy to manage packs, and well, they don't bite back. Though that doesn't mean we don't eat regular food, as one of the girls trapped here with us all those months ago would say. Some of the creatures that we know of that live with us, happen to be very nice on the taste buds, and they can be eaten."

"Like what kind of creatures?"

"Oh, the Sand Vipers are one type."

"Sand Viper?"

"Yep, it's like the creature we fought with before, only sand Vipers are a LOT more dangerous than those things, despite they aren't partially mechanical."

"What?! MORE DANGEROUS?!" Barnette was silent at that, there was something on Talark more powerful than those horrors?!

"Yeah, they are like snakes of old Earth and can be very vicious. Like the ones we fought with, they hide in the sand and ambush their prey, but they are tough as hell and can move very fast on short distances. They have tough scales that can resist small arms fire and can be hard to penetrate unless you can bypass the scaly protrusions, and the skin is in the color of the sands, so seeing one's a bit of a challenge, they also have strong muscles and can wrap themselves around prey and tighten their grip on the food they catch until it dies of internal injuries from crushed bone fragments in the tissue. They can also spit out a type of caustic venom. The venom is not fast acting, but can cause massive voluntary muscle paralysis on their victims, though they use that only once or twice, it also tenderizes their food so they can easily consume it as well. Their fangs are the same form of a bayonet and are made out of hard calcium and they have powerful mouth muscles, so they have quite the bite force, capable of punching through skin, flesh and bone, even lesser metals with no problem."

"And you have eaten one of those things?!"

"Yep, both me and Duero in fact, along with our Alpha. Our dad Hiryu was a top survival instructor in the Academy and on occasion, he'd take us to the desert to learn how to survive there. It was on one such day that all of us got to face a Sand Viper, a lone female Sand Viper within it's nest to be more precise."

--

Flashback…

Young Duero and Aleck sighed as they walked the route with their Alpha. They were on an excursion with their father in the desert, at least a few days away from the capital city. The two boys looked forward to these excursions as they learned more and more of their harsh wilderness planet. It was a natural way of life in Talark; boys had to learn early the values and skills needed to survive in the harsh landscape.

To others it would be considered barbaric to let children as young as Duero and his brother Max, who were seven and six years old respectively go into the desert and potentially get killed by the elements, predators, starvation, and thirst. But there was no other way for them to learn some very valuable lessons in the world.

One of them included how to find sources of water in the seemingly dry desert. It was a fact that despite the desert's open lack of water, there were always sources in the wastes, all one had to do was look hard enough and learn how to get to it.

Duero and Max smiled a bit as their Alpha called their attention. As he went to the side of a nearby ridge near the side of one of the dunes they spotted that the ridge covered a good portion of the ground. And that normally might have meant that they had found some shade. But it meant more than just shade.

Both sons and father took out shovels, each the hand held type and began to dig the sand away. It was easy at first, but as they dug deeper, it began to become even harder as the trio sweated it out. To those who were unacquainted with desert tactics, the family looked almost as if they were going to dig their own graves. While in reality it was the opposite of what they had pictured.

If there was covering of the sand, it would make sense that wind would be passing through there. But in the cool night of the desert world, the stones would retain it's immense heat from the scorching desert sun. And as wind would pass by the heat of the stones would cause the air to precipitate into water. This formed water would then cling to the stone ridge and began to drip and seep into the soil. If conditions were right, the water would condense in the cooler sand layers in the bottom.

This meant that the bottom would have a great area of water in the lower layers of sand. And the men had learned that it could be harvested, but due to the efforts used to gather this few sources of water, the men would not use this method to gather water often as they would have no way to watch their surroundings. But the methods were not forgotten and were still widely practiced by many of the men of Talark.

Once they got to the depth of five and a half feet, the sand became moist and harder to move. The two boys nodded at the sight of the moist sands, this meant that they found their target. Their Alpha then took out a synthetic sponge of highly absorbent material and the family began using the sponge to seep in the water and they then poured it into their special shoulder canteens. The water was very pure as it's journey to the bottom allowed the sands to strip away any impurities in it. This was a true treasure for them men, and they knew just how to exploit it whenever the chance came. Nature had one monolithic rule in any world, eat or be eaten, and dying was never part of the young men's plans anyway.

It took them over an hour and a half to gather enough water to fill their canteens, along with some drinks for themselves. The water they gathered for their canteens, was enough for over five more days. As they left the area of the ridge, that was when Max spotted one of the creatures of his home-planet, and one of the strongest of the species.

The Sand Viper was a nearly full grown female and it seemed to be heading towards it's home. But from the wounds on it's body, it appeared to have been caught in a fierce battle. The creature was tired and was in the mood to recover it's strength, but it was then that it caught the scent of three unidentified creatures. It stopped and looked about. Though not nearly full grown, this Sand Viper was huge, over fifty feet long and nearly a foot and a half wide, this creature made the normally massive old Earth anaconda look like an earth-worm.

The three men of Talark knew that the creature would try and find them, so they had no choice but to fight. Fortunately, Hiryu had made sure that both his sons had been given training on how to deal with the Sand Viper should they ever met one. One weakness of Sand Vipers was their size. Despite their inherent strength, they had a lot of difficulty dealing with the environment that they lived in. One of those weaknesses was that they were very slow when they had been hunting, and that was the reason why they preferred ambush as they didn't have the build to chase down fast prey. And from the looks of things, this particular Sand Viper was already tired.

--

"What happened?" Barnette asked as she eagerly leaned forward to hear the rest of Max's encounter with the Sand Viper.

"Both I and Duero knew one thing, this creature would attack us, no matter what we did. All of us wasted no time as we got into fighting mode with our knives I wasted no time and took out my knives. Duero and my Dad were already in position, the best way to kill this creature was to make it tired by dodging each of it's attacks until it made a mistake and could be killed. We were able to dodge most of it's attempts to bit us, but the thing managed to knock me back with it's tail and lashed out, cutting my torso with it's powerful sharp scales, thankfully I moved away in time and it missed most of my important blood vessels."

"So then what?"

"The Viper lunged at me again, and this time was able to bite through my leggings and nearly bit a chunk off my right leg, but I bit back the pain, turned and stabbed it right in the left eye, and made the creature release me, I was lucky that the creature had used up all it's venom supply. It was already in a berserk mode and tried to bite me or Duero or our Alpha with it's teeth. It then attacked Duero and it raked my brother's chest with it's scales wounding my brother and knocking him back, our Alpha managed to wound the creature in the side but it wasn't going to stop as it slammed it's scales into the side of our Alpha, wounding him as well. It was about to bite Duero's head off when I plunged both my knives into it's head and remaining eye. Duero then stabbed it's throat through the scales and severed the wind-pipe. Our Alpha came in and stabbed the creature through the back, and the base of it's skull, severing the spine. In that way, we killed the Viper."

Barnette felt an urge to throw up, as she imagined the image of Max fighting for his life against the Sand Viper. She managed not to lose it and was grateful that she didn't eat anything.

"I wasn't all that sure if the blades had aimed at the right area, but as our Alpha taught us, Sand Vipers may be tough outside, but not inside, and they can be dumb as well at times."

Barnette took a deep gulp, then asked, "So…you all fought and killed the thing…with just a pair of knives?"

"Don't believe me?" Max took off his jacket and body shirt and showed Barnette's startled eyes the long streak of scars that ran from his stomach to the left side of his body, this had been missed by Barnette as she had been busy with other matters two days ago. Then he showed his right leg, there on his lower leg was a large puncture scar where the snake's fangs had bitten through the young man's leg.

"My experience with the Sand Viper had validated the lessons that our Alpha had taught us; Nature is rarely, if EVER kind."

Barnette was rendered speechless. Unlike her own childhood, and growing up days, in which she was raised in a stable environment at the warm loving attention of both parents. Max's life on Talark, his years in harsh survival training and near death encounter in his young years would have left any girl from Megele shaken and quite traumatized for life.

"After… all that, you still went on with your survival training?"

Max nodded. "After killing the creature and tending to our wounds, we all realized that nature had given us a reward to help us all make through the last few days of our desert training in Talark."

"How could being attacked by a Sand Viper be a reward?"

"You'd be surprised…."

--

Flashback…

Young Max assessed his work along with Duero. The new weapon as a bit hideous and archaic looking, but it was certainly effective. The fang of the Sand Viper was very strong and hard to remove. But it was a deadly stabbing weapon, Max's knives had been broken when the snake thrashed about and sent the young man onto the sand on his back before it died. The fang could cut and slash as well as it could pierce, and among the men of Talark, to defeat a Sand Viper at such a tender age was a sign of great courage and manhood. So not only was it a weapon, but a symbol of strength as well. The hides were just as useful, the skin was very much heat retardant and could be helpful in making a very good sized tents. With the removal of the scales, the skin was as soft as silk, but as tough as hardened leather, and was somewhat a fashion accessory on the male planet, and was used by the brothers to made grips for their new weapons

Both brothers then used the remaining hides as bandages and used them to temporarily halt the bleeding of their wounds, the two boys and their father then went and boned the creature. The bones would be helpful as they could be made into extra weapons and tools, Sand Viper bones were tough and very light, and could be fashioned with the right methods. Max sighed a bit as he drank some water and used it to cool his head, though he knew that they could ill-afford to waste too much.

The organs were of great use as well. After they had boned the creature, they went to work and eviscerated the beast. The venom sacks were useful to most of the men. Though toxic by nature, when fully processed the venom worked to cure the same symptoms that it caused, and could also be used in medicine as a highly effective pain killer. The organs were not much, but could be used to lure away other predators.

As the afternoon wore on, the three men were fully re-hydrated and were now able to rest, however they were hungry, losing a lot of energy finding the water, and fighting the Sand Viper, they were considering eating their nutrition pills, but then he and his brother gazed at the carcass of the Sand Viper. Their Alpha nodded as he realized that a new lesson was in order.

--

End of Flashback…

Barnette turned white as a bed sheet and trembled as she realized what both Max and Duero had done to the Sand Viper. She was already feeling somewhat queasy after hearing how both McFile siblings and their father had, beheaded, skinned, boned and eviscerated the beast and used parts for tools, clothes, weapons, and supplies for themselves. But they really didn't…?

"You mean…you…?"

"Yes, we did. The organs aren't that tasty, but the meat was very filling. We cut away manageable portions of the Sand Viper's body and threw away those we couldn't carry. The next day we dried most of the meat and ate those while we went on with our training, the rest we reserved."

"You all ate it…raw?"

"Nope, too risky to do that, the meat has to be stripped of bad liquids or we'd be poisoned, the last thing you want to do is be poisoned by the food you brought with you anyway. And when either roasted or boiled right, the meat is just like that fowl you girls call…what was that again…oh yeah, chicken."

--

Elsewhere…

The Harvester Council was deep in session, and the natural topic of discussion was none other than the Nirvana.

"How much longer will the Fleets be in position?"

"A least another five days, at best, the planet's…"

"Damn those five days! We want the Fleet there NOW!"

The Harvester Council were deep in debate and it was getting even more heated as the various factions wanted to end the debate before it led to violence. The Council had been guided by one drive, the survival of their race, despite the stark fact that they were killing people like them. But being doomed to slow death can strip them of all emotion and love for those who had seen the reaches of the universe. They didn't care about others, they cared for themselves, so they were very much resembled the totally corrupted side of mankind. The desire for survival was their only reason to do their dirty work. But they had the Nirvana as the barrier to their survival, and they were becoming divided. One side wanted to harvest the crew of the pirate vessel, the other wanted to destroy them. The last thing the Council needed was a breaking in their ranks.

"Shall we destroy the Nirvana?"

"And waste those prime organs?! Are you out of your mind?!"

The Leader of the Council then came in as he then addressed the Council Members.

"There will be no valid decision until the Nirvana HAS been captured! I want to make one thing clear to all of you, they will be dealt with soon enough."

The leader knew one thing, the EM fields that surrounded the planet trap were not going to make things easy for them as it would make them unable to communicate with their AI agent, and they would only be able to send the data after a day and a half.

--

The planet…

The AI army's lead AI was now able to recover it's loses from the previous battle. But the army had lost track of the targets, namely the enemy battleship and the landing party. However…it had received data concerning the awakening of one of the sleeper traps that outlined the desert at least a day ago. That meant one thing…

Strike team on the way…

/Attack team 7 will be there in one day and a half.\\

--

Back at the base…

Barnette felt a bit sick at what she had learned and began to regret talking to Max about his past life. But it seemed that Max caught on to what she was thinking as he spoke again.

"I know that you feel sick about it. Believe me, when some of the girls that I've met asked me that same question, they were feeling queasy about it too. But that's life for us on Talark, and that's why both my brother and I can eat both pills and solid food without any problem."

The Megele girl nodded, and began to think about another matter, and decided to ask about the one thing that she knew that Max might not talk about, considering his changes in mood whenever there was a mention of it, but she wanted to know…

"Max…If it's okay…I'd like to know…how you got here all those months ago…"

Max's normally cheerful look disappeared and a look of pain replaced it. This made Barnette immediately regret her question.

"I'm…sorry. I guess you won't…"

Max shook his head and sighed a bit. "No…I guess I can talk about it now. No sense not sharing it with someone this time…"

--

At the Bunker…

Kyo sighed a bit as he finished the downloading of the OS data. He was able to finish the data load in three hours and was tired as hell. The good news was that Duero got the data and was now downloading the information into the OS of both the Morpheous and the SwitchBlade. Considering the need for as much fire-power as they could get, this was the next logical step to take. The OS access program his made for both Gundam would make it a lot easier for the others to use the full power of the Gundams, but not in a full capacity until he could customize the Gundams' OS once he was in the cockpit. He may not have shown it, but he could tell that a lot of the crew of the Nirvana had immense potential to use the Gundams to their best extent, though he knew that none of them had ever operated a complex battle unit as a G-Weapon.

(This makes me wonder…I know that Infinite-Freedom is my personal Gundam…but were there others you piloted I-Freedom before I did?)

His memories went back to the same man that he saw in his dreams, the man that he felt could have been part of his still shadowy past. But this time he was not being hidden by mist and shadows. He had short brown hair and deep violet eyes, he had a persona that told Kyo that he was both strong and vulnerable at the same time and his aura told Kyo that he had seen both the righteousness and corrupt sides of warfare, and apparently fought for a great reason, to end the war and stop it from ever spreading.

Kyo knew that his ties to this man were very strong, and he could tell that this particular man also had a tie to his Gundam, though he sensed that it wasn't an evil one. And the one thing he also knew in himself, was not only did he know this man, but he learned under him, in many things, and Kyo felt that he knew more about him than just being a teacher.

Another thought entered Kyo's mind as he walked back to the city to find Jura and Dita, he thought about it, and this was about another person he saw in his dreams. The woman he would see beside the man, she had long light pink hair and deep blue eyes, and her smile seemed to send a feeling of ease safety in the young man whenever he thought of her. She seemed innocent at times, but she displayed an iron will and courage that defied her innocent looks, and she had a voice that made the young man smile despite that the sounds were faint echoes in his head.

Kyo also knew that his ties with this woman were just as strong as those of his with the man he saw in his dreams. He learned a lot from her and he felt that those lessons had something to do with what he had done of the Nirvana months ago, singing, cooking, and even dancing. And in a way, he felt that he learned how to love and forgive from that person, though why he didn't know.

But before Kyo could think even further, he heard splashing noises as he entered the city, he then tracked it down to a large public lake with a waterfall in what appeared to be a large rest-house after half an hour, and was treated to a very…arousing sight.

Jura and Dita were there, splashing about in the waist deep lake, in their…birthday suits! Apparently the two Megele girls decided to take a bath, and had removed their sweat-drenched and smelly outfits to clean them later.

The two girls were happy to have found this place as it appeared that the city had a special water recycler-storage plant to ensure good water supply and distribution. And it seemed that the two girls enjoyed the water as it was cool and very much clean and clear.

They turned around and spotted the young Gundam pilot…who's back was turned and he was blushing furiously!

"Hey Mr. Alien! Look what we found!" Dita said with glee as she splashed Jura with some of the cool water.

"Yeah! This is one great place, at least his place can be a real way to relax!" Jura replied as she splashed Dita as well.

Kyo on the other hand was trying not to lose control of his basic instincts as he tried **NOT** to look at the two nubile females. The way the water flowed and dripped about their naked forms **PAINFULLY** reminded the former Coordinator about his little escapade in the Nirvana's bath area.

(DAMN IT!! OF ALL THE THINGS TO HAPPEN!!)

The two girls giggled to themselves as they saw how nervous and totally agitated the normally composed and disciplined Gundam pilot was, and they loved it as they knew that whenever Kyo would blush he would look so…attractive. They decided to play a little game with him…

"Mr. Alien…did you know that there's some extra bathing clothes near you? You could take a bath here with us." Dita said with a slightly teasing tone as she tried to call the attention of the young man, and in truth there was some garments near the pool's outer edge, though in truth the clothes in question was nothing but a pair of swimming trunks.

"Yeah, if you'd like, you can take off your clothes and join us for a swim, the deep end's perfect for swimming. Though I think you'd look better WITHOUT any clothing on you. Plus you've seen us already naked, and we've SEEN you already, so there's no shame in it." Jura said with a seductive tone.

"Yeah, you'd love the water Mr. Alien! It's cool and I think you need to clean up after all the hard work you did before. There's no need to be shy, you've seen me naked already, and I've seen you." Dita chirped though in truth things of a less innocent nature were beginning to form in her mind.

Kyo resisted the desire to clean up, as he hadn't been able to bathe for over a few hours. He was tired and a soak was really something he was looking forward to, and he knew that, and the temptation to bathe was very strong, even more so with two sexy females in the nude beside him...

Kyo immediately restrained himself as the idea began to become even more vivid in his brain.

(BY THE GODS! WHAT SIN DID I COMMIT IN MY PAST LIFE TO DESERVE THIS TORTURE?!)

But before he could apologize and walk away, he was suddenly held by both Dita and Jura, who then began to drag him towards the pool.

"H…HEY…WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU TWO DOING?!"

Kyo said as he tried to resist the two girls, while trying to keep his eyes averted from them, as he was now facing them in all their naked glory.

"You need a bath you know. Besides you'd smell a lot better once you take a bath." Jura said with a smile that showed that she had MORE in mind than just getting her hands on him!

"Yeah, I like it better when you look clean Mr. Alien!" Dita said with a cheerful tone as she dragged Kyo on, a part of her mind however told her that she wanted MORE than to help Mr. Alien get clean!

Kyo had no problem reading both girls' intentions as he could sense the atmosphere in the air as he was now thigh deep in the water.

(THIS ISN'T A GOOD IDEA!!)

Kyo was about to say to both Jura and Dita but it seemed that both girls had other things in mind.

"I'll wash your chest and make sure you're clean Mr. Alien!"

"What do you mean YOU will clean him?! I'll do it!"

Both girls then glared at each other as they still held Kyo. It didn't take long for both girls to start a little oral sparring match complete with tug-of-war, with Kyo as the rope.

The young Coordinator was already reaching his threshold, and naturally…reacted.

"That's enough!" He shouted as he pulled back his arms, unfortunately for him, he slipped into the water with a splash, dragging the surprised girls with him.

Kyo sputtered as he then tried to get up, but found himself pinned to the floor in his wet clothes. He then looked and saw that he was on his back…

With both Jura and Dita on either side of him…and they were already rubbing themselves on his body.

If he thought that the tent scenario was torture, he was so wrong, as this was even worse. Even more so as the girls began to move, and since his clothing was already wet, it wasn't long for them to try and remove his clothing, in the exact same way Jura had tried to do on Kyo back in her GunDread.

(NOT GOOD!!)

"Take your clothes off Mr. Alien! You're soaking wet, and you need to clean up!"

"Keep your mitts off of him Dita! I'M GOING TO CLEAN UP KYO! And…" she smirked seductively while tracing a finger on Kyo's cheek. "I just might get that seed of yours!"

"YOU keep away from Mr. Alien! I want to clean him myself! AND I want to have his seed too!"

Kyo began to panic even more as the three began fighting verbally with each other while stripping away his soaked clothes.

(Anyone care to guess what's going to be Kyo's reaction to this?)

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGHHHH!!"

(If you guessed screaming in absolute frustration and trying to get out of this mess…then congratulations!)

--

Barnette knew that was going to be a very long discussion as Max sighed while facing her…

"When both Duero and I were older, we took part in an exam that happens only every five years on Talark, this exam is given to interested Second Class Citizens and even some from the Third Class. The exam comprised a lot of practical tests, written exams, scenario training and survival tests. This exam was known as the Trial of the Fathers."

"Trial of the Fathers?"

Max nodded.

"Yes, it basically recreates the struggles of the first eight men of Talark on this desert world. That includes a rigorous thirty days of working with various materials and making tools out of selected items, survival without adequate food and water in the desert and many other tasks that our ancestors had done to forge a life out of the desert. The rules are simple, make it past the trial, then you can pass into the First Class Citizenry. Fail, and you will still be allowed your station as before, but with a mark of the ones who failed the test."

"So it was a test of manhood then?"

"Yes, but the stipulation is very clear, you have to in the age of twelve or below to take this task, and you must survive…or you will become part of the desert forever, as you will be forced to live at least a full three hundred miles from any city at a random location, and you must survive on what you have, and at the half of thirty days, you have to make it back to the capital city with whatever tools and supplies you have. Or you die..."

"They…leave you…as children…to live or die out there?! In the desert?!"

At Max's nod, Barnette became horrified at the thought, to abandon merely adolescents in the harsh and merciless desert just to prove their worthiness to be placed in the Elite class was…inhuman! She though back on what Max had told her about the Sand Vipers and shuddered at the thoughts of mere boys fighting against such horrors, along with what other monstrosities inhabited the desert.

"No, the exam is entirely voluntary, no one forces the boys to join, and if anyone cannot hack it, then they can choose to be picked up by the instructors. Everyone's given a fair chance to back out of the exam, and there are those who do. There is no shame in accepting it if you fail. In our planet, it takes great courage to even volunteer for the Trial among the lower citizens, and even if you fail, you are still given respect by those who see and hear about you. Still it tries to select the best potential out of the other citizenry, so there's a lot of competition in it anyway."

"Who…who came up with this 'Trial of the Fathers'?"

Max gave a bit of a sigh.

"It was Grandpa himself who authorized the 'Trial' to be a part of our culture, and he wanted all to be given the chance to prove just how talented they are. Though the Elites make fun of it as they bet on who would lose, they know that it's a sanctioned exercise made by Grandpa."

"So both you and Duero…"

"Yes, both of us were scared, I can tell you that. But thanks to all that our Alpha taught us, we were better prepared for the Trial than the others. We had the edge and thankfully we were allowed to put all our skills to good use."

"Your Alpha taught you a lot then?"

"Oh yes, and we're both thankful for the training." Max said with a smile.

"It took us a long time, but we were among the few surviving students, and we were assigned to join the military. Duero was only nine and I was eight, both of us joined the medical profession and we had to go through all the basic and advanced medical courses. The training our Alpha gave us in first aid really helped us in the training. Both of us got the best scores in the school and it was in Vanguard training school that we both met Aleck, but I was selected to be transferred to one of the south cities. That was the last time I saw Duero, Aleck, and our Alpha."

Max then went on to where he had been training, in one of the cities that managed to spring up in the vast wastelands of Talark.

"Both Duero and I were able to speak to each other through the communications networks, and we continued our training until the day we would be hitting graduation, but before then, we'd still try to find out about women, though our opinions varied and we had disagreements. Duero was half a year ahead of me, so it made sense that he would graduate early. We were allowed to see each other days before the graduation ceremony in the Capital. I learned that Duero had been assigned as a Medic in the Ikazuchi and would be part of the main assault fleet against, well, you know already who he was sent to fight against… And the rest was history."

Barnette nodded as she understood the situation, but she was curious about why the two brothers had some disagreements. "Why did you two disagree on women?"

"Well…for one thing you can bet our Alpha, being the eccentric type, didn't believe in what the government would say about women. He always told us that if we could see, and feel it for ourselves, then it's very real. Duero and I knew that as the truth, but at that time, I was very much stuck in with the same breed of guys that believed that women were monsters, so you can bet that being in a place like that school for over seven years can change things a bit in terms of thinking. So I had to wage a bit of an ideology war in my mind on what I should believe."

"I see…and how did?"

"Like I said a few days ago, when the Ikazuchi and the main Space Fleet was attacked by you and your fellow pirates, the political situation in Talark became very unstable to say the least for several months. The government instituted a full drafting of all military personnel, even those who were not even graduates yet. I was chosen to be in the newly mobilized fleet a few months after my own graduation and the Ikazuchi incident. And the part of the mobilized fleet I was assigned to the teams that had developed a new weapon system based from the power given off by the Ikazuchi's own Paeksis reactor."

"The device was known as the warp gate. Essentially, it was designed to replicate the effect that teleported the Ikazuchi to the farthest reaches of the universe, but in a controlled environment and the rift can be directed to open at a selected location through navigational coordinates. (Think Star gate for ships.) If this weapon was successful in the initial tests, the military could be able to launch unexpected strikes in any area of space, and on Megele so as to avoid the tragedy that the government claimed to have happened to the Ikazuchi's crew. I was selected along with Aleck to be part of the crew. This was mostly black ops R&D so we didn't have all that large a fleet. Just the ship I was in, along with some small escort ships."

--

Nearly a year ago, months after the disappearance of the Ikazuchi…

The new fleet was small in number, but was well suited for the task handed to them by Talark High Command. They had been charged with a new weapon and their success would bring swift justice on the vile women that had killed so many of their fellow men in cowardly brazen way all those months ago. All the crew were ready to test the latest weapon. But two had their reservations about this matter.

A young man was busy working in the ship's medical bay, checking his medical instruments and tools. He had short hair with a braid and now he took stock of his medical gear.

Max McFile sighed as he took a full inventory check and took a bite from a few of his nutrition pills and went to the main meeting hall of the command ship. He was deep in thought, namely about the strict measures being done on his home planet after the Ikazuchi incident.

"Hey, Max, you all right boy?"

Max turned to face his old mentor in Vanguard combat. The tough no non-sense pilot of the Vanguard squadrons was drafted along with more older more experienced pilots. The Military command made a mistake of letting recruits into battle early, so very every three new Vanguard pilots, there would be a veteran, teaching his squad to be more effective in combat.

Max turned and nodded as they made their way to the mess hall. As they got their pill rations, Max heard many of his fellow men deep discussion on what they were going to do to the Megele pirates once the new warp gate was operational.

"We're going to win this war!"

"Yeah! Those pirates will rue the day they killed so many of our friends!!"

"We'll avenge the Ikazuchi!"

"Death to the Megele women!"

Max sighed as he sat away from the others, and his only companion was Aleck, he ate his meals and took a drink of water. The two ate in silence while the other men were still going about with their plans to destroy the women. Once the two were done eating, they walked towards one of the nearby halls. Once they were inside, Max looked out into space, while he was near a table and sat on the furniture piece, while Aleck looked at him.

Aleck was curious, normally the younger brother of Duero would love to talk, but ever since the disappearance of his brother, he had been very silent and had this totally mopping look in his face. He wanted to know what was eating the brother, but all the time they had been in this ship, he didn't press the matter, but now, he was getting very uncomfortable with the silence.

"Max McFile, are you here?"

Max stared at his combat instructor with a bit of a glare. "I'm here Gunny, geez you've on my case for almost a week! What's eating you?!"

"What's eating me?! I'll tell you. You've been staring out into space for days, I could strip naked and wave a bone dagger in front of you, and you would look like you've got white stones for eyes! You've been so silent, I could literally hear your heart-beat a good ten tables from here! Now you tell me…what's eating YOU?"

"It's none of you're…!"

"It's none of my business, right? Look, I made a promise to your Alpha to help you deal with this situation, ever since…Duero disappeared. You know that I'm a man of my word, so I want to know what's eating you?"

Max got up and stabbed his bone dagger into the table while it was still in his grip, the same bone dagger that he had made for himself from the Sand Viper's fang, all those years ago.

"I'm NOT a kid anymore! You hear me Gunny?! I want to find out what happened to my brother! And if those…women…DID kill my brother! I'll make them bleed until they're nothing but husks!"

Aleck glared back at his subordinate, but not in anger, he knew how much Max respected his elder brother, so it made sense that the younger McFile would act like that.

"I know that you're no kid, you're a top-notch medic and a great Vanguard pilot, both your Alpha and your brother would say that with pride. But you know that you ARE a medic. You're suppose to save lives, not end them you know! Your brother would want you to do that, and besides that, you're not even sure that your brother IS gone."

"I…"

Max said as he held the bone dagger tightly, as he tried not to recall his sadness when he got the letter saying that his brother Duero had vanished, presumed killed by the Megele women.

"You know your brother better than me, or anybody else in this outfit. You know that he's smart and very creative, he's got great skill and brains to go with his muscles. He's one the best Vanguard pilots in the Capital Academy. He's also a top-notch medic just like you. Damn it Max, you know that it'll take a lot to take your brother out of the game! Why are you acting like this, back then you'd be so open minded about things. Now you want to face an enemy you know next to nothing about?"

"I don't even know if Duero IS alive Gunny. He wasn't in any of the escape pods that were recovered by the rescue fleet. The last people who saw my brother said that he was taken aside by the women. They didn't find even his bone dagger with his gear, they only showed me his medical graduation certificate. For all I know, he could have been killed and dumped out in space…" Max began to cry slowly as he thought about what could have happened to his brother.

Aleck shook his subordinate by the shoulder. "You don't KNOW that. All you know is what others told you, those people were herded in the space pods and were not able to see anything else. You're brother's smart, I think he may have found a way to make it through the mess, and he's a great medic, I've got a feeling that those women…"

"Those women did what to Duero? Use his skills to heal them, and then beat the crap out of him and then when they didn't need him, they kill him?! You haven't even met women before yourself Gunny, and you say that they had mercy?!"

"They DID have mercy! If they didn't, if they were REALLY those monsters that they were all cracked up to be, then why did they spare a lot of our fellow men? And don't you use that idea given by the government about them being poisoned, I was among the ones who checked them, and there were no signs of any type of toxin in their blood. You know that as a medic also, you also handled some of them before you got assigned here. They were not infected and they acted way too much to show that they were infected, you know that…don't you?"

Max nodded, he had dealt with some of the survivors of his brother's fated mission. They acted like truly indoctrinated people…way too truthfully. Max learned one thing in his years. Telling the truth was one thing, but telling the truth in a finely crafted way meant that there was something wrong in the whole picture.

"You're right…but I still think that something happened to Duero."

"I know…something did happen to Duero…But I can feel in my bones that he didn't get killed. And IF…IF he is dead, and we find him…we'll do what we can to give him justice. All right?"

"All right."

"That's the Max I knew. We'll find him, all right?"

The two men then heard their names being called in the intercom.

"Instructor Aleck Koubayashi, and Medic Max McFile, please make your way to the main command center on the double."

--

The two men enter the main command bridge as their commanding officer saluted the two soldiers. The command center was abuzz with activity as command personnel moved about along with technicians as what appeared to be a weapons test as underway.

"Sir!"

"At ease gentlemen. You're here early."

"What seems to be the rush Captain?"

Aleck asked as he and Max stopped their greetings to their commanding officer. The technicians began typing in command reports and it seemed that the rest of the escort fleet was getting ready for a combat drill.

"Don't tell me we're starting already." Max said as the technicians were working non-stop.

"That's not the reason; scouting team 9 has sighted several Megele cruisers in the area, and judging by their insignia…they're not pirates. They appear to be some sort of search and destroy team. Reports count that the main strength comprises of three Megele cruisers and who knows how many boarding squads and those blasted Dreads of theirs!"

This was bad news, as far as Max and Aleck could tell, the women of the Megele military had one policy when dealing with men from their world. Kill on sight, they were not like that of the pirates, who seemed to spare their men captives.

"How did they get all the way out here?"

Aleck asked,

"Only people who know about the op route were the big-wigs at high command and the Council. Besides, we're close to the orbital mine fields, they've have to be crazy to be this close."

"Crazy or not, they're nearby nevertheless. I've ordered a full combat standby of all Vanguard personnel. If the women get their hands on the warp gate…then I don't need to tell you or anybody else what'll happen if they get their filthy hands on it! I'm going to assign this ship and the rest of the personnel to a defensive action. The escort fleet's been given the orders to hold the enemy off as long as possible, while the ship begins a retreat, if things get bad, activate the warp gate and teleport out of the area, and dump the coordinates to an escape pod to be sent back to Talark. If worse comes to worse…destroy the warp gate."

"Sir…"

Max did not like this, although the idea of retreating was a bad taste in any man's tongue, including him…. He didn't relish the idea of trashing the new weapon that his people had struggled for months to build.

"You know the command protocol issued for this project. I'm not you asking to like the idea, I'm asking you to do it. For all our sakes, and for Grandpa. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir, but why the two of us?" Max asked as he listened to the commanding officer. The self destruct codes were normally held by high ranking officers, and rarely given if at all, to low level personnel.

"You guys have great recommendations from many of the senior staff, namely that of you Max McFile. The file you have shows that your brother was part of the Ikazuchi crew before it was captured, and he was taken alive by the women. I want you to be responsible for this device, since you and your brother were considered the best. And I want you to do whatever you can make sure that what happened to your brother will never happen to either the men on this ship, the project, and to Talark. Do your duty, and make Grandpa proud, is that clear?"

"Yes sir!" Max replied with a salute.

"All right, these are the activation codes. Input them to the warp gates nav-com to activate them, but remember, only use them in the last moment, and ONLY in the worst case situation. I'll update you both if the situation is dire. Dismissed."

"Sir!"

--

Back to the present…

Barnette wondered about that as well. She had heard back then on their previous forays on their own planet, their spies mentioned that the Megele military would attempt combat sorties dangerously close to the borders and near Talark's orbital mine network, though she discounted that idea. Now it became apparent that the rumors were true.

"So what happened?"

"It was over two days later…the crew had heard about what had happened before, and it took a bit of effort from the command crew to calm down the men who were overzealous, claiming that we'd get the drop on the women if they used the warp gate."

"What happened after that?"

Max sighed as he looked away, making Barnette wonder if he would stop talking.

"Someone got the drop on the other all right…But it wasn't us."

--

Back to the Past, two days after…

Max sighed as the crew began to relax, it had been a full two days worth of tension as the men of the small fleet had heard about the presence of the Megele military ships near their operation route. It had taken a lot of effort from the command crew to calm the others, reminding them of the project that they were involved in, and it's need for secrecy. Though Max knew one thing, the people in the command crew were just as interested in striking the Megele crew as the men.

Aleck walked into the medical bay and the two began to talk about the situation they were in. ever since the incident no less than two days ago. The two men had been able to hide the fact that they had the activation codes for the warp gate. The last thing the ship needed were the overzealous ones in the ship getting the codes.

"Any word from the Captain, Gunny?"

"Not a word. But the Shadow, the Masamune, the Crusader, and the Talon are in formation Halo at this time. So you can bet ten to one, they are on high alert, the Vanguard pilots are on full combat alert. The only thing I hope is that we don't get blind-sided like the Ikazuchi."

Max nodded as he ran his hand on the dagger in his chest/shoulder holster. All Talark men are given a form of combat and personal identification system. For First Class men , it was a dagger in black metal with special access codes laser-burned like an old CD in the middle of the blade. The dagger was able to still function as a weapon, but was used to identify a man's data, namely his physiological data, health, and his history and that of his family, the dagger was over a foot long and made out of tempered tri-titanium alloy, hard to make, but very quick to forge. The Second Class had the same dagger ID but it was smaller and had a shorter blade. And the Third Class only had the standard ID design tag.

The pair of daggers he and Aleck had were colored silver with the codes in red. This showed the differences of the daggers. The daggers however were designed to break in the middle after use, so as to avoid the chance of the Megele women using the codes at all. A spare set of codes were in Talark, but the main access/activation codes were with the Captain of the mission Max and Aleck were in, and now they were the ones holding the codes.

"The situation's getting even more intense. How do you think will the fleet be on combat standby?" Max asked as he and Aleck left the medical bay.

"I don't know…"

That was when the battle that Max and Aleck had anticipated, but didn't like…happened.

"ALL PERSONNEL! REPORT TO COMBAT STATIONS! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! REPEAT! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! ALL ESSENTIAL PERSONNEL REPORT TO ASSIGNED STATIONS!"

The ship the two men were onboard, named the Shard was hit by incoming beams, sending the ship aside as the insides were shaking and panels exploded from the impact. The resulting blasts jostled the brother of Duero and their instructor around as they immediately ran to their assigned tasks.

"Damn it! It's them!" Max shouted as he rushed to his duties. He knew his duty, and that was to help deal with incoming casualties.

"Looks like we're committed now!" Aleck said as he rushed to the hanger bay where he would meet up with his fellow veterans and the new boys in the Vanguards. They had to be prepared and get to the fighting.

--

Out in Space…

The Talark Fleet were totally caught off-guard as they engaged the Megele military forces. Apparently the Megele had detected the Talark black ops fleet and had been trailing the fleet while avoiding the orbital mines and the Talark ships' sensors and Vanguard patrols.

The Megele women were confident they would get the drop on the men, but this time, it was the other way around. When over two days ago, they were ready to strike, they had been spotted by a secret Talark Vanguard patrol, and had to pull back. The women knew they would have easily destroyed the patrol, but they decided instead to pull back and wait.

However it became apparent that the command crew of the Megele fleet were tired of waiting…and struck.

Relying on their Dreads' exceptional range and speed, the women struck hard and fast, hitting the Talark ship known as the Shadow, causing considerable damage to the ship, but to the shock of the women, the ship wasn't totally crippled. The Shadow's crew were able to recover and unleashed the weapons they had been given along with the company of Vanguards that were assigned to the ship, the Talon came to it's brother ship's aid and the ships began fighting back.

Ever since the defeat of the Ikazuchi's command fleet and the humiliation suffered by the men under the hands of the Megele pirates, the men reorganized their weapons and combat tactics. The ships' once slow and prodding mass driver cannons were updated with improved range adapters and quicker gears and rotator axels to improve response time. To add to the change in weaponry, the Talark men added a new formation, the old Phalanx Mode. The Vanguards were now armed with high grade general purpose shields and armed with long battle spears, reminiscent of that of the old Earth Greek sarissa spear. When the women thought that it was a foolish move, they were shocked as their Dreads were being hit fast and hard by the improved turrets of the Talark ships, making the normally confident Dread pilots uncoordinated as they could not lock in their weapons without running the risk of being hit.

The Vanguards then struck back as they charged into the Dreads' ranks that were trying to recover, the Vanguards were given increased rocket packs to boost their speed. The sudden rush of the once considered weak mecha caught the women off guard as they had no choice but to scatter. The slower ones were hit hard by either shields, or the sarissa style spears that tore through the Dreads' armor. Apparently the spears were designed for anti-armor work. Once the weapons were able to do their job, the Vanguards then scattered, switching to their more personal weapons and ranged armaments, each Vanguard was paired with another and now chased the Dreads as they were now in the position to strike fast and hard. These new tactics confused the once wily women and forced them to rethink their strategy.

The women were able to recover from the shock and redoubled their attacks. They too had some reserve tactics to use. The ships began to unleash a storm of torpedoes while the Dreads reformed into wedges and began to strike back at the formations of Vanguards, when the men would break formation to avoid the Dreads, they were sandwiched between the torpedo barrage and the other Dreads. The battles intensified as the two fleets went all out.

It was quickly evolving into a slaughter as Dread and Vanguard wrecks filled space…

--

Back at the Shard…

"Damn it! Get me some atropine here! This one's going into cardiac arrest!" One of the medics shouted as he was treating one of his wounded comrades. The medical bay of the Shard was in chaos, as members of it's crew and those of the Talon and the Shadow were in for medical treatment.

"I need more IVs!" Another medic shouted as he treated another patient.

"Damn it! Hold on man!" Another shouted as he tried to remove some hot fragments from the body of his comrade who was screaming in agony.

"More patients from the Talon coming in!" A soldier called in through the intercom.

"Damn! Tell them we're running out of room here!" Max answered as he treated another patient who's ribs were broken.

"Can't! The Talon's medical bay was destroyed and they were able to get out in time! Those guys are hit pretty bad, they need medical care now!"

"What about the Masamune?"

"The Masamune's also under attack! They're holding the rear flank from attack by the women, they are having their own problems over there too. The Crusader is there with them right now!"

Max sighed as he went back to work. This was the nightmare scenario for all medics, he was deep in a battle and more wounded were coming in and their supplies were getting stretched to the limit.

"I'm losing him!" One more of his buddies shouted as his patient, a man with a severe puncture wound to the chest was shaking in sporadic spasms. His uneven chest showed broken ribs and the blood in his chest had bubbles, indicating a punctured lung.

Max was able to treat his patient and before he could rest a new batch of patients were in the medical room now. More work for the young medic and his team-mates.

"Incoming patients!"

Max went to work as he dealt with one man who was bleeding from several wounds near the chest and what looks like a tearing near the femoral artery, if he didn't hurry the man would bleed to death internally.

"Get me some IVs and some clamps ASAP!" he shouted as the man was screaming in pain as the blood continued to flow from his wounds.

(Aleck…I hope to the Gods and Grandpa that you're not going to get killed!)

--

Back in space…

All Vanguard pilots! Maintain combat formation and defensive mode! We've got to protect the Shard, along with us supporting the Masamune and the Crusader and our fellow men in the medical bay of all three ships. We can't let them be killed in their states! Understood?" Aleck shouted to his squadron.

"Understood sir!" The men answered as they all got into combat formation. The majority of the crew were a mix of veterans and newbie pilots, and that was going to be one heck of a challenge.

The Shard's Vanguard teams met up with the Vanguards of the Crusader and the Masamune as they went into a defensive action. The Masamune however wasn't going to be of much help. Apparently some of the Megele women's torpedoes from their initial barrage had struck the engine sections and some had torn up badly the command bridge. The crew were now fighting tooth and nail to make sure that the ship would not be totally destroyed as a full evacuation was being done to take away the Masamune's survivors. The medical bay was already swamped and the excess members who were wounded had no choice but the evacuate while the remaining crew defended their retreat.

"Aleck Koubayashi to the Captain of the Masamune! Respond over!"

"This is the Captain! Thank Grandpa you're here!"

"Save the thanks man, what's your status?"

"Primary command bridge has been destroyed, we're currently working in the sub-command bridge! The ship's engines have been badly damaged and we're having internal fires from sections 12 to 19! We've got considerable casualties and the numbers just keep on piling. We can't run and we can't fight, most of the operation systems for our weapons systems have been destroyed."

"Understood Captain, we'll hold the line here until you can get the ship online!"

"Yes Sir!"

--

Back in the present…

"We had no choice but to hold the line, The Crusader had to support the Masamune because of the massive damage it was in, the Shadow and the Talon had to maintain our forward defense…"

Barnette said nothing as Max continued to speak about the events that sent him here.

"It was at that moment, when all hell got really set loose."

--

Back to the battle…

The battle between the Vanguards and the Dreads, along with their ships began to intensify in every second that passed. The areas of the fleet's encounter were filled with wrecks, both Dread and Vanguard. The ships continued to bombard each other, and both sides were being hit hard. The Shadow was slowly giving way to the bombardment of the Megele cruisers, but the women were just as battered as the ship that attacked the Shadow was also suffering fires and explosions, despite it's advanced alloy skin, even more so as teams of Vanguard had broken through the Dread lines and began attacking the ship itself. The Vanguards however had no choice but to relent their attack as they had to defend the Shadow from the Dreads. The Talon as now engaged with the other Megele cruiser and the two ships and their squadrons were now dancing in the battle dance of life and death.

"All Vanguards! Maintain your lines and defensive formations! Watch each other's backs!" Aleck shouted in a strong voice as he jammed his sarissa spear into the middle of a Dread that ran past him. He was a warrior of Talark, but that didn't excuse him from the fact that he disliked the idea of killing anybody just out of hearsay, but his men were his responsibility, and he didn't plan on letting themselves be killed.

He yanked out his spear as the Dread exploded and rallied his fellow men and they all went into a defensive action around the Masamune. He already knew that the Masamune was crippled beyond aid, and the least they could do was aid in the crippled ship's defense.

"Aleck Koubayashi to the Masamune! Respond over!"

"This is the acting Captain of the Masamune! Go ahead!" A new voice came into Aleck's com-link.

"Where's the Captain?!" Aleck asked the new speaker.

"He's…dead… sir. A blasted Megele barrage from the Dreads struck the area where he was, instructing the evacuation. The shrapnel….cut his throat, and he's lost…too much blood for the medics to save him."

Aleck growled in anger at this, he knew that it meant, they had no choice but to retreat and do it now.

"All right, Captain, get all your surviving personnel and get to the Crusader, this is priority one! Get your men out of there!"

"Understood! All hands begin the evacuation! Security personnel, begin activating ship defense protocol 67, we're not going to let the blasted women get their stinking hands on this ship!"

Aleck knew that defense protocol 67 meant that the crew would now wire the whole ship with explosives and destroy the vessel once they were clear. This was clear combat doctrine, they'd rather destroy their own gear than let it be used against them in the future.

The Crusader's leader got the message as the ship closed in on it's crippled comrade.

"This is the Captain of the Crusader, we are ready to retrieve the crew of the Masamune! All Vanguards are requested to maintain defensive lines until evacuation and transfer of personnel is complete!"

Back at the Shard…

Max was able to save his patient, but now had to deal with another wounded man who apparently had his left arm broken at the lower bones. He had to hurry as the patients in the medical bay were becoming those of the more critical type.

Max grabbed some splints and heavy gauze bandages and corrected the broken bones that punctured the skin, he didn't care about the sight as the blood from the severed vessels spurted on his face, making him lose focus for a moment, before he wiped the blood away. The man was in great pain, but Max was able to sedate him prior to his treatment, he then injected the wounds with special anti-bacterial serum to prevent infection as he placed the bones back into the flesh and went to work on the cast. The younger brother's hands, arms, and chest were coated with blood, along with that of his face.

The medical bay's floor was now being flied with pools of blood as more casualties filtered in, while screams and groans of pain filled the section of the ship. The young man's fellow medics were being tested to the ultimate limit of their capacity.

"I need a full amount of adrenaline injections over here!"

"Damn! Hold him still! I can't get the fragment out of the leg, and if he keeps moving he's going to tear up even more of his blood vessels!"

"I've got no choice, if we don't amputate his leg, it won't matter what we do!"

"Get me some pain killers and heavy bandages in here right now! He's got third degree burns, and if we don't hurry, he'll either bleed to death of he'll be infected!"

Max got to deal with more issues as another patient was brought before him, and he knew that this guy was in serious trouble. The man had lost too much blood from a wound, Apparently he was lucky enough to be rescued in time, but his blood loss was severe.

"Get me some blood packs and some transfusion tools over here!"

The supply master of the medical bay shouted back to the young medic. "That's a negative! We're all out of the tools!"

Max swore but decided that it was time to get creative. "Get me some plastic tubing and a combat knife then!"

He looked back at the nearly unconscious man. "Hang on buddy! Don't you die here!"

A half hour into the battle…

"Incoming barrage!"

The Shard's crew braced for impact as the beams slammed into the ship, sending more explosions in the ship itself. Crew-members were tossed around as the fires continued to spread.

"Where did the barrage come from?!"

A lieutenant checked the scanners and gave a growl of anger. "There's another Megele cruiser, it stayed well out of our sensors and that of the Fleet, until now …and it's heading for us! Data indicates it's going to board us!"

The Captain knew this much, they had no other option…but to use the warp-gate.

"Medic Max McFile, report to the command bridge!"

The captain had reason for this move, as many of the casualties in the medical bay would have to run the risk of death should they be caught in the warp. The effects created by the warp effect would kill them instantly when it occurs.

It didn't take long for Max to arrive, he was able to complete the blood transfusion for the patient, but barely, the man was now in the hands of one of the other medics.

"What's going on?!"

The captain turned to the young McFile and pointed to the navigational chart. "We've isolated a lone Megele cruiser, it revealed itself no less than ten minutes ago. It's planning to board the Shard, they could be an extermination unit…or…"

"They could be after the warp-gate!"

"That's our estimate. All casualties are to be transferred to the emergency medical bay on the escape section of the ship! I'll leave you in charge of getting all the wounded out of here before you activate the warp gate!"

Max nodded as he realized the situation was getting really grim by the second, then he recalled another thing.

"We need to call Aleck back here for the plan to work!"

"That's already being done! Communications officer!"

"Yes Sir!"

"Get me a secure channel to Instructor Aleck ASAP!"

--

"Defensive team 3! Maintain defensive lines at the rear! Team 6! Fall back immediately!"

Aleck said as he issued orders to his command teams. The Vanguards had suffered several casualties and several losses, as evidence, there were many Vanguard wrecks in space…along with other…human remains. The sights enflamed him and his men, but he was the only man who kept his cool. That meant that he was the only man who could think rationally at this point. The other men were the more zealous ones and charged regardless of the fact that they were slowly being out numbered.

"Damn it! Team 2! Get back in formation!"

The team in question didn't respond and were now surrounded. Aleck shouted in frustration as he lunged into the battle and beat off several Dreads with his sarissa spear. Once he got the team back into formation, he immediately showed why he was called 'Gunny' as he called towards the team leader.

"You idiot! Your team was supposed to stay in formation!

"I want to kill those blasted women! Not listen to you!"

"I'm the one in command here! You do what I order you to do!"

"And watch more of my friends die?! Are you a coward?!"

"You think I don't WANT to avenge them?! I want nothing more than to make the women pay for them! But I can't do that if I lose my temper and neither can you! You can't avenge anybody if you're also dead! And you'll be responsible for bringing more men to their deaths if you just lead into the heat of battle without controlling yourself!"

"But…!"

"How many more friends are you willing to lose?! And can you live with yourself if you let our fellow men get massacred if you break defensive formation?! The evacuation's not finished yet you know! They'll be slaughtered if we break our defensive lines! You think you can live with that kind of guilt in your consciences for the rest of your life?!"

The team leader realized the truth in Aleck's words, and nodded in agreement. "I…understand. All pilots, maintain order and defensive ranks until the Masmune's wounded are evacuated!"

Aleck nodded at that, he then got a direct communiqué from the Shard.

"Instructor Koubayashi! This is the Shard! This is a priority one message! Please respond!"

Aleck had a feeling this was going to be the message he knew would come, but disliked to hear either way.

"This is Instructor Koubayashi! Go ahead Shard!"

"The situation is critical! Another Megele cruiser has appeared on our flanks and it's heading on what appears to be a boarding action! We need to activate the warp-gate!"

"Understood, I'm heading there once the evacuation of the Masamune is complete!"

The Captain of the Shard however was in a mood not to wait, already the Megele cruiser was closing in, despite all the fire from the Shard's cannon batteries, the Dreads of the enemy women had began to disable the turrets.

"Negative! We're already planning a full evacuation of our own wounded and that of the other fleets from the medical bay! We need to activate the warp gate now!"

"I will NOT abandon my men out here to be slaughtered, Captain!"

That was when a communiqué from the ship in question.

"This is the Masamune to Instructor Koubayashi! We've successfully completed full evacuation and defense protocol 67 is already in effect! All remaining personnel have also transferred to the Crusader, along with whatever supplies and weapons we could bring!"

Aleck smiled…at least something was going right since this whole battle started. He then went and contacted the Shard.

"Evacuation and initiation of defense protocol 67 on the Masamune is complete! I'm heading back to the ship! All squadrons, escort the Crusader to a designated retreat point!"

"Yes Sir!"

--

Aleck arrived at the Shard a few minutes before the enemy cruiser could be close enough to dock. He immediately grabbed his rifle and ammunition clip bandolier and headed to the command bridge, there he found Max tending to some of the defensive personnel, it became apparent that the evacuation of the wounded had been successful, but there were more wounded coming, and this time, they were from the defensive teams.

"Max! What's the status?" Aleck asked the younger McFile as he was applying field dressing on the wounds of the Captain.

"The Megele have deployed some advanced invasion teams into the ship, but they haven't found the warp-gate as of yet!"

The Captain began to cough out some blood as he spoke. "We've got…to get the warp-gate online…I'll get the rest of the wounded and other essential personnel out of here!" He then tried to get up despite his wounds, earning him a stern glare from the young McFile.

"You aren't going anywhere! You need to rest and let me treat your wounds!"

The Captain glared at the medic. "I…am the Captain of this ship! This is my Fleet and you are part of my crew! You will follow my orders! Is THAT clear?!"

Max glared back with equal intensity. "And I am a sworn medic of the Talark military! That is my sworn office and saving my fellow men is my sacred duty for our home-planet and to Grandpa! And you are my patient! YOU WILL follow MY orders if you want to live! Is THAT clear?!"

Both glared at each other, until the Captain grinned a bit, and then sighed.

"You should have been an officer you know. You've got more guts and grit than any of the top brass back home." He coughed a bit and sat back. "All right, I'll rest, but you'll have to my replacement."

Max nodded as he began to finish his preparations on healing his wounded captain. Once he was done he began to issue orders to the other men in the command bridge.

"Have the escape section of the Shard ready to evacuate at least ten minutes before we activate the warp-gate! Have all wounded personnel, spare supplies, spare Vanguards, and weapons schematics from the data-drives removed and sent to the section. All combat personnel will divide into two teams, one to escort the transfer, while the other will hold the line and defend the activation of the warp-gate!"

"Yes Sir!"

The men who were now under Max's commands, they knew that Max McFile had excellent scores in the academy and he was a man who knew his job. In the minds of the other members of the command staff, it was an absolute shame that he wasn't a commander of his own ship, and the same with his missing and presumed dead elder brother Duero McFile. The home-world would be greatly benefited by their skills in this bloody war.

"Have the rest of the Fleet break away from their engagement with the Megele forces! All Vanguards escort the rest of the Fleet! Status of the Megele cruiser trying to board us?"

"Contact will be in eight minutes. All combat turrets have been destroyed, we have no way to fight back, unless we fight in the ship!" Replied one of the aides in the command bridge as he tracked the Megele cruiser.

"Begin the evacuation immediately, notify all ships and Vanguard personnel to begin retreat action!"

Max then helped his wounded Captain to his feet and handed him carefully to one of his fellow medics, who went on to help the captain to a corridor to the secondary command bridge of the escape section of the Shard. The Captain then faced both Aleck and Max.

"You two had better hurry, good luck…and may the Gods and Grandpa watch over you and guide your way."

--

"We…knew that we had no choice as we ran to where the warp-gate was housed. I made sure that the remaining personnel with Aleck and me were aware of what we had to do. If it was successful, then we were to dump the coordinates into a retrievable module for the rest of the Fleet to be picked. If we failed…then we were to cause a detonation in the Shard and make sure that your people would never get the warp-gate technology, Barnette. And considering the way the military of Megele would train it's soldiers, I don't think that I need to tell you what they would do if they caught us before we could do what we were ordered to do."

Max said as he then began to cradle his bone dagger. He had shown to Barnette his weapon earlier when Aleck had come by and passed him his weapon. Apparently, Aleck had retrieved the bone dagger from the Templar Gundam's cockpit storage compartments. Barnette admitted silently that the bone weapon was elegant in a primal and feral way. She noticed that there was a jewel imbedded on the upper grip of the weapon, and she recognized it to be a piece of jewelry women like her people would wear, her curiosity about Max's life on this world continued to grow, along with her curiosity on who among her people had changed Max's way of thinking.

"I guess." Barnette shivered a bit as she knew her military's policy with men. Unlike her fellow pirates, none of them have ever killed a man… even her. They had always released their male prisoners, and despite her hatred of men in the past, she wasn't all that prepared to kill men, unless there was no other option. The military however, killed on sight, regardless of the status of the men.

She also realized that she now didn't ever want to picture herself killing a man, even more so if the man was like Max, or his brother Duero. The two men changed her views about men, along with Kyo. And she was thankful that she met Max and that was because she was able to learn more about men from him far better than what she had heard about from the propaganda of her home-planet.

"What happened then?"

--

Back to Max's story…

The battles in the Shard became intense, men pulled back while firing their rifles as some of them were hit, the wounded helped to their feet by their fellow men, while those who died were reluctantly left behind. The women kept on moving and moving, their suits protecting them from most of the rifle-fire, but some were not as lucky, they were wounded…while some were killed.

Max growled a bit as the body-counts on both sides began to pile. His mind was divided by the scenes in front of him. One part was enraged by the senseless slaughter of his fellow men, another was in chaos on what he should believe about women, and the other was his hatred for the massive loss of life. He knew that he would be considered a fool and traitor if others apart from Aleck and his older brother Duero would hear that he hated the idea of shedding the blood of the women.

"ALL SECURITY PERSONNEL TO SECTION 6-19! ALL STANDBY FOR WARP-GATE ACTIVATION!"

The men knew that meant that the Warp-Gate was to be activated, squad leaders began to order their fellow men to retreat as fast as possible to the section in question. The women didn't know what was going on, but they seemed to be aware that the men were either going to escape, which was impossible since the escape section had been released, and that meant only one thing…they were going to detonate their ship.

The women were informed of this by their fellow women who had attempted to enter the Masamune, but learned too late as they were hit by the explosion causing damage to the ship, and deaths in the intended boarding party. They immediately retreated, all except for two women who were still going forward. Apparently they were either unable to understand the message, or their com-links were not working.

--

The men were exhausted as medics began treating the wounded, Max wasted no time as both he and Aleck inserted the daggers into the lock-in scanner slots on the control panel of the Warp-Gate. The daggers were locked in as the computer began reading the built-in data codes in the middle of the daggers. Once the data was loaded in, the daggers were ejected and broke into fragments in the middle. The daggers were now useless as data carriers…or weapons. But they had accomplished their purpose.

Max and Aleck knew that they had time before the women would try and find the warp-gate so that meant that they had no time to implant the needed calculations, so they began to type in the sequence codes of their home-planet of Talark…and they downloaded the remaining data and coordinates into a message pod to the escape section of their ship.

"Okay! Let's get this pod launched!"

The two men downloaded the launch coordinates into the deployment system and in less than a few seconds, the pod was launched in the direction of the escape section of the Shard. They now had to do what they had to before the women would get lucky.

"Activate the warp-gate…5…4…3…2…1…MARK!"

The warp gate opened itself like a ripple in water, as the gate field generators began to release arcs of power. The energy then began to flow into cables in the floor and spread throughout the ship. The Shard itself was the experiment as it would have been the ship that would attempt a controlled warp-jump. But now it had become a shadow of the lost Ikazuchi, but this time, there would be no escape for the men in the last section.

That was when Max spotted some movement near one of the entrances…and spotted a Megele laser rifle…aimed at them!

"LOOK OUT!"

The young McFile knocked Aleck out of the way as the laser bolt struck the wall beside them. The men spotted two women in space combat uniforms as they came in. It was then that one of his men, fired a rifle round at the women, and instead struck a small barrel of somewhat volatile coolant, the barrel exploded and sent the women flying to a far-away section of the room, one of them was apparently knocked unconscious, while the other was send skidding to the floor, but not before she fired a bolt from what appeared to be a built-in laser in her suit…and this one he and Aleck dodged. But it didn't hit the wall….

But the coordinate module of the Warp-Gate!

"OH GREAT!"

Those were the last words ever spoken on the Shard as the ship opened a warp-hole, but it was going to do the same thing with the Megele cruiser that was trying to escape. The fleets of both sides could only watch as the two ships were absorbed by the warp hole…and in a span of ten seconds…vanished.

To the Gods only knew where…

--

To an unknown area of the vast cosmos of space…

The tranquil surroundings of space were violently disrupted as a massive burst of light occurred, and a massive tear in the very fabric of space opened…and out from this tear came two ships. Both looked like they were sent to hell and back, with their insides out.

On the planet's surface…

As if in response to the arrival of the new interlopers, a series of dishes from a nearby formation appeared and in the matter of moments…dragged the ships safely through the atmosphere and the surrounding debris.

However…the one that rescued the two ships and the surviving crew of both ships, wasn't human…

Neither was it in the mood to save the crew…but to use them…to save another race…by the most brutal and bloody means possible.

--

On the surface…

Both the Shard and the Megele cruiser…named the Emerald Dawn were brought to the surface with considerable force, but not enough to injure the already wounded personnel. The ships were now located near a ridge-line of stone and sand, as the heat of the day bore down on the ships.

Max and Aleck were now coming to their senses after that massive ride down the atmosphere. They then began to scan their wounded, and if possible…dead companions. Aleck them went around and some of the men were very lucky to be still alive…while others were not.

Max then went to check on the unexpected visitors. The women were still out cold, but he would never know for sure due to their suits and the masks they were wearing. It was then that several now conscious military personnel came forward with their rifles, apparently ready to kill their 'guests'.

Max stood before them and shook his head.

"Lower your weapons, soldiers."

The men glared at the medic and one of them gave a direct answer to Max.

"You've got to be kidding! This…monster…and it's friend killed many of our fellow men! AND you want to heal them?! YOU heal your fellow men! Don't bother with these…rejects!"

Max glared back. "You really think, I'm going to just stand aside and let you kill…important prisoners? You must be out of your gourd."

"What are you getting at?!"

"Think about it…These two are the first prisoners we've had all day. With them as captives, we could find ways to counter their toxins, and make it possible for us to endure them. And when we do…"

"We can beat them!" The men then looked at Max, who looked back with a simple expression, showing that he was speaking the truth. Though the fact of the matter was that he was curious about what women looked like, under the suits, though he had to hurry, as he didn't know about their medical condition.

"Fine! You deal with them! But if you're wrong…" The leader left it hanging as he gestured to his rifle. Max needed no translation as to what the leader had in mind.

"Aleck…give me a hand with our…prisoners."

Aleck arrived on the scene and was about to intervene, but was happy to see that Max was as skilled with diplomacy, as he was in healing people. He helped Max take the two women to the nearby emergency medical bay of the section that they were in.

--

It took a while for Max and Aleck to haul the women to the medical bay, and thankfully the facility was still intact. The two then worked on finding a way to remove the face masks. But in order to avoid a fatal mess, they restrained both women, so as to make sure that the women didn't react violently while being treated.

The two men then went to work as they removed the face-masks of the women, once they did so, they stared for the first time…two real live women, in the flesh.

The two women were very different in appearance, but they had the same skin tone, which was light cream. The two men knew what that meant, they had no protection from the harsh suns, but they had to admit this much, the women didn't look in the absolute likeness of the monsters they were portrayed to be in the films that they have seen back home. They had somewhat…delicate bone structure, considering the fact that they looked very much like them.

The women however were very much different from one another. The one that was first restrained had deep black hair in braids, and had a small earring on her left ear. The second one had deep emerald green tresses, all of which were short nearly to the back of the head, with only a lush tail on the right side of her head, with the long tail of hail, bound by a golden threaded piece of jewelry with a deep greed emerald in the center.

Max stared at the women, but decided to get into his persona as a medic. He checked the pulses of both women, finding them both to have strong but low pulses. He knew that they were still unconscious, as he examined them, he learned that both women had some injuries, the first had some bruising and broke a few ribs on her left side, while the other had bruising but had broken her left arm, but not to the point of it being totally broken…but before he could perform the needed medical treatment, he realized that they were recovering their wits.

Aleck was aware of it as well as both Max and he watched with anxiety as their patients began to recover. Max immediately told Aleck to seal off the medical bay. If the women started screaming and fighting, their male comrades would no doubt misinterpret the whole thing and kill the two women.

Once that was taken care of, the women began to wake up. And the results were easy to predict.

The first one began to scream out curses while the other was pretty much doing the same.

--

"So…what happened?" Barnette asked with greater curiosity.

"Well…it took us a great deal of work…but we managed to calm them down." Max said in a somewhat sheepish manner.

--

The medical bay…

The whole area was filled with one heck of a litany…a litany of curses.

"YOU TOUCH ME AND I'LL HAVE YOUR HEAD ON A PLATTER!"

"GET AWAY FROM ME! YOU PARASITES!"

"WAIT UNTIL I GET LOOSE!"

"LET US GO NOW SO WE CAN KILL YOU!"

Max and Aleck merely looked at the two wide awake women who were threatening them with a barrage of words. They were lucky that the medical bay was sealed up AND they had restrained their patients effectively. If they didn't then things would have gotten rather ugly.

As the women struggled, Max decided that it was time he got things straight with their very angry guests.

"Now listen here…"

The one with emerald hair glared and then spat at him.

"YOU listen here buster! If you try anything on me and Arisa, I'll make sure you regret it to your grave!" The green-haired woman's blue eyes were inflamed as she looked at Max, who merely moved out of the way of her liquid projectile.

"I'm NOT going to do anything to either you or your companion Arisa…"

"The name's Clare, Clare McBride, and who might you be?!"

"My name's Max…Max. McFile. And my companion's name is Aleck, Aleck Koubayashi. Now if you two want to live a bit longer I suggest that you calm down and let me explain."

The two women decided that they had nothing left to lose, with the exception of their health if they listened to the two men, and they at least, once they busted out can get even once their fellow women get here.

Clare glared at Max and nodded, and so did Arisa. "Fine, what do you want to tell us?"

"First things first, I'm a medic and the reason that you two are still breathing is that I need to treat your wounds. You, Clare have a broken arm and with a fracture and I need to treat that injury before anything major may occur. Your friend Arisa has some broken ribs and bruising and that needs to be patched up as fast as possible."

"And what's the deal with the restraints?!" Arisa asked as she gestured to the straps holding her and Clare in place.

"There's two reasons for that. The first is that if we didn't restrain you, you'd try to struggle through the medical treatment, and aggravate those injuries, plus you might try to escape."

"And we will!"

"The second reason is for that too. You two happen to be in the Shard, if you can still recall. The crew onboard are all men, as you can tell with me and Aleck, and many of them have some serious axes to grind against your people, and they will not hesitate to kill you on sight. If you two did try to escape…they'd gun you both down before you could get even ten paces away from the medical bay without batting an eye. They almost tried to kill you both also…while you were still unconscious."

The two women fell silent at that bit of information. "So…"

"I intervened and made a lie about doing research on you as prisoners of war, so as to…ah…find counter-toxins to what your people…supposedly used…on the men of the Ikazuchi Command Fleet." Max said carefully.

"Counter-toxins?! What the heck are you blabbering about?!"

"Well…let me ask you this. What does your planet say about us men? And it had better be the truth."

"Apart from being crude, inferior, savage, dumb, disease-ridden, filled with germs from head to toe… They say that you are hideous to look at." Clare said with a bit of apprehensive look as she realized her slip of the tongue. Apparently she realized the situation she and her friend were in. The two men here had done something that surprised her, they didn't kill her and her companion.

They had spared them from being killed by their own comrades as well, and that was a surprise as she had injured a good number of men like the two in front of her when she and her team boarded the ship. And she realized that in order for the two of them to be in the good graces of their male captives, they would have to be careful about what they said. But it seemed that she had just made a serious error in judgment.

Max and Aleck merely looked at each other and looked squarely at the women. His made the two women realize that they might go back on their word and…get their fellow soldiers to do what they started.

The silence went on for another minute as the two pairs stared at each other, then the two men… began to laugh.

As the women looked in shock, Max and Aleck laughed a bit more and then looked at the two of them. They still had mirthful expressions as they looked at Clare and Arisa.

"And do you want to know what the men of our planet consider you women?"

"What?"

"That you all are hideously ugly to look at, you eat men's innards, livers for the most part, you enslave and torture men for the sheer pleasure of it, you are monstrous beings with no sense of honor, compassion and decency. You make other beings rot with your presence and you corrupt men's minds."

"WHAT?!"

"THAT'S GARBAGE?! WE DON'T LOOK THE LEAST BIT UGLY!!"

The two sides got into another stream of conversation for a few more minutes. As they continued to converse with each other, Max and Aleck helped the two women by tending their wounds, but they did so with some caution as they took off the suits being worn by the women and that meant removing the restraints, but thankfully the two women didn't try to escape.

Clare and Arisa nodded as they watched the men treat their wounds, they were still frightened that they might get infected with germs from the men, but they decided that they would get medical treatment once they got back to their ship. But they admitted one thing, the medical expertise of the man named Max McFile was very exceptional as the pain of their wounds disappeared.

It was after they had been treated that the women decided to ask one more thing from their captors.

"Now that you've healed our wounds…are you going to kill us?"

Max raised an eyebrow at that statement. "What gave you that idea? Aleck and I have already patched you up, why would we kill you?"

"You guys are men, right? So why are you treating us women like we're not enemies?"

"Well…let's just say that we DON'T always believe everything so easily, right Max?" Aleck asked his younger companion.

Max merely gave a look at his older mentor and shrugged his shoulders. "That's still up for debate. I'll go convince the others not to shoot you, and just so you know, I think you might want to consider removing those suits."

Clare and Arisa looked at the younger McFile and then turned to face Aleck. "What's the deal with your friend?"

Aleck sighed and spoke. "Max's older brother Duero was on the Ikazuchi when the pirates attacked it. According to our home-world's information networks, he's MIA, a sugar word for killed in action or KIA for short. Max and I think Duero's sill alive… but he's not all that sure himself."

"Pirates, you mean the Megele pirates?"

"Who know them?" Aleck asked with a raised eye-brow at the green-haired woman.

"Yeah…most of them are political dissidents and unhappy women who left Megele and made a home somewhere in the asteroid belt between our planet and yours. Nobody really knows where they are since we could never find them, and they are a big headache for us since they raid our own ships too."

Aleck raised both eye-brows at that revelation. "Okay…do they kill men on sight?"

"No, they spare them and just release them in the escape pods. They don't follow the Megele combat book on dealing with…men."

Clare said carefully, she knew that since Max had a brother, it would make sense that she would have to be truthful about the female pirates.

--

"To make the long story short…when Aleck and I patched up Clare and Arisa, the crew of the Megele cruiser came into our ship to try and finish the rest of us off. But they got caught in an ambush as we went out. The shootout happened again and some more people were injured. That was when Clare came into view and the female raiders halted their fire. Some men tried to take advantage of the whole thing, but Aleck came forward and stopped them. That was when I found out that Clare was none other than the daughter of the Captain of the Emerald Dawn. It took some effort, but we all managed to make a truce between the crews of our ships so as to find a way to escape and head back home. I became the diplomat for the men, while Clare became the head of the women, alongside her mother, Captain Fiona."

Max sighed a bit as he cradled the bone dagger while looking at the weapon namely the jewel on the top of the handle. Barnette noticed this and she began to wonder about two things, the first was who Clare McBride was, and the second…why did she feel…envious of the girl.

That was when she realized something…

"Max…you said several days ago that you and Aleck were the only survivors of the mission you told me about…what happened to the others…and what happened to Clare?"

Max became very silent as if that was one question that caused him too much pain to even answer. This made Barnette realize that the bond between Max and Clare was very strong for him to be this silent.

"They…died. That's all I can say…Clare…died…as well."

"I'm sorry."

Barnette said mournfully as she looked at the desolate look Max had as he said those last words. The man then sighed as he sheathed his bone dagger and looked at Barnette with a sad look.

"Thank you for those words. I know…they won't…bring them all back…but thanks anyway. I think I'll go on and rest in the living quarters." He then got up and began to walk back to the living quarters, he fell a bit, making Barnette panic as she reached him.

"Are you all right?!"

Max nodded and smiled a bit. "I'm okay…don't worry about me, this wound hasn't reduced me to a cripple yet."

Barnette agreed as he hauled himself towards the quarters leaving the Megele girl quietly standing in the cafeteria. She then decided to walk to the hanger where the others were.

--

"All right…two more truck-loads and we're set to move out soon!" Aleck boomed as he completed the transfer of the materials they had salvaged from the supply base. The items included medical supplies and equipment, food, computer parts, fuel cells, spare construction parts, ammunition for personal weapons, munitions for combat machines, and other needed tools. The supply base had some very large trucks for this operation and most had AI drivers that were independent of the base's operation drives and so could not be re-programmed by other users except that of the drivers themselves and the trucks can be manually driven or linked into a convoy via AI.

Duero nodded as he looked out from the cockpit of the Morpheous Gundam. "That's great Gunny, I've completed installing the customized OS program in the SwitchBlade Gundam, and the installation of the OS for the Morpheous will take a few more hours. Once it's done, we'll need to move out as soon as possible."

"Got you Duero…hey, Miss Barnette! What brings you out here?" Aleck bellowed as he spotted Barnette walking into the hanger.

Barnette gave a nod of greeting as she walked over to the old instructor. She knew she wouldn't get too many answers from Max at this point and time, and despite her rational side telling her to let Max tell her himself once he was more open about it, her female curiosity wanted to be satisfied, so she decided to talk to Aleck for a while.

"Aleck…can I ask you something?"

The instructor nodded as he got out from the control panel for the crane and wiped his hands clean with a rag, then went over to the Dread pilot.

"Sure, what is it?"

Barnette sat down on a bench nearby and so did Aleck, the man had been there in the cafeteria earlier to hand Max his bone dagger, so he knew that whatever conversation the two had there was pretty deep.

"Can you tell me…about what you all did along with the crew of the Emerald Dawn when you were all stranded?"

"Ah, I see that Max decided to elaborate. That's not a bad sign, he's only talked about it to either himself or me, nice to see him open up to someone new now."

Aleck then got down to telling Barnette how things had done for them and the crew of both their ships. The days of the tense truce, the number incidents that were barely contained, the weeks of wandering the vast desert world, living in the located underground cities, bases, and surviving.

"It was in one of those bases that we found the Templar Gundam. Apparently it belonged to the inhabitants of this desert world. It didn't have any damage at the time, so they didn't use it long before they were wiped out by the Harvesters you all spoke of. It took some time but we all decided to take it with us, though none of us knew how to operate the OS all that well."

"What happened to the others?"

"Many of them, namely on the women's side had no training prior to survival in the desert, so the men, no matter how reluctant and unwilling they were had to help them survive in the planet's surface. Not to mention they had no idea on the dangers on this world. Clare was the one who was the most adamant at first, but it was when she encountered one of those horrors that she kind of wised up a little."

"What horrors?"

"The one that Max saved you from."

Barnette gulped as she realized what creature Aleck was referring too. That was when she recalled the scars on Max's body, as far as she could recall he had no scars with the indication that he had been stabbed by those reptile creatures, apart from the one that got him.

"You mean…another cybernetic horror?!"

"Nope, this one was purely organic, and it was a juvenile too, not as full grown, but very reckless, unlike adults who are more cautious and cunning. The thing had snuck up on the camp and the first target it had in mind was Clare, if it hadn't been for Max's quick thinking, she would have been killed."

--

Flashback…

The groups of men and women were now moving through a nearby valley filled with rocks and sand. The truce that existed was a fragile as thread at the moment, and all it would take was a mistake on either side, miscommunication, a matter of pride, stubbornness, and the whole thing would break.

"Damn! This heat is unbearable!" One of the women complained as she wiped her forehead. The other women were not behind in making complaints, but they could do nothing.

The men however didn't complain all that much as they checked the desert environment while maintaining their security net. They had grown up in a world like this so it wasn't all that big a deal when they were sweating and they knew the desert far better than these female tenderfoots.

The women were complaining non-stop as they trudged at a pained pace in the hot desert sun and sand. The young McFile sighed in disbelief, the women had turned down the spare sets of Talark combat boots all because they were ugly and too big, and the Talark sun-block just because it looked disgusting and smelled. They were going to be more of a burden than allies at the rate they slowed down. He wondered what his brother was thinking about women when he met them.

Max then looked at the column of human survivors from both crashes, and gave another sigh, at the rate of movement, it was a miracle they even got this far. The women had nearly tried to kill them all, but Clare intervened and talked with the Captain who turned out to be her mother. It had taken time, but a truce had been formed, a truce merely made out of necessity.

It was a few hours later that they came to a deep valley lined by some stone out-cropping. The suns had began to set but the heat was killing them all, so the convoy had to rest. The women wasted no time and tried to find some shade. They began taking in great gulps of water from their canteens and washed themselves. The men did the same but took smaller gulps of water and moved a little less slowly as to conserve their energy.

Clare then walked up to Max and spoke. "How come we have travel this far out?!"

"Two reasons."

"And those are?!"

"One, the supplies on both ships aren't infinite, we will have to move eventually and find more supplies. And we have to find other means of transport off the planet."

"The second?"

"Two, we have no idea if there are any inhabitants in this place, there may be people living out so we need to locate them and get help as soon as possible, and the dangers of enemy attacks along with attacks from the native populations is very possible, the less a centralized location we are in, the better off we all are."

"You CAN'T be serious?! What makes you think that anybody would be in their right minds to live in a barren dust-ball like this?!"

Max gave a bit of a glare to Clare. "In case it may have escaped your attention, I lived all my life on a planet just as hostile as or much worse than this one. So has every man under my command, we all grew up on a planet like this one, so we know where to live and how to survive, don't think that we don't know possible places where people can live in."

Clare glared at him and then looked around in the desert landscape. "So where do you think we can find anyone out here? The desert looks all the same!"

"As far as can be seen, the best places would be near massive mountains and deep ridges, it would be easier to have shade, gain resources from the ground, locate water tables for harvesting, drinking, and agriculture. Plus it would make sense to use the stone foundations as the perfect guise to hide installations and complexes."

"You mean…underground cities?"

"Yes, it could also mean that there may be massive underground caverns underneath us, and that would mean that there can be complexes underneath us as well, and those might be either civilian or military."

"So why can't we find them?"

Max sighed again. "It makes sense to hide the entrances from unknown forces, namely hostiles. You don't show where you live to the enemy, unless you are either very confident, or very reckless. The only people who would know would be the inhabitants. And it would mean that they would be using defensive systems to access their complexes. If we can find one that's abandoned…"

"Then you can bypass their security by accessing the codes used by the people?"

"Yes."

"So we should get going!"

"Not now. We need to locate sources of water to replenish our stocks. Once we do that we can locate any of the complexes and get shelter. It's not a good idea to be caught out in the desert without proper protection from the environment. We'll need to find water here, but we'll also have to be careful, there's no telling what creatures can live in the desert."

Clare however was moving already forcing Max to follow her. "You can't be serious?! What kind of creature can live out here?!"

"You'd be surprised."

It didn't take long for the troop to locate a batch of water, Clare was the first to try and reach it. It was then that Max and Aleck stopped the women from getting closer.

"Hold it!"

The women glared at Max and Aleck, and immediately expected the men to kill them and take the water for themselves. They immediately took up their beam rifles and so did the men, who expected the same situation but the reverse of gender.

"What are you doing?!" Clare asked as she glared at Max.

"We need to make sure that there's no possible traps near this water hole. Trust us, we know this kind of…"

"Why should we trust men?!" One woman glared with a rifle aimed at Max.

Clare then moved forward as she decided to try and get to the water. "I'm going to get the water myself! So we don't have to deal with this kind of mess!"

What she didn't know was that a nearby mound of sand began to twitch…as if something was awakened by her foot-steps. And sure enough…there was an eye that popped up…and this eye was not the least bit human. It sized up the young woman and that was when it began to move. It moved as fast as possible, almost like an eel in water. It however didn't escape undetected by a man nearby.

Max spotted the mound, he was curious why the mound moved and there wasn't any wind blowing through the valley, that was when the mound moved towards Clare. His heart stopped beating and went on overdrive as he realized what that meant. He had met a creature like that before in his youth, and he knew that it had eyes on a meal.

Namely Clare McBride!

"Clare! Don't move!" He then ran towards the girl at full speed.

The women behind him thought that he was going to kill Clare and were about ready to fight with the men, but they were now able to spot the mound moving towards their friend. This made them realize that something was about to happen.

Max was able to make it with only seconds to spare, that was when the mound exploded.

Clare turned to face Max, but that was when she also spotted the mound moving towards her, she barely had time to move when Max collided with her and knocked her aside. That was when she heard a blood-chilling roar that came from the exploding mound.

When she opened her eyes, she spotted Max already facing the other direction, and when she did, she nearly gave out a scream that would have chilled even the bodies of the dead.

The thing was…hideous beyond account. It looked like a massive single-eyed snake with a maw of massive teeth. It had a set of frontal limbs with claws that looked like scythes. The more terrifying part was that it looked like is had spikes for skin. It then reared back and was about to take both Clare and Max down with either it's teeth or scythe-claws.

Max knew that this creature apparently was not yet full grown, but despite it's youth it looked more than powerful enough to kill a good number of their troop. He chided himself for not bringing either his pistol or his rifle, but he also knew that this creature would be hard to kill at the range they were facing each other. He then took out two Talark combat knives in both hands.

Clare was in disbelief! This creature looked too monstrous to fight alone with knives, and Max was about to fight it with only those weapons.

Both combatants began to fight each other as the others watched the spectacle.

Max had long since been familiar with how to avoid creatures like this one when they fought, but unlike the Sand Viper of his home-planet, this one had claws in it's forearms and would be hard to beat.

He dodged each attack of the claws and moved quickly out of the way when the creature lunged to try and take off his head, and any part of his body that it could try and eat. The others, including Clare watched as the creature and the medic fought evenly.

The battle lasted for over half an hour before the creature lunged once more and knocked away one of Max's knives. By now Max had been exhausted and the creature was wounded, making it somewhat sluggish, but it had more endurance than the young man. It sensed a chance and struck at the exhausted man, intent on killing this one and then returning to deal with it's food.

Max however had then reached behind him and drew something out from the small of his back as the creature slammed into him, while he avoided the teeth and claws. Clare screamed as she saw them fall.

--

End of Flashback…

"Max and the creature fell into a nearby ridge that was only several feet deep, and Max survived, with the creature acting as a cushion. A few minutes earlier, he came back with some scratches and bruises…with the severed head of the creature in his hands, and his bone dagger in it's only eye, along with him being covered head to toe in it's blood. The rest of us gave a whoop of triumph while the women tried not to gag and lose their lunches at the sight of Max covered in the life fluids of the beast." Aleck said as he chuckled at the memory.

Barnette felt a little queasy at the thought herself, but had to admit the sight of Max in combat with a purely organic horror like that one wasn't all that gut wrenching by a small degree.

"After all that, we took the carcass of the creature, and cooked it. That was when the women somewhat lightened up around us, thought they didn't even dare to look at us eating the creature's meat. Clare was the only woman who thanked Max that night, and was the first to take a bite of the meat."

Aleck then glared out into the desert as the suns began to set. "The last few months, we lost a good number of our group to the AI army, but we were able to save a great number of them from being turned into spare parts by those robotic butchers. Some were not so lucky…"

Barnette then decided to ask her final question. "Aleck. I know…I know I shouldn't ask. But how did…Clare die?"

Aleck remained silent for a few seconds. Then he sighed as he faced Barnette. "You recall that we took Vanguards with us since Dreads are worthless in the atmosphere?"

He sighed as Barnette nodded. "We had to train the women on how to use them, no matter how reluctant and unwilling they all were. Those weapons were the best option we had to fight back. Clare however was the best one among them. Max by that time had been able to use the Templar Gundam to most of designed power. But after several months…her luck ran out…and she died in Max's arms."

Barnette was silent as death, then she looked at Aleck and saw no lie in his eyes.

"You mean…?"

"Clare died…in Max's arms, and she nearly died in a Vanguard. One of those Desert Fang mecha, had crippled her Vanguard and slammed it's beam saber into it's side, Max came just in time…but Clare had been severely wounded and she didn't have enough time left."

"She was killed in the same fashion in which you nearly died yourself when we arrived. I think you had better not talk to Max about this incident for a while, he'll tell you about it eventually, I know the general events, I know nothing about what happened afterwards. But ever since then, Max has that jewel in that bone dagger of his, and whenever we talk about the past, I make it a point to avoid mentioning Clare."

Barnette became silent as she considered Aleck's words.

--

Later…

Barnette arrived in the living quarters a few hours well into the early night, she had been with Duero as she decided to pilot the SwitchBlade Gundam, and Max also decided to pilot the Morpheous. She decided not to mention Clare as she helped Max eat earlier in the cafeteria. But she talked about other things, both of them comparing the differences of their respective home-worlds and their own lives. For her, it had been an absolute first for her to reveal her life to a man, and as she listened to the things that Max had done in his own world, she began to feel her childhood hatred for men begin to slip away.

The longer time she spent with Aleck, Duero, and most of all, Max she began to see a side of Talark that she knew she would never learn from the information networks of her planet. She had to admit that the men were very resilient on how they carved their existence with sweat, blood, tears, and hope into Talark. They survived things that would be too horrifying for any woman of her world, and despite the fact they were very much concerned with survival, they also knew how to have fun.

Max told them about their favorite past-times, which included going into two teams of eleven men while moving a ball into a pair goal post on either side of a field using only their hands. And another game where they had to again pair into teams of five or even three and try to send a ball into a high basket on a board post. Both Max and Duero were great players in those games, and on occasion, they were the team captains. ()

She looked at Max as he slept peacefully, she sighed as he looked at his face, while still angular and smooth, they looked far more…attractive when he was asleep. She felt her heart race a bit more as she gazed at his peaceful feature, and she felt this urge to be with him and try her very best to help him with all that hurt him. Barnette sighed a bit, and she realized that she needed to talk to two people. One of them being Jura, so as she wanted to know if these new feelings were the same as that of her blonde friend's emotions when she was with Kyo. And another person was Max himself, she wanted to hear all about him, so she could really know the man that did all this to save her. She lay down and closed her eyes, hoping that they would one day escape this world, and then she would explore this new dimension of feelings.

Her growing feelings for Max.

--

At the city…

Kyo watched the screen as she surfed the data-networks, Jura and Dita were already sleeping and this time he had placed the incident behind him, but he was certainly NOT going to forget what happened. He sighed as he finally finished his calculations and was happy to learn that Max, Barnette, Duero, and Aleck were ready to leave immediately the next day.

They had a load of plans to make when they would meet up with each other, and the Nirvana. Jura and Dita had gone exploring before and came back with many items of their choosing. Kyo shook his head at the items the two girls had with them.

Women love to shop, that's one thing they haven't learned to control.

Though he wondered what Jura had with her, she seemed very protective about them.

Speaking of whom…

Jura looked one last time as the sets of items she had stored away, namely several old style movie cassettes and video discs, she smirked and went back to sleep. She had found them in a shop called the Gate to Heaven. (2)

( Now I've got the things I need to snare Kyo! Too bad I can't watch them here. But don't you worry Kyo, you and I will get to be together soon!)

--

To be continued…

This is now the end of the Chapter! Thank God it's finally wrapped up, the other scenes that I wanted to put in before will be moved to the next chapter. If anybody's got some comments and ideas about this and for the next chapter, e-mail me, okay?

BUT NO FLAMES!

By the way…there might be some mistakes in the Prologue of the First GunDread SEED, and some of the ideas I had originally in mind for the story, so if anybody has those questions, then your comments and ideas for the corrections is welcome. Just e-mail me and I'll make the needed changes.

More ideas are welcome, but just to be fair, I'd like people to vote on the idea and if it's a good addition to the GunDread SEED story, then it will be published in the coming chapters when it's approved by you, the readers.

This thing's getting more bloody by the minute! But that's what warfare can be like. We get to see Max McFile in action as a medic. And as the story will progress, we'll see him in action soon as a medic, diplomat, and pilot as he will get to the event that trapped him Aleck, their crew, and the crew of women who tried to bushwhack them. Plus the woman in Max's life will soon be introduced.

The Morpheous and the SwitchBlade will see action soon enough, but for now, they are inactive as the others in the supply base have no knowledge as of yet on how to operate G-Weapons. And when you will see them in action, alongside the Gundams Infinite-Freedom, and Templar, then you'll be happy they are in the hands of the pirates!

Oh and just so anybody wishes to know. The Morpheous is based on two Gundam designs, the Strike Gundam and the Impulse Gundam, and the SwitchBlade is based on the Savior Gundam.

Plus, I know that the Infinite-Freedom's Super DRAGOON system with the fifty beam cannons sounds like overkill. But considering what I have in mind for the incoming chapters and the foes the Nirvana will face soon, then you'll see that Kyo and the pirates will need EVERY weapon they can muster! You'll see that soon enough, that I can promise you all!

Oh yeah, before I forget, there will be a death in the GunDread SEED universe, but I will NOT say who it will be! And this time…unlike Kyo, that person WILL stay dead. Like I said I won't say who at all, so no matter how many questions you will ask me, I won't answer, but if you readers agree to the idea…then vote on it.

This is the end of Chapter 5- The Morpheous and the SwitchBlade- Part 3!

On to Chapter 5- Escape to an Uncertain Future- Part 4!

(1) Basketball and Soccer, what can I say? I like the sports!

(2) Anybody care to wager a guess what this shop is? ()


	9. Chapter 9

_GunDread SEED- The Second Stage_

_ Disclaimer: I do not own either VanDread or Gundam SEED, nor do I own the machines, people, and anything else that belongs to either universe. I'm just borrowing them for the writing material for my over active imagination._

_ ( ): Thoughts_

_ Chapter 5_

_ Escape to an Uncertain Future…_

_ Part 4_

_--_

_ The Nirvana…_

_ The ship was filled with a tense but not hopeless atmosphere. Ever since the crew had heard of the plan made by Kyo and the commanding officers, they knew that this would be a very tough mission. Everyone did their best to remain as normal as possible, while still keeping their edges up to full sharpness._

_ Some were very determined to do just that…_

_--_

_ "Mission Status"_

_ "Pilot Killed In Action…Mission failed"_

_ A certain woman then pounded her fist on the inside of a Vanguard simulator. _

_"Damn it! If I only didn't have this fear of closed spaces!" Meia growled in frustration as she lost for the sixth time in a row. She knew what she was doing was not a good idea, especially concerning her condition, but she didn't want to be helpless and worthless to the crew and the rest of the Landing Party, to her friends, and namely to a certain Gundam pilot._

_ She then got out of the simulator and saw Misty who was very worried at her somewhat friend and rival for Kyo Yamato's affections. The former Earthling was scared at what the Megele girl was doing. Like Kyo, she knew that Meia had claustrophobia, and what the Dread leader was doing did more harm than good._

_ "Meia, please stop that! You know that you can't pilot a Vanguard! You'll just get in worse trouble!"_

_ In normal situations, Meia would have blatantly ignored the warnings and pushed herself on. But ever since the Vanguard mission months before, her near death experience, and the times she had been with Kyo had helped her deal with some of the ghosts of her past. She owed him that much, and despite the fact that she knew that she and Kyo will get into another match on why she was doing this to herself once he found out, and no matter how she knew the truth and accepted it herself, a growing part of her wanted to help in any way she could, and even if it meant doing things that she was deeply afraid of._

_ "I know…but I can't stand being unable to find a way to help the others! They're out there and for all we know, they might be…" Meia fell silent as she tried to get her emotions under control._

_ "I know how you feel, I really do! I wish I could go out there and help them all, especially Kyo, but I can't do that by getting into more trouble than I should!" Misty answered back as she calmed down and sighed. "Look, we have to believe in them, and if we do something harmful to ourselves and to them, then the situation will get even worse."_

_ "Misty is correct in that one Meia."_

_ Both girls turned and spotted Magno who walked into the room with Paiway, BC, and Gascogne in tow. The older woman gave a smile to the young girl as she walked over to the blue-haired girl._

_ "Captain…I understand if you're going to be angry at me for doing this." Meia said as she knew that Magno had forbidden her to enter Vanguard missions due to her claustrophobia, but she was now caught be the elder woman breaking a direct order._

_ Magno merely smiled. "I know why you are doing this to yourself, and there's nothing wrong with wanting to do everything in your power to help someone. I don't think what you're doing is wrong in the least. If I was as young as you Meia, and as talented, I would have done the very same thing you're doing now."_

_ "Captain…"_

_ "But you should recall that we can ill-afford to lose anybody in this crew. You know this, and so does everyone else. The time will come for us when we WILL make it out of this Harvester trap. But we can't do that if we get too worked up, okay? Besides, I think Kyo would never forgive himself if anything happens to us, including you. You recall his rescue of you before? We have to wait, until we have the chance, so I ask you to wait, is that all right with you?"_

_ "Yes, I understand and I will wait." Meia answered as she bowed to the older woman, she and Misty walked towards the galley, Meia had not eaten for several hours ever since waking up at three in the morning to train in the Vanguard simulators._

_ Magno sighed as she watched Meia walk away. "Meia is getting very attached to him. I guess I can't blame her." She said silently to herself as she then turned to face Gascogne, Paiway, and BC._

_ "What's Bart's condition Paiway?"_

_ The young nurse nodded as she reported to Magno. "Bart's wounds are fully healed and he's showing no signs of any deeper physical injuries in the scans. He's ready to resume his duties as ship's navigator soon."_

_ Magno nodded with a bit of a smile. Despite her previous reluctance to be assigned as Duero's apprentice, Paiway's over-all medical skills had improved ever since she worked beside the Talark physician, and the old woman knew at despite the fact the young girl would not admit it openly, she was happy for the presence of the older medic and the off hours he would spend teaching her, though there were still areas Paiway wasn't eager to explore yet._

_ BC then came forward with a report. "Our scanners were able to locate one of the many bases that the AI army uses to coordinate it's ground and air forces. If what Kyo says is true, that base may be part of the main information distribution network of the AI entity used by the Harvesters for this trap of theirs."_

_ Magno gave a nod. "So that can be where we can strike. Gascogne, what about your end?"_

_ The Register head nodded as she showed some data on the nearby monitor. "I've gotten as many members of my Register as I can spare to pilot the Vanguards, plus the others have been busy arming the Vanguards to the core with as many weapons as we can muster. The others have also been working with the Engineering teams to create any other weapons we can use. The supplies are more than enough, but we'll need more time."_

_ "And time is something we might be running out of soon." The captain said as she looked at the images._

_ That was when BC's communicator came online. "Yes?"_

_ "Commander? This is Ezra, we have contacted Kyo, he has some new information to show to us. It seems that Barnette, Duero, Max, and Aleck have found some new weapons that might help us!"_

_ The older women looked at each other curiously and the Commander asked the gentle bridge officer. "What sort of weapons?"_

_ "Commander, they've found Gundam Mobile Suits."_

_ The women were shocked at the news, but not shock from the bad side of news, but the good side. Magno then spoke to Ezra from BC's communicator._

_ "Did you just say they found Gundams?"_

_ "Yes Captain."_

_--_

_ At the city…_

_ "That's correct Grandma, the others had uncovered two new Gundams while they were out on a mission to recover the Templar Gundam, Duero's Vanguard, and the mecha that Aleck piloted." Kyo answered as he spoke to the crew of the Nirvana._

_ "Are they weapons left behind by the victims of the Harvesters?" BC asked._

_ Kyo nodded. "Yeah, apparently, before they were destroyed, the people who developed the Morpheous and the SwitchBlade Gundams, had sealed them away from the enemy pretty good. Duero and Aleck were the ones who found them in the Research and Development vessel that they were stored in."_

_ "Any idea who they belonged to?"_

_ "They belonged to the Taisian Planetary Alliance military, they were some of the people I ran into long before I went to Talark. The Taisians are experts on weapons engineering and have some serious equipment in terms of space and planetary warfare. The one thing that gets my attention is that when I met them, they never took an interest in making Mobile Suits, let alone, G-Weapon types. The last I heard of them, they had to abandon their home-system since they were under heavy attack."_

_ "Then I guess we'll have to use these weapons for them, any way we can use those Gundams, Kyo?" BC asked the young Coordinator._

_ "Yeah, I've made a basic operating system program for both the Morpheous and the SwitchBlade, Barnette and Duero have decided to pilot the Gundams, Barnette's taking the SwitchBlade, while Duero is taking the Morpheous, but that will only get them so far, once I'm in the cockpit, I'll do something more permanent. I'm managed to download all the data schematics on both Gundams, I'll send you the data now."_

_ With that, streams of information was passed to the Nirvana, along with detailed sketches and design plans of the Gundams in question. The crew on the bridge which included Meia, BC, Magno, Gascogne, Parfet, Bart, and Paiway were impressed as they read the data, as it was placed in their archives._

_ Once the data was transferred, Kyo then uploaded the location of where he, Dita, and Jura were to show the Nirvana their last destination before the strike on the AI army and the single Lancer Platform. "I'll have to cut the communications short, we might be traced here. How long will it take you to get here?"_

_ Amarone and the others did the calculations, and they then displayed the data. "We'll be there in two days, even less once Bart's back in the Navigation Well, and Parfet gets the engine to full power, you'll have to hold the fort until we get there Kyo." Magno answered as the gazed at the layout of the travel plan._

_ "Got you, today, Barnette and the others will be making their escape. We'll all meet here and plan the attack." _

_ Kyo sighed as he cut the communications to the Nirvana and went on to contact the supply base to check on the rest of the landing party. They were already awake and setting up a surprise for their soon to arrive visitors._

_--_

_ Earth…_

_ The Harvesters were now ready to strike, the Council was pleased that in only two days, they could finally crush the ship that had caused such demoralizing delays to the path of their survival. _

_ "The Fleet will now be in position within two days, provided they can reach the planet through the massive asteroids and the EM fields. The Gundams we have on combat standby are only seventy percent complete but they are more than ready to spell the end of the Nirvana and that blasted Gundam Infinite-Freedom!"_

_ The Council members were happy with the reports of the technical staff and the data being given to them by their combat computers. However, they were not going to make the mistake they had made once with the Nirvana. They planned to surround the planet long before the pirates could effect an escape._

_ The leader nodded in agreement as he listened to the reports along with the rest of his staff. He however had some lingering doubts. "How long can it be before we can establish a communication link with the AI on the planet in question?"_

_ The head technician bowed to his supreme leader. "We can establish a communication trace in half a day."_

_ The leader nodded and checked his console. Most of the Council never bothered their leader when he was in his musings, it was never their place to do so. In a few minutes the leader gave his orders. _

_ "I want a full communications link to our forces on the planet. They are now to be redirected in the defense of all the Lancer Platforms to prevent them from escaping. However, I request a small force to be under my command, I have…a special reason for this request."_

_ The Council knew that it wasn't their concern, but others were a bit bold at that aspect. "What is your reason for this request, Leader?"_

_ The Council leader merely looked at the questioning member with a simple look. "This has something to do with the Re-Genesis Project, if you wish to know. There is something I have in mind."_

_ The Council already knew what the Re-Genesis Project was, and knew that it would be the next step in the survival of the human race, and their leader was it's head so they dropped the subject. With that, the Council went on to other matters._

_--_

_In the Supply base…_

_ The rest of the Landing party were nearly finished with their plans to destroy the base that they had been in. The only thing left was to set the trap. They knew that the enemy would soon be on top of them, so they immediately decided to move at the earliest hours of dawn._

_ They had taken all that they could get from the supply base and they had already moved the trucks out several hours during the early morning to get as much distance from the base as they could. Barnette and Max had already boarded the trucks and Duero with Aleck activated their trap and waited a fair distance away, waiting for the two to arrive. The trucks were also EM shielded so there was no danger of them being over-powered by the EM interference of the planet and the suns._

_ They decided to use Duero's Vanguard as the weapon for the trap. Having re-routed the original design for the activation of the ejection system to lock into the various explosive materials they left behind, along with the connection to over-load the base's power supply, the trap would destroy a great deal of the base, and any enemy caught in the blast radius. The base had some powerful solar powered electrical generators, along with some left-over heavy weapon ordinance, coupled with all the explosives left behind, it was going to be one heck of a fire-works display. The Vanguard was now ready to be remote detonated as they tracked the landscape for any forces of the AI army. Duero and the others have already made a remote detonator with shielding to withstand the soon to arrive suns, plus the still existing EM emissions_

_--_

_ Speaking of whom…_

_ A large group of Desert Fangs, Ogres, and Sky Strikers were making their way towards the location a fraction of their intended prey. They had been able to store enough charged energy so they can make their move to complete their latest orders. The orders were simple and straight-forward._

_ Capture or kill their targets_

_--_

_ Barnette sighed a bit while in the truck, beside Max. The younger brother was well enough for hard travel, but his brother restricted him from any combat duty until he had fully healed. Though he could pilot his Templar Gundam very well, his still healing body was not ready for a sustained battle. They were already just an hour away from where Duero and Aleck were._

_ "You all right?" Max asked the green-haired female as he looked at her._

_ "Huh? Nothing, just a little worried."_

_ "About what?"_

_ "About what we should do to get off this place. I hope that we can find a way off this planet, the longer we stay here, the better chances we have of being captured by the Harvesters and being used as spare body parts for them." Barnette said as she gazed out at night. She didn't even want to think of the Harvesters, but the knowledge of them stepping ever closer to this planet to cut off their escape made her very anxious._

_ Max nodded, and decided to speak to Barnette. "You know, all the time…I've been stuck here on this world, along with the others, long before you all came. I knew that escape here was near to impossible considering the facts in front of me. But I grew up where if you give up all hope, then you have no future at all, and there really IS nothing you can do to save yourself."_

_ "If you give up, and you give into despair and fear, then there is truly no hope left for you and anybody else at all. But if you never give up and strive to what you wish, no matter what is in front of you, then there will always be hope. The teaching that I had been given by one of my mentors in the military is this. ' The only thing necessary for evil to triumph, is for good men to do nothing.' I would never give up until me and Aleck will find a way to escape. And neither should you and the others, you told me about what you all went through in that gas giant, and how you won that battle, there's always a chance you can win this one, in the same way you won that battle all those months before."_

_ Barnette smiled a bit. "Thanks. What's our plan now?"_

_ "Once we've got sight on the enemy, the guys will set the trap, and we move as fast as we can to the communications bunker where the others are, and thanks to our early movements, we can shave several hours of travel time. I heard from Duero that your blonde friend Jura wants to talk to you about something, what that is about, I can hardly make a guess."_

_--_

_ Back at the city…_

_ "Jura, Dita, I want you all to track the others and relay to me their coordinates. I'm going out there to meet them with Infinite-Freedom." Kyo said as he suited up and got his helmet while the two Megele girls were working on the consoles in the communications bunker._

_ "You got it Mr. Alien!"_

_ Jura nodded as well while checking the incoming transmissions from the others on the ground. The two Megele girls decided with a little reluctance to remain behind and aid Kyo in meeting up with Barnette and the others. Despite Kyo's confidence, the young Coordinator left nothing to chance. He decided to meet up with Barnette and the others and move as quickly as possible to where they were, get what they had salvaged and when they were all assembled, along with the Nirvana and the crew, they would make their escape. Recently, the pirates had downloaded some more data images of the bases in the region and help in allowing Kyo to better initiate his plan on escape._

_ "I've gotten the recognition codes for the trucks and those new Gundams the others have. I've got a lot to talk about with Barnette when she gets back here."_

_ Kyo smirked a bit. "Sure, I'll make sure we all make it back here in one piece."_

_ Kyo then got on his helmet and made his way to his Gundam. Earlier, he had made some important modifications of the communication systems, plus that of his Gundam. The Infinite could now fight to full combat potential on the surface of the planet, and he hoped that there would be enough time to get to the others and then they could effect their escape._

_--_

_ The Harvester Fleets had just decided to combine into a massive combat force. The first fleet had been given new orders from the Council. It's new objectives was to prevent the Nirvana's escape beside it's brother ship and the fleets. It was now moving into position, though both fleets had to content with a barrage of energy emissions from the target destination as they closed the gap._

_ Inside the second Harvester Battleship, three Mobile Suits were being charged and armed with their weapons, they were not based on the Dominion blue-prints, but on three other models, older but nevertheless deadly. Each was designed to suit a certain combat trait. But all had one purpose._

_ To finally destroy the Infinite-Freedom Gundam._

_ Beside them were more Mobile Suits, all of which were Dominion models. And they too were now programmed with newer tactics and were installed new weapons of war, to finally crush the bones of the enemies of their creators._

_--_

_ Duero and Aleck watched the distant line of the desert landscape through binoculars. The devices were armed with long range capability, and it didn't take too long for the two men to spot the enemy forces. The incoming group were just several hours from the now stripped and abandoned supply base. Duero nodded and set the timer as he and Aleck kept track of the incoming forces. The explosive ejection charges in his Vanguard were also armed with a timer fuse, so they knew they had plenty of time to high-tail it out of the area before all hell would break loose._

_--_

_Kyo took off in Infinite-Freedom and now used his fully adapted OS and systems to track down the others. Despite the presence of the Morpheous and the SwitchBlade, Kyo knew that the others will still need back-up. The faster he met up with them, the lot better off they were._

_--_

_ Barnette, Max, Aleck and Duero wasted little time and got on the move as fast as possible. Once the timer was on, they high-tailed it out of the area, Duero was already piloting the Morpheous in it's normal mode, beam rifle in hand and shield in the other. Barnette was more than ready to pilot the SwitchBlade, but for now she had to help take care of the convoy and Max. Since Max's injuries were still healing, he was not all that fit to fight, and even if he was, both Barnette and Duero were not in the mood to let himself get into a serious situation with his still healing wounds._

_ Barnette looked to the monitor of the convoy truck. The hover truck was about the size of a ten wheeler trailer truck of old Earth, but with greater storage capacity, and with hover abilities, that made it very capable in avoiding any loose sands that would plague normal trucks, had they been used to carry loads in this desert world. They were also designed with immense protection from any incoming energy interference which would have fried normal electronic systems which were unprotected from the planet's unpredictable energy fields and the outer energy storms that surrounded the planet in space. As such, the AI of the trucks were easy to program and were independent from the main system AI on this planet. The others thanked this boon to them as they had hauled in the supplies._

_ The Megele girl was interested in the truck she was in as this one had her temporary weapon in storage, her temporary Gundam unit merely lying down on it's deployment frame/ramp. The SwitchBlade excluded an aura of power and strength, far beyond that of the Vanguard she had piloted in this mission, and the one she had used in that short but very dangerous mission all those months before. Max's Templar Gundam was in another convoy truck beside them, and the younger McFile could easily get out of the truck and get into the back of that one and use his Gundam._

_ Barnette had in her hand a disk that she could insert into the access port of the Switchblade's OS, in it was her passkey code and user ID to use the Gundam, she knew that she had talent as a Vanguard pilot, but she loved her Dread, and loved her skills as a Dread pilot, so she wasn't all that inclined to give up her desire to fly in a Dread at all. Though she had to admit, it was a bit of a joy to pilot a Vanguard, and that made her wonder on how it would feel to pilot a Gundam Mobile Suit. Though it was not as powerful as the Infinite-Freedom or it's dark Harvester twin, the Dominion, Barnette had no doubt that when it was used to it's highest ability, it would be a truly devastating weapon._

_--_

_ Duero sighed while running his OS through some test diagnostics, the Gundam unit was far superior to the Vanguard in sheer weaponry, adaptability, programming, armor, and design. Had their world designed weapons such as the Gundams, then they would have been nearly unstoppable. Duero also admitted that this Gundam unit had such a degree of power and flexibility, he should have been honored to be the first pilot to even use this Gundam in it's first trail run. It took him a while to master the system, but he had been a quick study with the Morpheous, as despite it's far superior systems, it still had some basic similarities to his Vanguard. But he was now more than happy to pilot a machine under the same capacity of Kyo's Infinite-Gundam. The power ratio was different along with other factors, but this Mobile Suit was very effective in it's own right._

_--_

_ The time frame was running quickly as the trap left behind by the team of Barnette, Aleck, Max, and Duero counted down, and the enemy was closing in._

_--_

_ Several hours later…_

_ The AI strike force arrived in the area and began to converge around the supply base. The Ogres and the Desert Fangs patrolled the entrances while the Sky Strikers patrolled the air. They waited for a contingent of their medical drones to go in and do the dirty work. They on the other hand made sure that there would be no escape for their prey. They watched as the drones entered the facility by teams of six each._

_ As the medical drones made their way into the facility, they began swarming over the base and entering each room in search of their quarry. However, once they had taken over the base in a span of thirty minutes, the drones found no trace of their prey. However, when they found the Vanguard in the hanger bay, they also spotted the large number of explosive ordinance. They were unable to understand the situation as they were designed solely for medical work._

_ The timer was already reaching one minute…and in just half of that time._

_ The fire-works had just ignited…_

_ BOOM!_

_ The Vanguard's ejection charges suddenly ignited and started a chain-reaction with the other explosives in the room. The medical drones were immediately incinerated by the blasts as the rigged explosives in selected areas of the supply base went off. Room after room was blown apart and so were the medical drones, and anything else that wasn't nailed down, which thankfully wasn't a lot as Barnette and the others had stripped the place clean of all vital supplies and movable equipment._

_ The base then began to expand and exploded, catching many of the assault party unaware, most of the party's aerial assets were able to escape, but the ground forces weren't as lucky. The base's main power reactors also detonated, releasing a massive shockwave of explosive power, this coupled with the massive shrapnel tore through the ranks of the AI units. The AI assault team however were not human, they didn't care about loses. Once the explosions settled down, they began coordinating a search and capture mission, with their surviving teams. They then sent out a high-powered transmission to any other units in their vicinity for support._

_ The Sky Strikers were immediately deployed on a wide expanding perimeter scan to locate their prey. The ground forces were dedicated to following their aerial counterparts and wait for reinforcements._

_ They may have been caught off-guard, but they were NOT going to be denied their catch._

_--_

_ Duero and the others watched behind them as they saw the massive plume of smoke that told them that their trap had been sprung. They now had to move even faster as they knew that it might be possible that the enemy would be able to track down the signals of the detonator to them. _

_--_

_ Earth…_

_ The leader of the Harvester forces smiled as he was in another chamber, unlike the Council chamber, this one was filled with data consoles, and monitors, and in those same units of equipment were charts and reports, all of which had the title Re-Genesis. He however frowned a bit as he looked at a monitor with the title…_

_ /DNA pattern at 95.6 completion, extra DNA sequencing required.\\_

_ (The DNA patterns and sequencers STILL need more patterns, It'll take more time to complete the sequencing pattern! The Re-Genesis needs more time to be completed!)_

_ He then looked at another monitor, he then grinned a bit as he gazed at a certain picture._

_ (But if what I feel is correct…we might just get the sequencing we need.)_

_ (Besides…I have a feeling about this one…this might just be an…interesting revelation.)_

_--_

_ At half the distance of the communications base…_

_ The convoy where Barnette and the others were in, were already halfway to the communications bunker when they had discovered that they were being tracked. They hoped that they would have enough time to escape, but it seemed that they could only make it a bit further, before they would be attacked._

_ Barnette gritted her teeth and got into her new flight suit, having realized that she needed protection from the heat and most of all, to give her some protection from any shrapnel, she took a flight-suit which was in the same design as that of Kyo's new flight suit. She then grabbed her helmet, got to the back of the truck and then boarded the SwitchBlade and logged into the SwitchBlade's main interface OS and loaded her disk and waited as the program was uploaded._

_ The SwitchBlade came online and it's own P. Phase Shift Armor came online, coloring the Gundam in the same color scheme as that of Barnette's own Dread. The Gundam's violet eyes glowed as it's systems began to activate. Barnette then made the Gundam pick up it's beam rifle and got the Gundam out of the back of the hover truck. Barnette then got ready to fly top cover for the convoy should they be attacked._

_--_

_ Duero knew that he needed some serious power and decided to upload the Morpheous Gundam's weapon systems, he quickly chose the 'Koenig' Form Pack and waited for the parts to be unloaded from storage and locked into place._

_ The 'Koenig' Form Pack parts and those of the other Form Pack parts were all programmed with basic AI systems and had a feature known as 'smart mag patches' or smart magnetic patches. These built in patches could be able to home into the specified parts assigned to it on the Morpheous Gundam's body. Once that happened, the parts would fuse to the Gundam's OS with the aid of nano-machine data interface plugs that would bond with hidden access ports in the parts of the Gundam assigned to the Form Rack parts. These nano-plugs would transmit data and power to the Form Pack and allow it to share the same effect of the Polaris Phase Shift Armor._

_ The 'Koenig' Form Pack parts began to fly quickly from their container and fuse with the Morpheous, and one it was done, the Morpheous' normal color scheme of red, blue, and black, became metallic grey and deep brown. The holographic projectors that had separated to various parts of the Gundam began to fluctuate for a few seconds and then the Morpheous blended throughout the desert landscape, becoming virtually invisible to the human eye, and to electronic sensors as the Koenig's holographic systems also created a jamming effect that rendered the Morpheous very hard to detect by radar._

_--_

_ The two new Gundam pilots got ready to fight as they both flew top cover for the convoy they belonged to._

_--_

_ "Contacts, bearing at coordinates 34, 67, and 50. They'll be right on top of us in ten minutes!" Max said as he tracked their incoming targets._

_ Duero and Barnette nodded as they got ready to fight…_

_ It was show time…_

_--_

_ Dita and Jura were shocked to discover that enemy AI unit signatures were coming by the dozens towards the convoy of their comrades. They were somewhat relieved that they also tracked the transponder signals of the two Gundams that were with their comrades, but they knew that this was going to be one heck of a close one. They immediately got on the horn with Kyo and Infinite-Freedom._

_ "Mr. Alien! There are more of those bad robots after the others! They'll be hit in five minutes!"_

_ "There seems to be ten squads this time around, be careful Kyo, and make sure that the others are safe!"_

_ Kyo nodded as he got the messages. "Don't worry, I'll be there in a minute!"_

_ He then spotted several explosions in the distance, and from the looks of things, the fight has just gotten underway. When he got there, the fight was getting more interesting….especially with Duero, Barnette and Aleck at the helm._

_--_

_ Duero was firing round after round of his beam sniper rifle at the incoming forces. He had quite the kill rate, knocking out a collection of Ogre assault units and some Desert Fangs, but a good number began to close in, they however were not the first, several Desert Fang units had attempted to slash up the dune where Duero and they had been shredded by the Spiegel blade on the left arm of the Gundam unit. Several more had been blasted by the beam sniper rifle while even some of the Sky Strikers were hit. Once the Desert Fangs came too close for the rifle to work and their numbers were too great, Duero knew it was time to shift weapons. He took out one of the resonance short swords and the Spiegel Blade and began to tear through the enemy units. Once they were totaled he went back to work on the others._

_ Duero then deactivated the Koenig Form pack as he realized that now was the time to go mobile as the enemy were still growing and the Koenig might not be able to take them all out.. The Koenig Form Pack parts disengaged from the Morpheous and immediately returned to the truck. The Talark medic then activated the Schneider Form Pack. The Form Pack parts flew out of the truck and quickly assembled on the Gundam. The Morpheous Gundam's color scheme changed from the normal scheme to that of silver grey, green, and red. Duero then used the beam boomerangs to tear down several more Desert Fangs and once they returned, he used the anti-armor dart launchers at two Desert fangs that tried to attack on both sides with their beam cannons, both getting anti-armor darts right in the face, resulting in both being blown up. He then unleashed the anti-ship swords and began to cut down more of the quadruped mecha. Once more were dealt with, he charged at the Ogres to stop their barrage. The Gundam dodged each attack against it with ease and if any did hit the Gundam, the P. Phase Shift Armor reduced the damage. The Gundam had some limited flight and it leaped with both swords in hand right into the mess of enemy units and began to really give a new meaning to the term 'diced salad' as it tore through them with deadly ease. Ogre heads, arms, and torsos were being cut off, while Desert Fang heads, legs and upper body parts were also being cut up._

_ Duero was impressed with the Gundam's performance. Compared to it, the Vanguard was a trainer for recruits! He was able to utilize most of the combat abilities, though his full use of the Morpheous Gundam's abilities were still somewhat limited due to some limits to his access programming to the OS. He hoped that Kyo could unleash the rest of the Gundam's powers and latent abilities. He then combined both anti-ship swords and tore through three Ogres and some Desert Fangs in rapid succession._

_ Barnette was busy blasting her own share of the enemy with her beam rifle. Most of the attacks thrown at her were disrupted by the shield or by the P. Phase Shift Armor. The Gundam moved very gracefully, startling and impressing the Megele girl at the same time. The Gundam jetted on the ground kicking up dust storms as it's pilot made moves around her foes that would have left other pilots of Vanguards green with envy. She then took out her beam sabers and with both in hand began to fight back. The beam melee weapons tore through the incoming foes like hot knives through butter. The flight abilities of the SwitchBlade were far greater than that of the Morpheous in normal mode. Barnette took that in effect as she launched her Gundam into the air and rained more fire into the enemy ranks with beam rifle, beam cannons, and other ranged weapons._

_ The SwitchBlade spotted it's other enemies, namely the Sky Strikers shooting at it and the Morpheous along with the convoy. The Gundam suddenly transformed in mid leap and turned into a Dread style fighter with beam cannons at the ready. The now transformed Gundam began a deadly ballet in the atmosphere with the Sky Strikers as it streaked like a lighting bolt from hell into their ranks._

_ The Sky Strikers had little to no warning to this change and were totally helpless as the sleek Gundam in Mobile Armor mode blasted at them with it's beam cannons and assault guns, turning more of them into falling piles of burning wreckage. The other fighters were able to recover and fight back, but the SwitchBlade was able to dodge most of the attacks with ease due to the fact that it was designed when in Mobile Armor mode to be very fast and maneuverable. The Gundam's beam rifle fired several shots at more of the Sky Strikers, turning them to scrap in seconds. The others got into a dogfight with the Gundam, but didn't last as long as the Gundam and it's pilot were able to out-class them as the Mobile Suit did some very complex moves and actions that challenged Dread pilots who would attempt to fight in the atmosphere._

_The ground forces also decided to get involved as they shot salvos at the flying Gundam unit. But the SwitchBlade dodged the attacks and fired back. _

_ Barnette felt her adrenaline levels reach a point she never quite reached in all her life, even…when in her Dread. This was…unbelievable! It was like being in a machine made by the finest engineers and then some. Though some of the abilities of the Gundam were not at full power and could not be accessed as of yet, the sheer power of this Gundam far out-shined her Vanguard by several high notches! And it had the ability to fight as a Dread in a planet's atmosphere! She couldn't wait to try this Gundam in space!_

_ The SwitchBlade then converted back to it's Mobile Suit form and pulled out both beam sabers and slashed off the wings of two Sky Strikers and stabbed the empty cockpit of another. The Gundam then jetted to the side, as Barnette spotted incoming missiles, and used her Gundam's CIWS guns to shoot them down. The bullets tore through the incoming missiles and they exploded immediately. The Gundam then landed beside the Morpheous and with beam rifle and shield in hand, both of them went on the defense_

_--_

_Kyo was watching the whole battle with a smirk. He had to admit that both Duero and Barnette were awesome with the Gundam units in their possession, but the full power of the Gundams were STILL locked down._

_"Should have known this was going to be one hell of a day." _

_--_

_Barnette and Duero, along with Aleck who came into the fight earlier spotted the incoming forces and were shocked to see a storm of missiles fired at them. The number of missiles were almost twenty per enemy AI unit. Despite their Gundams' speed and weapons, both pilots knew that blocking the missiles with their shields would be very difficult, and their CIWS guns could not take out all those missiles at once. They had to do something and fast!_

_ The missiles were halfway towards the convoy when a massive beam storm slammed into the mess of missiles. The missiles exploded and filled the entire sky with debris and lit up the whole neighborhood like one heck of an explosive light-show. The Ogres and the Sky Strikers, along with the Desert Fangs that were still active turned and spotted their new attacker._

_ The Infinite-Freedom…_

_ The Paeksis-powered Gundam retracted it's plasma cannons, rail-guns, and placed aside it's beam rifles. The Gundam then jetted forward, and slashed to pieces two Desert Fang units that tried to intercept it._

_"KYO!" Duero, Barnette, and the others said as the former Coordinator got into contact with them._

_ "Hi, sorry I'm late!" Kyo said as he landed the I-Freedom beside the Morpheous, the SwitchBlade, and the GuIAZ._

_ "But it seems to me that you guys were doing great before I got here." He said as he scanned the Gundam's visual sensors on the number of enemy units that the others had totaled. That was when he had an idea on how to deal with the escape plan he had in mind._

_ "Duero, I'll need you to use the Morpheous Gundam's Raiha Form Pack."_

_ "Why?"_

_ Kyo merely grinned. "We're going to catch ourselves a little ride." _

_ Duero decided to try Kyo's plan and recalled the Schneider Form Pack Parts back to storage. Once the Raiha parts flew towards the Morpheous and docked, the color scheme switched once more. The Morpheous was now white, black , and deep blue as the Raiha systems powered up._

_ Kyo took out his Gundam's beam rifles and blasted away at the Ogre units, while Barnette used both her Gundam's CIWS guns and beam arsenals to track and destroy any incoming missiles. Both pilots then switched to beam sabers and used both weapons to dissect several incoming Desert Fang units. One winded up with both of I-Freedom's beam sabers in it's guts, while another had the SwitchBlade's beam saber in it's only eye. Both exploded as the two pilots went at it quickly and effectively. Kyo then communicated with Duero._

_ "Duero, try and aim for a group of those Desert Fangs, I've got an idea on just how to use them against their owners!"_

_ Duero then unleashed a shot from the EMP cannons. Unlike the EMP fields generated by the planet's suns and magnetic fields, the EM energy fired by the Raiha's cannons were charged with quantum surge particles allowing them to bypass most EMP screens and shields. The energy pulses played merry hell on all the OS units of the Desert Fangs, making them shake like victims of an epileptic attack. The Desert Fangs then dropped like sacks of cement as they were rendered offline._

_ Kyo then activated the HiMAT system and locked in all the remaining units. The plasma cannons, rail-guns, beam rifles, and the feathers then activated and unleashed a massive barrage, leveling all the remaining Ogres, Sky Strikers, and Desert Fangs. In a few seconds all that was left were burning wrecks and craters._

_ --_

_ Two hours later…_

_Barnette sighed in great contentment as she washed of the dirt and grime she had accumulated over the past day. She hadn't truly realized how much she had taken for granted the simplest of pleasures, until she was without them. Though she could have taken a bath before leaving the base, she wanted to make sure things with the others were done before such things. She was happily bathing in the same bath-house that Jura and Dita were in when they tried to seduce the young Kyo. The two women were overjoyed to see the others, namely Kyo alive and safe, and to show that, they both tackled the Gundam pilot to the floor, much to Kyo's utter embarrassment._

_ Barnette's best friend Jura was overjoyed to be reunited with her, though she pointed out that her Barnette had gotten 'stinky.' However, the green-haired girl smiled and laughed a bit, getting the attention of the others. She responded, that she may be smelly, but at least she was okay. Max merely shrugged his shoulders, but also hiding a smirk, while Aleck and Duero merely sighed with smiles on their faces. Barnette in a way had learned how to prioritize her time and energy, and that was a good thing._

_ As the Megele girl continued to clean her body, she realized that in her haste to clean up, she had neglected to bring something to dry herself with. All she had was her clothes, which were nearby in a locker in the bath-house. Not wanting to get her clothes wet nor put them on until they were properly washed, she began to wonder what to do about this dilemma._

_ Lucky for her, there was someone still looking out for her. She heard footsteps approaching the bath area and ducked under the waters up to her neck. The girl sighed in relief when they saw the person._

_ "Barnette? Are you there?" Max asked as he looked about, he then spotted the girls and went towards her. His wounds were fully healed and he was ready to resume his duties, one of them was to help Barnette, as to help pay her back for taking care of him. _

_ "I've brought you a towel. You left in a real hurry to wash up that you forgot to bring it with you." Max said as he offered the article of cloth in question_

_ The Dread pilot and quasi-Gundam operator smiled…and stood up._

_ "Thank you. I was wondering what I was going to dry myself with." Both commented._

_ Max then got a REAL GOOD look at Barnette, and immediately felt hot and uneasy._

_ Barnette's figure was slimmer, firmer, and more athletic than Jura's. Her skin was in the same cream white tone as the rest of the females onboard the Nirvana, her face showed delicate features, and her eyes for the first time in Max's eyes shined like amelyst stones. Her body had acquired a light pink tint as she bathed, making her look…stunning. Her arms were long and slender and so were her legs, with some muscle showing, but was all in the right places._

_ Her hair was deep emerald green, and water dripped down the strands, making them look like wet threads of emerald satin. Her body had a perfect hour-glass figure and her, chest was…Barnette may not be as…bouncy as the blonde Dread pilot Jura, but she wasn't the least bit deficient in the breasts department, as hers were firm and well formed, their tips dark red. Her hips were well curved and accentuated her slender legs and thighs quite nicely…along with the patch of green hair in the juncture of her firm thighs. And the way the beads of water stuck and dripped down her flawless, cream white skin made her look so….enticing._

_ The younger physician immediately turned around as his cheeks took on a reddish tinge. His shoulders bunched up a bit and he felt himself at a total loss over his sudden reaction to Barnette's nakedness. He was deeply puzzled as to why he was feeling this way to his female companion and why certain parts of his male anatomy began to get stimulated as this was his first introduction to the female form in full view, without the restrictions of clothes._

_ "Max? What's…wrong?"_

_ "Ah…well, it…I…should have respected your rights to…privacy and ah, I should have…waited for you to…get…dressed…uh, and…well…" Max stammered._

_Max became even more flustered, making Barnette more confused. _

_ "Max, what are you talking about? We're friends now, aren't we?"_

_ "Ah…yes, we are." _

_ "Then why are you not looking at me Kyle? Is it because you're embarrassed to see me naked?" Barnette asked, then she realized that she was indeed naked, and in a way though it was embarrassing for her to be this exposed, she didn't feel all that embarrassed. _

_ "Ah, er….that's…I mean, it's quite improper and…" Max turned to face Barnette, and found himself staring at her face. Before he could stop himself, he gazed down. Realizing his error he quickly spoke to Barnette. "This…uh…is my…first time…seeing a woman…naked, and, uh, well, I…I'll just leave your towel here and let you finish your bath, all right?" _

_ And with that, the younger McFile quickly lay the towel near the edge of the pool and exited, leaving Barnette confused and slightly insulted._

_--_

_Kyo was busy cooking a new meal for the others, namely the same kind he had caught a few nights before. Only this time he had some spices and sauces to go with it as the meat was being roasted. This was also for the crew of the Nirvana as they were about to arrive in ten minutes._

_ "Kyo, do you have a minute?" _

_ Kyo turned about and there was Max, looking rather…disturbed. He was curious, sure it was only several days since he had known Duero's younger sibling, but he was like his elder brother, though he was a lot more seasoned in terms of being with women, considering that he struck a friendship with the least likely candidate among the women, none other than Barnette. _

_ "Yeah, what do you want to talk about Max?"_

_ "Uh….it's….kind of…uh, private."_

_ Kyo raised an eye-brow at this. "Sure, hold on a moment, Dita!"_

_ The perky redhead went up to Kyo and smiled. "What is it Mr. Alien?"_

_ "I need to talk with Max for a while, can you deal with the meat, until I get back?"_

_ "Sure!"_

_ With that, both men walked away while Dita watched over their lunch._

_--_

_ Barnette had just gotten her clothes back on after they were cleaned of dirt and removed of odor. As she put on her clothes, she began thinking about what had happened. As she began to recount the event earlier, she had to admit that when she thought that…Max was attractive, he looked even more so when he was blushing. Like most people, namely that of the opposite gender, Barnette had noted that Max was in awe at her appearance, and his eyes took on a hint that she didn't notice before._

_ But when she played that look in her mind, her heart began to beat a bit faster, and she felt some feeling of heat rise up to her face. This wasn't normal! At least to her, she didn't understand why. But her embarrassment came back in full force when she realized that she recalled seeing Max half-naked all those days ago. Before she could stop herself, she recalled what Jura had told her on what Kyo looked like without clothes on, and that was when the image of Max began to show itself in her head, only this time she was trying to imagine…_

_ (ARGH! WHY am I THINKING these things?!)_

_ Barnette sighed and made a decision. She was going to have a word with Jura, namely since Jura was always after Kyo. Maybe she knew something about these feelings, considering how much Jura was with Kyo._

_--_

_ In one building, namely in a café…_

_ Kyo drank a glass of water slowly and then eye-balled his companion._

_ "Now let me get this right…You walked into the bath-house…and caught Barnette…"_

_ Max nodded. "I saw her…naked. And…"_

_ "And what?"_

_ "And…I… can, can hardly explain it." The younger Talark male explained to his fellow Gundam operator about his encounter with Barnette. _

_ Kyo sighed to himself. _

_ "Go on, you might as well tell me about it."_

_ "I found myself…it's really hard to describe. When I saw Barnette in the bath, all I could think was…how…beautiful she was. That…is that feeling normal?"_

_ Kyo shook his head, at the young man's naiveté, then again, he knew that Max didn't have ALL the experience in the ancient relationships between genders, though he had better ideas about that aspect than Duero did. "Who says?" Kyo said with a shrug. "Men and women can both be beautiful. It all depends on the opinion of the person in question."_

_ The young man shook his head in disbelief. _

_ Max said with slow tones. "How can that be? When I saw Barnette all wet…and just…standing there, I felt this…urge… to hold her close to me…and…"_

_ "That particular urge you're talking about wouldn't be like you wanted to rip off your own clothes and touch her, right?" Kyo asked while silently adding, "Among other things." He ought to know…he had to restrain his feelings on that particular subject for almost a year now._

_ "Yes! Exactly! It felt as if some…force within me was…compelling me. It was totally unfamiliar…yet it felt…instinctive, as if I've both known about it my whole life."_

_ "Yeah, I guess you can call it that." The former Coordinator said calmly._

_ "What is this feeling Kyo? This was something…I felt before…, but never THIS strongly! Is it even RIGHT for me to experience it?"_

_ The Gundam pilot looked away from Max for a long time and in silence. Finally, he responded. "To be totally honest with you Max, I'm not all that… sure that I'm the right person to answer that, since I have been fighting those urges myself for a very long time." Kyo said solemnly then gave a smirk. "Cold showers haven't been very effective, and lately, I have been REALLY tempted to just jump the gun and do it."_

_ "You want to leap over firearms?"_

_ Kyo laughed a little. "Sorry, that's just an expression I picked up along the way. I forgot that you and your brother are from Talark and these new feelings must be really scaring you. Though I have a feeling your brother will probably do the same soon. You both have been raised in a society that believed that all women were monsters. However, when you both found out that they weren't monsters, everything you both held to be true went very much out the window, right?"_

_ "More or less." Max admitted._

_ "So now that both of you don't have those beliefs to fall back on, you're both wondering why you're bodies are reacting the way they are now, right? Well, I can only say is that it's because that ancient instinct is now making itself known to you….considering the situation you were in" Kyo said with a smile._

_ "Instinct? What instinct?" Max asked._

_ "On Talark, that instinct has been repressed since the day you were both born. However, now that you have been living on a planet alongside females, and I can only surmise what happened between both parties, back then, and with you and Barnette now. I'm guessing that instinct is trying to make up for a LOT of lost time." _

_Kyo chuckled a bit at that as he finished his drink._

_ "What instinct are you talking about?" The young man asked._

_ The Gundam pilot sighed as he realized that he would have to be blunt. "What I'm trying to point out is the ancient instinct, both emotional and physical, and 'attraction' between men and women. That allows them to go and have children too, by the way." Kyo said as he put down his glass._

_ Max looked as if he had been smacked on the head with a tire-iron. "You mean…what I feel for…Barnette…is…because…I'm attracted to her?"_

_ "Well, in a word…" Kyo sighed and nodded strongly. "…Yes."_

_ Max looked totally confused, shocked, and finally…hurt._

_ Kyo noticed this. _

_(Something's not right.) _

_"You want to tell me something, I can tell you've had these feelings before, I heard that you did, but I wasn't paying attention. It's okay if you won't tell me."_

_ Max nodded. "It's all right, I guess I can tell you."_

_--_

_ Barnette sighed as she sat in a bench in a nearby park. Beside her was Jura. The green-haired friend of Jura had told her about all that had happened between her and Max, namely when he was nearly killed by one of the cybernetic horrors that nearly killed her._

_ "And…that's what happened, ever since then…I've done some things just to be with him."_

_ Jura nodded as she listened to her friend, she noted some moisture in Barnette's eyes when she talked about the one segment that terrified her to no end…the time when Max was nearly skewered to death, all because of her pride and stubbornness._

_ "Hey Barnette, it's cool, you've already been forgiven by him. So what's the problem?"_

_ Barnette sighed and wiped some of her tears. "I…I don't know what else I should do! These feelings…they feel so…strange! I never…knew why, but…ever since I've spent time with Max, his brother, and their instructor…I realize how much I really never knew about men. And now I want to know…EVERYTHING about Max!"_

_ "So?"_

_ "So…I don't know what I should do…how I should feel towards him! Part of me feels like…I'm betraying Megele, I'm betraying Grandma, and all the things held true by my family for so many years! But the other part of me…doesn't…CARE at all! It cares about being with Max, to spent whatever time is there with him, to hear him talk, laugh, and even cry, to see him smile…everything…"_

_ Barnette sighed as she looked at the lake nearby. "These feelings I have… for Max…should be wrong. But, they feel so…so right, so…natural. It's confusing me….but no matter what I try to think, all I want is to be with him. I don't know what I should do now. Jura, I never asked you this before, but now, I want to know."_

_ "Know what?"_

_ "Do you….do you feel these feelings for…Kyo. I mean…"_

_ Jura sighed and looked at the lake just like Barnette. _

_"Remember when I fought with you about Kyo. I felt torn, very torn about how I should have felt at the time. You and I were best friends for years. And I love you Barnette…but all the time I was with Kyo, I felt these feelings like you did, I was also…confused and lost. The feelings felt so right…and natural, and yet they made me question all that I held true when we were still on Megele. However…Kyo did so many great things for everybody, including me as well, and I felt…warm and natural being with him. I felt like I was doing the most simple…yet the most beautiful thing in the whole universe…in my whole life. When he kissed me on Anpathos, I felt like my entire body burn and become weak…my knees…felt like they were now nothing but soft clay. But at the same time…I felt like, as long as I was with him, I can be able to do anything…as long as he was with me."_

_ Jura sighed as she looked at Barnette. _

_"I think….you and I need…to sort out these feelings of ours, mine for Kyo, and yours for Max. These feelings are so new, and we need to see where they lead us." She then grinned. "I'll say this much though, it'll be great to gossip about it in the long run, eh?"_

_ Barnette nodded with her own smile. "Yeah, I guess so. I hope that…"_

_ Jura nodded as she had now known about Max's life with the others that were with him and Aleck. "I know…I hope that you have success with Max, he sounds like he needs it after all he had to deal with." _

_--_

_ "So, that's the reason why you've got the lost sad puppy eyed look when I told you about it." Kyo said as he and Max walked back towards the area where Dita was cooking their lunch._

_ "Yes, I guess so…when you told me about those feelings. I realized that…those were the same feelings I had for Clare. But, I never got the chance to talk to her about it…namely since she told me that she had…these feelings for me. I never got the chance to tell her I…"_

_ "You feel that you're betraying the feelings you had for her now that you feel them for Barnette, right?"_

_ "Yes. I feel as if I'm doing the wrong thing, but being near Barnette made me feel the same feelings I had. Now they are stronger than before, and it's not easy to realize those feelings so late for someone before and now feel them for someone else."_

_ "My take on your situation Max…is that you take the time to talk to Barnette about it, but I think you'd have to say how you feel once you go to where Clare is."_

_ "What do you mean? Clare is already…"_

_ "Dead, I know, but sometimes when you talk to the person, despite the fact that they are not alive, then it helps lighten the load you have on your shoulders. Talking to others and sharing what you each feel can help you bridge the gaps you have between each other. Despite the fact that Clare's no longer alive, it's better you say those feelings to her; I can't really say for sure that it will work. But it'll make things easier for you to deal with it."_

_ Max thought about it and nodded. "I guess you have a point. I'll do just that when I get the chance."_

_ Kyo nodded with a smile. He may not be the best guy to talk things about when it came to the opposite gender, and he's no psychologist nor was he a guy who could solve all problems. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to try his best to help others. Sometimes he wondered why he had this kind of disposition, that regardless of circumstance he was always ready to help others and give others hope and a reason._

_ Kyo thought to himself as he and Max walked back to where their lunch was being cooked. _

_Dita was there, cheerfully checking their lunch for the proper amount of freshness. Duero was nearby, he helped with the spices, listening to Dita when she asked him to sprinkle the right amount of the said spices. Barnette was also nearby, trying not to look shocked as she saw Jura and Dita prepare the cow creature. Aleck was nearby, hauling some supplies to where the others were._

_ He then nudged Max and pointed at Barnette. "I know you spent time with her before Max. But this is a good a time as any to learn more about Barnette. Go for it."_

_ Max nodded as he went ahead of Kyo and went to help the others. Kyo then went to where the communications bunker was. He then got into contact with the Nirvana._

_--_

_ The Nirvana…_

_ "Go ahead Kyo, what's your status?" BC asked as she and the rest of the bridge crew listened in._

_ "Barnette and the others are now here with us. All the supplies they have and those two Gundams are here now. How long will it be before you all get here?"_

_ "We'll be there in five minutes." Magno said to Kyo as the older woman gave a smile, knowing that the others were all safe._

_ "Great, we've got lunch ready here for all of you!"_

_ "Lunch?"_

_ "You'll see." Was Kyo's only reply, along with a smirk._

_--_

_Later…_

_ The crew of the Nirvana were happy beyond words when they were able to land and meet up with the others. The Nirvana went on combat standby while the crew went out to meet Kyo and the others. Magno and BC gave a pair of warm smiles as they saw the landing party safe and sound, and they greeted the two new men into their ranks._

_ "So you must be Max McFile." Magno said as she shook hands with the younger sibling of their physician._

_ "Yes, Captain. My name is Max McFile." Max replied as he shook hands with the Captain. The younger man had to admit that meeting a woman almost a century old was an honor into itself. It just showed to him how advanced Megele's medical technology was, if their population could reach the age of a hundred or more. Then again, his people could do the very same even if they didn't have all that medical technology._

_ "You don't to be so formal with me young one. I hear you are a doctor like your elder brother. I don't suppose you would mind working with us on the ship?" Magno asked, though she knew Max would say yes to the idea, she wanted to still formally present the proposal nevertheless._

_ "Of course, Cap…uh."_

_ "Magno will do Max. I think you might have to leave us for a few moments." Magno smirked a bit._

_ "Oh?" Max asked, confused a bit by the statement._

_ "Take a look behind you."_

_ Max turned and there came Barnette smiling at him, while in her normal garb. The looks Barnette was giving him made him feel rather nervous and intrigued, so he walked up to her. The two then sat together while eating some of the food Kyo had cooked along with what was brought from the galley of the Nirvana. Parfet had found a way to shield the Nirvana from detection by the AI army, so they were safe for now. However the spunky head-engineer had other things on her mind._

_ "Duero, thank god you're safe!" The bespectacled girl said as she rushed up to Duero and hugged him. This startled the young doctor as the other crew just watched the situation unfold as Parfet began to cry a bit._

_The sight of Parfet hugging the Talark medic and crying on his chest, while gripping him tightly was surprising to most of the crew. Though in truth some were aware of the growing affection between the head engineer and the Talark doctor…so the sight of her crying tears was not ALL that surprising. But everyone was all shocked at the sight of the former man-hating Megele girl staying beside Duero's younger sibling and smiling and chatting with the man…and what was even more shocking was the fact that…she looked happy to be around him!_

_ "Parfet, calm down I'm fine, so please…loosen your grip…your making it hard to breath!"_

_ "Duero…oh, I'm sorry!" Parfet said as she quickly loosened her grip, allowing the object of her affections to breathe while turning around blushing while twiddling her fingers._

_ Behind them, all of the crew in the under-ground city were shocked beyond belief. They all were staring and then looked at Kyo with questioning looks._

_ "Hey, don't look at me…I didn't do anything."_

_ In the background, Magno smiled at the scene as her second in command looked on in total confusion._

_ "Heh, heh. Well now…I have a feeling that things are going to get even more interesting in the near-future."_

_--_

_ Kyo smiled a bit as he watched the others eat, while holding his own plate of food. He then smiled a bit more as he spotted a certain person walking towards him._

_ "Hey Meia, nice to see you've decided to join us."_

_ The Dread pilot nodded as she walked over to the Gundam pilot. The rest of the crew were busy eating and talking to one another, trading stories and such. Right now, Kyo was near the lake of the park, while having his lunch. He had been there planning the escape while taking the time to relax after the hectic days ever since they had been trapped here._

_ "Good to see you too Kyo." Meia said calmly, but in truth she was happy beyond words to be finally given the chance to be with Kyo. She only hoped that she would be uninterrupted by the others. _

_ Kyo stood up and went to get another plate for the Dread pilot. He took some food out from the eating area, got some utensils and then offered the meal to Meia. _

_ "Here, you look like you could really use something good to eat." He said with a smile as he offered the plate. Meia gave a smile and took the plate from Kyo's hands, while brushing her hands on his own as she had taken off her piloting gloves._

_ Kyo had done the same as he had removed his own gloves when he had been cooking much earlier so it was easy for him to feel Meia's hands on his as he gave her the food. He had expected some calluses on her hands, after he had learned a great deal about her past life all those months ago. Though there were some, her hands were still smooth and not too rough. Apparently, despite Meia's lack maintaining her femininity due to her serious attitude as a pilot, she did have time to properly take her of herself. Her hands had smooth skin and were soft to the touch…_

_ Kyo quickly halted the ideas that sprang into his head at the contact. He sighed mentally to himself, the situations he was in with Meia, Dita, Jura, and some of the other girls on the Nirvana were very hard for him at times._

_ Meia also had the same feelings, she had felt Kyo's hands as well. His hands were rougher and a bit more callused than hers, no doubt due to his many experiences before being part of the crew on the pirate group. Though he did have rougher skin, it didn't mean that Meia didn't notice that he had a gentle way of holding things. Her heart began to feel a little lighter for an odd reason as she began to wonder what his hands would feel if they were…_

_ Meia quickly halted that train of confusing thoughts in her mind. She felt rather confused at those thoughts. Why should she care if Kyo's hands were rougher than hers? But she couldn't hide the fact that she was very curious about him._

_ Both decided to look at one another to halt their respective train of thoughts. Meia decided to concentrate on what the crew should do to escape._

_ "Kyo, do you have any plans on how we can escape from here?"_

_ Kyo nodded as he pointed to a section of trucks. Meia spotted several quadruped mecha on them and were now being unloaded by Aleck, Max, Duero and Gascogne, along with the girls from the Register and the Engineering bay of the Nirvana._

_ "Yeah, once we re-program those Desert Fang units CPU and OS, we can use them to upload the virus I have in mind. This will be cutting it a little close though, it'll take several hours for us to do just that, plus I'll need to customize the OS of both the Morpheous and SwitchBlade Gundams to unlock their full power. Once that's done, we move out and use the units we've captured to distract the enemy while we take over a Lancer Platform."_

_ Meia nodded as she got the idea on what Kyo had in mind. They were going to attempt the famous 'Trojan Horse' maneuver. The Desert Fangs that were incapacitated would carry the engineered virus and then would upload the virus into the data-drives of the Ai army's bases and units. However, it had to be done quickly as time was against them, as the Harvesters could be right on top of them at any given moment._

_ "Do you think we can make it?" Meia asked as she looked at Kyo._

_ Kyo nodded with a grin. "I know so. All we have to do is work hard and we can do just that."_

_ Meia had to admit that the time she had been with Kyo made her ready to trust him. Normally she didn't always trust others, except her fellow pirates and herself. But Kyo was probably the one man she trusted with a lot of things._

_ "Is there any way I can help?"_

_--_

_Unknown to the Nirvana's crew, they weren't the only ones with a plan…_

_ The leader of the Harvester Council smiled a bit more as he looked at his computer monitors. The data uplink would be ready at late night time. He would then send this data protocol order to the AI agent of the trap his people had placed, and was fortuitous enough to catch the elusive and dangerous Nirvana. He knew for a fact that the possibility of the Nirvana effecting an escape was very much possible._

_ But instead of being angry and frustrated, the leader had an…unusual look of interested anticipation on his face. He then began uploading the last of his data into his special order for the AI forces. In the data was the order for the capture, or if not possible, the retrieval of a DNA and tissue sample from a certain individual._

_ (All seems to be in place… all that's missing…is a little blood.)_

_--_

_ The underground city…_

_ Duero and Parfet were now back at work, they were there in helping update the CPU and OS of the captured Desert Fang units that Duero had disabled using the Morpheous Gundam's Raiha Form Pack. It took some time for them to re-activate the systems and getting the basic programs into the OS of the mecha. But with both Duero, Parfet, and Kyo who had finished eating, they were making good time. Meia was there also, lending her skills with electronics to the plans. Having been always present with any tactical computer updates on her own Dread, had given the short-haired girl some considerable computer skills._

_ The head engineer was glad that Duero was safe and sound, and was now ready to complete whatever work was needed for their escape. Duero had gained some considerable technical knowledge and his appliance of his medical skills made him have great potential as an engineer, though he was not giving up his medical profession anytime soon._

_ Parfet sighed a bit to herself as she and Duero were hard at work. Both of them were near a computer console working on restoring a basic OS program that could be accepted by the AI army's main computer entity. Thanks to Kyo's recovery of an OS drive from the first encounter, they were able to salvage the basic data infra-structure of all the units' AI formation. The efforts were going well, with Kyo lending his computer and engineering skills to the work. Max on the other hand was busy learning the fundamental basics of medical treatment for women from Duero earlier and was now taking his place where he could treat the women, while his elder brother helped the spunky head engineer._

_ She looked at Duero with a wistful eye. She had been worried sick for almost a week, trying her best to remain at her duties to the ship and her teams, while resisting the urge to try and find Duero. Her feelings for the young medic had been growing for the past few days since he had been part of the Landing Party. She then thought of what she did earlier in hugging him in public, never mind the fact that it was embarrassing to her when the other engineers began to tease her about it. She sighed and wondered if she could find a way to know more about Duero…intimately She blushed a bit and wondered on what she should do._

_ Duero turned and noted this change in the young Megele engineer. He sometimes wondered why women would suddenly have these…stains of color on their cheeks. He had noticed it when Parfet had released him after hugging him impulsively when they saw each other. He wondered if Parfet had a fever, but her healthy actions went against that, so it must be something else…and why was it he thought she looked…what as the word Misty used? Oh yeah, cute?_

_ "Are you all right Parfet? You seem to be feverish, with that show of color on your cheeks."_

_ "Oh!" Parfet realized that she was blushing right in front of Duero. She quickly tried to dissuade Duero from making the wrong assumption. "I'm sorry, I just, have a load of things on my mind lately."_

_ "I see… well, if ever you need my help, I'll do what I can." Duero said with a smile at the spunky head engineer._

_ "Right…I will." The head engineer said as she walked to get something from her supply kit. The head engineer decided to unzip her jacket and just cool off with some water._

_ Duero turned as he reached for a small data-pad when he spotted Parfet unzipping her jacket. He now looked at Parfet as she took a drink out of a water bottle. For some odd reason, seeing Parfet do a simple action as drinking some water had an effect on him. The movement of her neck muscles and the way she looked…made him feel nervous…and very…agitated….almost to a point that he was totally confused by his body's reactions, it seemed that the whole scene was…stimulating parts of him._

_ Duero then went on to study Parfet sub-consciously. He then took stock of Parfet as she was now bare except for her tank top. He had learned that it was also the women's choice as a partial solution to bras, thanks to their extensive research in various aspects of life, including the manufacturing methods for cloth. Most women, according to Paiway wore these as substitute for normal bras, so that meant that it also served as Parfet's undergarment._

_ That was when for the first time Duero was studying a woman, and NOT as a doctor…_

_ Parfet may not be very attractive by most standards, she was considered to have a petite figure, with her small stature and slender frame. With her brown hair usually done in her trade-mark thick twin braids, and her oversized spectacles, her normal appearance was considered plain and average, until one took a closer look. Duero normally didn't have any difficulty dealing with his patient's appearance, including Parfet…but now, he was seeing the hidden beauty of the quiet female engineer._

_ She wasn't as showy as any of the other girls, but her features were appealing, at least to him. Her breasts were not as big as the other women, but were shaped to suit her height and slender frame. She had an hour-glass figure, and there was some considerable muscle-structure on her, nod doubt from carrying amounts of parts and equipment as being an engineer. They didn't detract her female attributes all that much, but rather, enhanced them. She had a good amount of curves on her as well, though those were hidden most of the time by her engineer's uniform. Despite the two braids that her hair was normally in, and her think glasses, she did have soft skin and Duero knew that for a fact he had treated her as well during her routine medical check-ups. She looked…_

_ Duero shook his head a bit at the thoughts that were in his mind. Why was he suddenly thinking these things? Sure, he had been working with Parfet on the Nirvana on a normally daily basis, and that included seeing her without her upper jumpsuit covering her torso…along with medical checkups that also had her bare of the suit on occasion. But this feeling he had now as he watched her… was an absolute first! He felt some semblance of these feelings whenever he was near Parfet, but NEVER this strongly. He then felt a faint rush of heat go to his face as he began to look a lot harder and more closely at Parfet._

_ "Duero…are you all right?"_

_ Duero quickly shook his head at he heard Parfet speak to him. He looked at Parfet and spoke. "Sorry, I had some thoughts in my mind, and got distracted."_

_ "Oh, sorry, I'll need to go get some extra parts, I'll be back, all right?"_

_ "Of course." Duero said, but not before looking at Parfet as she walked back. He didn't know why, but he was watching Parfet's back as she moved away. He noted that women had a different stride when they walked. But now he found himself staring at Parfet's back…all the way to her… backside._

_ (What am I doing?!)_

_ For some reason, looking Parfet began to tug at him in certain ways, ways he didn't understand completely, but were not…offensive at all. Did it have something to do with him not seeing Parfet and feeling these emotions while being away from her? In fact he began to think that he would have slapped himself to quit staring at Parfet._

_ (I think I need to talk to Kyo.)_

_--_

_ On one side of the city…_

_ "Okay, a little bit more…there, that should do it!" Kyo said with a sigh as he finished his upgrading of the Morpheous Gundam's OS. He had finished doing the same updating and customization of the OS to the SwitchBlade. By accessing the OS and conditioning it to fight with all the combat data and profiles of Barnette, plus adding some extra combat data from his own Infinite-Freedom Gundam, the SwitchBlade's combat performance was very much boosted. Barnette had taken it out after the customization and was very happy with the changes. She thanked Kyo and then asked if he could do the same for the Templar Gundam. He agreed to the suggestion and went to deal with the Morpheous. Once he was done with the Gundam Duero piloted, he'd work on the possible bugs in the Templar._

_ He then got out of the cockpit and descended down to the floor via the cable on the Gundam, and that was where he spotted Duero…looking as he had the world's greatest mystery on his shoulders._

_ Kyo suddenly wondered why this scene was getting to be familiar._

_ "Hey Duero, you okay?"_

_ "Yeah, I need to ask you something, if you've got some time to spare."_

_ "Sure I'm done with your Gundam's updates anyway, you can take it out for a test drive anytime." _

_(Why do I get the feeling this discussion I'm about to have has déjà vu written all over it?)_

_--_

_ Max sighed a bit as he fixed a creak in his neck as he looked at his new gear. He had been working for over several hours since the end of lunch as he took care of the girls that were in need of medical treatment, though right now they were busy exploring the city. The doctor was in the city's hospital which still had stocks of medicine and supplies, so the doctor had no problem in the treatment, in reality he had some help, and from an unlikely source._

_ "This is a tissue regenerator, back on Megele we use this to bind cuts and lacerations, along with some disinfectant spray."_

_ Barnette replied as she pointed out some of the medical equipment that Paiway had brought along, she had checked the check-list and decided to help Max become acquainted with them all. It was the least she could do._

_ "I see…and this is?"_

_ "That's a fusion scalpel, we use it when our nurses have to perform surgery. This is a pain-killer patch. It's like a stick on piece of adhesive, but it's filled with special pain-killers that can be absorbed through the skin, it's not all that effective as the more powerful pain killer medicine, but it's good for emergency field work."_

_ The two were working together, with Barnette giving Max details on some of the Megele medical equipment that Paiway brought with her. The introductions were very interesting as Max was surprised at the fact that Paiway was very young and was a nurse under Duero's supervision. The two got along well as Paiway's medical skills were exceptional to Max's standards and she had a check-list of the current patients. Duero's tutelage to Paiway had helped the young nurse to deal with patient load when he wasn't on the ship. The young girl was taking a break since she had been working nearly non-stop since the Nirvana had been without the elder brother._

_ An hour later…_

_ "I am so tired…" Barnette moaned as she sat in a small bench near a café, The crew that were treated decided to work on the Nirvana and get some down time. Magno had ordered the crew to be ready for any combat situation while they got ready to escape the enemy trap. For the mean time, it was a chance to unwind after the tense combat standby they had been in since a week ago._

_ Really? If you don't mind, I'll try and relieve the stress you're in." Max answered as he smiled at Barnette._

_ "Really? How?"_

_ "I know physical therapy, and I might help deal with the muscular tension."_

_ Barnette was a bit confused, but quickly understood what Max was referring to." You mean a massage?"_

_ Max nodded. _

_ Barnette nodded as she smiled a bit, she wondered for a while if Max had rough hands. Seeing them before showed that he had considerable calluses on his hands, and they were the results of his training both as a boy and as a soldier/healer. _

_ "Uh sure, but have you…"_

_ Max smirked a bit. "If you mean done this before on a woman? Then the answer is yes. I had too since I was the senior medic." _

_ Max then began to massage Barnette's shoulders slowly and gently. The young woman felt the rough skin of the medic but noticed how smoothly precise and gentle he was when doing the massage on her shoulders and neck. She gave some sounds of satisfaction as the knots in her muscles began to loosen and her tension began to ease away._

_ "You're pretty good at this."_

_ "Yeah, I guess you can say that. It's been some time though since I've done this."_

_ "Well Max, I really appreciate it, and so…if you don't mind. I'd like to teach you how to cook, if you don't mind?"_

_ Max thought about it and nodded. "Sure, I've always wondered about how to cook like you women do anyway."_

_ Barnette smiled at the thought. Another chance to learn more about Max had just arrived, though she decided to take it slowly, so not to over-do her plans to get the younger sibling to open up to her more._

_ Unknown to them, Paiway was nearby with her trusty camera and her note-pad. Like before, she had more intuition when it came to these things, namely since Dita had always been chasing Kyo. So naturally she was VERY curious about this new relationship that was blossoming between the former man hating Dread pilot and the younger sibling of her mentor._

_ Paiway also knew that there was still the relationship between Duero and Parfet and she loved looking at whenever she got the chance to check the two. This new relationship CERTAINLY deserved her attention however. This new one was an absolute treat!_

_ "This is going to be SO INTERESTING! Pai Check!"_

_--_

_Speaking of whom…_

_ "Okay, so that what happened?" Kyo asked Duero while he and the young doctor were looking at nearby garden made from the stalactites and stalagmites that were near a cave entrance. The garden was apparently a rock-garden as the cave formations had been smoothened and chipped to resemble trees. These stone pillars reflected the lights coming from an opening in the surface and gave the garden a glittering feel, and with that, the lights gave the illusion that there was running water in the garden. It was a great sight, one that must have been a great spot for many gatherings for the former inhabitants of this world. Some of the crew were eager to look, but promised not to take any of the stones with them._

_ "Yes, and I've…I don't know how to call it exactly, but…I've been staring at her so intently. And then I began to have these thoughts about Parfet that…really trouble me."_

_ (I should have known…)_

_ "Exactly HOW did these thoughts trouble you?" Kyo stressed._

_ "Well… Lately…when I see Parfet, I have this feeling in my stomach, kind of like a shiver that travels along my spinal cord."_

_ "Hmm…could you be a little MORE specific?"_

_ (Why me? First it's Max, now Duero!)_

_ "I feel like there's this ache in my stomach, and heart, nothing medically troubling, I had no irregularities physically, but I get this sudden… increase in heart rate and well…I've also experienced sudden rushes of heat in certain parts of my body whenever I look at Parfet now. I've been feeling these things before…but never this intensely."_

_ ( I can imagine…still you're luckier in some ways Duero.)_

_ Kyo thought as he listened to the young doctor while thinking of his own situation. _

_(You only have to deal with attraction to ONE girl, and you are… not burdened with what I have to go through whenever I see the girls, in any given day!) _

_Kyo quickly squelched his own thoughts as he listened to Duero. _

_The problems he had were tame compared to Duero, but he kept in mind that Duero, like Max having been raised on a single gender world had little to non-existent contact with women. It made sense to the young Gundam operator that Duero was frightened by these feelings he had for his closest friend on the Nirvana. He saw the same for Parfet, but if he knew one thing, there was going to be a time that Parfet would make a few moves on Duero that will totally confuse the young man, and no matter what, he'll have to be the one to explain the whole thing to his comrade, the same way he had dealt with Max._

_ "And I've seen her in the same garments at times while helping in the Paeksis repairs…and there were, uh, times I had to see her for medical examinations and she had to…" Duero suddenly felt another rush of heat n his face as he suddenly did something he thought he'd never do in any place either public or private, he twiddled his fingers._

_ Kyo couldn't help but snicker silently at the looks that were all over Duero's face. But he remained objective. He however knew what Duero was trying to say and NOT say at the same time._

_ "Let me guess…she's, naked, right?"_

_ "Yes, and though those were medical exams, every time I thought about it now, and, being this close to Parfet after being away from her for nearly a week… I can't help but think on so many things…One of them is…"_

_ "Is what?"_

_ "Is…how…how beautiful she was then…and now when I saw her. That can't be right, I mean… I've…uh, seen that…Parfet isn't as…pampered as the other girls, but I can't seem to think that she's not as attractive as the girls…or even more…to me she's more attractive than them! That can't be right, can it?"_

_ Kyo sighed as he looked out at the rock-garden. "Duero, both men and women are beautiful, the important thing depends on the person's viewer, if the viewer thinks the person is beautiful, then there's nothing wrong with thinking those things."_

_ "But why…why now is it I feel this way for Parfet?"_

_ Kyo sighed again as he looked at Duero straight in the eye. "Before I answer that question Duero, I need to ask you another question, and this is serious, so you have to tell me everything clearly and honestly. All right?"_

_ Duero nodded. "I'll answer with the truth and only the truth. I promise."_

_ Kyo smiled a bit. That should make things easier, I hope!_

_ "Okay, first things first. When you met Parfet, all those months ago…what did you think of her?"_

_ Duero realized that from Kyo's tone of voice, this was a serious matter. He then began to think back on how he met Parfet and what he thought of her._

_ "When I first met Parfet, I thought that she had some very interesting views of the world. She treats all machines as alive as people, that's how we got to working together in solving mechanical problems whenever I'm in the Engineering Bay. She's very friendly, open-minded, and has a cheerful disposition. She didn't give up on anything that she set her mind to. And well, she seems to be the kind of person you and easily trust and work with."_

_ "Okay, I can imagine that part easy…so, when did you have THOSE feelings?"_

_ "Well…I've had them after that time when…we were in that mutiny that Barnette started all those months ago. She came to us and offered us food, saying that what was going on was totally wrong and her comrades were wrong to imprison them. Bart made this nasty comment and it hurt Parfet. I didn't know why but I felt almost tempted to bash Bart's head in with my bare hands. After that, there were other occasions I began to have these thoughts about her. I began to notice things about her that I didn't…notice before. Like how she smiles whenever something goes well, and how hard she works eagerly on a new project. There's also when she gives these expressions…when she's sad, agitated, upset, relieved, and when…she seems to be at ease whenever she's working beside me. I sometimes wonder to myself what she looks like without her glasses, though for the life of me I don't know why I should be so interested to see what she looks like without her glasses. I also like it, though I have no idea why, when she's just there drinking a cup of her favorite tea when she's taking a break. And…"_

_ "And?"_

_ "And even when she's covered in some parts of her body with oil from working on the ship's systems, I don't seem to mind at all. I also wonder at how her hands feel. I can't know since she wears gloves all the time. And well, the feelings have been growing somewhat long before I got into being part of the Landing Party. I thought at first it was a normal thing for one to be attached to a close friend…but now… I guess that's how I feel about Parfet now. Tell me Kyo, what am I feeling for her?"_

_ Kyo nodded as he already knew where Duero was going. He couldn't help but recall a certain time he had been on his journey and had walked into something totally similar to this situation. He decided to give Duero his explanation._

_ "I think that what you're feeling is very normal. It's called attraction, and it has a lot to do with feelings and emotions towards another person, namely when you have been with that person for a very long time. It blossoms out of friendship and grows… And that has a tendency to lead to other things."_

_ "I'm attracted to Parfet?! But how…"_

_ "It's a very long story, and I know that since you've never grown up with women for almost all your life except when you were in the Ikazuchi before and after it was shot half-way across the galaxy, these feelings are really shocking you. You've spent a lot of time with women, but mostly with Parfet, and it troubles you a lot that you feel this way, right?"_

_ "Yes, I feel somewhat torn…Part of me feels that if I…if I do this, I'll be breaking every oath I had made to my planet and Grand Pa. But despite that…these feelings feel so right and…so foreign at the same time, but they won't go away, like they're already a part of me, but I didn't even know they existed!"_

_ Kyo thought about it. This was somewhat a sensitive subject so he decided to finally ask his last question._

_ "I'll answer your question…with a question. What do your new feelings tell you, whenever you look at Parfet, apart from how beautiful she is?"_

_Duero took in a deep breath and sighed slowly "When I saw Parfet all wet with sweat…and just…standing there with her in her normal undergarment, I felt this…urge… to hold her close to me…and"_

_ "That urge wouldn't be like you wanted to rip off your own clothes, and touch her in a number of places, right?" Kyo asked._

_ "Yes! Exactly! It felt as if some…force within me was…compelling me. It was totally unfamiliar…yet it felt…instinctive, as if it's been part of me my whole life!"_

_ "Thought as much, you could call those feelings instinctive." Kyo said calmly._

_ "What is this feeling of attraction Kyo? Why is it NOW for me to experience it? Why is it making me think these things for Parfet?"_

_"Attraction has a way of doing things that are hard to understand. I can only say is that you feel this deep attraction to Parfet is because that ancient instinct that has been suppressed on your home-planet of Talark is now making itself known to you." Kyo said with a smile._

_ "Instinct? What instinct?" Duero asked._

_ "On Talark, that instinct has been repressed since the day you and Max were born. However, now that you have been living on a ship inhabited only by females and you see them no longer as monsters, I can guess your male side is being re-educated on the finer points of the female gender. I'm guessing that instinct is trying to make up for a LOT of lost time since it's gotten to be stimulated already." Kyo chuckled a bit at that._

_ "What instinct are you talking about?" The young man asked._

_ The Gundam pilot decided he would have to be blunt. "What I'm trying to point out is, the ancient instinct, both emotional and physical between men and women. How else did you think they gave birth to children back in the old days of your ancestral world and that of Parfet?" Kyo said calmly._

_ Duero looked as if he had been struck by a two by four on the head. "What? Are you saying…that what I have been feeling lately for…Parfet, is because…of an urge…to…procreate?" He barely said the last word audibly._

_ "Well, in a word…Yes."_

_ THUD!!_

_ Kyo looked at the now unconscious man._

_(Wasn't the exact reaction I had in mind. But it came close.)_

_--_

_ The Earth Fleets…_

_ The CPU of the main combat fleet began receiving new instructions from it's creators. The information was to be relayed to the AI army commander unit on the desert world. The CPU now had determined that it was the best time to send the data burst to the receiver on the planet. This was a covert priority one message from it's leader and took precedence over the other combat protocols. The mother-ship then began to position a comm.-relay antennae and aimed it at the planet it was now approaching alongside it's sister fleet. The EM emissions from the planet had lessened and allowed a time frame for the transmission to be sent. Once it was done, the CPU would have to wait for a few hours before it could relay the new set of orders regarding the Nirvana._

_ On the surface…_

_ The AI entity was able to receive the covert transmission and began updating it's software to include this new plan in the CPU units of it's current forces. The AI entity had began to recall all of it's current military units and have them return for a full data update._

_--_

_ Kyo smirked a bit he looked at Duero and Parfet working side by side while he was busy creating his patented virus/OS program. After he had revived the medic, he then managed to convince Duero to take his time in dealing with the new feelings, and get to know Parfet a lot more. He told the medic that if he had any problems with this situation, he would be nearby to try and answer as much as he could._

_ In his opinion, the two were very much made for each other. Both were smart, quick on their feet, and they get along very well with each other. Duero's got a quality that set him apart in Kyo's eyes, and it seemed that Parfet had a quality that set her apart in his eyes too. The two were very good friends, with Parfet helping Duero with any maintenance work in the Medical Bay, and Duero would be a welcome addition to Parfet whenever she worked in the Engineering Bay. So it was no surprise to him that the friendship could become something…deeper and more personal._

_ (Like two peas in pod.)_

_ He then realized that in some ways, things were not going to be easy between them. Not that either had an axe to grind with each other, far from it. It was the fact that Parfet may know how to approach someone in a more personal manner, but in Duero's case, it was different, he only hanged out with men and as such had no way to know what to say or do when being approached by a woman….and that naturally meant that he might not know how to act around Parfet. Parfet also was a bit of a problem, due to the fact that she may already know Duero, but her level of…knowing him was still somewhat in the professional level, and that could present a challenge when she might do things that would make no sense to the Talark physician since she had been raised to be only with women, and that could present a big hurdle._

_ Kyo didn't want such a good couple to break up due to misunderstandings, and knowing this, he knew for a fact that he's going to have to do the one thing he partially disliked a great deal, and that was being match-maker. There was nothing wrong between Duero and Parfet, but if Kyo learned one thing from all his time with the women. It was that all it took to really make a mess out of things…was a misunderstanding and lack of communication._

_ He sighed and after making some more adjustments took a break, he informed Parfet and Duero that he had something left to do and work on Templar, to keep his promise to Barnette, he had talked to Max about it and the younger McFile agreed to the idea._

_ He had his own set of problems to deal with, and they came in the forms of several women…Dita, Meia. Jura as the first three, along with Misty, Sara, and Mai. He didn't know what to do with the girls ever since that debacle in the Nirvana's communal bath. Along with the things that happened here on the planet, he was already trying not to give in to his male hormones. In some senses he was lucky and unlucky at the same time, lucky in the fact that he knew WHY he felt these feelings unlike Duero who had just been introduced to them, and Max who is now re-discovering them…and unlucky in the fact that he didn't feel them strongly for one girl, but for several!_

_ He didn't know what to do yet, and he hoped that he could at least figure SOMETHING out…_

_ "Commander?"_

_ Kyo looked from his staring at the ground and saw Sara looking at him with concern. "Oh, Sara is something wrong?"_

_ "No, I was just concerned, you seem so…distant, is something wrong?" The young second in command of the Angel Squadron asked her superior._

_ "Nothing to concern yourself with Sara, but thanks for the concern nevertheless." Kyo said with a smile. He then noted the outfit that Sara wore._

_ It looked like a normal full body suit, but had some changes in design. It was colored red and had some silver streaks on the sides. It fit like a glove on the athletic pilot, showing to Kyo once more the figure that he had seen in the bath. The sleeves were up to the middle of the upper arms and there on Sara's left arm was a gold bracelet with a blue stone in the center. The suit's lower area was up to the upper areas of the knees and there was a utility belt sewn into the hips. Sara always wore a jacket similar to Dita's, but had shorter sleeves. He had to admit one thing, Sara was very attractive._

_ "Commander... I wanted to…"_

_ "Sara, I'd like it if you don't mind using my name for a change. Commander is fine when we're in battle, but right now, I want to relax. Is that okay with you?"_

_ "Okay Comma…Kyo. I wanted to ask some questions."_

_ "About what? About the plans for the escape? I'll inform you when I get…"_

_ "No, not those plans…I mean…uh…"_

_ Sara then began to twiddle her fingers a bit. For someone of her skills and heritage, the thought of her being all flustered and unsure was very foreign. It was not something she would normally do in front of anybody. For the life of her, Sara didn't understand why she was acting this way, and in front of her commanding officer of all people! She should be really angry at herself. But for now…she didn't seem to care. Right now, she tried to get her thoughts into order, and hope that what she was about to do wasn't a big mistake on her part._

_ "Sara…? What do you want to ask me?"_

_ Kyo wondered what was going on, though there was a voice in his head calling him a dunce for not noticing._

_ "I wanted to…ask you about…"_

_ Kyo was getting more confused. "What do you want to ask me? And please calm down; I'm not going to get angry."_

_ Sara hoped that what he said was true. She hoped that she wasn't going to make a mistake. She had too much admiration and respect for Kyo for the past few months they had worked together for her to mess it up with a mistake of communication, and she hoped what she was about to ask wasn't going to make her a fool._

_ "I wanted to know…about you, Kyo."_

_ Kyo was a bit silent at this. _

_(I had a feeling that something was going to happen.)_

_ He then decided to at least talk about himself along with as much as he could recall. He had a feeling that he was going to have to do it anyway, and it won't just be Sara who would be listening to him this time._

_ He gave a smile to Sara. _

_"All right, what do you want to know?"_

_--_

_ As the two walked towards where Max's Templar Gundam was being stored, they saw several of the Register crew working alongside their boss, and they spotted Gascogne talking with none other than Aleck Koubayashi. The former Vanguard pilot and combat instructor decided to make use of his free time and help overhaul some of the new machines that were going to be used to effect their escape. The tough and wry soldier was a great worker and seemed to be at ease when working on something that involved heavy duties. Kyo and Sara took a detour as the young man decided to speak about himself to his second in command…and de facto…date, in this case._

_ Aleck gave a sigh as he hauled two boxes filled with repair parts and components to one side which would then be sent to the Engineering teams who were near the Desert Fangs on his shoulders and placed them on where they would by hauled via gravity cart. The older male was bare-chested and didn't seem to mind being without his uniform, and he didn't mind it when he heard some of the girls whisper and point at him. He had gotten used to such things long before the Nirvana made it's detour on this planet._

_ "Hey Gunny, you look like you could use a drink!"_

_ Aleck turned and saw the Head of the Pirate's Register, Gascogne Rheingau holding a bottle. When he met the tough looking woman, he was a little bit curious about this woman, she seemed a little bit different from the rest of the girls that he had been in exile with, and the ones he was working with now. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that they were close to the same age. He was nearly 34, and she seemed maybe a year of two younger than he was. But he didn't judge anybody in his line of work by age, but by knowledge, guts, experience, training, and sheer talent and tenacity. That was what made him a tough, feared, but highly respected Vanguard instructor back home. He sensed a great deal coming from this tough woman, and it helped that they were roughly the same height, back then he had some difficulty dealing with some of the women who were a little bit shorter as he had to bend his head down to stare at them in the eye._

_ As he had learned from his previous trainer, the body and face may lie and deceive, but the eyes will always tell the truth. He sensed that this calm and very easy going woman had some history, but from his experience, he had no right to pry into it. He sensed that Gascogne carried some kind of burden on her shoulders, and he had learned before…in his time as a young man… that a burden that isn't completely cured, removed, or made to pass…will break you down eventually. He was happy to see that Max was easing up on the past, and now opened up to others. For now, he kept his opinions on Gascogne to himself._

_ "Thanks Miss Gascogne, I have been hauling a load of gear for over three hours now." Aleck said as he sat beside Gascogne and took the bottled water and took some deep gulps. He sighed with satisfaction as he felt the cool liquid flow down his throat._

_ Gascogne grinned as she looked at the older man. "You work real hard, and you're just as efficient as Kyo. No wonder you and Max survived this long out here in this place." She, had noticed that he too seemed to carry some of his own burdens. As she had done long ago when she was also in grief with what happened to Kyo all those months ago, her skills at reading a person came into play as she studied this older man. He seemed to by highly experienced, but not just in the field of warfare, it was something else…_

_ She had been able to learn something about this man who decided to help the Register out. According to Bart, their navigator, Aleck was among those who piloted the Vanguard in it's prototype days and it was his recommendations that made the Vanguard tougher and stronger. Plus he was their top instructor in the Academy, along with his surviving Vanguard test pilots. His nickname of Gunny was due to his quick response in stopping any cadet who was making many errors, and he was not intimidated of their ranks and citizen status either. But he seemed to hide a great deal of himself as well, and it seemed that he too had his own reasons, as she did…_

_ Gascogne sighed a bit to herself, she wasn't going to try and pry into this one's thoughts. Gascogne can tell that Aleck might not reveal to anybody what was in his mind, so no sense prying into his mind. Plus, her own reasons and secrets were not going to come out at this time. But that didn't mean she wouldn't try and make friends with the guy, he seemed to be the kind you could trust, and Gascogne rarely failed in that respect._

_ "I know that you're a combat pilot, but you don't mind joining us. The Captain seems to like how you handle things, and the Commander believes so too."_

_ "Yeah, why not? It's not like I've got any choice in the matter. But it's a great deal, considering we've met some friendly faces at last." Aleck nodded as he finished his drink. He liked Gascogne, as he could tell that like before, she was easy going and can be a great friend._

_--_

_ Elsewhere…_

_ "You have any hobbies?" Sara asked Kyo as he was working in the Templar Gundam's cockpit._

_ "Apart from cooking, music, and dancing?…well, I did dabble in painting, but I wasn't very good at it. Swimming is another of my hobbies, I loved to play baseball when I was still traveling."_

_ "Base…ball? What's that?"_

_ "It's an outdoor sport, It's kind of complicated if you don't play it. I'll tell you about it some other time. Let's see…I take to martial arts, of course you know about it already, I do spare time to learn how to do handicrafts, but I'm still learning. Plus I work on computers and electronics. That's pretty much…all that I have as hobbies."_

_ Sara smirked a bit as she looked at Kyo as he still did some more tests on the Gundam Max piloted. The young male pilot seemed to be very relaxed and patient as he answered some of her questions while working on the Gundam he promised to fix. In a way, seeing Kyo with a content expression made Sara wonder even more about his personal life. As much as she knew that it was somewhat a sore subject for the Gundam pilot to discuss, since he never spoke to anybody about it…with the exceptions of Jura, Meia, and Dita._

_ At the thought of the three Dread pilots, she couldn't help but feel a tinge of envy for them. She didn't lie to Mai when she told her comrade about her asking the others under her command about the idea of having Kyo as the Ohma of their children. The young man was VERY unique in many ways, and not to mention that ever since she had seen him buck naked in the communal bath all those weeks ago, she couldn't help but feel very embarrassed, and curious at the same time…along with a tingling feeling in her body, from her hair-tips to her toes, and some other places in between._

_ To know that Jura, Meia, and Dita were very close to Kyo also sent some other emotions in the Elsman girl. She didn't know why, but after that debacle in the communal bath, and seeing Kyo's naked form, without a single stitch of clothing on him, she began to have thoughts about her commanding officer that seemed to border on insanity. The thoughts included her touching him in every part of his body, and both of them were naked! The images were so…scandalous to the young woman, but for reasons beyond her she didn't feel the least bit offended or disgusted by it, quite the reverse…she felt…VERY much stimulated. To know that the three Dread pilots were near Kyo made her not just envy at times, but jealousy as well since she could help but feel that they might get a shot at doing those same things to him._

_ As Sara thought about the situation more and more, she began to wonder why she was tingling in her toes again, along with the sensations in her gut. Her mind then began to doing something she normally wouldn't even dream of daring…_

_ Kyo noted the silence and looked at Sara…and naturally he didn't have any trouble recognizing the looks on her face. He knew that the way she was staring at him was beginning to affect him too, so he decided to break her train of thought along with his before things could get even more complicated._

_ "Sara, are you all right?"_

_ Sara shook her head a bit as Kyo's voice brought her out of her train of thought. She then felt the rush of heat in her face as the realization of the fact of her staring at Kyo came to her._

_ "Oh…sorry! I guess I'll head back to the others, I promised I'd help them train for the ground battle we might get involved in soon."_

_ She quickly rode down via cable from the Gundam's cockpit and a salute to her commander and left before she would do something she might never recover from. Kyo sighed and after restraining his hormones yet again, went back to work._

_--_

_ After a few minutes…_

_ Kyo sighed a bit as he knew that soon he would have to go on a solo mission. And this time…he wasn't going to be piloting I-Freedom. The only way he could upload the virus was to take the units and lock them into one of the bases. Once that was done, the CPU units of the doctored Desert Fangs would be uplinked to the main AI system and receive the downloads, and then they would relay the data to their fellow units in the other bases. It was a long shot in many ways cause it if went wrong then they were really in danger. He however got that out of his mind as he walked back to where the others were._

_ That was when he ran into another woman in question…_

_ "Kyo?"_

_ Kyo looked to the side and smiled a bit as he recognized Mai Miazaki. The woman was still in her family's traditional garb and she seemed to be mostly at ease with the clothes as she did in her Register uniform._

_ "Yes Mai, is something up?"_

_ The Register girl shook her head and smiled. "Nothing…I just wanted to have a few words with you before you go with the others on this mission."_

_ Kyo thought about it and nodded. "Sure, why not?"_

_ As the two sat down on a bench, the Register girl decided on her course of action. Naturally the reason she wanted to speak to Kyo was to get to know him better, but since time was against them, she decided to tell him about the history of the Miazaki family._

_ "Kyo…did Miss Gasco ever tell you about my family history?"_

_ The Gundam pilot was a bit surprised at this question since as far as he knew Mai wasn't listening in on the conversation he and Gascogne had when he worked in the Register before becoming a part time worker in his off hours from piloting Freedom, leading the Vanguards, and forming the GunDreads._

_ "Yeah, she did tell me about it. Why?"_

_ "Well…I guess I wanted to tell you what I knew about it. You see…back in the old days of my ancestors, my direct ancestor had a fiancée who was a man. They were engaged to be married…but it was then that she found out that he cancelled the whole wedding and had married his mistress instead of her. She was angry and very much…humiliated by all that happened."_

_ "And one thing led to another, and she decided not to have anything to do with men. Ever since then, she used only the artificial methods to have children, and she taught her daughters not to have any kind of relationship with a man, and to hate and loathe them. Any male child born in the family was given for adoption. And this happened all the way to Megele's time."_

_ "So that's what Gasco mentioned about you having anger towards men, beyond that of the propaganda films on your planet."_

_ "Yes, ever since that time on Earth, and the time in Megele, whenever women in the Miazaki family were born, we were conditioned to hate men on all bases. That's why I wasn't…exactly looking forward to you working in the Nirvana, namely in the Register."_

_ "Okay, but why are you telling me this? I mean, family history isn't exactly the kind of topic you share to just anybody." _

_ Mai blushed a bit and looked at the ground. "Because…well, I guess I want to tell you since…I happen to be…very intrigued by you."_

_ "What do you mean?"_

_ "Well…when I met you all those months ago when we were sent to this part of the galaxy by the Paeksis, I thought of you as the same kind of man that callously shattered my ancestor's heart and destroyed her honor. So when you saved my life, I was confused, and tried to hold on to my anger and hate…"_

_ "But after seeing you do so many things and being very kind and strong, plus being always here for us. I began to change my views of you. You are NOT like the men I was told to hate and despise when I left the cradle in my youth… You have kindness, compassion, honor, justice, and you don't judge anybody by gender. You are so…full of surprises! You know how to cook, play music, dance, and all the things none of my comrades and me ever thought a man could ever do. And when you…died before…I couldn't help but feel…how…stupid it was to hate you…just because of your gender. You became the only man, apart from the others, that I have my respect and admiration to."_

_ Mai sighed a bit as she spoke a bit more. "You've become…a very close friend to me. And it is kind of hard for me to try and justify what I was raised to believe and try to use it on what I learned from and about you."_

_ Kyo nodded silently. There had been situations like that in his journeys, and there had been things like that happening. He decided to say his words carefully so as not to make Mai feel angry._

_ "You know…I don't blame you or your ancestor for the feelings she had and the feelings you had before."_

_ "Huh?"_

_ "Mai, not everyone in this world is dishonorable or garbage, yet there are those who are just like that. What I'm trying to say is that people are different in many ways. I understand why your ancestor became bitter, angry, and humiliated, and even if what she did may not…make sense to me, I can't find fault in that. Don't take this offensively, I have no intention to say bad things about your folks."_

_ "No…I want to hear this. You could say…a man's perspective should be interesting."_

_ "Okay…Your ancestor was right to be angry, but that does not mean that all men are the enemy. Not all men are dishonorable, and I can say this much, I think that the guy that she was going to marry was not meant for her. Guys like him don't deserve to be loved since all they care about is having fun, regardless of what others feel. But that does not mean all men are like him. There are men who are really kind and worth the time to…like. I guess that's where I don't agree with your ancestor, don't let one bad experience cloud you to the other possibilities out there in the world. I'm not saying that men are saints either, we all have our faults and imperfections, but those make us who we are. It's learning to accept both good points and bad points that make a relationship worthwhile."_

_ "I see…so if I decide to have a relationship with a man, I would have to accept him for who he is inside?"_

_ "Yeah, that's pretty much it…by the way, who's the guy you want to have a relationship with anyway?"_

_ Mai blushed bit more and twiddled her fingers. "I…think…you know who he is."_

_ (Oh no…)_

_ Kyo was silent as Mai began to reach for his hands to take it into hers. She smiled at him with a very attractive gleam in her eyes._

_ That was when Kyo's communicator beeped. He gave a mental sigh of relief as he reached out to it and checked in._

_ "Hello. Oh Duero, is the Desert Fang I'm piloting fixed? Uh huh, right…I'll be on the way."_

_ Mai gave a sad expression as he put down his communicator. "You have to go…"_

_ Kyo nodded. "Yeah."_

_ Before he could do anything she kissed him on the cheek and then stood up with a blush that would have passed for a tomato red and walked away. But not before saying…_

_ "Be careful…" _

_ Kyo felt the cheek where Mai had kissed him, he sighed and thought about all the situations with the girls he had been in and looked at the nearby reflection of himself. He closed his eyes and got ready for what would no doubt ne a desperate mission._

_--_

_ To be continued…_

_--_

_See you in the next Chapter 5 Part 5 - Desperate Gambit!_


	10. Chapter 10

_GunDread SEED The Second Stage_

_ Disclaimer: I do not own VanDread or Gundam SEED. Period_

_ Chapter 5_

_Part 5_

_Desperate Gambit_

_--_

_In the hidden base of the pirates…_

_"Are you sure you'll be all right with this Kyo?" _

_Buzam asked as the Gundam pilot suited up and took his helmet. The commander was worried with the plan that had been outlined. In order for Kyo to completely install the virus/OS. He would have to pilot one of the Desert Fangs right into the jaws of the enemy forces. Once he was in and the other doctored units were in position, he would send a single burst data transmission that would immediately signal the other units to download the virus._

_ BC however knew that if anything would go wrong with the mission, then it would mean that Kyo would be on his own, and since he couldn't bring his Gundam with him on this mission, he was at a serious weapons disadvantage. They could ill afford to lose Kyo of all people._

_ "I know BC, but this is my plan and I need to be the one to see it through. Besides, you can't send any back-up with me, if the AI forces detect the Vanguards, then they'll KNOW we're up to something. This is a complete stealth op and we need to keep it that way." _

_Kyo said as he put on his helmet and locked in his visor._

_ He then climbed on the ramp and began to climb into the Desert Fang's cockpit. He knew that the crew will have to wait for him to make his move. He then hoped that things would work out and he would come back to see them again._

_ Once inside he began accessing the systems and activated the OS. The Desert Fang's systems were now online and the quadruped mecha began to move in unison with it the orders of the pilot and OS._

_ Kyo was lucky that despite the mecha were now being nothing more than AI dolls, they retained their original mecha design and had cockpits. The weapon systems were also active and that was the one advantage that Kyo had to rely on. He had hotwired the activated Desert Fangs that they had captured to be remote guided by him, using his unit's OS and communications. He had designed to OS to operate a random modulation pattern wave to make it harder for the AI army to determine the existence of a trap._

_ "I'll try and maintain radio contact as much as I can, but don't worry about me. I'll do my best and make it back here."_

_ "Promise?" The girls suddenly chorused as one, and they suddenly became embarrassed as they realized what they said, and when they realized that their companions did the same thing, they glared at each other._

_ Kyo couldn't help but chuckle. "Yes, I promise."_

_ His Desert Fang was now making it's way out of the hidden city and to the surface entrance, followed the other Desert Fang units. The desert was bathed now with the colors of the setting sun, and night time was making it's presence known._

_--_

_ Max and Barnette watched the setting suns as the desert night began to fall, the pair went to the surface, since Max always loved seeing the sun set back on Talark. As the pair watched the sun set, Max remembered what he had promised his deceased companions in the desert before. He and Aleck promised the last of their comrades, both men and women, that if they ever found a way out of this place, they were going to take them all back to Talark and Megele to be buried in their respective planets._

_ He then turned to face his female companion. "Barnette…there's something I have to do before we all make our escape from this world."_

_ The green- haired woman turned and looked at her companion, Barnette could tell that what Max wanted to do was a serious matter and it was something that he had to settle. But that didn't mean that she wasn't in the mood to know what he planned to do._

_ "What is it?"_

_ Max looked in another direction and gave a sigh. "Aleck and I need to recover the bodies of those who were with us. We made a promise to them that we'd take them all back with us when we found the chance to escape. We found it…and now we have to keep our side of the promise."_

_ "You're going out now?"_

_ "Yeah. I'll go and ask the Captain if it's okay for her to commission a shuttle for me and Aleck for the job."_

_ "Let me talk to her and the Commander. And Max…"_

_ "Yes."_

_ Barnette smiled a bit. "I want to go with you."_

_ Later… in the Nirvana's Conference Room…_

_ Magno, Buzam, and Gascogne listened to Barnette as the Dread pilot spoke to them about Max's request. The green haired girl had requested permission to meet up with Gascogne, Buzam, and Magno about a request by Max. They were surprised to learn that Max was requesting a shuttle for him and Aleck to use and retrieve the rest of their dead comrades, both from the Shard and the Emerald Dawn. Considering the dangers, the elder officers were not certain they would risk anyone getting lost and provided that their second in command was in a very critical mission, and without his Gundam no less._

_ "You realize that we can't run the risk of anybody being caught out there, Barnette? If any go out and become missing, we'll be at an even more serious disadvantage as we are already in." _

_Buzam asked the Dread pilot, or in this situation, new Gundam pilot. She had been aware that Barnette had training in Mobile Suit warfare, thanks to her previous battles on the first desert planet they had been to, and the battles here. She now showed exceptional talent in her acquired Gundam, the SwitchBlade when she and the others had fought an assault unit that was in pursuit of them. She disliked the idea of Barnette going out into an unknown location._

_ "I understand Commander, but this is something that I know Max wants to do, and I want to help him." Barnette said earnestly._

_ "What EXACTLY happened to you Barnette?" Gascogne asked with a curious eye. "As far as I recalled, you didn't want to even get near a man before, and now you're asking for permission to help him? I'm not against the idea you know, but I'd like to ask what made you change you're mind."_

_ "I…it's a long story." The girl then twiddled her fingers. This was unnatural in the mind sets of the older women as Barnette was rarely nervous, even more so when talking about men._

_ "We have time, so you might as well tell us." Magno prodded with a smile. _

_ It took Barnette several minutes to outline what had happened during the days she had been with the two McFile sibling in their former instructor, and naturally she spoke about what had happened to Max when she had sprung the trap that would have killed her. She spoke at what had happened between her and the two siblings, and how she became very close to Max, though naturally she omitted any mention of the episodes both emotional and physical reactions and confusion she had gone through while in the presence of the younger McFile, no telling what the elder women would say about that!_

_ "And…well, that what happened. I guess I want to try and make up for all the stupid things I did wrong for several days, and I hope that you all can understand why I'm doing this." Barnette kept her dignity and looked at her Captain, Commander, and Register head straight in the eyes. She wanted them to see that she was telling the truth._

_ Magno looked at Barnette with a slight smile, she read more that Barnette had both said and shown. _

_ "All right, I'll have Parfet reconfigure one of the planetary shuttles for operations on the ground. But you'll have to be back here before the full hours of the night, no telling what's waiting for you all down there."_

_ Barnette smiled and bowed to the elder woman. "Thank you Captain. We'll be back here before the enemy finds us."_

_ Gascogne gave a sigh and smirked a bit. "Then I hope you don't mind having me along? I'd like to help out on this little trip myself."_

_ Barnette nodded with a bit of a sigh. "Sure."_

_ As the green-haired girl and the Register head walked out of the room, Buzam faced the elder woman with a questioning look._

_ "Captain, are you sure that allowing them to go out at such a critical time is a wise idea?" Buzam asked as she still had her reservations about the whole situation._

_ "I understand the concern BC, but I can tell that Max and Aleck are men of their word. They will not leave this planet until they keep their promise to the ones that they were with. It's one of the things that can really make men stand out in the crowd." Magno said with a smile as she looked at the view-screen._

_ In the screen Max and Aleck were relieved that they had been allowed to take one of the shuttles of the Nirvana to retrieve the bodies of their fallen comrades. Barnette hugged Max, much to the young man's embarrassment, but instead of being all flustered and confused…the young man hugged Barnette back!_

_ (This IS going to be a VERY interesting day!)_

_--_

_ In the shuttle…_

_ "I have to admit, the shuttle's pretty impressive."_

_ Max commented as he flew in his Templar Gundam beside the planetary shuttle of the pirates. The Gundam's performance was far higher now, a load better than what was used before in his programming of his Gundam's OS. Beside the Templar was the SwitchBlade Gundam, which was currently in it's Mobile Armor mode. The pilots of the shuttle were Gascogne and Parfet, along with several members of the Register, the Engineering crew and that of the security teams. Duero and Aleck were in their own machines, Aleck in his GuIAZ unit, and Duero in his Morpheous Gundam, which was using it's Aero Form pack. Parfet decided to tag along with Duero and her team-mates to help the others out._

_ "Yeah, I used to…" Barnette began to say, but suddenly stopped._

_Max immediately became curious. This was the first time, in his frame of mind, that Barnette would halt in what she wanted to say. Usually, she was ready to speak her mind and opinion whenever the chance came. But it seemed that this topic was somewhat a sensitive one. He however, like Barnette was curious to learn about the other as well._

_"You used to what?"_

_ "Ah…you might not believe this, but I… wasn't always a Dread pilot when I joined the pirates." Barnette said with a faint blush and tone of embarrassment as she scratched her head._

_ "Oh?" _

_Max asked curiously. He had heard that Barnette had been a Dread pilot and one of their talented pilots, not as high in terms of skill and experience as Meia Gisborn, the pirate's team leader of the Dread squadrons, or her blonde friend Jura Basil Elden. But he could tell from the way she piloted her current machine in it's second configuration showed that she had the talent for that type of combat machine._

_ "Yeah…that's the truth."_

_ "Okay, I'll take your word for it…so if you don't mind me asking…what was your job before when you were with the pirates?"_

_ "Uh…"_

_ Their conversation was interrupted by a certain girl with a certain metallic tooth-pick in her mouth._

_ "She used to work in the Register…under me." Gascogne grinned as she looked at the Dread pilot. "Talking about some old history with your new friend…aren't we Barnette?"_

_ Barnette's faint blush turned into a crimson sea of utter embarrassment._

_ "GASCO! Let ME tell him about that!" _

_ "Sure…"_

_ Barnette gave an embarrassed look at her male companion via comm.-link. "Yes, I used to work in the Register when I joined up. I joined shortly after leaving high-school back home. It was a move that shocked my folks, but both my Fahma and Ohma supported my decision, along with my sisters."_

_ "I see…how many…sisters did you have?"_

_ "Four…I was the third youngest. Both my elder sisters were in either nursing or science, my youngest sister's still in school when I joined the Register in the pirates. My Ohma gave me her gun collection and that's where I have this hobby of collecting guns…you know…uh, the kind you guys use a lot."_

_ "Oh…I didn't expect you to be very interested in solid projectile gas operated weapons when we first met."_

_ "It's not wrong! I just fell in love with it…" Barnette calmed down as she could tell that Max was…teasing her. She then gave him a challenging look. "Don't tell me you didn't have any hobbies."_

_ "I do actually. I love making stone figures back on Talark. I have a good collection of those figures back in my home using a chisel and hammer, they aren't really big ones, just small ones. Maybe someday I'll show them to you."_

_ "Heh, I'll see them when I get the chance. I got to join the Register cause it dealt with a lot of things that most shops back on Megele couldn't or wouldn't deal in publicly. So I got more of my gun collection items from the Register." _

_ "Gasco was not very happy when I ordered a massive stack of pistols to be brought into the Register's supply lockers one time. I had to clean up some of the other pirate's rooms for a few weeks after that, but I didn't stop…even if I wiped out most of my earnings as a pirate."_

_ "So how did you become a Dread pilot?"_

_ "Well…I did some really dumb things with a few shuttles one time… and well, Gascogne wasn't very happy about it."_

_ "You might want to elaborate…"_

_ "I was trying to get some supplies that we got from our contacts on Megele at least a year and a half ago, when I was intercepted by some of the space patrol forces. The shuttle had no weapons so I did some maneuvers that were definitely NOT in the design specifications. I got back into space and thankfully…got away…but not before doing some serious damages to the shuttle in question."_

_ "What sort of damages?"_

_ "I fried several computers for maneuvering thrusters, navigation, and even some for communications. Not to mention…I had to lose some of the cargo, thankfully, none of the other pirates were harmed. I got creamed by the Captain, the Commander, and Gasco after Parfet and the others got the shuttle repaired. I had nearly been kicked out, but they let me stay since they saw that I had some piloting skills."_

_ "I take it…that wasn't the first shuttle?"_

_ Barnette blushed a bit more as she shook her head. "No, I did the same to two other shuttles on more than three occasions, but by the third time, I became an excellent pilot, so the officers had me transferred from the Register and into the Dread squadrons…and that's how I became part of the Dread pilots, I wasn't as talented though as some of the girls, but it was a chance for me to try and fly a Dread, since I liked the interceptors when I was still a kid, just as much as I loved collecting guns. I still got enough to pay for the gun purchases, I kind of miss flying the shuttle. Gasco won't let me get near one, namely in the cockpit."_

_ "And I doubt I ever will, unless you're going to take my place." Gascogne smirked as she broke the train of conversation between the two._

_ "No way…I like being a Dread pilot, besides, nobody can take your place Gasco." _

_ "Heh, don't think that Barnette, and most of all…Quit calling me Gasco! Call me Gascogne!"_

_ The two then gave a sigh of relief as they were now left alone by the head of the Register. Barnette was a little embarrassed about revealing her past as a member of the Register. But she then got curious about something. Considering Max had great skills as a pilot, she did wonder on occasion as she traveled with him why he and Duero became doctors, considering their deadly skills as pilots and soldiers, it made somewhat less sense why they were medics._

_ "Max, I've been meaning to ask you something."_

_ "Yeah?"_

_ "Why are you a doctor? Don't take this wrong, you've got great skill as a medic, no doubts there. But you've got some serious skills as a soldier and pilot as well, so it kind of made me wonder about that."_

_ Max thought about it and decided to comply. _

_"I became a medic because I wanted to heal people, just like the other medics, including my big brother. Like what Gunny said, he thought he was losing real talented pilots to being saw-bones. Besides that, I guess I wanted to protect our family name. For me and Duero, we had to deal at times with the number of people who would back-talk about our Alpha and us."_

_ "Why?"_

_ "Me and Duero were from the Second Class, and since most of our classmates were from the Elites, it made sense they'd try and downgrade me and my brother. I caught one guy trying to pick on Duero when we were enlisting, and my brother didn't fight back, that is until he made a comment about our Alpha being a coward. Now calling a man's first father a coward was a serious offense, but this guy thought that since he was Elite, Duero wouldn't dare harm him. My brother proved him wrong…"_

_ "How?"_

_ "Well, he didn't fight the guy right off, that was for sure, fighting between men isn't allowed in the Academy grounds…unless it was a formal challenge. Duero did that, and the match involved knife-throwing, which by the way was taught to us well be our dad. Duero was able to hit all his targets dead center, while the other guy didn't even come close to half. You can bet that after the match, he was jeered at by the other cadets. That's why Duero's got the nick-name 'Rapier', all because he could hit a target dead center with any weapon with a cutting edge, plus he was the best in knife-fighting class, when he was in school and in sword practice, for a medic he knew more about melee combat than any of his unit. Plus all that with rifle and medical training, you can bet that any detractor in his school would be ready to stuff his mouth full of sand after facing my big brother in the challenge ring. " _

_ "Did you ever get into a fight?"_

_ "More than once actually. There was a time during the Trial of the Fathers, when a gang of boys stole some of my tools, and then made this remark that if I didn't take good care of it, then I don't deserve them. The boys then tried to steal what other tools I had, but that was when the leader got a good left hook from me, I think I broke his tooth at that time. After that, I got into a slugfest with his buddies. Duero came in and we both got into the swing of things. You can bet the instructor was fuming mad at all of us. Duero and me got sent to the far side of the camp, while the others got sent to the other side. That's also when got the nick-name Stitch as I had to be the one to patch up all the tents that me and the others tore up in our fight. Me and Duero were also the oddballs in the whole mess, since we don't always believe in most of the horror stories, even all the way to the Academy, though I kind of lost touch with that belief, until all the things that happened to me and Aleck… Kind of hard to believe, eh?"_

_ "Not really, I've been in some fights myself, but most of the time, we didn't get that physical, mostly it'll be with words and tools, like food and stuff. I was the only girl in my class that couldn't be beaten in a gun range…and I was the only oddball since I loved using guns instead of laser weapons. It was a real riot when others would find out I could be so domestic and be a great cook of cakes in school and be a gun fanatic at the same time. You wouldn't belief how many eye-brows were raised back home when they found out about it. The only time the girls I was with got used to that was when I was with the pirates." Barnette chuckled a bit at that, she had always been considered somewhat weird with her fascination with guns, instead of laser rings and laser rifles, not even Jura could figure it out. Max was the only guy apart from Duero and Kyo who understood her obsession with guns._

_ The green-haired girl wondered about the situation. She normally didn't talk about herself all that much, and before meeting Max, Jura was the only one who knew her well. She decided that as long as Max was willing to trust his secrets and life with her, then it was only considered fair for her to do the same._

_--_

_ Kyo gave a sigh as he calculated the approach vector to the base that he was about to infiltrate. It was near a massive collection of mesas and was wall off by the cliffs in the area. The base was formidable, and although could be assaulted, it would take some serious skills and fire-power to break through it all. The good news for him was that his unit's original transponder signal and IFF tags were still intact, so his unit was accepted as it was being data-scanned. The other Desert Fangs that they had doctored had been deployed to the other bases that were nearby, hopefully they too would be able to download the virus in their OS…otherwise this mission would really be their end._

_ Kyo had keep calm as the entrance into the base began to open. As soon as he entered the hanger bay, he was shocked to see a massive number of Ogres and Desert Fangs in their charging stations, plus squadrons of Sky Strikers being fueled and armed. The VTOL style fighters, quadruped mechs and their humanoid cousins were in numbers that would have spelt doom to any normal sized ship crew. No wonder he had this feeling that they were dealing with a serious threat for some time, he quickly shook this thoughts away. _

_ Once his Desert Fang unit had completed it's docking in it's recharge/data plug-in port, he quickly activated the data exchange command and also sent the signal for the other surviving Desert Fang units to do the very same. He knew he had an hour, two or three at best until the data was downloaded, so he knew that it was time for him to learn more about what they were dealing with. He knew that a base this big would also have a computer archive, plus a data and communications array. He had to be careful, since the base's defensive systems were on full alert and the last thing he needed was a whole mess of medical droids turned butchers on his back._

_ Quickly checking through the external cameras for possible enemy forces, Kyo took out his rifle and his bandolier of clips, and then snuck out of the cockpit. He was lucky not to have hit any alarm systems. But Kyo learned one thing in his life-time…and that was not to get too cocky._

_--_

_ The base where Duero, Max, and the others arrived in was clean and spotless. This base had seen some hard use and habitation, and the underground town near it was very much devoid of any supplies. No doubt Max and Aleck's companions had used up those said resources while they were exiled on this planet._

_ Duero, Max, Aleck, Parfet, Barnette, Gascogne, and the others entered the base and made their way to the morgue, where the crew of both the Shard and the Emerald Dawn were contained. The bodies were preserved in cryo-suspension chambers to insure that they would be safe and not decaying during retrieval. Max and Aleck took great care of their comrades, both male and female, and that fact was evident as the bodies were clean and well preserved. _

_ It was going to be some time as the bodies were carefully removed and covered in sheets. And then were placed in gravity supported containment capsules. The number of the dead were high so it was going to be a while before the crew could get moving again._

_ Max made his way to one side of the chamber where the bodies were, and he stopped at one in particular. He gave a sigh and took out his bone dagger, and unwrapped the jewel that was on the hilt. He had come back to her…and it was time to take her back home…_

_ And to finally speak to her…even if she could no longer hear him._

_--_

_ Max looked into the capsule, and there was Clare, still the same when they met, before she died…and after. The capsule's design allowed Clare to be preserved perfectly for so long, anybody would have thought that she was merely in suspended animation…that is if they missed the massive bandage on her stomach, the place where the Desert Fang's beam saber had torn through the cockpit and stabbed her on the side. The Vanguard didn't exploded, therefore apart from the critical wound, she had no other injuries. She still had her beauty, even in death._

_ "Hey…it's been a long time, since I came here to visit." Max began to speak as he gazed that Clare. He then began to recall some of the memories that he had with Clare and the others many months before the arrival of the Nirvana._

_ "I wanted to tell you, we've found a way off this planet, and we're all going, I'm going to go back to my planet…and like I promised you and your mother, and everyone, we're all going home together. I…just wanted to talk to you before you'll be taken into the shuttle we brought with us."_

_ (I…I don't know if I can do this.) _

_Max thought to himself as he stared at Clare's face. The woman was still as beautiful, and her face was with him for a long time, though he sometimes wondered why he thought about her. They had been enemies since their birth, but he had long decided that he would no longer consider Clare, or any woman if he met them as the enemy. He sometimes wondered if she thought the same about him. But she never said it, and he never held it against her…until she said words that haunted and confused him, and now he knew that she did care for him. Max then thought back on that fateful day. _

_ "I guess I'll talk about…what you said to me."_

_--_

_ Flashback…_

_ The Templar Gundam and a few Vanguards, along with a new mecha model went out on patrol. The survivors had banded together and though there was still some friction between the men and women, they had to work as one to even survive._

_ Max gave a sigh as he and another Vanguard, namely the one being piloted by Clare were on the forefront of the patrol. The Megele pilot had some innate talent with the Vanguard she was piloting, despite never being able to use one. But her skills were still a bit unrefined as many of her fellow women were used to piloting Dreads. The men were busy trying to teach the finer points of Vanguard combat to the women, but it was hard as they were dwindling in numbers. All the men were great in using Vanguards, but the women still had a long way to go._

_ The patrol was out to locate any other supply bases, and other cities, if possible. But they could ill afford to be out for too long._

_ The Templar was a boon to the combined crew when discovered in a combat bunker over a few months after they came to this desolate planet. Apparently, the strange unit belonged to the prior inhabitants of this world. It took some concerted effort for the men and women to activate and use the strange mecha, and since Max showed a good degree of using the unit, the men designated him to be it's pilot. The OS program they made was effective, but still needed to be updated often._

_ The Gundam unit's weaponry and sheer power aided the very limited in number Vanguards, but many died due to the many traps and attacks on this planet's surface and by it's AI forces. And many of their comrades were not as lucky as many of them were taken down by the AI forces to be harvested for their bodies. It abhorred the men at how they were being butchered by the machines, and it sickened the women when they saw the carnage. Many of their comrades were killed, but they were lucky to rescue many of them from the butchering and to be saved in the cryogenic suspension capsules._

_ "Max, do you think we'll find more supplies around here for sure?" Clare asked her companion as they walked side by side in their Mobile Suits. The younger woman smiled as Max nodded back in answer._

_ "According to the data we've been able to collect, there might be a supply dock near here. In the general area anyway, once we do find it, we'll have to move quickly.." The Gundam pilot said as he looked through the data scans, there was a supply dock near here and they had to find them quickly. According to the data, the patrols of the AI forces were intensifying and they were busy hunting them all down._

_ "I hope we can escape this place soon." Clare groaned as she gazed at the vast expanse of desert. She then gave a teasing glare to Max. "Though I suppose you'd be unhappy to leave a place like this, since you grew up in one like it, right?"_

_ Max gave an amused look. "Yeah, I might miss the place a bit, but compared to having giant robots chasing you left and right, and medical drones trying to kill you for your innards. I'd gladly be back home on Talark, at least there, I won't have to worry about my guts being given to somebody else who doesn't give a whit about what I think about the whole affair." He ended with a menacing tone, as he recalled the time they had learned about the directive of the AI machines to harvest their organs for their master's survival._

_ Clare nodded in agreement, whoever the new masters of the AI forces were, they were nothing but inhuman people to just consider other humans as spare parts. "I don't love the masters of these robots anymore than you do. I want to tell my other people at home, the last thing I want to see is my planet suffering the fate of the people of this world."_

_ Max nodded in agreement, they had seen the pictures of the people who inhabited this world long before they were attacked by the forces known as the 'Harvesters'. The people who inhabited this world were both men and women, they had children and worked side by side, in their military and domestic life, and they all were happy. Though in the past many of the men and women from both Talark and Megele fervently denied the possibility of men and women ever living together, they had to admit that the people in the pictures were happy, and as they learned to work as one, they couldn't help but feel the pain of the people of this world when they were able to see records of the Harvesters' attacks on the cities._

_ Despite the harsh lives the men lived, many of them hurdled at sight of the people being butchered and gathered for spare parts, and the women were also sickened at the thoughts of men, women, and children being killed for spare organs without any consideration for their hopes and dreams. The thoughts of these mechanical demons doing the same to other planets, including their own made the two sides sick to their stomachs._

_ Ever since then, the men and women decided that if they wanted to return home, they would have to find a way, and they needed to do it together. Many of them had attempted to escape on one of the Lancer Platforms, but the number of enemy forces guarding the sites, made it impossible, even with the extra Vanguards they had salvaged from the Shard. They were able to recover the Templar Gundam, but even it's immense fire-power would not be enough to break through the AI army's lines so easily. Many of them were not so lucky and they knew it._

_ "Max, if anything…" Clare began to say, but then she thought better of it and stopped speaking._

_ "If anything, what? Clare?" Max asked, rather curious as to why the girl stopped her sentence midway. He knew that Clare was very feisty on occasion and spoke her mind a good deal when she wanted to. So the image of her not completing what she wanted to say was rather intriguing._

_ "Nothing, forget I said anything."_

_ "Are you sure? It sounded import…"_

_ Clare gave a glare to the younger McFile sibling and reiterated her words. "I said, it was nothing."_

_ Max sighed a bit, despite the fact that he and Clare were now friends, there were times that Clare would try and hide things from him. And he learned that she wasn't the kind of person to just open up to anybody quickly. _

_"All right, but if you ever need someone to talk to…let me know."_

_ Clare gave a sad smile. "Thanks…that means a lot to me."_

_ Max nodded. Clare had suffered several losses to her number of comrades and close friends, but her greatest lose was that of her mother. She had been badly wounded, and despite Max's best efforts to save her mother, he had no choice but to tell her that her that her mother's wounds were fatal, and she would not survive into the next day. _

_ Max had to deal with the tears and anger that Clare had shown, and he decided to just do what he could and try to make her mother as comfortable as possible. He hated the idea that he could do nothing to help the older woman, but Clare's mother didn't blame him for her current condition. It was later, after having some time to learn a bit more about Clare that her mother asked permission to speak to her daughter in private._

_ The next day… he and the others buried Clare's mother with him and the other men giving their culture's best wishes and condolences to Clare. Max knew that things would be hard for Clare since then, and made some effort to be a friend to her. It was touch and go, but it was the one thing Clare's mother Fiona asked of him. She told him that she was happy that her daughter was happy, even if anything would happen, she felt happy that her daughter would be with someone._

_ Clare looked at the Gundam and thought back on what she had gone through on this planet alongside Max. They had been with each other and their fellow crew-members for over several months, and both she and Max worked in maintaining the peace. But now both men and women became very close as they each put their skills to use. Their numbers were fewer now and many had lost their lives against their relentless enemies._

_ The younger woman admired the medic as he did his best to maintain the alliance between their groups and it held, along with her help. She trusted him…which was considered a mistake by her comrades initially, but now they changed their minds about him. And there were other qualities that made Max a great guy. He was open-minded and was ready to listen to any suggestion from anybody. He worked hard at everything and did it with a precision and skill that was enviable by anybody. He had a way with words, he didn't hide the truth nor did he play with words, but he didn't pretend to know everything, he spoke the whole truth and did it well. Had he been born a woman, Max would have attracted the attention of a load of women._

_ Clare however didn't like the idea of Max becoming a woman, the idea of him in women's clothes was…too humorous for her to picture in all ways. She liked him the way he was now and wouldn't want him to change at all…or was she the one who was changing?_

_ Clare decided to put those thoughts aside as they went about in finding their supplies._

_ They were able to locate the supply dock which was underground in a small cave network a few hours later. The others were able to begin hauling the supplies on the trucks that they had with them, using the Vanguards to place the supplies on the trucks._

_ Max and the others then escorted the supply trucks to safety back to their camp. But as they traversed the wastelands, BOTH Max and Clare realized that they had company as their sensors warned them of incoming threats._

_ The two moved to a nearby ridge, and spotted their attackers. The group comprised of the mechas they knew to be 'Ogre' assault units and a good number of the quadruped mecha known as 'Desert Fangs'. The numbers were against them…as it had been for a long time. _

_ "Rika! Tell the others to move on and move those supplies out of here!"_

_ One of the Vanguards turned and on Clare's view-screen, was an image of another Megele woman with blond hair and amber eyes. She was among the crew that had learned the basics of commanding and piloting a Vanguard, many of her comrades disliked the idea of using the Vanguards, but survival depended on them using the mecha. So they had to comply…_

_ The Templar Gundam unleashed it's beam rifle and readied it's shield. The Vanguard piloted by Clare removed it's battle-sword as the two mecha faced off with the incoming units._

_ Little did they realize that one of them wasn't going to walk out of this battle…alive._

_--_

_ End of Flashback…_

_ Max closed his eyes as he thought back on the battle that ended Clare's life. As they engaged the enemy forces, he dealt with the fast moving Desert Fang units, taking two out with his Gundam's beam rifle. He then took out his beam saber and slashed down an Ogre attempting to fire it's missiles. Clare attacked another Desert Fang, severing the mecha's head with her sword, then jammed it into another that tried to slice her Vanguard's head off with it's beam saber. The two battled their way through the ranks of the enemy and took out several of the Ogres that were trying to turn them into scrap through heavy saturation of the area they were all in._

_ They were lucky that they didn't have to deal with Sky Strikers at the moment, but the number of Desert Fangs and Ogres were more than enough to trouble them. They had to fight their best as the enemy began to intensify their attacks. Max then got Templar into the air and the Vanguard activated it's own thrusters, they had to leap upwards as several Ogres blasted the area they were in. Clare landed between two Ogres and then sliced both their heads off with a swing of her Vanguard's sword. Max then slammed both beam sabers right into the backs of two more Ogres._

_ That was when tragedy struck…_

_ Max turned and blocked an incoming Desert Fang's beam saber with his shield and slammed his own into the enemy. He then turned and spotted Clare dealing with another Ogre with her sword. But as she swung her weapon, the mecha grabbed the arm with the sword and broke it off with a cannon blast. Clare got out her spare sword and slashed off the Ogre's head._

_ "Clare! Are you all right?!" _

_ As he watched the screen and waited for Clare's reply he fired his beam cannons at another incoming Desert Fang. He was relieved to see that Clare was still alive as she responded._

_ "What do you think?"_

_ The two however were unable to finish the fight as a barrage of missiles came right at them from a still standing Ogre. Max locked in with the Templar's own HiMAT system and destroyed the missiles. The Gundam pilot fired the beam rifle and blew up the Ogre. But then he spotted another Desert Fang slam it's saber at the Vanguard, Clare was piloting, the Desert Fang slashed off the legs of the Vanguard. He was able to come in time and blast the Desert Fang, but another attacked stabbed the Vanguard…right near the side of the cockpit!_

_ "CLARE!!"_

_ Max then thought back about his last moments with Clare._

_--_

_ Flashback…_

_ Max ran towards the cockpit of the badly mauled Vanguard. Clare had managed to slam her still functioning sword into the Desert Fang unit and pulled away from the beam saber that impaled her Vanguard, but the machine collapsed and Max knew that it might exploded with Clare inside of it._

_ As he pulled out the emergency hatch release, he gave it a mighty, sharp pull. Gears screeched in protest as the chest opened up to reveal the inside of the cockpit. The cockpit was in shambles, the beam saber had melted a considerable part of the side and the smell of melted metal and insulation was strong, along with the smell of evaporating coolants and hydraulic fluids. Max realized that if he didn't get Clare out of the cockpit, she'd die of asphyxiation. Clare was in her cockpit and the smell that was near her was sickening, even to Max who knew that smell._

_ Cauterized flesh, burnt cloth, and spilled blood… the beam saber had torn through the cockpit and stabbed Clare on the left side of her body, and the wound was horrendous, the uniform she had was soaked in her blood and if she didn't die of massive blood loss, infection, or asphyxiation, she would be blown to pieces as the Vanguard would no doubt detonate soon, considering that sparks were flying about._

_ There were various metal support frames that formed a metallic cage, making escape for her impossible with the time left, and her unconscious and critically wounded state, made it even worse._

_ Max knew that he had a full fifteen or twenty seconds to free her before the Vanguard went boom, and he couldn't bend or break the bars either. Then he looked at the upper compartment and realized that there was something hidden there, and it was more than adequate for the job, he tossed the empty extinguisher, he reached up and undid the latch. The panel opened to reveal a hidden Broad-sword Mark II assault rifle. Quickly grabbing the weapon, he was relieved that the weapon was fully loaded and ready for use. Moving the selector to AP (armor-piercing), he aimed carefully and fired._

_ BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!_

_ Four accurate shots later, the moorings of the support beams gave way and the rods fell off the badly wounded pilot, letting Clare slump forward. Tossing the rifle far to his right, Max immediately leaned into cockpit and got the unconscious girl out of her seat, thankful that none of the metal rods had entered her wounds. Slinging her over his shoulder, he wasted no time and got off the mecha. He then heard the sound, meaning that the internal fire alarm was active, meaning that explosion was imminent. Max didn't wait, and ran at full power with Clare on his shoulder like a gunnysack, he didn't care right now about the blood spilling on his shoulder. With adrenaline levels at a full time high, he managed to make it a full twenty-five yards before the mecha detonated into a ball of flame, he had to make sure however, that he didn't injure Clare even more so he had torn off his jacket to serve as a make-shift bandage as he carried her. Talark engineers designed the Vanguard to explode in a confined area of at least twenty yards in diameter. He and the unconscious and badly bleeding girl were well away from the explosion's radius._

_ Max collapsed, face first into the desert sands, letting Clare lie on her back beside him. He then looked to where he and Clare narrowly cheated Death's scythe. He however wasted little time as he quickly tried to save Clare._

_ Minutes later…_

_ Clare awoke in pain, intense pain. She opened her eyes and found herself in a room, that she immediately recognized to be a medical facility. The woman tried to move, but a voice called to her._

_ "Don't move Clare…you'll only aggravate your wounds."_

_ She looked to her right and spotted Max who gave her a grave look, a look she knew all to well._

_ "I'm…not going to make it…aren't I?"_

_ Max tried to hold back his emotion, but failed miserably, as he gazed at his stricken companion. The wounds she had were very much fatal. The beam had up her vital blood vessels and the wounds were too much for the supplies he had with him, and even those of the small medical station he found, her organs were badly mangled and despite him being able to bind and seal her wounds, they could not be healed…ever. He hated to feel this emotion of helplessness and sadness. He felt it so many times, healing the wounds of those that couldn't be saved due to the horrific extent of their wounds, he watched them die on the operating table, both those he had lost in the battle before coming to this desert world and now in this world._

_ "I'm so…sorry…I can't…I…"_

_ Clare reached out and took Max's face in her hands, despite his look, warning her of her critical condition. "I know…I…I understand why you feel that way…But don't be all gloomy Max McFile, it doesn't suit you."_

_ Max nodded, but also made Clare lie back. Despite his failure to save her, he wanted make sure that…she didn't have to suffer so much pain. He then began to administer some sedatives to Clare. "I'm going to try and make you as comfortable as…Damn, I don't want to do this!" He stopped with his treatment partially as he faced Clare. "I should have paid more attention! I should have shot sooner! I feel like…" _

_ "Like you failed being a doctor?"_

_ Max nodded…and Clare knew why…When her mother had been wounded, she had been treated to the best of Max's abilities, but her wounds were too grave. Her mother had not trusted Max at first glance, and seemed never to do so. But as the months passed, the two were getting along rather well. She didn't know what words had passed between her mother and Max when she passed away, but those words were the reason Max was with her._

_ "You didn't…you did your very best, had you been a doctor on Megele, you'd be winning prizes the first few weeks."_

_ "I didn't become a doctor to be famous. But that's okay…"_

_"Please…I want you to stay, no matter how long or how…short my life is now…please stay."_

_ "I will."_

_ The pulse monitor near the bed was already recording Clare's fading life-signs as he tried his best to help Clare feel easier. It didn't appeal to Max at all that he could do nothing for Clare, he did care for her, in ways that seemed to be totally heretical on Talark, but he didn't care anymore. Being with Clare and the rest of the crew of the Emerald Dawn had changed him, and his mind for the better._

_ As she felt her life fading Clare then reached out and looked at Max's amber eyes, admiring for probably the last time the color of this young man's eyes, the man that became her closest friend, and much more…she hated to die, knowing that she would never see him again, but she hoped that he would escape, and…find somebody new. She will never be sorry for that…she was happy._

_"Max…"_

_"Yes…"_

_"I…"_

_"Clare…you shouldn't speak! You'll only…!"_

_"I…like you…so much…"_

_"I like you too…don't speak now, you're making yourself worse."_

_"I want to say…I love you…for all…you've done…for me…"_

_"Clare…What did you…?"_

_"Maybe…someday…you'll find someone…but don't forget me…good-bye…Max."_

_The pulse monitor then gave the sound every medic dreaded…the signal of flat-line._

_Max looked on in horror as Clare's hands fell from his face, and landed on the mattress. No matter how he tried to deny what he knew and saw…it was inescapable._

_Clare was dead…_

_"CLARE!!"_

_--_

_End of Flashback…_

_"I didn't know what you meant back then. I guess I didn't know you felt that way, and now I realize that I should have admitted that I felt the same with you Clare." Max said with a sigh as he studied the woman he had fallen for, but could no longer say his feelings to. "I do love you, and I want to say that I understand what you said now."_

_Max then looked at Barnette who was walking up to him and Clare's stasis pod. The young woman reminded him of Clare in many ways. And as he looked at Clare he felt a great weight lift from his shoulders as he spoke once more._

_"You should know…I did find someone new. She's a lot like you I was nearly bowled over by the same attitudes you had. But she's also different, as you were long ago. Her name's Barnette Orangello, and I think both of you would have gotten along very well."_

_Max opened the container for only a short while and then placed the jewel he had taken from his bone dagger on Clare's neck._

_"I will never forget you Clare McBride, you have my word. Even if I found Barnette and feel deeply for her, we're in the same way that you and I were long ago. But I'm not the same man I was before I met you. I'm not going to let what I thought was the truth stop me from seeking it for myself. I will bring you and the others back to Megele to be buried in your world. And I will do what I can to make a future for everyone in both your world and mine. We all deserve to, if we want to beat the Harvesters."_

_Max then gave a parting kiss to Clare as he re-sealed the stasis pod. His eyes were brimming with tears of relief, hope, and regret, they fell on the glass as he moved the stasis pod towards Barnette and the others as they loaded the other pods into the shuttle for their ride back to the Nirvana. They were going to go all out to reach their destination and prepare for battle the next day, all their hopes rode on one man's shoulders…_

_Kyo. _

_Barnette saw the tender moment between the two and felt a bit jealous, but quickly squashed the idea. Clare learned a lot about the truth of men, as she did, and she knew that like Clare her perspective had changed about men. She knew that she wasn't Clare and she would do things differently than she did, but she would do what she could no matter what._

_Barnette then helped Max load the capsule that Clare was in, and placed it alongside the capsule where Clare's mother was in. They then boarded the shuttle with the others as they made their way back to the Nirvana._

_--_

_Back to where Kyo was…_

_(This is one BIG place!)_

_Kyo thought for what seemed like the twentieth time since he went into the base. The location he was in appeared to be the barracks. He knew that he had enough time as he checked his chronometer, so he decided to make a quick detour to the armory._

_Who knows? He might find some extra weapons if he decided to bust out of the area._

_The barracks was enough to house a maximum of ten platoons of troops, and from the contents he found in the locker that he had checked out, the men were well equipped. The locker had a suit of desert combat armor, in the design of a suit with ballistic plating and what appeared to be energy dampening underlays. Next was a battle rifle complete with what appeared to be a grenade launcher, and loads of other combat gear, including ammunition, personnel grenades, ration packs, and basic medical gear. Whoever these guys were, they certainly were well armed._

_Once he got to the armory, he gave a low whistle…_

_The room had racks of rifles of various designs, from normal assault, to sniper work, to anti-armor, and what appeared to be special operations duty or Spec-Ops, they were also in two categories, ballistic and energy design. The armory also had racks of suits for various duties, from normal light defense, medium, and heavy, all the way to stealth, bio-hazard, and chemical warfare. There were also heavy weapons, including, rocket launchers, mini-guns or either energy or ballistic profile, heavy infantry guns of the same purpose, along with some energy weapons and even advanced flame throwers. To add to that were stacks of pistols and sub-machine guns. And last were rows of ammunition, power cells, and explosives._

_He then made his way to a nearby computer on one of the walls. Quickly opening the computer, he began to access the data, while using his computer hacking skills to make a false account so as to avoid suspicion by the security systems…_

_He then tracked the location of the communications and data archive room. The room was at least three floors up and through a number of security walls and rooms. Looks like his trip to the armory was a good one, though he needed to hurry as he spotted a few occupants scattered throughout the level of the complex._

_(Damn! More of those blasted medical droids! Doubt I'd have them for a patient to doctor conversation in the future. Now what else we got here…oh hell!)_

_One of the new models appeared to be the same as the normal medical droid, but was more human-like in both looks and design. The limbs apparently were covered in special synthetic skin and had human eyes, all of which were the color blue, and on their chests were deep black spots that seemed to fluctuate in intensity. And from the looks of those…blades on their forearms, they were designed for combat, along with what appeared to be rifles on their hands, along with a mix of shotgun weapons and SMG type weapons. (Think the new robot models looking like Sunny from the movie I-Robot)_

_(Great…now they've got combat robots.)_

_He switched the cameras and spotted another set of robots. And his heart sank…_

_The first appeared to be designed for one purpose…all out slaughter. The robot was built to move on legs and was over six feet tall, and was decked in strong combat armor. It was apparent to Kyo that he would have to empty an entire clip of his rifle to bust through that robot, not to mention the fact that the blasted robot was carrying a weapon that resembled a dual mini-gun._

_The second was designed in the same parameters but was armed with a massive gun that in no time flat Kyo had identified as a flame-thrower._

_-Think a better armed version of the Terminator series-_

_(Damn…)_

_The only good news for Kyo was the fact that the two larger and more powerfully armed robots were stationed in the far corners of the room and from what he was able to learn there were very few of those two models in this base. That however didn't mean that it was going to be all smooth sailing._

_Kyo realized that the first thing he had to do was get the heck out of sight, he could handle the medical droids, and with some effort take out those combat robots…but no way was he in the mood to deal with any of the heavy combat variants. _

_He was going on a full stealth approach…meaning minimal engagement._

_--_

_Kyo clung underneath a rail car, that was carrying a supply of munitions. The car was part of an assembly system where the more powerful ordinance was being brought into the sorting plant to arm the Desert Fangs, Ogres, and the Sky Strikers. He spotted it and quickly got beneath it as it was being towed by a magnetic cable overhead, and not a moment too soon. He had gotten out by a few rooms when he looked at a corner and spotted a pair of those combat robots. He moved silently as best he could and was happy that no alarm had been triggered and found himself in a facility that gathered the heavier and larger munitions. The foot-steps of the machines hadn't changed speed and sound tones, indicating that these machines were not armed with thermal vision, but he wasn't going to chance it as he activated a limited charge thermal shield on his uniform._

_The uniform he wore had an underlay that operated on a limited power cell, and when active had reduced his body's thermal signature through several spectrums. He silently thanked the crew of the Engineering Bay of the Nirvana and Parfait for informing him of some of the additions they put in. Once he was done, he was going to have make up by making sure that things would be better between Duero and Parfait. He quickly put that idea aside and he quickly grabbed a nearby beam on the side after leaping away from the car as it reached the door to where the stores were to be delivered._

_After lifting himself up he crawled on the beam and then checked the computer installed in his uniform. He had downloaded a map of the facility and had determined the best path of the archive room and he had recorded the paths all the security units would take in securing the area. Before doing so he took out a special EMP grenade that he had taken from the armory and then set it near the magnetic line and set the detonation system on his computer unit. He needed to do as much damage as he could if he was compromised, and the grenade could cause the line of munitions cars to slam into each other and cause a chain reaction, he however hoped that it wouldn't come to that. Once he did so he checked his chronometer. He timer showed that he had two more hours and thirty minutes before the incoming data uplink from the Harvesters to the AI forces and their AI commander would be active._

_He then spotted the nearby access tunnel and once he was across, he quickly used a lock spike to unlock the door and climb upward. Despite the original inhabitants' use for robots, they still trusted their human counterparts as technicians, soldiers, engineers, and designers._

_--_

_Two hours later…_

_Kyo gave a groan of relief and pain as he got into the archive and communications room. He had managed to avoid most contact with the enemy, but the path he had to go through was NO picnic._

_Earlier_

_As he passed through the access tunnel he found himself over what appeared to be a power relay station. The place had super conductor and relay grids that crackled with massive flows of power, and the residual radiation played merry hell on Kyo's computer map. He was lucky he shut it down to avoid the energy pulses from frying his computer and it's battery pack. The bad news was that he had to go through a tunnel that was once insulated, but had fallen into questionable maintenance. And the last known access tunnel that would allow him to bypass the massive amount of security was through that tunnel._

_The tunnel was bathed with random power arcs, and since most of the insulation was worn out by lack of replacements and proper maintenance, there were areas exposed to the voltage. This meant that at any moment a power surge could hit the tunnel and fire a massive amount of voltage that would fry anything organic. The humans who lived there had designed special suits to give considerable protection for their techs to walk in certain areas of the relay stations. But that would cut the time Kyo had to reach his target…meaning that he would have to move without protection._

_Kyo wasted little time, activated his SEED ability and moved as fast as he could through the place while trying not to imagine what's going to happen if he got caught in a power arc. He had made it half-way when he spotted a massive amount of power arcs near the last few areas of the tunnel to where the exit was. Quickly realizing he had to move before he was hit, he ripped out a remaining piece of insulated late with his sword and then used it as a shield, along with another piece, he moved as fast as possible and was able to block most of the weaker arcs with the pieces with one blocking one part of his body, and along with the other._

_He reached the tunnel by tossing the shields at an incoming blast that would have over powered him. The plates were smoking like over-fried meat as he looked back, and he was happy he wasn't the one cooked. Of course he didn't get out without injuries, Some sections of his uniform were scorched by the power and his body was tingling from the charged energy in the atmosphere. Kyo however shrugged it off and kept going._

_Later…_

_(That is the LAST time I ever go through a power station!)_

_Kyo groaned again as he got to his feet. Thought that was tough, he to deal with another problem afterwards. The room he went through had a nest of sensor plates that responded to weight differences. One type of plate was able to carry normal human weight and also could handle the weight some the medical and combat robot models. But the other type of plate were pressure sensitive and could trigger an alarm. To add to the problem, there were no beams up there to bypass the whole mess. He was able to use his now workable computer unit in his uniform on one terminal, but learned that the plates were able to change their weight sensors by the day, meaning that he didn't know the exact order of the next plate, whether it would not react to his weight or not. He had to do some serious guess-work on this and there were some seriously near misses._

_He also had to go through a recycling sector where the place had used a special constricting laser net to tear to pieces any garbage in the area and then the room would release robotic arms to sort out any salvageable material from the ruins. He had to climb the chute and then quickly ride down a broken metal plate like a surfer down a massive wave as the laser net followed him, dicing all in the firing path. Once he got to the bottom, Kyo had used his SEED mode once more as he ran with all the stamina he could muster as he then leaped to the safety of the access tunnel, while accessing the authorization override code._

_Kyo was lucky that he was able to make it out through that one and had been able to make it to the next route and was now where he was. But he was exhausted and decided to rest, while making sure that he didn't leave anything behind to show that he had been here. Most of the time he evaded the cameras all throughout the base levels, but had to be careful by watching out for a mess of other security systems, including laser trip-wires, sound alarms, and bio-electrical sensors. He was able to avoid most as he downloaded the locations, but he wasn't going to take it easy as some of the locations coincided with the patrol paths of the robots he had to avoid._

_Kyo got to his feet and began accessing the data-files, and as he did so he downloaded several important files, namely those concerning the location and security detail surrounding the Lancer platforms. He then downloaded the designs of the facilities._

_The Lancer platform was a base that was the size of a small city, adeptly so as it wasn't like a base in the traditional sense as instead of normal base facilities it had power relays, back-up power stations, magnetic field coils, super computer banks, environmental adapter facilities, and even gravity core field generators and many other facilities normally associated with a orbital launching port._

_The basic concept of the Lancer was simple. When the coordinates were set, namely distance, and speed, the first to work were the environmental adapter facilities. They created a control field namely to filter out elements that could mess of the magnetic induction effect needed to create the gravity field. Gases, sand and metal particles which are not controlled could mix with the magnetic induction effect to create a serious imbalance. Once the first step was done, the environment adapters would release special magnetically charged particles in container magnetic fields, they are then held in place by the magnetic coils' generated fields which is the second step, then that would create a stable field aiming upwards and act as a restriction barrier/containment field, and could stabilize the ship leaving the planet as the gravity core field generator is activated as the last step. The effect would be the magnetic fields would stabilize and guide the ship past the atmosphere while it uses the reverse gravity field created by the Lancer platform to take off and overcome the planet's gravity._

_After he was done with the data load, he checked the data concerning the Harvesters operations. Kyo's anger flared up as he realized the full extend of the Harvester's activities after he had woken up and when he came to Talark and joined the crew of the pirates._

_But when he saw the full extend of the Harvester Fleets numbers and combat strength…he felt that his heart had just stopped._

_The ships that were being sent to Talark and Megele…they were nothing but rice grains in a person's hand as he counted the number of Harvester battle-ships, Cube Fighters, Seed Ships, Space Urchins, and whatever other ships the Harvesters had._

_They were severely out-numbered!_

_Forget just Talark and Megele's forces…they needed every human world's fire power and fleets to take on an armada of THIS size._

_He looked at his chronometer and spotted that in twenty minutes, the virus/OS would be downloaded as the Harvester link's link-up time was exactly on schedule._

_--_

_As the Harvester Fleet began to arrive and set-up their new combat perimeter around the planet to seal of the Nirvana's possible escape routes, the second battleship activated it's transmission dish and aimed it at where the AI command center was located. It would take in fifteen minutes, but the data would finally be downloaded._

_As the fleet began to disperse, they had some difficulty due to the massive amounts of EM waves and radioactive pulses, but they were adapting to the situation. Now however they were joined by several of the new Dominion units…_

_And by three new Mobile Suits… the Wyvern, Devastator, and the Hell-Fire!_

_The three Gundams activated their own Phase Shift systems and got into combat position, with the Dominions getting ready for planetary deployment. As the Gundams began to streak into the atmosphere, the new Gundams were assigned to wait for the Nirvana in space. Despite their now assembled weapons, they would not be able to equalize in their still incomplete states. _

_--_

_Kyo watched as the data-uploading was under-way and the link was now established, he then put aside his fears and hoped for the best as he watched to downloading progress. As he watched the screen, he was unaware that he was actually being watched…Neither was he aware of the fact that a hidden code message had been included in the whole base's security and response protocols._

_Apparently there was a separate security system in the base and in sent out a silent alarm… and the robots being deployed as security detail were now deployed towards Kyo's location. Several combat robots and medical droids were on their way._

_This time they were not programmed to kill Kyo instantly. They were going to take blood from his body, and when they did that part…_

_THEN they were going to KILL him._

_--_

_The AI entity was busy reading the data files and monitored the progress of the new tactical data-uploads to most of the outlying bases and their forces under it's command influence. That was when it began to detect something different with the data-uploads. The computer decided to initiate it's tracking protocols and locate whatever anomaly was in the data stream. The new downloads had already seeped into the CPU of the bases in the northern Hemisphere. Plus the special commands from the Harvester Supreme Councilor had been given higher priority as it was the one that was sent out first._

_Whatever it was…it may just be some sort of bug._

_--_

_(Why is it I get the feeling that something's not right?)_

_Kyo couldn't shake the feeling of dread that seemed to be running up his spine. It had something to do with what he had learned about the size and numbers of the Harvester Armada, but the other part was…_

_Closer to home…_

_He quickly checked some of the controllable security cameras, and then he realized just WHY he had this feeling…_

_A dozen combat models were now after him, along with twice as many medical droids. Apparently the AI's base entity had deployed more of it's combat units and they were now heading in HIS direction._

_(Crap! How in the hell did they find me?!)_

_Kyo quickly discarded his moment of anger as he focused on what he could do. Quickly gathering whatever valuable information he could get his hands on, and when he was done he got ready. Quickly placing several metallic boxes he then laced them on the floor and formed a barricade. He then took out his sword and slashed apart some nearby computer bank units. The large cabinet-like storage devices gave squeals of damage and fell down. The Ultimate Coordinator then placed the wrecks as a second barricade and finally he sheathed his sword and got ready to fight as he loaded his rifle._

_Looks like he was going to have to do some serious damage now, regardless of his original intention to leave without a serious encounter…_

_--_

_The crew of the Nirvana were busy making the needed changes to the ship and were now gathering whatever supplies they could gain from the city. Jura had stored her newly acquired clothes and other items while Barnette helped with some of the arrangements. Dita was busy preparing a new batch of fluffy cakes for her Mr. Alien as Paiway helped her out with the cooking. Meia was busy working with both Mai and Sara in the briefing room for what new tactics they could use against the Harvesters. And Misty was busy working in the communications room with Belvedere and the other Bridge Bunnies, as the young (technically young looking anyway) woman nicknamed them. The ship was now in the process of getting ready for their escape. All had their thoughts on Kyo and the success of the mission. _

_But as a few more minutes passed…suddenly something happened… to the three Dread pilots._

_In the briefing room…_

_Sara and Mai were busy running more simulations alongside Meia when the aqua-haired Dread Leader suddenly stiffened as if she had been doused from head to toe in ice cold water. Her eyes were dilated and she suddenly kneeled down and held herself as she gave a slight cry of pain._

_"Meia?!"_

_In the kitchen…_

_Paiway was shocked as Dita suddenly stiffened as well, and dropped the bowl filled with cream as if she had been suddenly hit by a stun bolt from a laser rifle on the leg. The redhead gave a cry of shock and pain and then held her hands on her chest, breathing slightly faster._

_"Dita?!"_

_In her room…_

_Barnette was shocked as Jura gave a cry of pain and dropped some of the items in her hands, including some jewelry. The jewelry gave some sounds, but they were then followed by the blonde as she fell to her knees and suddenly she curled into a ball as she seemed to be breathing faster than normal._

_"Jura?!"_

_In one voice, the said companion crew-members gave the same cry._

_"What's wrong?!"_

_--_

_However…it wasn't just the three girls that suddenly reacted strangely…_

_"Ma'am! I'm getting some weird readings from the Paeksis!" One of the engineers said as she called Parfet._

_The bespectacled engineer gave out an oath of confusion as she began reading the data being given to her by the sensors in the reactor room. She gave a confused look as the crystal power source seemed to be…crying in fear?!_

_"Get the captain up here!"_

_Elsewhere…_

_The Register girls were busy with some maintenance in the Hanger Bay, but were suddenly surprised to see a certain Gundam move…without it's pilot!!_

_The Infinite-Freedom was in it's normal paddock and was being stored in the ship. The reaction from the crew was understandable as it suddenly glowed, signifying the activation of it's Prominence Phase Shift Armor, the Gundam was now decked in it's normal color scheme, and it's systems began to power up._

_Inside the Paeksis-enhanced Gundam's cockpit, the crew would have been more shocked as systems began to reactivate. The OS began to run it's normal data scan, and checked all aspects of it's systems and weapons and the only one who could understand the OS and it's complex program was none other than Kyo…but he had to be IN the cockpit to do that as the young Gundam pilot was the only one with the access codes to use the full power of the war-machine.. The Gundam then began to jack into the system of the Nirvana as if something…inside it's OS was melding with the Nirvana's own OS!_

_--_

_In the Medical Bay…_

_"I don't understand it! There's nothing in the scans that show any injuries to any of them…but they act as if they were suddenly injured!" _

_Duero said in confusion as he and his sibling were trying to determine why the three Dread pilots were acting this way. They were able to lie down on the beds and were resting a bit. Paiway was there also as she had called for help from the others to get Dita into the Medical Bay._

_Barnette came in next with Jura leaning on her, along with Sara and Mai who were helping Meia walk in. None of the three girls said a word as if in shock, and this frightened the crew a considerable deal._

_"Then what's going on Doctors?" Magno asked as she was with Gascogne and BC, who rushed as they heard what had happened. That was when they got some incoming communiqués._

_"Captain! This is Misty, Belvedere and the others have detected something hacking into the Nirvana's operating systems! We can't stop it…it's activating the ship's launching platform…and the Nirvana's counter hacking program's aren't stopping it!"_

_"Parfet here! The Paeksis is acting wildly all of a sudden! The energy levels have suddenly spiked off the charts! The power seems to be routing to the launching deck!"_

_"This is Register team 3! The Infinite-Freedom's suddenly activated itself! It's starting to disengage from the paddock and is making it's way to the launching platform!"_

_"What's happening?! It's as if the whole ship and Kyo's Gundam are suddenly acting on their own!" BC said in confusion._

_The three girls on the beds suddenly recovered from their strange ordeal…but they were far from fine…_

_"We've got to get out there!" Jura said in fear as she held the sheets tightly._

_"We have to hurry…we don't have much time!!" Meia also said as she looked at the others._

_"Whoa! Calm down you two! Tell us what's going on?!" Gascogne said as she tried to calm the slightly hysteric girls._

_"It's Kyo…" Meia said with uncertainty._

_"Something's happening around him!" Jura replied._

_Dita then began to cry. "It's Mr. Alien…we have to help him…HE'S IN DANGER!!"_

_--_

_In the archive room…_

_The sounds of gun-fire ruled as several bodies lay on the floor. The bodies were all robotic and they were bleeding coolant fluid. Near one side of the room from a barricade, came rifle fire…as a certain young man was fighting for his life as more robots poured in._

_Kyo swore as he loaded a fresh clip into his rifle, but had to quickly draw out his pistol as a medical droid tried to leap up to him and get closer. He plugged three shots…one in the head and two in the chest of the robot, sending the thing crashing to the ground in the deactivated heap. He then fired four more shots as another medical droid came in. The robot's arm was blown off as Kyo aimed at the exposed joint, the three other rounds struck the robot, two in the chest, one in the neck and the last in the eye._

_Kyo wasted no time and holstered his pistol and fired his newly loaded rifle. He then ducked as the combat droids open fired on him. Apparently, the combat droids had switched to riot suppression rounds, apparently they wanted to take him alive…but he knew that if the syringes and surgical tools on the hands of the medical droids were of any sign of indication, they were going to use him as a test subject before turning him into a corpse._

_The combat units moved with effective military precision. They came in first in single scout formations, but now switched to teams of two and three. Though Kyo could take down one, another would escape and provide covering fire for the others to get into the doorway. Kyo however wasn't going to give up and play dead._

_He tossed a grenade into the area and watched as the explosive device blew more of the robots to pieces. The room was now covered in coolant and lubrication fluid and in areas were broken robotic bodies and severed limbs. He had been able to make it past the initial stages, but had been hit by a glancing shot…lucky for him his uniform still had it's ballistic protection layers, but the shot was sharp enough to draw blood from him, as it was able to hit the flesh on his thigh before moving aside. The wound was not much, but he was not in the mood to bleed while in a fire-fight. On the ground was a small puddle of blood from his wound, Kyo then used the time he had bought for himself and took out a Megele-made self sealing bandage, but not before placing some anti-bacterial serum on the wound. The pain from the medicine shot up from his leg to his entire body but he fought past it. He needed to focus as he made a promise to his friends that he would come back…and no wound or enemy was going to stop him!!_

_The robots were still relentless as they casually walked over the bodies of their destroyed comrades._

_--_

_The AI commander gave an electronic sound similar to a boy who found himself suckered to a bogus toy. Apparently the bug' was a highly corruptive OS program and it seemed to be infecting the core network of the bases and the standing forces under it's command. This was a serious thing and had to be stopped!!_

_The AI entity began to track down the source of the corruptive data and began to deploy a response._

_In the shape of a regiment of Sky Strikers! And their objective was simple, in the event of target acquisition…_

_They were going to bomb the location into a glass crater!!_

_For that task, the Sky Strikers were armed with SFF-HEIC Bombs along with their current array of missiles and gatling guns. The SFF-HEIC bombs were considered as the deadliest form of anti-base weaponry. Based on an old Earth weapon schematic, the weapon was named as such as they appear as normal sized bombs and could appear to be easily intercepted, but when they were able to reach a pre-programmed altitude, the bombs would unleash a massive barrage of smaller bombs, and these smaller bombs could spread over a very wide range and could tear through most rock formations and could pierce through steel or heavy alloy plates like a shrapnel round. But their power didn't stop there, they were filled with a high concentration of highly explosive/flammable mass cores, and the mixture was enough to leave a crater on a large apartment complex and can detonate like an old Earth style bunker buster bomb after it reached a pre-programmed depth, and since the target was a base of the AI army's own usage and that of it's former human masters, the strike team used four bombs per Sky Striker._

_As the air force gathered for their combat sortie, the AI's search protocols were now on the way to locate the threat, while ensuring that the bases and forces that they could contact would not be infected by the incoming virus/OS program. Once the base where the infection was being deployed was located…_

_It was time to decorate the neighborhood!_

_--_

_Kyo gritted his teeth as he released another clip from his rifle and got ready to load another. Once he was done he looked around him. The robots he had turned into scrap were all over the place. Limbs and torsos of robotic origin were everywhere, and some of them had his sword's marks on them. When they got too close he cut them up with his sword and hand to hand combat skills. After which he relaxed as he had been given a reprieve as the numbers of robots thinned down considerably and it seemed that they were pulling back._

_He then patched up his latest wound, and focused on what he needed to do and faced the monitor to check the progress._

_--_

_The AI entity was in a FOUL mood as it realized that the virus/OS had spread to most of it's current standing forces in the borders of the main hemispheres…the only good news was the fact that the other bases were not infected and were still under it's command. But this time it had been given new orders concerning it's catch._

_It was now to hold the Nirvana and disable the ship for the Harvest Fleet and prevent it's attempts to escape the planet…and should it fail…_

_It was to exterminate the ship and the crew…down to the last one._

_It then was able to locate the closest base that was the origin of the virus/OS and gave the order for it's Sky Striker regiment to launch, they were now given the green light to turn the base into a total mess… for now it had to coordinate it's unaffected forces in a defense and delay action. As for those infected with the virus/OS, they were now to be exterminated._

_In the Hangers…_

_The launch ramps were now in full use as Sky Striker after Sky Striker were deployed with their new commands…In fifteen minutes the sky was filled with a full regiment of Sky Striker fighters, all heading in one direction._

_Kyo's…_

_--_

_The Nirvana…_

_"What should we do, Captain?" BC asked as she faced the old woman while they were in the medical bay to debate what had happened to the Infinite-Freedom, Dita, Jura, Meia, and the ship itself._

_Magno knew that if what the three girls, Duero, and Barnette had told them and BC about what had happened in the mesa was true, then it would suggest that the Gundam Kyo piloted may have a connection to their comrade and closest friend, thus it would be a bad idea for them to try and stop the Gundam. If the Gundam could activate itself and go after it's pilot and master, then it would mean that Kyo was in grave danger for the machine to activate itself, move and fight on it's own._

_It still made Magno confused as to how and why a machine that was infused with the Paeksis's energies could develop such an amazing bond with it's pilot. And it made sense that when the three Dread pilots were with Kyo in the reactor room all those months ago, it would mean that they too had a faint but undeniable connection to the young man. In that sense she came to a quick decision._

_"BC, allow the Gundam to launch, track it and don't lose sight of it!"_

_The dark skinned woman nodded and got her communicator and contacted the Bridge. "This is the Commander…activate the launch codes for the Launch Bay and track the Gundam's location at ALL times. This is not a drill…Kyo is in danger."_

_The Bridge crew, including Belvedere, Celtic, Amarone, Ezra, and Misty gave their reply and began their work._

_Magno then spoke to Parfet through the intercom. "Parfet, I want you to route as much power as you can get from the Paeksis to both the tracking systems in the Bridge and to the Launch Bay!"_

_"Roger!" Was Parfet's reply, she then turned to her crew and gave them their orders. The engineers then worked double time to gather all the power they could spare to give the Infinite-Freedom enough power to go a great distance to lessen the travel time to reach the base where Kyo was._

_In the Launch Bay…_

_The Gundam's eyes glowed deep yellow as it got onto the launch platform and then with all the power it had in it's own reactor and the power routed into the Nirvana's Launching platform for it's own Paeksis, the Gundam rocketed out of the pirate ship in a velocity that was similar to a bullet being launched out of an EM railgun._

_Once it reached the full distance, the Gundam's wings unleashed it's wings and thrusters, it flew at such a speed then it send massive sand waves as it moved at high speed over the desert, it's wings' feathers acting as powerful thrusters along with it's still powerful back mounted thrusters made it move like a blur as the wings moved like a bird's._

_Will it reach Kyo in time?_

_--_

_In the atmosphere…_

_The Dominion Gundams began to make it past the half of the atmospheric levels. The newly designed Gundams still had the original design specs but were now given a set of new weapons. In place of the original shield was a special beam edged shield that was designed to be a massive beam edged discus that could be thrown as one and could be reeled back via a high density energy cable. Another addition was the presence of a built-in heavy plasma cannon on the forearm and is seemed that the new models were now armed with anti-ship swords._

_The CPU of each Dominion Gundam began calculating the time needed for their arrival and meeting with the AI forces. They had been installed and programmed with the latest combat data from the previous models that were defeated when the Freedom had evolved' into the Infinite Freedom model. The Harvester Council's technical department still had many hurdles to overcome before they could make a perfect replication of the Paeksis's effects on machines, so for now, the Dominions and the other Gundam models would have to be the Harvesters' best weapons against the Nirvana and the Paeksis powered Gundam._

_The Gundams' eyes glowed a sickly red as they began to meet up with the AI's main assault forces._

_On the ground it became apparent that even with the numbers of units who's AI was lo-jacked by the Nirvana pirates and Kyo, they were still out numbered. The Northern bases had far more numbers than the bases that were on the other regions, primarily due to the fact that the AI commander was their eyes and ears._

_There were literally assault units of Ogres and Desert Fangs in the numbers of thousands and the Sky Strikers were now in massive wings, all being fueled and armed. Coupled with the Dominion Gundams, the AI army was enough to dwarf most, if not all conventional forces. Along with them were massive numbers of light to heavy combat droid models, bristling from head to toe of weapons. It was an army that would have normally inspired awe and respect._

_Now it was an army that inspired fear and terror…_

_--_

_In the base…_

_"You have GOT to be kidding?!" _

_Kyo said out loud as he saw the reports of an incoming assault wing of Sky Strikers heading for him! He had been able to tighten the barricade he made and salvaged some weapons from the downed droids, but now he realized that he had to leave. The big question was…how was he going to escape?_

_He then looked at his computer as it beeped, sending him a message. He looked on the installed laptop and realized that it was telling him that the I-Freedom had been launched from the Nirvana. The computer was very much still in good working order and that in itself was great news for the young Coordinator._

_He had a moment of confusion but realized that it might have been the same thing that had happened nearly a few days ago, when the Gundam suddenly powered up on it's own and went to his rescue, despite him not being in the cockpit. He felt that things might work out, but knew that he was in a massive base and it would take far too long for him to escape and meet up with his Gundam._

_That was when he came up with a plan that was beyond reckless…_

_He quickly began typing in data codes and plans to the Gundam and realized that he had to leave. Looking at the still present base specs, he realized that there was a quick route to the other side of the base, and from what he could tell, it was near the deep ravine where the base was._

_As he blasted the wall with some of the demolitions he had with him and escaped from the incoming reinforcements, he knew that what he had in mind was crazier than anything he had ever cooked up. Heck, that plan he made to defeat the first Harvester battleship the Nirvana had fought with and the Dominion Gundam seemed saner than what he had in mind!_

_(I must be out of my mind.)_

_But it wasn't as if he had a load of options to begin with anyway._

_--_

_As the room was once again filled by robots, one of the heavy combat models came into the room armed with it's gatling gun. The robots scanned the area and found that their prey had eluded them. They however were no longer interested as they went to one of their fallen comrades._

_The same medical droid that had been able to slash through Kyo's uniform and it's ballistic armor._

_The droid that was closest reached for the pool of blood and with a vial, took some of the blood, just like that of the a small vial that was sealed to contain whatever it was storing, and in this case it was storing blood._

_Kyo's blood…_

_The robot then handed the vial to one of the other medical droids and the new one headed out of the facility as the combat robots were now arming themselves with new rounds…highly lethal rounds. It looks like they had completed one of their primary directives and it was now time to do the next one, and that was to kill the one they got the blood sample from._

_--_

_The I-Freedom began receiving the incoming data from it's pilot and began to run the data into a simulation drive test. On the screen was a visual representation of the conditions and factors that could affect the plan, as it computed all the data, it made the needed changes._

_The Gundam pushed itself even further as it finally computed the last of the data. Had the Gundam been a living being, it would have considered the plan it's master had in mind more than crazy, it would have considered it totally insane. But it was the only way._

_--_

_In the base…_

_BOOM!!_

_Kyo ducked and covered as he used another batch of the high-grade explosives he had gained from the armory as he blasted his way to where he needed to be for the Gundam to reach him. He then turned and fired a few rounds into the group of pursuers that were behind him. Two more medical droids were turned into scrap and another combat model got a bullet right in where the CPU was._

_Kyo then tossed another grenade and watched as his pursuers were now turned into junk, as he loaded another clip for his rifle and his pistol. He then gave a groan of dismay as he spotted another combat model coming, and this it was one of the heavy assault models armed with a double gatling gun. He then swore as the thing began to arm up and the distinctive sound of spinning barrels were heard._

_"Oh Hell!"_

_He ran through the corridor narrowly escaping as a stream of high caliber armor piercing ammunition chewed up the wall behind him. Shrapnel was flying everywhere and he was lucky he still had his helmet on. It would have been totally humiliating to be hit in the head by shrapnel and dying now. Kyo wasted no time and ran to his full capability using still his SEED ability as the sounds of gun-fire surrounded and permeated the entire area. Quickly dodging through the corridor to his destination, he looked back a bit as he spotted the heavy assault unit closing the distance and chewing up the distance as more fire rained from it's weapon. He was barely able to dodge to the left corridor when the thing fired an RPG at him._

_Apparently the robot was armed with a small portable rocket launcher and although the weapon wasn't as large as normal RPGs, the thing had the explosive power of several pounds of high grade plastic explosive mixed with a serious amount of thermal-plasma. The explosion missed Kyo, but it knocked him down to the floor, nearly knocking him into a pipe. The helmet he had on saved his life, as the impact would have resulted in a massive concussion and internal hemorrhaging, along with his uniform and it's ballistic armor layers, but he didn't escape cleanly._

_Kyo felt the pain on his chest and from the sound of his breathing, he might have a few fractured ribs, and although he was no high grade EMT/Paramedic he could tell that none of his bones had broken through either his heart or lungs. The pain was getting more unbearable, but now wasn't the time for him to think about it._

_Kyo used a built-in injector in his uniform to feed pain-killers and special anti-biotic fluids into his body, namely where his injuries were, plus the adrenaline booster he injected gave him more energy along with his body's normal adrenaline supply. Kyo got up and moved on, but his injuries were somewhat slowing him down. That was when he realized that the pipe he had nearly hit was a gas fuel line._

_With a desperate plan in mind he opened the gas pipe and allowed the gas to flood the room, namely in the direction of the corner. He then moved to where the door was and got a good distance, just as the combat model came around the corner. Kyo heard the sound of the gatling gun barrels spinning, he reflexively ducked and with a serious focus through his never forgotten years of training and through SEED mode and growing abilities…_

_Fired a single round at the robot…namely at it's weapon and as soon as the bullet hit the weapon, it unleashed a spark that ignited the gas.._

_The firestorm engulfed the combat droid along with several others that had arrived. Sounds of melted metal and exploding weapons signaled the end of the droid forces pursuing Kyo, but the firestorm was now heading towards Kyo. He however knew what he had done and rushed to the door as fire alarms went online and just as the fire suppression systems kicked in and the corridor was about to be sealed up, Kyo leaped and rolled as the blast doors behind him closed._

_Kyo gave a groan but went on as he moved as fast as he could to where he had to be. Time was running out…_

_--_

_The Infinite-Freedom tracked it's distance from the target and was now initiating the final phase of it's pilot's plan._

_--_

_The team of Dominion Gundam units were now past the atmosphere, activating their wings for atmospheric flight. It had taken some time for the Harvesters' techs to condition the Dominion units for ground operations, but that was now complete. They were now to assemble with the rest of the forces targeting the pirates._

_--_

_Kyo finally arrived in the room filled with supplies and he faced towards the wall of the room which was facing the ravine. He knew that it was time…or in this case in the next two minutes. He set the last of his pilfered explosives and set the timer. As he decided to rest he then felt his danger sense go on full alert, and he quickly rolled out of the way as another barrage of gatling gun fire tore through the door._

_(You've got to be kidding!)_

_He spotted the shooter…and it was the very same robot he could have sworn was roasted! The droid had huge burning welts as sections of it's armor was melting a bit, but it became apparent that the blasted droid had some protection to fire. The droid concentrated a full barrage, which Kyo evaded as he hid behind a massive rack of supplies._

_He looked quickly at the supply rack he was near to and realized that that they were now filled high explosive ordinance, namely for apparently human commando squads. He heard the sound of the stopping barrels, telling him that the blasted robot was going to reload it's weapon._

_Kyo checked the timer and realized that he only had a minute and a half. It was desperation time!_

_He spotted that the rack's support struts were starting to get loose, all it needed was some more damage and the whole rack would release it's load. The droid however was moving while loading it's weapon. This meant that it knew that the explosives would do it in due to the current state of it's defensive armor. So the blasted thing would be looking for an opening._

_Taking his pistol and his sword, Kyo slashed the support struts, and when that was done, he summoned as much strength he could muster in his injured state. As he shouted mentally the rack began to fall as his Paeksis enhanced strength took over and down came the stored pile of containers. The containers were designed to handle most damage, but the effect of being hit by high caliber rounds from a gatling gun or ANY heavy weapon system would puncture the containers like a soda can under a metal press in a second. The containers rolled right in front of the droid who had to move back and halt it's attempt to fire. In that same moment, Kyo moved aside to another safe area as the explosive he placed went off._

_The explosion blew the wall and due to the depressurization, the air in the room began to siphon out. Kyo realized that it was do or die time. He had strapped on the restraining locks on his sword, rifle, and the rest of his survival gear and then ran towards the subsiding explosion. He turned, fired a round at one of the containers that had been damaged by the shrapnel that he was able to evade and…_

_Leaped right out of the hole in the wall!!_

_To a forty thousand feet drop…just as the room behind him was covered in an explosion that totally destroyed it._

_Kyo quickly positioned himself like a free fall sky diver as he looked at his computer, and that was when he heard it._

_As the Gundam pilot went plummeting downwards on a controlled descent…the sky was filled with the sound of roaring engines as the Infinite Freedom rocketed into the sky…and then plunged downward as if to follow it's master. The Gundam went to a full descent flight pattern, using it's thrusters and retracted it's wings so as to have better room for maneuvering. The Gundam twisted itself until it's front side was now facing the other side of the ravine. The Gundam then began to decelerate to match the speed of descent of it's pilot._

_Kyo waited as his Gundam was streaking past him and slowly began to match his descent. The Gundam was facing the other side of the wall of the ravine and that meant that he was in level descent of the chest area of the Gundam, namely to the cockpit. Quickly diving with his limbs all straight on his form downwards as he moved past the legs of his Gundam unit, he spotted the now released cockpit cable of the Gundam. The cable was released and the length was right in front of him._

_Kyo then grabbed the cable, and bit back the pain as the cable was being reeled back in. The I-Freedom began to climb as it reached half of the distance of the ravine. As it did so, it decelerated even more to allow a level descent for both the cable and it's pilot so as to avoid the possibility of Kyo being knocked away by the winds, and the Gundam, piloted by it's mysterious Paeksis enhanced systems moved on as it was reeling back in it's pilot._

_Kyo reached the area of the cockpit, and with a great deal of effort, managed to get himself inside the Gundam. He gave a sigh of relief a few moments later as he righted himself inside his Gundam. He quickly took control of his Mobile Suit and then took it to a full climb out of the descent. The Gundam rocketed out of the ravine and was now reaching the sky._

_That was when the threat sensors of the Gundam warned it's pilot of an incoming mass threat. Kyo looked at the enhanced images and spotted the incoming forces._

_It was the Sky Striker regiments, and apparently they were getting ready to engage!_

_Kyo groaned a bit as he held the controls and powered up his Gundam's weapons and sensors. The fighters may have been on a bomb run, but they were now ready to engage the Gundam and it's still injured pilot. Kyo however wasn't going to give up now!_

_(Never a dull moment!)_

_--_

_At the base…_

_The robots who were not after Kyo however had an escort mission of their own. The droids escorted the medical unit that carried the blood sample they had been able to acquire. The retrieval information sent from the Harvester home-planet was designed to be logged deeply into the CPU cortex area of the droids and could not be over-ridden without installing a whole new CPU unit._

_Apparently while Kyo tried to avoid the fate of being turned into a bullet riddled pile of unrecognizable meat, the droids were loading the sample of his blood on an AI transport ship, complete with an uninfected AI escort that would have made the Secret Service look like choir boys on parade. There were at least twenty combat models and ten of the heavy duty assault models, and the ship they were on was in a separate data-uplink drive._

_The ship fired up it's engines and went out from another launching ramp and as it was taking off, it transmitted a signal to it's AI master, telling it that the cargo was now on the way for interstellar pick-up by the orbital fleet. This was possible as the transport shuttle was designed for considerable inter-stellar travel._

_At the main AI base…_

_/ Data transmission cleared and authenticated…. Prepare Lancer Platform Alpha Six.\\_

_ The screen of the AI super computer showed as it then transmitted the activation coordinates to the said Lancer Platform. It then activated it's transmission dish and typed in coordinates._

_/ Communication Protocol Alpha Status Class-01. Sample of requested bio-liquid for priority 1 research achieved, sample is now being transported for Interstellar retrieval.\\_

_The transmitter now began to be covered with arcs of power. In an instant the dish fired a beam that streaked out like a bullet and went towards the atmosphere._

_In space…_

_The main battle-ship of the secondary fleet's still active dish, picked up the transmission and then got ready to send for a heavy combat escort to bring the shuttle back to Earth, since this was a priority one order from Earth and the Harvester Council, this did take precedence over the mission the other Council members had in mind. The ship then selected a Seed Ship and began to have the other Seed Ships and the ships' Cube Fighters act as the escort squad._

_--_

_Back in the atmosphere…_

_The entire area over the base was alive with gatling gun-fire and massive missile barrages. The Sky Strikers apparently broke into two teams. The first was to bomb the target into total saturation, while the other would engage their new priority one target. Once the first bomber wing was complete, they were to engage and eliminate the Gundam._

_But apparently their target was in NO mood to be taken out…_

_The Gundam streaked through the sky as missiles by the dozen followed it in the hopes of reducing the Gundam into scrap. The Mobile Suit however was more than agile. It was running loops all over the missiles. One cloud had came close to hitting the Gundam missed their target completely and collided with each other. The missiles exploded on contact and before things could get further, the Gundam turned about and streaked into squadron that fired the missiles. They fired their gatling guns, but those two were avoided as the Gundam streaked past them, quickly turned about and fired a massive barrage from it's head and shoulder guns. Several fighters were turned into scrap and the rest tried to escape, but were not able to at all._

_The I-Freedom turned and ignited it's beam sabers as it attacked the next batch. The Sky Strikers that were trying to evade the incoming attacker were not able to as the Gundam's aerial combat speed out-paced them even if they were using their after-burners. Several fighters were cut into two as the Gundam blurred and struck their middles with the beam sabers. A few more found themselves literally clipped of their wings as they crashed all the way down to the ground. A Sky Striker attempted to ram the Gundam, but got a blow right into the cockpit with a beam saber._

_Kyo breathed carefully as he felt that the pain-killers from his previous treatment of his injuries during his escape from the base began to wear off. Kyo knew that almost all the weaponry of the Sky Strikers were not in the least, VERY effective against the Prominence Phase Shift Armor System of the Infinite Freedom, but in order for him to avoid aggravating his still tender ribs, he put all his efforts into evasive maneuvers. _

_--_

_The Nirvana…_

_"Kyo is in his Gundam?!" _

_BC asked Duero as the medic was there on the bridge. Apparently the medical sensors loaded in the Gundam during the pervious ground operation of the pirates were still present. They were happy to know that Kyo was in his Gundam and safe, but what they learned was troubling to say the least._

_"That is correct…but I am getting some troubling readings. There seem to be signs of injuries on Kyo's body. According to the sensors Kyo has a few fractured ribs, the good news for us is that none of his bones had broken through either his heart or lungs, he seems to have used some pain-killers and they are working, but now are wearing off. There have been some abrasions and some cuts, but he has been suffering some internal bleeding, and although minor, they can be a hindrance if not treated. But judging from the high elevations of stress and energy usage, he is fighting a powerful foe…If he doesn't hurry and return…"_

_The implications of what Duero was saying wasn't lost in the VERY least to the crew. They recalled the sorry state Kyo was in all those months ago, and what happened when he went out to fight for them… they knew that Kyo's current injuries were light compared to the ones he had before, but they were never going to make the mistake of letting him fight in an injured state alone now._

_"We've got to do something!" Ezra cried as she tried to contact Kyo, but despite the Nirvana's ability to track the Paeksis-enhanced Gundam, they still couldn't get a clear signal to call Kyo._

_The three Dread pilots and three other girls that have grown close to the young Coordinator were on the bridge and it took a great deal of their discipline to try and not make a mess of things for the bridge crew…but like the others, they were still fearful for Kyo._

_"I'll go out there!" A voice came to the bridge._

_Magno, Buzam, and the others saw none other than…Barnette Orangello, with Max McFile beside her. Apparently the two had been with Gascogne, the Register girls who were helping in placing the crew of both the Shard and the Emerald Dawn into the Nirvana's morgue. They had been listening into the communications net and they had no problem making two and two fit on what was happening to Kyo._

_"Barnette, are you sure about that?"_

_Barnette nodded. This was somewhat personal for her. Though she had been forgiven by the crew and herself, she apparently wanted to be the one to help Kyo. The others also knew that Barnette was among the very few in their crew that could come to Kyo's aid. The SwitchBlade Gundam she piloted before had the speed and the mobility in both Mobile Armor and Mobile Suit mode to reach Kyo in time. Duero's Gundam, the Morpheous was another Mobile Suit with the same specifications, namely when docked with it's Aero Form Pack, and lastly, Max's Templar Gundam had the same though watered down systems of the Infinite-Freedom Gundam. These three individuals and their current Mobile Suits were the only units and pilot in the pirate teams to be able to rescue Kyo._

_The crew waited as Magno pondered the choices…but they didn't have to wait long._

_" Prepare the Launch Bay for the deployment of the Morpheous, the SwitchBlade, and the Templar! I want full power to the Launch Platform immediately!"_

_The crew went to work as fast as possible, while the pilots in question got ready to be deployed along with their Mobile Suits._

_Later…_

_It didn't take long for the three new Gundams to be loaded into the Launch Platform. The Dread fighter's normal assembly arms had been re-configured to be able to assemble the Form Packs of the Gundam Morpheous as requested by Duero. The Morpheous was the first to be launched as the Aero Form Pack Parts were now being combined on the Gundam. Once more the color scheme of the Morpheous changed from the normal to gun metal grey with crimson edges, and olive green. The second Gundam was Barnette's Gundam, the SwitchBlade, and finally Max's Templar Gundam was being locked in. All three pilots made their last checks and were wearing spare flight suits modeled after Kyo's uniform._

_Barnette, Duero, and Max then activated the helmet visors as they launched out in full order._

_"Duero McFile in the Morpheous Gundam Aero' ready to Launch…"_

_"Roger, green light for deploy!"_

_The Launch Platform got ready, and in moments, the Morpheous was released. Once the Gundam was airborne, it's Form Pack activated it's wings and thrusters, going on full power. In it's hands was it's beam rifle and shield._

_"Barnette Orangello in the SwitchBlade Gundam ready for Launch…" The green-haired pilot called in as her Gundam was quickly locked into launching mode._

_Quickly following the Morpheous, the SwitchBlade went on full throttle after launch, and quickly switched to Mobile Armor mode to take full advantage of it's speed. The Mobile Armor form quickly caught up with the Morpheous as both waited for their last comrade._

_"Max McFile in the Templar Gundam, ready for Launch…" The younger sibling reported as his was the last Gundam to be loaded into the Launch Platform._

_The Templar rocketed out of the Nirvana as soon as possible and activated it's own wings, as it joined the Morpehous and the SwitchBlade it resembled an angel going to war. It then took formation beside the Morpheous, with the SwitchBlade on the other side._

_All three went on full after-burn as they closed in towards Kyo's location._

_--_

_The AI forces however had other concerns, namely for one of their Lancer Platforms. As the transport and it's escorts arrived to the Lancer Platform in question. The Lancer had received the command and began activating it's systems, while the transport shuttle was now being escorted to the main launching deck. The Lancer's main computer archives went on to calculate the last of the needed field data and made the needed changes to all of the deployment systems._

_The fields that were the basis for the Lancer Platform's function were now being deployed and the transport was now being stabilized for the deployment. The first field began to filter out elements that could mess of the magnetic induction effect needed to create the gravity field, and the field looked like a shimmering cloud of light red. Once the first step was done, the environment adapters released the specially magnetized charged particles in their container magnetic fields, they were then held in place by the magnetic coils' generated fields which is the second step, creating a bluish halo of light around the Lancer Platform and towards the said coordinates. And in effect create the stable restriction barrier/containment field, to stabilize the ship. Finally the full effect was a purplish tunnel of light that reached beyond the atmosphere. The gravity field generators went into effect as the ship began to rocket upwards in a controlled ascent to space and to where the forces of the Harvesters were waiting._

_Once it was given the signal that the cargo it's master was waiting for was well underway. The AI entity sent a new order to it's forces…_

_Halt and restrict the escape of the Nirvana, and eliminate the Nirvana should it attempt to escape the planet._

_--_

_For Kyo, the fight was getting a heck of a load more crowded. No matter how many he took out from the Sky Striker regiment, they were not going to stop. The ground beneath him was littered with a mess of burning wreckage from all the fighters he had reduced into scrap. But he was getting exhausted from the fighting as his injuries and all the energy he had expended was affecting him. So now he went totally on the defensive._

_The Sky Strikers closed the gap as they received the data from the main command base. The regiment that engaged Kyo kept him from attacking the other regiment as they made their attack on the rogue base…but before it could begin._

_The lead Sky Striker had no time to react as a blast of beam fire came right from above to reduce it into an exploding fireball. And this caught not just the attention of the other Sky Strikers, but also Kyo's attention as he jetted away from his pursuers._

_"Kyo! Can you hear me?!"_

_Kyo checked his communicator and gave a cry of relief as he recognized the voice, although it surprised him._

_"Barnette? Thank god you made it!"_

_The image of the Dread pilot in her uniform greeted the Gundam pilot with a smile. "Hang on, Max and Duero are with me, we're here to get you out."_

_The Sky Strikers following Kyo and the Infinite-Freedom were forced to break off as more of them were destroyed by incoming beam and ballistic fire as the three Gundams arrived to support their comrade at the last moment._

_Duero guided the Morpheous to cover Kyo's Gundam as Barnette and Max went ahead and give the enemy a sound thrashing. The SwitchBlade stayed in it's Mobile Armor mode and fired it's weaponry right at the incoming enemy fighters._

_The SwitchBlade struck past the incoming fighters, quickly evading their attempts to fire with both guns and missiles, while quickly turning about and retaliating with it's own arsenals. The Polaris Phase Shift was different from the Prominence Phase Shift due to the fact that it sacrificed a small percentage of it's ability to deflect physical weaponry damage to improve anti-beam effectiveness, but not sacrificing the full effects of the original function of Phase Shift, where both armor systems were based on._

_Barnette knew that she had the advantage, but they were charged to protect Kyo and get him back to the Nirvana. But there was something nagging her mind…_

_--_

_Inside the base…_

_The systems of the base began to reactivate as they began to deploy their forces. The security forces were the only ones that were activated, and now since base perimeter had been compromised, it was now time to call out the big guns. Hundreds of Ogres, Desert Fangs, and Sky Strikers were now being deployed. They were now being filled in with combat data and directives by their main supplier, and that was their base's main AI network…_

_The question now was…did Kyo's plan work?_

_--_

_In the sky…_

_Barnette and Max were now engaging the enemy forces while Duero stayed close to cover Kyo. The Templar was now activating it's own HiMAT system and began blasting to bits any missile that tried to tag it out of the game. The Gundam then used it's shield to block incoming shots and missiles, then used it's beam saber to slash down any fighter that came into striking range. Barnette and Max were now able to push the full use of their respective Gundams, and it showed as the Gundams' reaction time was further boosted thanks to Kyo's tinkering with the OS. And that became apparent as Duero also went on to defend Kyo and the Infinite-Freedom. The Morpheous took out it's own beam saber and shield to block and defend it's Paeksis-enhanced companion while the pilot of the later Gundam rested. Every shot fired at the Morpheous was either dodged or blocked, while any Sky Striker that was attacked by the Morpheous was either torn to bits by the beam saber or torn up by the CIWS guns._

_Kyo then scanned the base and realized that it was now releasing it's heavy assault units, namely the Desert Fangs, Sky Strikers, and the Ogres. In record time, several squads of the units were deployed and were now making their way towards them and their Sky Striker opponents._

_"Oh great, just what we do NOT need!" _

_Barnette said as she spotted the incoming forces while her Gundam was in Mobile Suit mode with her shield blocking a missile blast. She then jetted away to meet up with Max to cover the younger brother._

_Max spotted the new-comers but was busy fighting even more foes as he dodged more missiles and gatling gun-fire. He spotted Barnette as she blocked another missile from hitting him from behind and reducing the offending Sky Striker to scrap._

_Duero then got into contact with Kyo as he scanned the incoming units._

_ "Kyo, I'm reading those units to be arming up their targeting sensors and weapons. Are you sure your plan worked?"_

_They got their answer…_

_As the Ogres began firing…at the Sky Strikers! The Ogres went into a heavy stance against the Sky Strikers, firing all their weaponry at the enemy units. The Desert Fangs did the very same thing as they fired their beam arsenals at the enemy units of the Gundams. _

_"I guess we can say it's a success. Once they're done, we'll have to rally them all from the other bases once we establish contact with the other bases infected by the OS we sent in."_

_--_

_In the Nirvana…_

_It had been nearly an hour and a half since the deployment of the Morpheous, SwitchBlade, and the Templar and the crew were getting nervous. Magno and Buzam were on the bridge as they looked on the tactical monitors, showing that the tracking beacons on the four Mobile Suits were still active, but they still couldn't communicate with the pilots. _

_It was then that things really changed…for the better. _

_"Captain! I'm picking up a transmission signal…It's from Kyo!" _

_Celtic said with joy as she faced her fellow bridge officers. They were able to determine that all four Gundams were now streaking back to where they were._

_The monitors in front of the aged woman and her second in command came online, and a great cheer went throughout the entire Nirvana, as word spread that Kyo had been able to come into contact. The bridge was crowded with calls, but were quickly silenced by Magno with some help from Buzam._

_"This is Kyo, we're all moving back to the Nirvana. Barnette, Duero and Max are with me now." _

_That was proven true as Kyo's image was now joined by Barnette's, Max's, and Duero's…all of their faces had tired but triumphant looks as they checked in with their comrades._

_"Kyo…glad to see that you're safe along with the others…but did you succeed?" Buzam asked as she spoke to the Gundam pilot about his mission._

_"Mission is a total success, we've downloaded the OS and we've hijacked enough units to help our escape! The forces we have will be enough to make our move in less than a day from now."_

_"Captain! We're tracking a heavy concentration of friendly transponder signals behind the Infinite-Freedom, SwitchBlade, Templar, and Morpheous Gundams! There's a massive army right behind the Gundams, all reading friendly signatures!"_

_Kyo's plan was a success! Now it was time to escape!_

_--_

_To be continued…_

_--_

_That was close call…now on to the next Chapter!_


	11. Chapter 11

GunDread SEED- The Second Stage

Disclaimer: Once more I state that I have no contract of ownership of the following series: VanDread, and Gundam SEED. If I did, I'd be the CEO of both Bandai and Gonzo. But I am a writer, so I make no money out of this.

Chapter 5

Part 6A

Infinite Possibilities

--

On the surface…namely on the AI command center…

/45 of current military assets are now in enemy hands…Possible attacks on Lancer Platforms have been determined. Redirecting all current uncorrupted assets to priority 1 defensive action on vital Lancer Platform locations.\\

The AI entity then began issuing orders to all its uncorrupted forces. The Desert Fangs, Ogres, and the Sky Strikers were now being sent to their designated battle-posts. The goon news for the AI army is that the majority of the Lancer Platforms were located near their area of command, so in order for the Nirvana to effect an escape, they would have to face them. And even with their current standing forces, they were still outnumbered.

--

In the Nirvana's Medical Bay…

Kyo groaned a bit as he sat on the bed in the Medical Bay, next to him was Duero and Max. The two medics along with Paiway were checking his injuries from his perilous mission.

"Okay, the good news is that the medical fluids are making short work of those fractures on your ribs, and the internal bleeding's being sealed up. You'll be up and about in a few hours tops." Duero said as he checked the Gundam pilot's body through a scanner in his hand.

"That fluid's non-toxic and can help sustain your body' nutrients for a few minutes, but I can say this much…you'll be raving hungry at the end of it." Max said with a smirk, having been through it before meeting up with the others.

Kyo gave a grunt of acknowledgment while fixing the stiffness on his neck. "Thank god that mission was a success, no way am I going through that again. By the way…did you make sure that nobody followed you two?"

"What makes you say that?" Duero asked the Gundam pilot.

"Because there are several people at the door trying to hide themselves from me." Kyo said with a half smile. Duero already had an idea on how Kyo managed to sense the people near the door. Moving as quietly as possible to the entrance to the Medical Bay, he typed in the silent code to open the door without the alarm going off. Max was merely curious on the whole thing as he had only heard about Kyo's amazing senses.

And sure enough…

"Ahhh!"

Out from the door that opened came a pile of female bodies, one of which belonged a certain blonde pilot.

"Oww! Why the heck did you do that?!"

Jura complained as she plucked from the floor herself along with her companions, two of which were a redhead and a blue-haired girl, next to them was a copper-haired woman and another with deep brown hair.

Meia walked into the room with a hand on her forehead in a look of exasperation. "I told you that eavesdropping was a bad idea Jura."

"We just wanted to hear if Mr. Alien was alright!" Dita pouted.

"Yeah! I want to know if my prince is feeling better!" Misty chirped but got immediate glares from the other girls, and on a covert note…Meia gave a hard look at Misty when that came out of the dark blue-haired girl's mouth.

The whole thing would have made things in the Medical Bay rather noisy if Kyo didn't step in.

"I know you all want to know if I'm ok…so why don't you all calm down and let Duero and Max tell you on my situation, and try not to make any attempt to hug me…my ribs may be healing, but they aren't indestructible."

Duero nodded as he began to explain some of the injuries Kyo had suffered while on the mission and he told the girls that for a while, Kyo should not be disturbed by them until the healing process of the fluids and Kyo's natural regenerative processes were complete. Max then offered Kyo his normal clothes and as the Gundam pilot dressed, Duero was now finishing his reasons for the girls not to disturb Kyo, and that was when they got the call from Magno.

"Duero, Max, If Kyo is finished with his medical treatment and he is fit enough to walk, then I want him to meet me and the seniors in the Conference Room."

"I'm on my way now Captain." Kyo said as he put on his vest and got off the bed.

As he got to his feet, the girls looked at him with relief and joy. Ever since the return of the rescue team and the young man, none of them ever took their eyes away from the young Gundam pilot. They were there to help him to his feet when he finally gave into the pain of his ribs, that pain, plus the warnings Duero and Max, and their own desire not to hurt the young man made them resist the urge to glomp onto him, even Meia had to get more discipline into herself from glomping onto Kyo, no matter how much she wanted too and no matter how much she wanted to deny the urge to do so.

The Nirvana crew were cheering their hearts out as the group escorted Kyo to Med Bay for treatment and once that was over, the crew were now concentrating on doing about their duties…it was now late evening ever since the operation and everyone was now ready to hit the sack for the next day's operations for their escape.

Dita, Jura, Meia, and the others decided to go about their duties, though they wanted to be with Kyo for a while longer, they knew that they had to leave the planning to Kyo and the elder women. Even Meia was going to take in an early night's rest.

--

Later…in the Conference Room.

Magno nodded as she, Buzam, and Gascogne listened to Kyo high-light the results of the operation he had undertaken.

"The OS program we were able to create took control of most of the enemy AI assets, but only a maximum of 45 of all the current standing forces in the planet. I've had Parfet and her crew, install the operating soft-ware to some spare combat simulator devices so we can have the pilots of the Dread teams and the Crusader pilots to coordinate the counter-offensive via the simulators. With the data that was acquired from the AI base, the best Lancer we can capture is this one near a valley close to the inner oceans that are near the western end of this planet's equator."

Kyo said as he downloaded a full data-image of the planet with green dots high-lighting the Lancer Platforms. Blue for their current location, while the red symbolized the enemy bases and the current standing forces of the AI army. " The real targets apart from the Lancer Platform are the planet's surface power supply, the inhabitants apparently found a way to replicate the tectonic shift of planetary plates to create heat and massive amounts of kinetic energy. All that power is supplemented by solar power generators and the main power grid control base is located near the northern border. The second target is the array of transmission dishes that provide power to the satellites that create the shield network all over the planet. The transmission dishes have supplementary power stations so we can only weaken the shields when we eliminate the power supply grid; we still have to aim for the dishes to take out the shield itself. There are at least six transmission dishes to distribute both power and coordinates for the satellites. We take them out; we have a clear window to escape."

BC nodded as she checked the map and the coordinates. "The faster we can hit them, the sooner we can escape, we'll have to divide the forces we now have into three parties. We could try a feint on one Lancer Platform that would be just a viable target if we did attack it. But we do have to deal with the power requirements of the units we have in mind for the attack. As what you told us Kyo, they all run totally on solar power and from what we've learned they only have enough power for nearly three to four hours worth of operation time. I doubt that's enough to buy us the time we need. Plus, we still have to disable the main system to deactivate the shield all over the planet, and we might not have enough weaponry to do just that."

"Gasco?"

The Supply officer nodded as she loaned in her plans. "We still have a surplus of Dread fuel cells on our last re-supply trip back at our base near Megele, there was a miss-order and we wound up having too many of the cells, I thought that after the raid on the Ikazuchi before it fused with our cruiser, I'd find the girl responsible… but now I should have her promoted! There are more than enough to act as supplementary power packs for all those Ogres, Sky Strikers, and Desert Fangs, all my Register girls and the Engineering crew need to do is make the changes to the power distributors of the units once the programming has been completed."

Magno nodded at the ideas so far, but she sensed that Kyo had found more than just plans and maps. "What else did you learn from the mission Kyo?"

Kyo sighed a bit as he uploaded all the data he had acquired. The monitors began displaying the schematics and statistics of various ships…all of Harvester design.

"The Harvester Fleet we're dealing with up-stairs is just the icing on one rotten cake. There are at least a hundred or more of their battle-cruisers and the support fleets on station. Coupled with all the resources they've been able to siphon away from the worlds they already gutted…we're talking about an army that is fifty times the size of either Megele or Talark's current space forces. Grand-ma…we're not just going to need to unite Megele and Talark now…we need to unite all the human colonies out there and assemble all the fleets they have. The fact is that if all human worlds don't unite, we're all going to be wiped out."

The images changed as the pirate officers were shown the maps that Kyo had combined with the maps they had acquired' as evidence of a certain traitorous excuse of human tissue before. Kyo then began to high-light all the sectors into those inhabited by humans

"As you can see…the Harvesters have been making forays into other sectors of all the planets the colonists and their descendants have inhabited. There are some worlds that have placed quite the resistance…namely here and here."

The images changed as the selected stars were now bathed in deep yellow.

"…in those sectors, the human colonists have been able to evacuate most of their inhabitants, and are now using their planet's conventional forces and special ops teams in a delaying action against the incoming fleet. The humans have been able to get the advantage, but they have lost too many soldiers, crew, ships, and pilots and are now ready to initiate a full retreat. Some sectors were not so lucky."

Kyo then pointed to sectors that have already been hit and were colored red.

"Here…the people were either overwhelmed, caught-off guard, or have been brainwashed by the Harvester's propaganda. We can discount Anpathos from that later description, now that the latest data showed that they finally rebelled against the Harvesters. The worlds that were not as lucky have now been rendered lifeless, the Harvesters stripped the planets of those they have harvested of all viable resources, such as metals, minerals, water…and even gas. All that's left now is nothing but barren planets totally devoid of life."

The screen then changed to blue sectors.

"These sectors happen to be places that the Harvesters have yet to explore and conquer. I don't need to say it, but Megele and Talark as of now are not under attack. But we can't take that risk, we have to send out a message to all human worlds we can contact and get their help. Delta 6 and the inhabitants were able to send warning messages of that reject Rabat's real job for the bastards, but they are still not united. Even if some of those planets in these sectors have a good standing force, we still have to unite all of them if we can stand a chance of halting the Harvester advance."

BC nodded as she scanned all the combat statistics, and compared all the relevant data they had acquired all through their travels and encounters with the Harvest. "Kyo is correct, considering all the data we've acquired on the Harvesters, their fleets, and their operations; we need to unite all the planets against them. Captain, we'll have to send another message to both Megele and Talark, and even more to the worlds the Harvesters haven't hit yet. I don't think we can expect much…but considering all the evidence we've gained over the course of these few months, we have to hope that we can succeed in convincing as many as we can to ally themselves to fight back."

Magno nodded. "I'll have Parfet work on more message pods and we'll use all the data we've gathered so far, then those will be relayed to all the worlds that have people on them. The whole human race has to unite this time…not for power, but for our future…and for those who will one day succeed us…"

Kyo, Gascogne, and BC already knew what Magno meant…as they looked through the view-screen to all of the others of the crew. The crew were not aware of the serious nature of what they were now up against, and these people knew that one day they will know. Their gazes fell on Ezra who was breast-feeding her baby Lacus, and knew that even now, the new heralds of humanity's future were already being born. They never realized that this accident' would place them as the protectors of the human race and the new generation, and the alliance they once made out of convenience was now the only thing left standing between the Harvesters and their genocidal plans.

The group were silent until Gascogne sighed. "If that's the case, then we'll need to get as much sleep as we can, we're going to have a greater challenge tomorrow, so we'll need as much energy as we can get."

The others nodded as Gascogne left to her room in the crew's quarters. Kyo got out of his seat and was about to leave when Magno called him.

"Kyo, I want you to stay."

"Captain?"

"BC, can I speak to Kyo for a while, in private?"

Buzam looked at both the Gundam pilot and the aged captain. She wanted to know what plans the two would discuss in private, but the dark-skinned woman could tell that this was going to be a serious discussion, so she nodded and left the Conference Room.

Magno then faced Kyo who sat back down as they were now the only ones left in the room. "I can tell that you have been rather…shocked by what you learned?"

Kyo nodded. "To put it mildly, yes."

The aged woman nodded. "So am I, I never thought in my old age I'd find myself facing such a foe that wants to kill all of us for their own survival. I wonder what the older generations of Earth would have thought if they were still alive now to witness all this?"

Kyo decided to try and lighten the mood. "I guess the only thing they'd think would be one phrase, and that would be Where in the name of all that's holy did we go wrong?!'"

Magno smirked a bit at that. "Nice attempt at humor Kyo, but I guess you could be right. I wonder also what the crew of the Ikazuchi, those who were still in cryogenic sleep would say if they saw the states my home-planet and that of the men were in, and now with this threat on the horizon? You know, I was one of the First Generation of Megele, for a rather long time."

"You were? Then why did you become a pirate, if you don't mind me asking?"

Magno gave a look of contemplation. "After a few incidents in my younger years, which I can't speak of right now, I was part of the fleet the Ikazuchi was in when the Colonization period of Earth began. And when that blasted argument happened, well, I had…to make some compromises…namely with my husband."

"You're married?"

"Yes…my husband is on Talark, and you could imagine how difficult it was for both of us to have to separate when the crew broke up nearly a century ago. I watched as my fellow women built Megele from all the technology we had from that section we took possession of. But I was disgusted by the way they now portrayed men to their children. My husband and I were very much a typical family, we had good times, bad times, and more. To have to leave him was the greatest mistake I had made. On the day…the day before the men and women of the crew of the Ikazuchi broke contact with each other, I had my last meal, conversation, and…well, my last night with him before we broke up, and we didn't want to in any way. It was even…harder to have to live with the fact, that I could never…see my son. I could never know if either of them are alive or not for all those years."

Magno sighed and Kyo could tell that this was something the aged woman had held deeply in her heart, and rarely showed to anyone. "Why are you telling me this?"

Magno gave a musing look, and for a few moments Kyo thought she wouldn't answer, but she did and gave him a smile that could only be defined as…motherly.

"You make me wonder what life would have been like for me had I not been growing up on Megele, instead I would have been with my husband and my little child, watching him grow up, teaching all that I could, and just…being a normal mother."

"You mean…I remind you of your son?"

"Not physically mind you…rather, there's a quality in you that made me wonder about how my child would have grown up if things weren't the way they are. I would have seen him grow up into a good young man, and he'd be going through all the things normal men his age would. I know of what you're going through in that sense Kyo…believe me I know." Magno gave a wicked grin that made Kyo rather nervous…

"What are you saying?"

Magno merely grinned and then relaxed and her face removed some of the mischievousness it had before. "I think that now would not be a very good time for that topic to be discussed…rather, I want to know how you feel towards all this, namely with all that you've learned."

Kyo finally knew where Magno's latest question was leading to. "You want to know if I think we all have a chance at beating the Harvesters?"

"That's not the only reason, I wonder if you are starting to doubt the outcome."

Kyo realized that maybe Magno found out that he was filled with some doubts. He had been feeling this way since getting back from his mission and gaining all the data he currently had shared with the others. He felt that even if they could escape the trap, they were dealing with a foe that could wipe them all out, and even with the possibility of the other human colonies siding with them, there were still some great doubts to them winning.

"You might say that I've got some doubts, I mean, even if we could escape there's no telling if we succeed in warning not just Talark and Megele, or would they listen to us."

"True, but with all that we've accomplished, I don't think we'll have too much of a hard time, not with you and all that you've done."

"I didn't do everything…everyone had done a lot too."

Magno smiled a bit at Kyo's humble reply. "True, but none of that would have been possible if you didn't make the first move. Kyo, you've done more than you can ever imagine. I can name a few off-hand myself. You showed that men and women work the best when together with a common goal. If you didn't work with us, and made all those wonderful things, none of my crew, with the exception of Dita, would have taken the time to learn about you, and help them along in re-discovering the truth about men and women."

Magno showed Kyo the images of the crew, Duero and Parfet were working together in the Engineering Bay with the goal to escape and win this war for the future. Bart was relaxing and was now trying out some new food that some of the girls had made, and Kyo couldn't help but smile as Bart finally knew why food like that of the women tasted good. The bald navigator then began asking questions about the cooking process, while his female companions, one of them being Celtic explained. Max and Barnette were in the Medical Bay, along with Paiway, taking care of Ezra's baby, Lacus. Max was in awe at his first glimpse of a female child while Barnette explained some of the things women of Megele did when they became parents. Paiway was also there recording the whole thing in her trusty note-book. Gascogne and Aleck were working hand in hand in the Register, while the elder male listened to the explanations of the head supplier and some of the girls that were now his new acquaintances.

"You gave all of us the chance to see each other in a totally new light. I have no doubt that things have changed for every member of the crew, and things are becoming more difficult, and yet I can hardly imagine what things would have been like hadn't you came into this. To be honest, when I met you, I thought I'd have a hard time keeping you from being a person with too much ego, considering all you are capable of, and you could have done that. But instead you worked beside us and did your level best to make things such as the idea of men and women working together going smoothly."

Kyo gave a smirk at that. "You're giving me way too much credit Grand-ma. As far as I can recall, I wasn't exactly the guy who came up with the idea of men and women working together in the first place."

"Too much, yes, but you deserve it, and it is true that you didn't propose the idea yourself, but you gave it the push and strength needed for it to work the way it is now. I know how valuable you are as a person, not as a pilot or a leader, but as a friend and ally to everyone here in the Nirvana. They look up to you in many ways, and I can tell that sometimes it can be difficult. I can bet that at the time I asked you or badgered you into becoming the Crusaders' Squadron leader, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, I didn't think I'd make a great commander, but I did what I could and things turned out for the best for all parties involved."

"More than you can imagine, Duero, Bart, Max, and even Aleck told me that the way you taught Sara and the girls on how to pilot Vanguards would have been considered a work of great genius, and the tactics you came up would have been of great value to the men back on their world. Had you been part of the Talark military, I doubt Meia and her Dread pilots would have been as successful back then all those months ago. Think about it, you trained and turned a group of women who hated Vanguards and you, into an elite team of pilots who would have been on very equal standing with their best pilots back home in such a short time. They now trust and admire you as a commander, and I know Sara respects you as a commander and as a man, and they along with the other crew-members will follow you into any battle."

"And do you know why? Because you are a great leader, a good friend, and most of all, a person with a kind heart, I know it, BC knows it, Gascogne does as well, and so does everyone. No one here can deny how much you mean to all of us, so what I'm saying is that you shouldn't doubt yourself. Doubts are normal, but you should know that we're all here to do whatever we can."

Magno then gave Kyo a smile. "You mean a great deal to us all here Kyo, you gave us a great deal of hope alongside Dita all those months ago, when you first fought with us, and when you died before, saving us… BC and I nearly lost our own will to keep fighting, along with everyone when that happened, so many questions and emotions were in me the very moment you came back from the dead to stand before us, ready to fight alongside us all. You showed the true power of humanity by working as one, instead of following the propaganda of our planets, you gave us that chance, and I know that everyone here is forever grateful. If you feel despair or doubt, so did we, but neither you or us should ever give up. Because we're together, and after all we have done, we can never be easily stopped."

Magno then gave a yawn. "I guess that you might be tired listening to an old woman ramble like that. I think you should get some sleep, considering all that we need to do soon, you'll need all the sleep you can get." The aged woman got up and began to walk away, but Kyo followed her, and instead of asking why, Magno allowed the young Gundam pilot to accompany her to her chambers. At the door she thanked Kyo for his escort and to that Kyo replied.

"It's the least I can do. I promise you Grand-ma, I will never give up."

"I know you won't."

--

In space…

The Harvester Fleets were in preparation for the full deployment of their forces, but due to the ever increasing EM emissions and radiation near the planet, they had to move at a much slower pace. The second battle-cruiser however was sending out a large party of it's forces to escort the shuttle from the surface, since it was a priority one objective, but due to the massive amounts of debris, the shuttle would have to be delayed in it's rendezvous with it's escort teams. The newly created Gundams were back in the battle-cruiser, ready for full deployment, but for the time being were being re-fueled.

On the ground…

The Dominions had been divided into parts of the defensive forces on the Lancer Platforms, plus the AI units of the ground forces were being evenly deployed to handle the defense of the transmission dishes. The AI entity calculated that the pirates would make an assault on at least one or two of the dishes to effect an escape.

As if in a giant chess game, all pieces were being moved into place for the final game of the day.

--

In the Nirvana… in the men's quarters…

Kyo was on his bed, but couldn't sleep, and after a few minutes, he gave up the struggle and went for a walk. As he wandered the ship, he made his way to the Engineering bay and found himself facing the Paeksis reactor, there he felt the energy pulsing from the crystal core.

"I don't know why I cam here…but I guess this is where all this began." Kyo said as he recalled the events in this very room. This was where he met Dita, also where he met Jura and Meia, where he felt something that drew him to stay, and where his entire adventure began. He looked at the crystal, and walked towards it, he then touched it briefly and in a moment, he felt sleep tug at him, and before he knew it he fell asleep, unaware that the reactor glowed at his touch.

(What the…?)

Kyo found himself in the void of darkness, reminding him again of the time he died, but he knew that the need for sleep had somehow overwhelmed him. He bathed once more in the same calmness that he felt before when he had been dead, but just like before the blackness was replaced by the deep ocean of blue-green light that he knew was that of the Paeksis.

Kyo didn't say anything as he felt the comfort and the serenity of the place that cradled his soul when he had died. That was when he heard the voices, but this instead of a chorus like before, it was the voice of two individuals, that of a man and a woman. But both voices sounded somewhat familiar.

((You're acting like a little baby here, do you know that Kyo?)) The male voice asked the young man.

Kyo gave a look of surprise as he looked about. "Let me guess, I can't see your real form since your completely part of the Paeksis, right?"

((In a way, yes, you seem to still have doubts. Having trouble sleeping?))

"Yeah, you could say that."

((Then why are you still awake? You should be resting, you've got a ton of things to do, once the early morning arrives.))

This time it was the female voice he heard. The womanly voice, just like that of the man made Kyo feel safe for some reason, and he felt he could tell them what he felt deep inside of him.

"I guess I still have the question in my mind, and I guess I ask myself will we make the others in the planets we'll meet work together?"

((What do you mean?))

"Talark and Megele…plus other worlds. I can feel that there may be other societies that think n the same tables for different reasons. They've not been united since the time of the Colonization Era. Here on the Nirvana, in the case of the others…it was possible, but after what Max and Aleck told us of the political situation on Talark, I doubt we can get any positive response from them, including Megele."

((True…but what of Barnette?)) The male voice asked Kyo.

"What do you mean?"

The voice then showed the image of Barnette, as the green-haired Dread pilot spoke with Max while the two were about to part company. He could tell that there was a smile on her face as she spoke to the younger McFile.

((Barnette once hated men, and wanted nothing to do with them. You can say she was the most influenced by her world's teachings and propaganda. You recall what she said towards men regardless of the fact that without your aid and that of Duero and Bart. And you recall that in her belief and hatred of you, it resulted in you being dead.))

Kyo nodded as he began to recall all that and apparently his companions knew his intentions as the scenery of the Paeksis changed and showed him the events that lead to his death. He couldn't believe that this Barnette was the one that started to become close friends with Duero's brother Max, while having affections for the younger Talark teen and becoming more open to men.

The voices knew that too, and then showed the events that took place in the surface of the planet he and the others were on. He had to admit that Barnette really changed, as he watched her tend to the mortally wounded Max after seeing him nearly give his life to spare hers from the cyborg monster. He then smirked a bit as he saw all the events that lead to the point that Barnette became the woman that fought beside men without reservation or regret and he knew that her affections for Max were growing.

((Yet she changed, asked forgiveness from you and fought even harder beside you all. And the things you did and said allowed her to see past her pride and made her become closer to men when she faced the results of her actions. You can already see the way she looks at Max, and you know that she likes the younger man. From a blind follower of hate all men' to a woman who sees the truth and now trusts men. If she could change her ways, then so can others.))

The female voice said as the images faded.

Kyo nodded. "I can't deny that, but…"

((Barnette was the strongest supporter of her world's beliefs, and there were many who followed her. But after your temporary' death and before your return, they saw how much being a team with men could make miracles, instead of being full of their planet's pride and disdain for men. Together, you all have made the Harvester Fleets break away from other worlds and gave hope to those who witnessed you fight against this foe. The Melanos people will never give in to the Harvesters even more thanks to you. The people of Delta Six owe you their lives, and now are allies of yours to the very end. The Nirvana, you, the pirates, you all have become symbols of the one thing people have forgotten…their ability to make their own destiny.))

The male voice said with conviction as the images of every battle the pirates had fought in.

Kyo felt his doubts begin to fade as he felt calmer in body and spirit as he watched the images.

((The future is always uncertain, and there will be many dangers, of that there can be no doubt. There will be doubts, fears, insecurities, questions, they are part of the path of life and can always be felt, experienced, and seen. But there is always hope, even in the darkest and most grievous of circumstances, as long as hope and courage remain as guides, then the future is brighter. You all have felt it many times, and you know that nothing can change that fact. Yet you all have triumphed under great difficulties and circumstances, because you all never gave up hope, and you all worked together.))

Images of happier times appeared before Kyo. His first meeting with Dita, Jura, Meia, his interactions with the crew of the ship, and many more. And along with the victory moments he shared with the crew. The smiles, cheers, laughs, and celebrations. All this made Kyo realize that the future was for them to make and the time they had was what they must use well. If he allowed himself to be filled with doubts, then there will be no way they could survive this long against such relentless enemies.

((Never doubt yourself and your comrades, for together, you can make anything possible.))

Kyo nodded as he felt himself falling back to sleep as the Paeksis began to fade as he felt darkness claim him. But no sooner had the darkness faded he was awakened by a voice.

--

In the Paeksis reactor room…

Unknown to the sleeping Gundam pilot, there was quite the crowd around him. And in the lead was none other than…

"Mr. Alien…please wake up."

Duero and Max were nearby as they checked Kyo. "Don't worry Dita, his vitals are all good so he's just sleeping." The older medic said to console the redhead, since when they found their companion, they thought he had an accident.

Just then the crowd moved back as the pilot in question gave a yawn and then opened his eyes.

Kyo was curious why he heard Dita's voice when his eyes opened, and to his surprise he found himself surrounded by some of the Crusader pilots, Jura and Barnette were there also, along with Dita, Misty, Meia, Sara, and Mai. Duero and Max were nearby as well. They all looked at him as if he had just come back from the dead.

"Uh…that was a good rest, what are you all doing here? I mean, I've only slept for a few minutes."

Dita then glomped onto Kyo and placed him in an embrace that would have made a certain purple haired Amazon jealous…along with several other girls in the room, who gave the redhead serious glares.

"We were so worried when we didn't find you in your room Mr. Alien, we thought you were…" Dita said as she tightened her grip.

"….Urk! Dita, please loosen your grip, if you keep that up, I'll probably fall unconscious due to…lack of air!" Kyo said as he began to feel the restriction on his ribs. Though his male side liked the contact with the lithe Megele female, he knew that he'd hardly appreciate it if he fell unconscious, plus the jealous looks coming from the girls were making him rather nervous.

Dita reluctantly released her grip on him and looked at the object of her affections as he decided to get up from his sitting position.

"I just went for a walk and rested here in the reactor room for a few minutes."

"Kyo…just what time did you leave your room?" Meia asked as she spoke to the object of her own growing but still denied affections.

"A few minutes after ten o'clock, right after the meeting. Why?"

"Do you know that it's already five thirty in the morning?" Jura asked. "When none of us found you in most areas of the Nirvana, we were in a panic."

"Really?"

Dita nodded vigorously as she began to explain the events that led to this point.

--

Several hours before…

RRRRRIIIIIINNNNNNNGGG!!

Dita moaned a bit as she reached for her chronometer, She set her clock to wake her up at exactly three in the morning since she wanted to make a special surprise for Kyo before they all went out to fight the bad aliens. She planned to cook a great breakfast for Mr. Alien and maybe help out in making a great meal for everyone in the ship. As she got on her normal attire she began thinking on what she could make for Kyo today.

Let's see…maybe some bread rolls with berries would be nice! Next some cheese fondue…or maybe an egg omelet instead. I know some orange juice would be good, plus some ham or bacon would be nice, plus some toast, maybe Mr. Alien would like some mashed potatoes…oh there's so many choices!

Dita then decided to ask Mr. Alien as she put on her tiara. She didn't want to cook too much food so she knew it would be better for her to ask him directly. She hoped that she didn't wake up Mr. Alien when he was in a bad mood. She had seen already how angry Kyo could be, and she wanted him to be happy, she liked…no, loved it when he had a smile on his face. And she hoped that what she would cook for him would do just that.

As she finally arrived at the men's side of the ship, she looked inside to see if anyone was inside. Duero was sleeping soundly in his bunk as it was the end of his shift at least a few hours ago, and Max was the one managing the Medical Bay while his elder sibling was resting. Aleck was resting soundly in his bunk, having worked for a while in the Register before his resting time. The older man was resting but had his hand on his side, clutching what appeared to be a dagger, having been a battle-hardened warrior, Aleck always lived by the philosophy of keeping one's weapons ready at ALL times, and none of the women questioned the tough man, the only exception being Gascogne, who before told Aleck about her no-weapons in the Register policy, to which the man agreed to. Bart was also nearby snoring , Dita grimaced a bit as Bart snored to his heart's content, but it seemed that the men, had never complained since Bart already knew of his snoring before hand and had taken a bunk that was a fair distance from the others. She already knew where Kyo's bunk was and quietly made her way to where Mr. Alien was.

"Mr. Alien…hello?" Dita spoke out quietly as she reached Kyo's bunk hoping that Mr. Alien would be able to hear her. She knew that this was still early, but from what could tell, it was going to be a very long day for everybody, including Kyo. She was the surprised to find the bunk empty and that made her curious. Normally Kyo would be sound asleep and could quickly wake himself up when the need came to it. It wasn't like Mr. Alien to not be in his bunk, and this made Dita curious.

That was when she felt a tapping on her shoulder, and before she could shriek in fright, a strong, calm voice came to her.

"Calm down Miss, I'm not going to hurt you."

Dita turned and found herself facing Aleck Koubayashi, who gave her a placating gesture, saying that he meant no harm. She gave a sigh of relief as she knew that the new man was a kind person who had become an ally of her fellow pirates and seemed to be on good terms with Mr. Alien.

Aleck also recognized Dita, he noted that this girl had a great deal of affection for Kyo whenever the Gundam pilot was in her company, after seeing the many times she'd look at him and hold him. Back on his world the mere sight of the woman would have been met with fear and hatred. And any man being hugged by a woman would have been considered an infected man and isolated or in the really worse case scenario, killed to avoid the so called infection'. He dropped that nonsense a LONG time ago and looked at women as human beings. One thing bothered him since she was wandering so early in the morning.

"You're Dita Liebely right? Do you know it's considered bad manners to just come in here unannounced?"

"Sorry, I just wanted to know where Mr. Alien is."

Aleck gave a look of confusion until he recalled from Kyo that he was the one Dita called Mr. Alien'. It struck him as down-right amusing to hear a tough pilot like Kyo being called an alien by anybody, yet it appeared that only this woman called him that, and he didn't appear angry about it…at least not too much.

"I'm sorry Dita, but I haven't seen Kyo ever since the end of my shift in the Register."

Dita gave a groan of dismay. "Where is Mr. Alien?"

"Why don't you try talking to Max? I guess he might have seen Kyo since it's his shift in the Medical Bay, for all you know, Kyo might be having a medical check-up."

Dita smiled and nodded. "Thanks! I'll go look for him now!"

In the Medical Bay…

"Hmmm…so if the process was like this then…yes, brother's right…that's a serious problem."

Max McFile said with grim certainty as he studied all the compiled data of his brother's experiments in the Medical Bay's data archives. Apart from using his knowledge of his world's medical and reproductive knowledge, plus his tests on various samples, Duero combined what he learned from Misty and Kyo about inter-gender procreation, (though Misty was more open about it, and Kyo finally agreed to give more information) and the reproduction techniques used on Megele. Included as a plus was data concerning the reproductive methods of their ancestors from Earth before the disaster that spawned the Harvesters.

And what he learned was a very grim prospect, though more data was needed and cross experiments were a must. Max was quick to catch into what his brother was researching and had no problem in understanding why his brother needed to test out a rather interesting but difficult theory.

The door alarm came on and he quickly re-sealed the data folder under his brother's pass-code. He turned and spotted the new comer as she came into the room.

"Dita Liebely, right? What can I do for you?"

"Have you seen Mr. Alien?"

Max, like Aleck was at first confused as to who Mr. Alien was, until they realized that it was Kyo who was given that name by the buxom redhead.

"I'm sorry, but Kyo never dropped by the Medical Bay for quite a while, and it's not time for his annual physical anyway."

Dita gave a grimace, she checked the cafeteria earlier just in case Kyo was drinking some coffee or having a meal. Then she went to the Medical Bay, now she was really worried.

"Oh, where is Mr. Alien?"

Max wondered what was making the normally cheerful redhead so flustered and nervous, but quickly reminded himself that Kyo apparently the object of affections for the young Dread pilot. He wondered also where the Gundam pilot had gone to, since he left the room right when Kyo left and he was taking his shift in the Medical Bay.

"I think Kyo is still here, you should ask the others if they have seen Kyo anywhere. I'll accompany you and we'll find him together, that okay?"

Dita perked up and nodded in agreement. "Sure!"

The two then visited the most likely candidate who might know where Kyo had gone. Dita knew for a fact that Jura also had a deep interest in Mr. Alien, and even though she suspected Jura might have captured Kyo for herself, she had been a friend to Jura for the many years she and the blonde had been in the group. As they arrived, Dita punched in the code to wake Jura up.

After a few minutes, the blonde came out of her room, yawning, apparently she wasn't the kind of girl to be an early riser. She apparently had not worn the same night-gown she wore when she, Meia, Dita, and Kyo had discussed the dream they had together a few months ago. She wore a deep blue satin night gown with slits on the sides of her hips and that showed her fabulous legs from hip to ankle. The gown had a plunging neckline that had no difficulty revealing the upper portion of the blonde's ample breasts. Jura had her hair in a braid so it wouldn't be snagged at night. Considering the fact that the blonde did her very best to look gorgeous, and be in great shape, it was no wonder Kyo had a VERY hard time reigning in his hormones….even more so if he saw her now since even without the cream or cosmetics, Jura was still what she was…a blonde bombshell.

"What's the big deal Dita?!" Jura complained as she wiped the grogginess out of her head. She wasn't about to say that she had some…VERY interesting images in her dreams on what she planned to do to a certain Gundam pilot when she got her hands on him. And she certainly wasn't going to say that in front of the perky redhead, along with the fact that she was secretly hoping that it was Kyo who was at her door, so she'd have the chance to ACTUALLY do what she was dreaming about. To say that Kyo wasn't in front of her was a bad thing was too far off the mark. "It's still three in the morning for Grandma's sake!"

Dita nodded as she looked sheepishly at the blonde, while Max was looking away from Jura. The fact was, that there were some times the younger McFile had seen a woman in her sleeping attire, and those were occasions he recalled that made him realize how inappropriate it was for him to be staring.

"I want to know if you've seen Mr. Alien Jura. Is he with you?"

Jura was tempted to tease Dita by saying yes, but she knew better, for one the fact was she hadn't seen Kyo ever since she turned in for the night. And the other is that she was still sleepy and arguing with anyone so early in the morning wasn't a very pleasant thing to do anyway. Besides, despite the fact that she and Dita were fighting over Kyo they were still comrades.

"No, I haven't seen him, why don't you try talking to Duero, his brother, or the other men on where he is, better yet, why don't you check his bunk on the men's side?"

"I already did, he wasn't there. I went to the cafeteria and he wasn't there, and when I went to meet with Mr. Doctor's brother in the Medical bay to find Mr. Alien, he still wasn't there!"

Both Jura and Max sweat-dropped as they heard Dita's description. Jura however became a bit more serious as she heard that Dita couldn't find him.

"Have you tried looking the Launching Bay? He might be working on Infinite-Freedom or something."

Dita realized that Jura might have a point. Kyo worked on his partner when he had free time from leading the girls in the Crusader Squadron, from his time in the Register, and when he wasn't cooking or working on new plans for their war with the bad aliens.

"Not yet, but I'll go check it out."

"Hold it, wait for me." Jura said as she went back into her room, and in a few minutes was now dressed in her normal garb, with her sword on the side.

"I'm coming with you."

As the three arrived in the Launching Bay, they were surprised not to hear a single sound from the place. No sound of working machinery, and the Gundam Kyo piloted looked untouched. When they got to the ramp which lead the chest of the Gundam, they found that the cockpit wasn't open, meaning that Kyo wasn't inside, and there seemed to be no activity whatsoever in the Paeksis-enhanced Gundam. And the lack of not finding Kyo was becoming a little worrying. The trio then made their way to another one of their comrade's rooms.

Jura and Dita waited after the blonde had punched in the code to Meia's room, announcing to the Dread Team leader that she needed to answer the door. Despite the fact that she never openly went after Kyo, both the blonde and the redhead knew for a fact that their aqua-haired comrade also had a deep interest in their respective object of affections. Meia didn't make open moves like Jura and Dita, but there was no denying the fact that she liked Kyo, and Kyo liked her back, in his own way.

When the door opened, it revealed Meia in her normal flight-suit, minus her chest and shoulder padding. (I never could figure out the purpose of it anyway.) The blue-haired female was always alert and tonight was no exception, though she still had the look of grogginess in anybody who was awakened at so early an hour.

The Dread leader gave a slight frown at her two companions in the Dread teams, no doubt even she wanted to get some extra sleep.

"Jura, Dita? What are you two doing up so early in the morning? I don't hear the alarm going off."

"Have you seen Mr. Alien anywhere Leader?" Dita asked Meia.

"What do you mean?" The aqua-haired girl asked as she began to lose her sleepiness.

"We're looking for him; we're asking if you've seen him after that meeting with the Captain?" Jura answered.

Meia wondered why this was important, especially since she had been in a rather interesting dream. The dream wasn't the same as the ones she had in her youth, namely after the disasters when she was young. But they included a more peaceful scene, along with her was a certain someone, namely the one Dita and Jura were looking for. Things had gotten rather…indecent before she was awakened by her comrades.

"Did you try looking for him in the men's quarters?"

"I already did, but he's not there, nor in Medical Bay or in the cafeteria. We even went to the Launching Bay where his partner was, and we didn't find him. We're getting worried." Dita whined a bit in despair.

Meia lost all sleepiness and thought about it, and then decided to join them in their search as she went back into her room and later came out with her chest/shoulder padding and her trusted laser ring. "We'll have to find him quickly."

End of explanation…

"When Parfet told us you were near the reactor sleeping, all of us came here and watched over you, we thought you were dead at first until both Duero and Max assured us that you were sleeping. What were you doing here of all places anyway?" Meia asked as Kyo got to his feet.

"I was just taking a walk to clear my mind, but I…I guess while looking at the reactor I fell asleep. It's nothing any of you should be worried about." Kyo said to reassure his companions as they made their way out of the reactor. Kyo then faced the Paeksis with a smile and spoke silently to himself.

"I will never give up…no matter what awaits me."

As if in answer to his words, the Paeksis glowed with deep green-blue light as they left.

--

The Harvester Homeworld…

The world that was once Earth continued on… the surface bathed by clouds and massive amounts of rain. Lightning bathed the atmosphere and massive winds rolled over the barren landscapes. Wrecked space stations and tall towers of ruined cities jutted upwards like skeletal fingers of dead men clawing up towards the heavens in utter despair, hatred, and loathing. Land-masses were bare of any vegetation, stripped of all signs of life, and even these were hidden by massive amounts of fog. The wrecks of vehicles and other scrap littered the lands along with the barely seen but ever present skeletons of those who died in the Days of Despair and the now failed attempts to save the once verdant planet. The Earth that was once the cradle of human civilization was now a barren, life-less mockery of it's former self.

In the cities that were built over this desolate waste-land. The inhabitants struggled to live, men and women traveled constantly, with movable life-support systems to keep their body functions in working order. Robots dotted the streets, acting as security units and aides to various people. Children were nothing but distant dreams as only the weakened and the frail were present. In the cities, the nobles' were the ones who could afford to have new organs surgically implanted to prolong their lives, and the presence of healing treatments did increase them. But they were constantly bathed in pain both physically and mentally. The people in these cities were the lucky ones, but on the surface it was a different story…

The surface still had some shelter and workable facilities, but these belonged to the wretches of the Harvester society, people who couldn't afford to be given prime organs to ensure their survival. They died riddled with disease, infections, and wounds that could never be fully healed and their deaths would be slow and agonizing.

It was a damned existence…

The images of such things were in the view-screen of the Harvester's Supreme Leader. The leader of the Harvesters and their fleets gave a sigh of disgust at the whole scene.

(To think that this is the future of men! The organs of those who survived will give new life to the human race and we WILL be restored to our full glory! But for how long?)

The Harvester Leader knew one thing and it in itself was very important. No matter how many organs they could harvest, there was always a limit to how much could be used until the supply ran out. Despite the vast numbers of charted and uncharted worlds that humans could inhabit, there was always the possibility that the supply would soon run out. This made it a priority to find ways to preserve the humans on Earth to give new life to the human race, regardless of the fact that there were new human worlds. It meant that until a new solution could be found, they had to rely on the organs, but they too were not just difficult to install', but the physiological limits of his people's bodies were also in question. Despite the treatments to ensure that every new organ transplant and orientation made the process easier, the underlying effect was that it made the body weaker and more prone to relying on life support to maintain proper biological functions. The organs were naturally not that of the new host and they would need to be bathed in special medical fluid to make them acceptable to the new host. Sadly this decreased their ability to normally function and their ability to last was decreased by the very same treatments, making periodical organ replacements a necessity. And it was becoming expensive.

In the initial stages of the Harvest, the organs were easy to gain and in large quantities from their farm' planets. But due to the mounting resistance, it became a bit of a problem. The fleets had some minor difficulties in obtaining their organ quotas. But ever since the emergence of the Nirvana, the pirates, their male allies, and the accursed Freedom Gundam which was now evolved, the problems have surmounted. The reports from their fleets had become even more difficult. The humans of the worlds they had earlier harvested had made a powerful resistance force, and with each new world that heard of them, they encountered resistance to their plans. The part that galled the leader was the fact that if ever the resistance forces ever met the Nirvana, it's crew and the pilot of the Gundam I-Freedom, then they would have both a symbol and leader to rally behind to defend themselves. Time was against the Harvest unlike before, every world that heard of the Gundam and the Nirvana, and the successes against their fleets, intensified their efforts to resist. Until the Nirvana was destroyed along with the Gundam, then the Harvest would fail, and Earth would be doomed.

(The Harvest will NOT fail! I WILL NOT ALLOW IT!!)

The leader gave a growl of anger as he turned to the sound of the signal telling him that a communiqué was waiting for him to receive.

"What is it?" He said with a growl as he looked at the underling on the monitor once he opened the comm. channel.

Even if the image was just computerized, the leader of the Harvester Council could see the fear etched on the face of his subordinate. The man cared little for the fear in his follower's face and waited for the reply.

"Master, we have received a report from the fleet we dispatched. The ground forces you specially requested have succeeded in acquiring the sample. The sample as of now is being escorted by a portion of the fleet that can be dispatched at all available speed."

The leader smiled malevolently. "Good, that is good news. What is the status of the ground forces?"

"The AI entity reports that the Nirvana was able to convert a large portion of it's forces to their cause and they are now considered as enemies. The Dominion units have been deployed as support units to various sections of the planet to secure vital targets in the surface…but it may be possible…that the Nirvana may escape the trap. The Ai reports that it is willing to activate Armageddon Protocol if the objective of halting and destroying the Nirvana and the crew is not possible."

The subordinate knew that the leader wanted nothing more than total and absolute success in the operations undertaken by the fleet, and awaited the possibility of him being demoted from his position…or being turned into spare parts.

The leader smiled an evil smile and spoke to his subordinate. "Allow the fleet the chance to halt the Nirvana should any attempt be made by it and the crew to escape. Also allow the AI entity in our trap to initiate the Armageddon Protocol if it fails. You have done well and I will make sure you get a first shot at any new organs we acquire in our next quota…as of now I wish some privacy, you are dismissed."

The relief on the subordinate's face would have passed off for an ocean as he nodded. "As you wish Master."

The leader nodded as he typed in the new data, and checked his subordinate. The man deserved his reward and placed his name on the first to receive new organs. He was a leader and he decided to reward good service anyway.

(Now…the real game begins.)

--

On the surface… in the Nirvana

The crew of the Nirvana were at full work detail as the pirates moved as fast as they could to prepare for their escape off this world. All over the ship, plans and last minute preparations were well underway. Magno nodded as she and Buzam made their way towards the Command Bridge, both women were happy that things were working fine, but like any seasoned veteran, they knew that they had to be prepared for anything.

In the Engineering Bay…

"Parfet! We've managed to link in the last of those Desert Fangs and Ogre's OS transceivers to link up with the simulators of the Vanguards. They'll be ready in a few minutes!" Chief said as she spoke to Parfet, who was busy running a complete diagnostic on the units they had acquired thanks to Kyo's planning. Chief and some of the Engineering crew were in the simulator room for Vanguard trainees.

"Good! I'm showing green lights on all the power packs and converters we've installed on them all. They don't need to rely now on their primary power cells at least. What about the Sky Strikers?"

Another engineer nodded as she reported in through the communications while being in the Nirvana's training room for prospective Dread pilots. "We've finally uploaded the piloting controls of the Sky Strikers on all of the simulators. They're ready to fly at any time."

Parfet nodded as she began to type in all the needed information and began to relay all that to the crew being assembled in the Briefing Room. But before that, she made some last minute checks make sure that everything was in good working order.

--

The Briefing Room…

"As you all can see, we have at least several targets to take out. The first is the set of transmitter dishes used to maintain the shield's defensive ability and the ones that provide power to the shield systems upstairs, if we don't take them out then we'll never get far. Even before that though, we have to eliminate as much power from the shields and the defenses around the Lancer Platform we need to capture as soon as we can."

Kyo said as he displayed the data concerning their targets to the assembled members of both the Dread teams, and that of the Crusader pilots. Along with them were Duero McFile, Aleck Koubayashi, and Max McFile. Since all three men were accomplished Mobile Suit pilots, it made sense that they were there. The three men had more than enough experience in them in such warfare, so it made sense also that Kyo requested them to be squad leaders for each of his Squadron's teams. He was happy that Sara and Mai accepted it without qualms since they had learned to trust the three men the same way they trusted him. The three men will lead the attacks in their Mobile Suits while the others would be their support. Kyo disliked the idea of the three men being in the war-zone, since they were too important to lose, but he knew that they could help coordinate the whole war effort better since none of his Crusaders could fight better on the planet's surface.

"Team Blue under Max and his Templar Gundam will lead the attack on one of the dishes, while Team Red under Duero and his Morpheous Gundam will attack the other dishes to bring the shield down. Team Silver under Sara and Team Gold under Mai will lead the feint on the target Lancer Platform to distract the enemy. Team Gryphon, which is comprised of Sky Strikers under Barnette, will act as reinforcement to Team Blue. Once both teams have succeeded, then they must meet up with Team red to attack the other dishes and then the planet's power generators. I'll try and get the attention of the AI forces by launching a feint on their main command center or one of their main bases on the Northern Hemisphere. As much as possible, make the units you will be leading count, even if none of you will be piloting them, they are not unlimited. As much as we can gather, the enemy will have Dominion Gundam units spread out on specific areas of the battle field. Engage them as a team, don't try and be heroes. Aleck and the remaining members of the Crusaders who can pilot their Vanguards will remain here on the Nirvana to provide security. The Dread pilots using the Sky Strikers will provide air support for each team. We have another problem to deal with. If we succeed in breaking away, then the AI leader will initiate a doomsday system under the title the Armageddon' Protocol."

"What is it?"

Kyo nodded as he began displaying more of the data he had recovered. The images changed to reveal a nest of underground power transmitters. The dishes were placed in what appeared to be strategic points and interlaying sectors on the planet's surface. Just like a spider's web…

"The Armageddon protocol is a network of interlocking seismic tremor field generators all throughout specific tectonic points on this planet's surface. It works in the same fashion as sonic resonance, as sonic vibrations can break apart matter bonds on a molecular level, just breaking down substances through sound, and also in the same way we use certain forging methods to mold objects. In this case, it's like generating a massive tremor capable of creating earthquakes on a continent-like scale. When all the generators are active at a certain point of time and sequence…the result would be a planetary quake that is at least one for the history books, since it will be having 10.0 Richter scale quakes everywhere. That planetary quake will tear this planet apart like a soda can filled with gun-powder, in literal speak, this generated quake will literally tear this planet into pieces." (1)

The assembled crew were shocked into silence at the implications of that possibility. Kyo knew that the idea of having an entire planet literally shaken to pieces under one's feet can be one heck of a humbling experience. The fact that if they were able to succeed, they would have to be really cutting it close this time. He recalled the seriousness of the operation they undertook all those months ago when they faced their first Earth Battle Fleet.

We got two Earth Battle-ships, unknown amounts of Seed Ships, Gods only knows how many Cube Fighters, Dominion Gundam units, and the ground and air forces of the AI down here. Now we've got to deal with the fact that at any time this whole planet will be shaken apart right from under us.

"Is there any way we can slow it down?" Mai asked Kyo directly.

Kyo nodded as he began to outline the plan. "The bad news is that there's no chance we can stop it permanently, the good news is that we can slow down the chance of it being activated. As far as what we've been able to decipher, the transmitters heavily rely on the planet's main power generators, since it needs a considerably large power flow to initiate it's synchronized activation to generate the quake effect. The transmitters DO have back-up power cells, but they need to be also in synchronization and have to store a massive power surge to activate the seismic effect. We have an approximate time frame of three hours until the back-up generators can create enough energy to create the effect. But mind you, we CAN'T waste even a second, because if we do…then the Harvester Fleet will be all over us. "

The crew nodded in understanding, once the mission was successful…the only chance they had was to escape as quickly as possible. Considering all that was stacked against them, there was not time to go hunting for kills.

Kyo nodded as well, and began outlining the plans for the defense of the Nirvana to be led by Aleck and remaining Crusader and Dread pilots. As time passed, the fear he sensed began to fade as the crew of the Nirvana began to get into sync with the plan.

As soon as the meeting was over, the crew went on their way to make their own preparations, but as Kyo was getting ready to leave, a certain Dread pilot/Gundam operator came up to him.

"Kyo?"

Kyo turned and faced Barnette. The girl seemed to have something important on her mind, and Kyo wondered if it had something to do with a certain Gundam pilot and Talark youth.

"What's up Barnette?"

Barnette knew that what she would request would not seem like a good idea to Kyo. Since he was the second in command for the Nirvana's defense and the main authority on all Vanguard or Mobile Suit operations for the pirates, he would be the only one to ask if she could join with the crew that would lead the assault.

"I want to be assigned with…"

"In your SwitchBlade Gundam I take it?" Kyo asked bluntly since there was no way Barnette could ever fight in her Dread on the planet's atmosphere. "And I wager a guess that you want to be assigned with Max's team, right?"

"Yeah, look I know that I'm not as good as you or any of the girls in the Crusaders when it comes to piloting Mobile Suits, and I'm no where near as talented as Jura, Dita, you, Aleck, Duero, and Max when it comes to fighting on a planet. But I want to do more than just pilot a few Sky Strikers in a Dread training simulation. I know…that I…I've been somewhat difficult with a lot of things. But things have changed, and I want to do this."

Kyo looked Barnette over critically; there was no doubt in his mind that she was very sincere about her request. And he knew that she did change, from being a woman who still had some issues with men due to what she heard from her planet, to a woman who went past believing what she was told to by others and learned on her own. He did have reservations though. Barnette was an exceptional pilot with her Dread, since Meia mentioned that Barnette would make a good squadron leader, his strategic mind told him that losing someone of Barnette's budding skill and caliber was a serious flaw in action. Plus she and Jura were close friends, they had been close long before he ever met the two of them, and if anything were to happen to Barnette in the battle-field, Jura would be devastated. And to add to that was the fact of the blossoming relationship between her and Max McFile. The two became another couple from two different cultures showing that differences could be broken, and it seems that considerable amounts of respect, understanding and affection would blossom between the two….if anything would happen to Barnette, Kyo had an accurate idea that it would be very damaging to Max since he had been in a similar relationship and lost the one he had feelings for, so losing Barnette would be a serious blow to the younger brother of Duero.

But to deny Barnette her request was also a bad idea, since he knew that she wanted to do this for the fact that she wanted to help others, plus he knew that she has feelings for Max, and if he knew one thing, though he couldn't recalled from where, it was that if you couldn't protect the ones you cared about, you would always feel cheated, empty and a failure, if anything happened to Max, who knew how Barnette would take it? There were some pros and cons with the whole idea, but since time was against them…

Kyo shook his head and sighed. "All right, I'll put you into the combat roster with Max. You've got another two hours to straighten things for yourself until we all meet for the last check-up."

Barnette's face lit up with a smile of gratitude and she nodded. "Don't worry, I'll be ready!"

"Just promise me that you and Max don't get killed or act like heroes, all right?"

"Yeah, I know."

Kyo looked straight at Barnette in total seriousness. "I'm serious Barnette."

Barnette merely looked back just as hard at him. "I know, and so am I."

The two looked at each other even more, and began to laugh a bit…relieving a little of the tension. "All right, I'll see you and him in the Launching Bay, now get something to eat, you need it."

Later…

As the crew went about their last preparations for the mission they all had to undertake, certain individuals with issues began to make their moves to complete what they wanted to do, since this could very well be their end.

…………………..

Jura Basil Elden sighed as she took her shower in the Nirvana's communal bath. As the water flowed over her form, she began to think to herself about what she should do now. In the meeting she had with Meia, she learned that she would fight alongside her, Dita, and Kyo when they in their Sky Strikers. Jura thought about what it meant to her that Kyo was part of the crew.

It wasn't that she planned on giving up on having him as the ohma of her children, she was no mood to give up the idea. And when she finished her bath, it was time to see if she could break down even further the wall of composure the Gundam pilot erected around himself. She giggled like a little girl at the prospect.

(I'm going to ENJOY this!)

--

Kyo wondered what he should be doing, since it was still an hour and forty-five minutes before the operation would begin. That was when Barnette came up to him with Max in tow.

"Kyo, you've got a minute?"

"Yeah, what's it about?"

Barnette nodded as she began to explain. "Jura wanted to show you something in her room, she didn't tell me what she had in mind, but she said it's VERY important you go to her room."

(I've got a SERIOUSLY bad feeling about this…)

Kyo thought to himself as he thought about what was possibly going to happen. He thought it over and decided that he might as well get going.

"All right, call Jura and tell her I'm on my way."

As Kyo walked towards the location of Jura's room, Barnette hoped that Jura's latest scheme would finally snare the Gundam pilot, she knew that he might resist, but considering ALL that Jura had in mind, that was very much up for debate, considering what she SAW…

Barnette immediately blushed bright red at what Jura had shown her. Max noticed it and wondered why Barnette's face was nearly colored like a…tomato? It also made her look more attractive to the Talark youth, but his curiosity over the whole situation won him over.

"What's making you blush Barnette?"

Barnette shook herself back to her senses and gazed at Max, suddenly more images flooded her mind…namely concerning her and the very same young man that was beside her. This made her wish she could just faint and forget everything…it was so…

"Umm…it was nothing…I was just thinking about what Jura showed me."

"What exactly is it about?"

Barnette twiddled her fingers and she warred on whether she should tell Max or just lie. In a moment she decided to just explain as best she could. "You know about Jura's wish to have a baby with a man's seed?"

Max cocked his head back in thought and recalled how Jura would follow Kyo and ask him about the ancient methods of procreation between genders. Even if he was told by Kyo how it worked, and learning some ideas on the process from his brother, he still wondered just HOW it could be accomplished.

"Yes, you did tell me about that a while back. So what about it?"

"Jura's…well…found…found a record on HOW it was done."

"Oh…really, did she show it to you?"

Barnette merely answered with a nod while she was trying not to nose-bleed when she thought about it.

"I've been doing some research about that process alongside my brother, and we've hit a snag since Kyo doesn't explain all the details involved. Since you've already seen it, can you bring that record so both of us can do research on it?"

--

Dita's room…

Dita Liebely cheerfully got herself cleaned up in her own back as she got ready to eat her breakfast and cook for Kyo. After finding the object of her affections and seeing that he was all right she decided to do what she planned. It might take her a few minutes, but it would be well worth it. Seeing him smile was worth every moment and to be close to him was also becoming one of her treasured moments.

Besides, in just another hour and a half, she could meet up with Mr. Alien.

Meia's room…

Meia likewise got cleaned up and now put on her circlet, and gave a smile at a small picture of her and her ohma and fahma, even though she already made peace with what happened between her and her folks, she still wished that they were alive for her to talk to them about how much things have changed and how much she missed them. This was all thanks to her experiences and with Kyo who really did a lot for her.

In just another hour and a half they were going to be fighting side by side.

--

Unknown to Dita, Meia, and the others who were interested in Kyo…A LOT can happen in an hour and thirty minutes!

--

In Jura's room…

Kyo squirmed uncomfortably as he sat down on the mattress; he wondered why Jura had called him into her room during a time like this. But apparently the blonde was adamant that he would come to meet her, and like any normal man, (and I use the term…somewhat liberally) he couldn't say no to a very sexy woman, and Jura fit that description like a glove.

(What exactly is Jura wanting to talk to me about and what exactly is she going to show me anyway?)

The Gundam pilot wondered as he looked about in Jura's room. The blonde had greeted him enthusiastically and he couldn't shake the feeling she was hiding something from him. Not that it was anything new, he then looked at Jura's room, and the place was very well stacked in the decoration department.

There were very colorful rugs and tapestries, along with some flower patterns and waves on some of the tapestries. There were even some flower arrangements in vases and soft curtains in soft but very eye-catching colors. The room was also filled with a scent that Kyo had some difficulty recognizing, but all in all, the room was very well lighted and reminded him of a show room he had seen on one of his journeys.

(I'll give this much, if Jura wasn't a pirate, she'd be a great interior designer back home on her world. Speaking of whom, where did she get to?)

That was when he noted there appeared to be a special audio/video player system, complete with a view-screen. Apparently whatever Jura wanted to show him was an audio/visual record. There seemed no harm in that…but why did he feel rather nervous and…somewhat acutely aware of the scents and sights around him?

"Thanks for coming Kyo." Jura's voice came out from behind the door that was her changing room.

"No problem Jura, but we're in a…." Kyo was saying as he turned to face Jura, but the rest of the sentence, in fact every word in his mouth and every coherent thought in his brain just decided to leave him as he gazed at the blonde Dread pilot.

Jura was not wearing her normal dress which by itself made Kyo very aware of the blonde's luscious curves, swells and sexuality to a strong degree, but what she had on was enough make his hormones shoot up like rockets out of the firing tubes. She didn't have her sleep-wear on, but this came a good second.

Jura had on a two piece suit comprising of a tank-top style bra made of what appeared to be silk and was not very convincing as an article of clothing since it showed the upper parts of her breasts VERY well, and since the cloth was rather thin, he had no difficulty seeing her breasts in full, along with her nipples since she NEVER wore any bras in all the time he had known her. The rest of the blonde's body was in display as her form was not restricted by clothing…with the exception of her lower form.

The last article of clothing comprised of a long pants, but like the bra/tank top, they did very LITTLE in hiding Jura's modesty. They matched the color of the upper article of clothing. And like Jura's original choice of dress, the pants has slits that revealed her legs on the sides. The pants appeared to be secured on the side by easy to release lapels and rode very low so it revealed Jura's toned stomach all the way to her navel, and he had no problem seeing the patch of hair in the juncture of her legs. The blonde's hair was still in it's normal style and was like a halo of flowing gold strands behind her.

The only thing that would describe Jura Basil Elden at this point in time would be…HOT!!

"I take it you like what you see Kyo?" Jura said in her most seductive tone as she smiled like a predator who had just cornered it's prey.

Kyo felt like he had melted wax for bones as he couldn't move or tear his eyes away from Jura.

(I'm dead….I'M SERIOUSLY DEAD!!)

--

The crew of the Nirvana were taking their meals in the cafeteria and were busy bleeding out the tension and relaxing so they would be a little bit prepared for the plan to begin. Dita, Meia, and the others in the Dread teams were busy getting their food and were now eating to get enough energy to pilot their new units. Many of them wished they could fly their Dreads on the planet's surface, but knew that was wishful thinking since the Dreads were never designed for atmospheric combat.

Meia and Dita were busy eating and were then joined by Aleck, Gascogne, Duero, Parfet, and Barnette. Max was still on his shift in the Medical Bay before he could get some food to eat.

"Are you piloting your Sky Striker on this mission Barnette?" Meia asked as she took her position as Dread leader seriously like before. She knew that Jura and the others had great promise as Dread pilots and Barnette was also a good prospect.

"No, I'm piloting the Gundam I was using before."

"The SwitchBlade?" Meia heard of the Gundam Barnette had acquired and piloted before and was moderately surprised. She knew that Barnette had a dislike for men's machines, despite the fact that the SwitchBlade wasn't constructed by the men of Talark. She then recalled that Kyo at one time of their travels spoke the despite Barnette's dislike for Vanguards, Barnette actually had a latent talent for piloting Vanguards of general Mobile Suits. And it meant that out of the Dread pilots in her command, Barnette had the talent of pilot Vanguards.

"Yeah, I asked Kyo to put me in Team Blue under Max."

"Really? Why is that?" Meia asked her comrade in the Dreads.

Barnette merely smiled back. "Let's just say that, this is something I want to do." Meia didn't know what that meant so she spoke in her authoritative voice to the green-haired pilot.

"Could you be a little bit clearer on that?"

"I guess I just want to do it, and I like Max, he's a nice guy, he saved my life and…well…I'd like to get to know him more. So I can't just let him go out there alone now can I?" Barnette said as he ate her food and waited for Meia to ask anymore questions. But it appeared that she had none.

"You're getting very friendly with Mr. Doctor's brother aren't you Barnette!" Dita said cheerfully. "Maybe you really like him, just like I like Mr. Alien so much!" The redhead said with a smile.

Normally Barnette would have scoffed and be offended by the idea of her ever liking a man, but that was before, and this was now. She gave a laugh and nodded towards Dita.

"You might be right Dita, so just when are you going to make any new moves towards Kyo anyway?"

Dita blushed at that remark and twiddled her fingers as she thought of an answer. "I guess I wanted to cook him a good meal today, but he's so busy now with all the planning and preparations, I don't ever want to disturb him when he's so busy."

"Don't worry Dita, I'm sure Kyo will be here soon, nothing's going to happen to him, he's here on the ship and I think he's fine." Meia said to reassure her apprentice.

Barnette kept silent as she ate her scrambled eggs. I hope so, Jura's scheme is really going to be something. I wonder if Kyo's all right?

--

Right now however, Kyo was ANYTHING but all right…

Jura's room…

Kyo wished he could leave the room, but somehow the thought of leaving the room wasn't in his mental faculties as Jura walked over to him. It was as if he was welded in place on the mattress as the blonde seductively walked to him.

"Jura…please…we…uh."

Jura giggled at the sight of Kyo being totally dumb-founded. "What's the matter Kyo? Don't tell me you're frightened of me of all people." She said seductively as she finally sat beside him and rubbed her hands on his face slowly and lovingly.

Kyo's moral side screamed at him like a sonic boom to get up, apologize, and leave the room, but his natural male side was also screaming at him in high pitch to just stay there and let whatever the blonde beauty had in mind to happen. The way Jura moved while she was beside him was making his body harden, along with a certain part of his male anatomy, which began to react to the blonde's seductive actions.

Jura smiled inwardly as she came closer and when she was in front of of Kyo she placed her body on him while making sure that she was able to unbutton Kyo's clothes partially. In the instant, Kyo, who was only dressed in his normal civilian clothes was now only having his under-shirt on.

"Jura…we can't just…do it…I'm begging you! Stop this…"

Jura merely smiled as she began to unbutton Kyo even further. "You know, for a man, you look so darn attractive when you get like this!"

"Really? Whoa! Hold it!" Kyo said as she began to use on hand to go under his shirt while the other began to head down south. He tried to move but that was out of the question since Jura was in front of him and his arms seemed to have been glued on the bed like welded steel bars. He tried even harder but the fact that Jura's breasts were on his chest and in full view for him made his limbs take on the consistency of gelatin.

"What…what about…B…Barnette?"

Jura looked at him and gave a sigh. "Come on Kyo, you should know already. Barnette's gotten an interest in Max since he saved her life. Just as I…have a deep interest in you." She then gave a smile to him. "To be honest with you…we've…never…ever felt this way before…especially with a man. We talked about it…back in the city, and we decided to…explore these new feelings we have."

"Feelings?"

"Yes, whenever I'm with you…I feel so…warm, safe, and whole. I've never felt them before, namely with a man, but they feel….even stronger…when I'm with you. It was confusing at first, but I wanted to know why I feel this way. These feelings started that day in Anpathos when you kissed me. And they grew even stronger when we were here, I have never forgotten those moments…namely when you kissed me."

Kyo blushed deeply as he NEVER forgot those moments himself.

"Ever since then, I've tried to find more information about these relationships. I have a record I want to show you. Do you recall how much I wanted to know how men and women had children together?"

"Uh…yeah." Kyo said nervously.

Jura gave him a seductive, mischievous smile as she moved aside and then took out a controller and activated the audio/video system in her room.

Kyo was confused for only a nano-second, but he quickly put two and two together and realized what Jura had been doing in the city. Oh god! Please tell me she didn't…!

"I just happen to have found a record of HOW they did it."

(Oh no!)

Sorry Kyo…but she did.

Flashback to last night in the Nirvana…

Jura busied herself as she ran through the items she had acquired in the building called Heaven's Gate. Ever since she had this plan to have a child with Kyo she had been searching every nook and cranny in the city. She decided to also gather what she could find in the city and came in contact with this place called Heaven's Gate. There she found a good number of records similar to that of the one they found during Christmas time.

She made sure that unlike the Christmas video, the ones she was going to view were not able to be broadcasted all over the ship. Having done all that she decided to watch the video she had selected, on the right were a selection of the same videos.

The blonde's eyes became the size of saucers (the flying kind) as she saw images of a man and a woman, doing a certain set of acts while being totally buck naked! Right now the man was going certain acts with the woman's breasts.

(Use your imagination on this one. This is NOT however, BDSM or any of that crud, I do NOT write that stuff. Period. We clear?)

Woman: Mmmm…that's it…ah….

Man: You feel so soft…and warm…

Woman: Yes…ah…more…mmm

Jura's eyes widened as the man kissed the woman fiercely and passionately and she began to go lower while kissing the woman's nude form until he was between the woman's legs… and then…

Woman: Ahhhh…harder…that's it…right there!

Man: You're hot down here… sweet and so wet…!

Jura listened intently as certain sounds came out. But that was also when…

Woman: Ahhh…I can't take it anymore! I want you NOW!

Man: Now?

Woman: Yes! I want you inside of me!

Jura couldn't help but gasp as she saw the man place his tube' in alignment with the woman's most sacred place, and she watched transfixed as the two began to move in a certain way.

(No need for explanations here. I'll leave it up to you all to fill in the blanks.)

Woman: Ohh…you're so hard…I want more!

Man: Oh man! You're so wet and tight…you're incredible!

Woman: Ahh…this…this feels so good!

Man: Yes! You're so good!

A few minutes later…

Woman: I…I can't…hold it anymore! I'm…

Man: Me too!

Both participants suddenly screamed in full force. Jura felt like screaming too, but not in horror, as she felt VERY warm and wet, not to mention that she suddenly felt these deep urges in her guts. She watched as the two people relaxed in deep bliss and smiled at each other. She didn't have trouble picturing herself in the woman's place or Kyo in the man's place now.

(Ohhh…so THIS is how men and women had children! VERY interesting…wait is there more of this? I need to know more!)

Jura went on watching the rest of the video along with several others the rest of the night.

--

End of Flashback…

(Oh my god she had to find THOSE types of videos!)

Kyo said as he and Jura watched that very same video, and when it was over he felt Jura turn his head around to face her and he noted the very aroused look Jura was sending him.

"They looked VERY happy there…don't you think so Kyo?"

Kyo barely gulped as Jura came ever closer. Her hands were on his chest now that he was bare of his under-shirt. "So…I take it you know about…uh…sex between men and women now?"

"Yep, and now that I DO know…I think it's time." Jura said as she began to reach behind her back with one hand.

"Please…Jura…don't…"

Jura shook her head and then without any hesitation she took off her top and exposed her upper form to Kyo, and before he could say anything she answered.

"I want this…I want you…and I want to have your child Kyo." Jura knew she wanted this, she wanted to have a baby…Kyo's baby…and him most of all. Now that she said it…there was no way she would stop.

Kyo's last words were silenced as Jura silenced him with a kiss and the momentum sent both of them down to Jura's bed. In that moment Kyo's resolve to rein in his hormones was broken as he responded back to Jura's passionate kiss.

He reached behind her and held her in his embrace and his harder, more muscular form reveled in the warmth of her softer, more supple one. The feeling of her voluptuous breasts on his bare chest ignited Kyo's passions as he opened his mouth and both his tongue and Jura's began to move together, touching each other in such a way, that would have qualified as a natural sex act on it's own. Both moaned deeply as they felt each other and tasted each other as well.

Once a minute passed Jura got off Kyo as both saw a small trail of their mixed saliva join them as they broke their kiss. Kyo took this chance and switched places with the blond with him on top and her underneath. He then began to kiss her again, slowly and fervently, wasting no time in tasting her again. Once he was done he began to kiss Jura on the cheeks and went towards the smooth clear skin of her neck delicately nipping and kissing her smooth skin and tracing the outline of her collar-bones with his tongue, releasing more moans and giggles of pleasure from the blonde pilot.

Once he got lower he came into contact with Jura's chest and naturally her breasts. Kyo wondered what the heck he was going to do, and it took only a moment for him to come up with a suitable idea. He kissed first the space between them while massaging them carefully, hoping that he was doing it properly.

Jura moaned in approval as she felt Kyo's hands on her mounds and made it a sign as she ran her hands through his hair, once she encountered the cloth piece that held his hair, she began to remove it, allowing Kyo's hair to become free, which had grown longer since he had been with the crew. She was impressed when she found Kyo's hair to be soft, almost a total contrast to his hardened form, and like any woman she ran her finger through the locks, allowing them to flow through her fingers.

Kyo then went further in his desires since his hormones have finally managed to over-power his morals. He got up and began to lave attention to Jura's right breast and kissed the mound carefully, while nipping lightly at her smooth milky skin. His left still did it's part on her other breast, gently touching the nipple and carefully massaging it, applying just enough pressure not to cause pain. The last thing in Kyo's now lust fogged brain was to hurt the blonde woman beneath him. He then began to lave attention on the nipple, kissing it first and blowing carefully, making Jura squirm, he then took it into his mouth and laved it with his tongue, making the nub hard and very sensitive to his actions…Jura just replied with a moan that made Kyo thankful he was a man.

One thing bothered him though…

How in the heck did I learn how to do this anyway? It's not like I've had a fling ever since I went wandering in the cosmos?

(Apparently, Kyo had forgotten that like any normal teenager back on Earth, he had been able to have a relationship, but it wasn't all that serious. Kyo didn't get to third base, if that's what you guys were thinking, so technically, Kyo's still a virgin…albeit a four hundred nineteen year old virgin.)

Once he was done he gave the same attention to Jura's other breast, making it just as sensitive, the blonde replied to his actions once he was done, as she brought him back to her and both kissed with greater fervor. Jura then took her own turn as she finally took off her pants by unbuttoning it at the side, now revealing herself to Kyo who looked at her in full arousal.

Jura took her turn and began to do the very same things Kyo did to her once she got him on his back. As much as she enjoyed the pleasure of Kyo's actions, she wanted to be fair to the man she cared for and hoped to be the new ohma for her children and give him the same pleasure. She started by kissing him deeply, savoring the taste of him, and then smiled as they both moaned. She began to kiss Kyo's cheeks and then descended on his neck, doing what he did for her, she did it just as carefully, making Kyo groan. Jura had to admit that Kyo looked very happy and his pleasured expression made her feel even more as if she had butterflies in her stomach…who knew that a man aroused would be so handsome?

She finally reached his chest traced kisses on his collar-bones, and then reached his pectoral muscles. She then kissed him carefully admiring the quivers Kyo would have as she began to lave the same attention he had given her breasts with both her lips and tongue, to say that Jura wasn't sexually experienced was a lie, but she knew that this was an absolute first! Imagine, a woman of Megele, becoming this intimate to a man? Back then, the mere thought of it would have been an abomination, but she never realized how…arousing it was. She sensed how Kyo would moan her name and it made her even more aroused.

Was this what women in the past did with men? She put those thoughts aside as she went on with her treatment, but took it further as she began to descend lower…

Unfortunately…the action had to be cut short…

As Kyo looked at Jura, his mind suddenly conjured images of the other girls, Dita, Meia, Sara, Mai, and Misty. He knew that what he was doing was like betraying their trust and feelings for him, and this would also strain the comradeship these girls had with Jura. Plus it would become a real mess when they heard of it… But this also meant that he would hurt Jura's feelings as well if he denied her this, he was no fool and knew that considering the situation, Jura wanted to have his child and she wanted him…but there was way too much at stake…and the situation they were in…

(Damn it! God I KNOW I will regret this!)

Kyo sat up and then held Jura by the arms…halting the blonde from her actions. He immediately regretted that as Jura's happy, pleasured look was replaced with shock and sadness.

Jura didn't understand it…What did she do wrong?

"Kyo? Did I do something bad? Please tell me, I'll try and do better!" Jura wanted to know what she did wrong, she thought Kyo would want this! He certainly did when she was doing it to him. So where did she go wrong?

"You…you didn't do anything wrong."

"Then why did you stop me? I thought you…"

"Liked it?"

"Yes. You were…"

"I know…believe me I more than liked it…but we can't…"

Jura couldn't help but feel sad and somewhat angry at Kyo and she was about to yell at him, but instead she began to cry, thinking that Kyo must hate her for trying to seduce him at a time like this….but she couldn't resist…

She felt Kyo's hands embrace her gently and he began to rub her back with his fingers, the feeling of his hands on her back making calming motions made Jura relax the slump on her shoulders, and she was able to suppress the sob that threatened to break.

"I don't hate you Jura…in fact I liked what you did, though it was a little stronger than I expected, but I should have, coming from someone as…ah…serious as you. But you know that we're not exactly able to so this. Please, I…I need time for all this."

"But…"

Jura couldn't say anything as Kyo kissed her once more, but there was no ferocity in the kiss, not like the lust-filled ones they had. But that didn't mean it had no effect on the blonde. The kiss had still the same passion but it was cool, soothing, almost calming, this made the blonde sigh and wish they could do that dance of tongues in their mouths once more, but she decided to savor this one instead of complain.

As they broke their contact, Kyo looked at Jura deeply and spoke carefully. "I don't want to hurt you…but I don't think we should…be doing this right now. Please let me have some time…for both our sakes, please?"

Jura wanted to know what Kyo meant by this, but the tone Kyo had made her wonder. He sounded as if he was pleading with her to give him time. Though she felt hurt and somewhat angry being denied yet again by Kyo, she wanted Kyo to be willing to have a child with her, and if he gave the same feelings she had for him back to her…then she guessed it would be all right.

"All right, but don't keep dodging me."

(As if dodging you is on my mind…I have more…Argh! Get a grip Kyo!)

Kyo got out of the bed and got back on his under-shirt, but as he got ready to leave, Jura reached him and turned him around and embraced him. Just like before Kyo felt the warmth from Jura's supple form, and then he turned to face the blonde, she kissed him as they broke away.

Jura wanted to move further, but she knew that she was needed to fight to ensure their escape. There would be more time to try again later. But her feelings were growing, more to the point that she felt this one emotion when she thought of Kyo.

Looks like she'd need to think about all this.

--

As Kyo walked back to where he needed to be, he had to deal with another conflict…between his morals and his hormones.

(You MORON! WHY IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT'S NORMAL DID YOU WALK AWAY?!)

The voice that he heard back in the city shouted at him in full force.

(Shut up! I did the right thing!)

(What?! Right thing my gut! You chickened out, you loser!!)

(I said shut up! Look…I told you that now's not the time for this discussion!)

(But…aw hell, never mind!?)

The voice went silent, allowing Kyo some piece, though he knew that he would never be free of his mind's voice for his male hormones, just his bloody luck that he had to deal with his hormonal urges in this fashion.

Kyo sighed as he stopped in the Bio-park and looked at the environment…once more at war with what he would be doing. His emotions were is a state of a mess, but as he thought about it, he knew that he would one day have to face this situation eventually, at least for the time being he could calm himself.

At least I don't have to worry about the women for a while.

He then heard a voice call out to him.

"Hello Kyo."

Kyo sighed as he knew who's voice that was. He took a deep breath and turned to face his latest companion.

"Hello…Meia?"

Kyo's eyes opened wide as he gazed at the Dread pilot, apparently she had not donned on her normal flight suit and was dressed in something else.

.

Meia didn't know why she decided to change her ward-robe but she wanted to try it out and see what Kyo would think. As Kyo looked at her, her mind wandered back to what prompted her to make this move on Kyo.

Flashback…

As Meia moved to clean up herself in the shower, her mind wandered back to the incident that took place in the communal bath all those weeks ago. She then wondered about what her standing was with Kyo.

In times while they were on the surface of this planet, she had been able to have time to speak with the Gundam pilot, as much as she wanted those times to be more open, they both had so many duties and responsibilities that time for a…normal conversation was not available. She also wondered why he wasn't noticing her of late. Not that there was any offense on Kyo's part…but ever since they had been able to reunite with the others, the Gundam pilot seemed to be doing his level best to keep others at an arm's length from him.

She didn't know why, but his lack of time for her seemed to gnaw at her temper, and she couldn't help but…feel angry…and though she hated to admit it…jealous of her two comrades Jura and Dita, as they had been with Kyo the longest since they had been on this mission. Even Sara, Mai, and Misty would try and get Kyo to pay attention to them and they seem to be succeeding. Wasn't she as attractive as they were? Didn't he like her? Wasn't she as important as they were to him?

What am I thinking?! Meia asked herself as she calmed down while the water flowed over her. Of course Kyo cared about her, he had risked his life in more battles than she could recall for their safety and survival and hers. There was no doubt in her mind that he did care about her, they bared their souls to each other on many occasions. Long before she ever met the young man, the mere thought of her sharing her scarred past to anybody's ears was repugnant to her, but Kyo was the one she barred her past to and she felt so much in him what made her heart race.

She then thought back on the occasions Kyo would be relaxed, when he would laugh, smile…most of the time when they were together, he was all business, allowing humor to come it to lighten the mood. She had seem him when his anger took control, and when he would be just…be himself. But there were times they would just be talking and she sometimes wondered why Kyo would stare at her on occasion. But there was no offense, almost as if he was admiring her, and although she wouldn't admit it…she liked staring at him…

As Meia got out of the shower and wrapped her nude form with a towel and dried her blue hair with another, she wondered how she could be able to talk to Kyo more. Despite the situation, she did want to have some time alone with Kyo, though how she was going to get that time in the Nirvana was beyond her. But she wanted to at least have some time for herself with Kyo no matter how long or short.

Once she put on her normal flight-suit she began wondering what she could do to make Kyo more relaxed to talk to her more openly. There were still secrets Kyo had in himself, and she hoped to learn all she could about him and what made him so important in her life. The first thing was to look less official and more personal. She always wore the flight-suit to show that she was serious, and Kyo had no problems with her choice. But to her, if she wanted to let Kyo open up to her…she would have to change her look. She looked at herself in the room's mirror, and noted that she still needed to change since she looked more a soldier than a woman.

(Maybe…maybe if I didn't look so serious all the time, I might…get him to open up to me more.)

As she made her way to her room, and learned that there was still time she decided to see what she could wear. She had a considerable amount of spare clothes, but since she had dedicated herself to leading the Dread Squadrons for the pirates since joining up, she had kept the clothes in special containers and didn't bother to use them. But for now she felt that it was time to try something on.

She tried to convince herself that by doing this, she could improve the crew's understanding, morale and make the alliance even stronger so as to defeat the Harvesters. But a part of her called her a liar for those reasons, despite all of that, she was ready to try it out.

After a few minutes of searching, she found something she could try, and as she took off her uniform, she hoped that she was not making a mistake.

End of Flashback…

(Wow…)

Kyo said to himself as he gazed at the vision before him, no way could that woman be Meia…could it?

Meia had shed her uniform and was wearing a blue silk blouse with no sleeves and had a collar, the dress revealed Meia's long smooth skinned, slightly muscled arms and the straps revealed her shoulders. The dress's upper portion revealed a modest amount of cleavage while the rest hugging Meia's breasts, making the Gundam pilot nervously aware of the young woman's own assets', while the rest of it hugged Meia's athletic figure, revealing her own level of innocent sexuality and beauty. The dress's loose skirt reached to the middle of her knees, and showed the toned calves of the Dread leader, muscled yes, but flawless and smooth skinned. On her feet were low heeled shoes that had straps and looked to be very comfortable.

As he looked up back to Meia's face…Kyo noticed right away that Meia had taken off her circlet, showing a perfectly smooth oval face and since the jewel wasn't there, he was able to admire the features of Meia Gisborn. He noticed that her blue-green eyes were shinning and that was when he noted the pink tint on her cheeks.

That made him realize that he was staring very intently at her and no doubt was making her rather nervous. But who could blame him? Even in her pilot uniform, and even when she was all business, Meia was a very attractive woman in is eyes. But to see her in a dress and not looking like a fellow pilot…

(She's…beautiful.)

Kyo said to himself, while making sure he didn't do something totally stupid, like drool.

Meia felt like her heart was beating like a drum in a festival in Megele. The way Kyo was looking at her…made her feel nervous but ecstatic at the same time. She thought that since she was considered just pretty back on Megele and wasn't as physically well formed as some of her other comrades, namely Jura, she wouldn't be as attractive to Kyo as the blonde was, but from the way he gazed at her… she saw that he admired her.

Gathering her courage, she decided to twirl a bit to show her full form to him, as she finished she faced Kyo and spoke to him.

"Do you like it Kyo?"

Kyo immediately shook his head to get his mental functions back in working order. Once he got control of his mind and his voice box…

"You look…you look very beautiful Meia." He said as it was the honest truth.

The blush Meia managed to contain blossomed until her cheeks were as red as a tomato. "It's…something I had for a long time. I wanted to show this to you…I…hope you like it."

Kyo nodded dumbly as he couldn't tear his eyes away as Meia came ever closer.

--

Later…

Kyo shook his head as he walked back to the cafeteria. Just what was he going to do about his girl situation? He had been able to evade Jura's nearly successful attempt on getting his seed, though just barely, and now he had to deal with Meia's actions, he didn't mean to hate it, it just made things even more complicated in the relationship department for him. He then thought back at what had happened a few minutes before.

Flashback…

Both he and Meia sat on a bench while they gazed at the Bio-Park. Meia seemed to be at a loss for words while he was also trying not to act like a pervert by lewdly staring at her. Though he was far from innocent since he HAD already SEEN Meia in the nude…

(Damn! Best not to think that right now!!)

Kyo said as he halted the surging images of the nude form of Meia from occupying his mind while gazing at her.

"Kyo…can I talk to you about something?"

Kyo nodded while waiting and making sure he didn't stare even more.

"What about?"

"About you." Meia said and then tried to continue. "I mean…I don't…well, know that much about you. I just want to know about you more." Meia said as she gazed at Kyo taking in also his features.

(Is Meia…hitting on me?! Am I on a date or something?)

"All right."

The time they had was not as long as possible, but Kyo decided to tell Meia as much about himself as he could, and she asked him a great deal about his likes and dislikes, further making Kyo wonder if he had been on a date with the normally calm and focused Dread pilot. It was only when she asked him about parts of his past that he was a little bit cautious, since he had been able to recall more of his past bit by bit for the last few days.

"Do you remember anything from your…childhood?"

Kyo took a little time to think and replied. "I recall…the beach…I guess it meant I lived on a house near the ocean. I recall playing in the waves and picking up sea-shells." He had a smile on his face, since the memory was very calming, even if his whole vision of it was still hazy. He recalled the pristine blue color of the water, and the warmth of the sands…though he couldn't recall where he was, but it felt like he knew where.

Meia looked at the serene look on Kyo's face as he took in the slowly emerging memory, he seemed almost at peace with the image in his mind. "Do you recall anything else?"

Kyo's look became focused as he tried to recall other memories. "I recall…going to school when I was a kid…I think I was…twelve at the time." Kyo thought about that image a bit more. "I don't really know where the school was…but I was close to home then. Sorry, I can't recall anything else."

"It's all right."

The two talked a little bit more, trading tidbits here and there, but both knew that as time passed, they had to get back to their duties as the leaders of their respective teams. Meia however decided to ask her last question, one of the ones she had tried to keep out of her mouth due to thinking that she wouldn't get a very favorable response since she didn't Know Kyo's mind all that much.

"Kyo…I want to ask you…what do you think of me?"

Kyo looked at Meia curiously. "What do you mean?"

"I mean…uh, I just want to know what you think of me, I hope that's all right?" Meia said as she tried not to think about what she was asking. But a naughty voice in her head told her that she was thinking about it very much, even to the point of…well, being physically attracted to the Gundam pilot. And for that same reason, that part of her mind began to indulge itself on the possibility.

End of Flashback…

Kyo answered that she was an attractive woman and a great leader. This made Meia smile more and blush a bit harder. And he said that she was a very close friend to him. Although she seemed slightly saddened, she seemed to take it in stride, and he could have sworn that she smiled a bit more at him, if he read that expression right she seemed to be willing to take this…relationship she had with him to the next level. That couldn't be right…could it? He and Meia were comrades…sure they didn't click as friends right away, but they became friends over-time, but that didn't mean Meia was interested in becoming more than friends with him…did it?

(Who the heck am I trying to fool anyway?!)

Kyo said as he had seen the same looks in many of the girls. Misty was getting a load more amorous, Sara was getting bolder…relatively speaking, Dita was getting more and more eager to be closer to him, Mai was making her own moves, Jura…well no doubts on Jura's intentions, and now Meia was apparently planning to be closer to him. His hormones immediately began playing with his head, sending images of the said girls doing separate but VERY intimate acts with him, namely with Jura up front, Meia next, Dita not far behind…. Kyo shook his head to get that train of ideas out of his imagination as he decided that at the very least he should get something to eat, maybe getting some nourishment would get his mind back into order. Besides, he hadn't eaten yet…

"MR. ALIEN!"

Kyo gave a mental groan as he looked to his right, and sure enough, there was Dita Liebely, with her usual smile, and apparently had some packed food in her hands. The perky redhead rushed up to the object of her affections, once she reached him, she stopped and greeted Kyo.

"Hi, I didn't see you in the cafeteria all day, so I thought you forgot to eat, have you eaten already Mr. Alien?"

Kyo smiled a bit in greeting, but before he could say anything, his stomach gave a rather interesting audio cue, that told both him and the Megele girl that it was beyond time for him to eat already. He blushed and became a little embarrassed from his basic hunger issues.

Dita however smiled and presented a box of food to Kyo. "I knew it! I was so lucky to have brought you some food from the kitchen, you can have them, I made some extra in this box too."

Kyo accepted the food and gave Dita his thanks, he was happy that for once, Dita's constant searching for him wasn't going to result in her glomping onto him.

Later…

As Kyo ate his meal, Dita watched him since they still had some time left before the final planning session. She was happy to finally be alone with Mr. Alien, though she knew that they all still had to fight the bad aliens before she could really enjoy Kyo's company. She had always looked up to Mr. Alien, since they had met, she wanted to know more about men, but now she only wanted to know more about the man who was in front of her. From merely being curious about men, Dita felt something that connected her to Kyo that even she didn't know was possible. She began to blush a bit as she gazed at him, and as usual Kyo noted the stare and stared back. (Pardon the pun.)

"What's wrong?"

Dita noted and shook her head. "Nothing, it's just…it's just nice that we can talk, although there's not much time left Mr. Alien."

(Just when am I ever going to hear my name from Dita anyway?)

Kyo thought as he smiled back at Dita. "So what do you want to talk about?"

"What else can you tell me about you Mr. Alien?" Dita asked as she gazed at him.

Kyo thought about it and decided that since he had already revealed a great deal to others about himself, what difference would it make if he talked more to Dita? He decided to talk about some of his other travels, namely with other worlds inhabited by humans. He talked about some of the training he had received from the planet of Hyrian 4, the locals insisted that he pick up some their own moves and he accepted. Plus he also spoke about the worlds of the Taisia Planetary Alliance system, there he was able to get the coordinates which told him the paths of other colonial vessels, and naturally…lead him to Talark and Megele's system area.

Kyo nodded with a smile as he recalled his choosing of the location of Talark and Megele. "I went to Talark just to get more data, get more supplies, and move on as usual. If I knew I'd be in this situation right now, I didn't know what would have happened if I went somewhere else. And I don't think I would have wanted to either."

"Why?"

"Well…ever since the day we all got sling-shot to the other side of the galaxy, I thought that all I had to do was just help out and when this was all over, I'd move on as I always did. But I always felt…empty before, just moving from planet to planet, fighting into and out of battles, sure there were very important battles I fought in, but I guess they didn't always click with me. But here on the Nirvana…things changed for me. Sure there were times that things either made no sense or really got under my skin. But there were also times that made me feel like the luckiest man in the whole universe to be here."

Dita blushed a bit as she heard those words. "Was I…was I there on those times?" She asked slowly.

Kyo gave a gentle smile to the redhead. "Yes."

Dita felt her heart beat faster and she clasped her hands on her chest in an effort to calm herself. But she failed and allowed her happiness to burst out like she normally did and glomped onto Kyo with all her might. She however just hugged Kyo and then whispered in his ear.

"Thank you."

Dita's close proximity to his body quickly reminded Kyo about his still uncontrollable hormones and the last thing on his mind was to let his male instincts take over again. Being with Meia in such a dress and in such a very personal situation right after nearly having sex with Jura was somewhat straining his nerves, now having the lithe and no doubt very attractive redhead glomp onto him began to get his instincts back on track.

Kyo managed however to keep his thoughts to himself as he gently pried Dita from him. He checked the timer and realized that he had only twenty minutes left before the operation went underway.

Dita also knew it too, and although she wanted to just be close to Kyo she had to help and defeat all the bad aliens. She got up and gave Kyo a quick kiss on the cheek and went on her way, while still blushing a bit, as she realized she had kissed her object of affections.

Kyo looked at Dita's retreating form and remembered how depressed he felt when his hormones egged him on about having sex with either the redhead girl of the others that were beginning to filter their way into his fantasies. He was a guy after all and it took all of his mental and emotional discipline to curb those fantasies when they came onto him. The last thing the crew needed was a horny Gundam pilot!

He quickly slapped himself mentally, and sighed, as much as this situation with the girls was really beginning to eat away at him, he also knew that it was a load better than not having it at all. He smirked as he recalled all the good times he had been in with the women in question, and knew that despite the head-aches at times, he wouldn't trade those times for anything else in the galaxy.

(Oh well…time to go out and plan ahead.)

--

To be continued…

--

Author's Notes:

Hot…isn't it? ()

So, any of you guys had fun playing the scene between Kyo and Jura in your minds? I KNOW I did…() Anyway, I guess that the ending wasn't what you expected. But I did tell you that the NC-17 stuff will be in the later chapters so don't blame me if this potential scenario didn't work out, but I won't disappoint you as I work on this more.

I appreciate some constructive critiques while I'm gone, (hey it IS summer vacation after all, at least it is where I live.) and like before I will personally put out and dump any and ALL flames I see.

(1) If anybody can guess where this idea came from, it's from the Cyclops System in the JOSH-A base at Alaska in Gundam SEED, but instead of microwaves, we're talking seismic tremors…plus it's a global killer style effect. Talk about extra problems for the gang, eh?

--

Reviews and Comments are needed here as here are the latest updates. I'll check on ZoidDread and Mechanics and Medicine and see if I can post new ideas. So that might mean that the updates for this chapter will come much later. Bye!

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	12. Chapter 12

GunDread SEED The Second Stage

Disclaimer: I do not own either VanDread or Gundam SEED, if I did, then I wouldn't bother with making this story.

Chapter 5

Part 6B

Infinite Possibilities

( ): Thoughts

--

In the Hanger of the Harvest Mother-ship…

The sample of Kyo's blood was now being set into special cryo-suspension to ensure it's safety while it would be escorted back to the home-world. However the shuttle that transported it would not be powerful enough to reach the planet Earth. So they needed a new and far more efficient transport system.

The ship that was in the Hanger looked like a sleek fighter-transport similar to an old style SR-71 Black-Bird but looked far sleeker…and deadlier than the original. It bristled with a few defensive weapons buy it's primary function was rapid transport.

It's escorts were modified Cube Fighters, which were made to move faster, be more maneuverable, and have better armor. The Harvesters realized after the transformation of the Freedom Gundam to it's current form, was that in order to maintain a strong edge with the Nirvana's pirate forces, they also had to make changes. The Cube Fighters were sleeker than before, and were better armored, without losing the need to be fast and responsive. The Seed Ships were also updated to move faster than before and were better armored to have a stronger survival rate.

As the small fleet began to launch, the rest of the fleet were now minutes from getting into position.

--

The activity in the Nirvana reached an all time high now. Vanguards were being stationed by Aleck in his GUiAZ unit as they were to form as perimeter defense for the Nirvana, while the other Vanguard pilots were now in the simulator units, all of which were now hacked into piloting the numbers of the converted Ogres and Desert Fangs that Kyo was able to control using that virus/OS he and the others had made. The trick was very simple, when the Vanguard trainees were using one Desert Fang or an Ogre, the other units would be piloted by normal AI systems, acting as attack and support units. Should the pilot lose the unit she was using, then she could switch to another unit that she could control, allowing her to take command of the unit instantly, overriding the AI systems and going to manual mode, this also applied with the Sky Strikers and the Dread pilots who would be using the Dread training simulators to pilot their own forces. The transmitter installed by Parfet and the Engineering crew in all the units, including the Sky Strikers had been designed to work in the EM fields and allow for a closer and more effective use of all the units.

Kyo nodded as the last of the combat rosters were now assigned while he checked them in his data-pad. As he got into his uniform, he began to run the combat scenarios in his mind, and also decided that if the new Dominions had newer weapons in their inventory, then he would have to change the combat tactics of the Crusader Squadron once he got the chance, plus both he and Meia will need new maneuvers and tactics for her Dread teams. Plus he decided to at least disable one Dominion Gundam in order to learn exactly WHAT made the Earth Gundams tick, since it was time to train his Vanguard pilots and the Dread pilots…on how to kill a Gundam.

As he walked towards the Hanger he spotted Bart making his way into the Bridge. He decided to talk to the bald navigator and see how he was taking the situation, plus he DID owe Bart something anyway.

"Hey Bart!"

The former blonde haired navigator heard his name and ran to Kyo. "Hey Kyo! I want to wish you luck on the mission, don't worry about the ship and the others, I'll do my best to protect them!"

Kyo nodded. "I know you will, but before you go, I want to say thanks."

This puzzled Bart as he looked back at Kyo, he was surprised that the formidable Gundam pilot was thanking him. "Thanks for what?"

"For suggesting that alliance all those months ago. You really made the right choice when you told Magno that we'd be better off working as a team than being at odds."

"It was nothing. To tell you…" Bart gave a slump in his shoulders to emphasis something. "To tell you the truth, I only did it to try and save my skin and Duero's. I thought that after that fight we'd be on our own, or worse. I guess I never realized that idea I did to save my own cowardly hide would now be the only thing that keeps our worlds from being turned into grave-yards and all our people into parts."

"Yeah, I know, and you did the right thing. Now the reason I want to thank is not just that."

"Oh?"

"You know, long before I ever came to Talark, I was pretty much just wandering around the cosmos, finding where I belonged, and trying to survive, basically I had no where else to go. I didn't have any idea what I would or should be doing, and even if I helped a lot people in my travels, I still didn't have much to go on, no direction and maybe…no future. But that changed when I got to your world, and snuck into the Ikazuchi and got sent to where we are now, and when you proposed to the Captain we men and women work together, I guess I found something that made me change my mind and focus all my skills on. In time I found something to do that was worthwhile, I have a place to call home, people to call family and friends, and maybe…I can find my past and start a whole new chapter in my life."

Kyo then shook Bart's hand and gave the Talark youth a firm grip on the hand with an expression of gratitude. "I thank you Bart, and I can say this for a fact, you will be a great man one day. And I'll be very proud to call you a friend, so no matter what people may say about you, and no matter what will happen, you're a man any, and I mean any, father would be proud to call his son."

Bart felt honored with such praise coming from a guy like Kyo. He was rather jealous of Kyo in the past, with all of Kyo's skills, experience, abilities, and reputation, but he learned that he was a good man and a great friend. And to hear praise like that coming from him made him proud to have met him. He gave back the same firm grip as he had been getting stronger since he began the journey.

"Don't worry, I won't disappoint you! I'm going to show the Harvesters what kind of a man Bart Garsus of Talark is made off! Good Luck Kyo and give those Harvesters a real thrashing!"

"Don't worry, when I'm done, they won't know what hit them!"

Both men gave the acknowledgment of warriors with a good old fashion shout of combat readiness, and Bart the coward was no more and out came Bart the warrior. Both men knew that now was the time. Bart ran to begin full prep of the Nirvana's weaponry, and Kyo now on the move to rally his teams and fulfill a mission.

--

Barnette got into her pilot uniform and grabbed her helmet. Parfet had a spare uniform modeled after Kyo's survival/combat/utility pilot uniform, and although she didn't quite like the some of the lack of aesthetics, she was content that it gave adequate protection for her. She thought about a lot of things as she made her way to the Hanger, one of which was her conversation with Kyo nearly a week before. She thought about it and what her decision would mean for her. She realized there was plenty of time for her to make her move and learn more about men, namely Max. And that was when she decided to tell Kyo something of great importance.

As she walked back to the Hanger and saw Duero getting into his own uniform and Max was beside his elder sibling also suiting up…she knew that she had even greater reason to tell Kyo what she had decided to do once they got back home.

Once she was able to get Kyo to see her, she called his attention. "Kyo, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Kyo turned and faced Barnette. "Yeah, what's it about?"

"Do you recall that conversation we had with the others before we came here?"

Kyo thought back on the previous conversations and recalled the one they had about warning the worlds of both Megele and Talark. "Yeah I do."

"Do you recall what I said when you talked about making the move to convince men and women to work together and when you asked me if one of the crew would speak to my home-world about joining forces with the men?"

Flashback…

Kyo: "The reason that it got to this point is that foolish argument that happened over one hundred years ago. I'm not all that sure about the history of Megele and Talark, but if at some point, both sides should have made up and dropped their pride, the new generations that would precede them wouldn't be in this kind of a mess. They are now stuck in the belief that their side is right, they won't even try to find the truth that there is more out there than what they see and believe. Both don't even try to make some form of communication with each other, that they forgot that they are both parts of the human race. Now they are willing to institute extreme measures to win a war that is totally useless, all on the basis of gender. Somebody HAS to stop it and try to bring them together so there's a chance for peace between genders."

Barnette: "Kyo, I know that it's the truth, but you can't expect both sides to just kiss and make up. We were able to do that on the Nirvana, only because we were out here and on our own, and we had to do it to survive. What you're asking the people of my home, Dita, Jura's and all those in the Nirvana to just drop everything and start from scratch! It's not that simple, you know that don't you? I don't think the men in Talark or their government would agree to that idea either!"

Kyo: "I can't argue with that Barnette, and you are right, I know that me asking an entire civilization to change their way of thinking is near to impossible. But we HAVE to try, we need to break this wall between your world and that of Duero, Bart, Max, and Aleck. If we don't, then who will stand against the Harvesters when they strike? You know it yourself that when men and women work together, then nothing in this world is not impossible."

Barnette: "I know that, and I really do. But I doubt you, Duero, Max, Bart, or Aleck can just go to Megele and present that idea. Knowing my planet's military methods they'd kill you or any of these men before any of you can set even one hair on Megele."

Kyo: "And if the person, that presented the idea of men and women working together on Megele WASN'T a man, what then?"

Kyo: "What if the one who would present the idea was one of the crew on the Nirvana, what then?"

Barnette: "You're nuts! We happen to be pirates, and we're not even liked on our own planet. They'd throw us in jail than even listen to us. And that's just in the pretext that we're renegades from their life-style. The woman who even tries to suggest that men and women should work together is more than crazy, she's practically going to the execution block like a lamb to the slaughter!!"

Barnette: "I'm not going to start another mess or mutiny Jura. I just want to say that it's not going to be that simple. Things aren't that simple anymore. Kyo, I'm already trying to tolerate you men on the Nirvana, and you all did many things that deserve credit, and you and I are already no longer enemies. But to ask one of my crew-mates to risk her life in Megele to try and teach them something that they will consider heresy the very second they hear of it is indeed suicidal. I just don't like the idea, the whole thing started out as necessity and it became important in the Nirvana, but only on the Nirvana, as it's NOT going to be easy to teach on Megele or in Talark for that matter, and that's that."

End of Flashback…

"I do, and don't worry about that, maybe we can find a way to convince the men on Talark and the women on your world to come to terms with the situation without having anybody harmed."

Barnette shook her head, her decision was already made. "There will be someone from the crew who can do that."

Kyo was curious at first, but when he got the ulterior meaning of what Barnette was saying, he was shocked into silence. In a moment he began to speak.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Barnette merely nodded.

"No way, are you absolutely sure you want to do that?"

"Yes, you were right about the need for someone of the crew to speak to the leaders or even to Grandma for the need to have an alliance with the men. And I'm ready to do that."

"Even if it means…?"

"I'll be considered a traitor on my own world, exiled and spat upon, and be hunted on sight?" Barnette asked as she cradled her helmet. "Then the answer is yes. I'm not going to deny anymore how important it is for all humanity to stand united against the Harvesters. I want this to work, ever since my days here on this world, I've come to understand and support the need for men and women to work together. I nearly died if it hadn't been for Max, Duero, and Aleck, men I had been born to despise and hate since I was a little girl. But I'm not a little girl anymore, and I want this to work. And maybe…just maybe, it can be something more." She said as they both saw the two brothers walking towards them, Duero was speaking to Parfet who apparently found them while Barnette was speaking to Kyo.

Barnette saw the trust and growing affection between Duero and Parfet, despite the fact that Duero wasn't still used to such. But she saw how much Parfet was getting closer to Duero. Her gaze went to Max, the man that changed her life and views of men, and when he gazed back at her, she couldn't help but feel her cheeks heat at his gaze.

Kyo could see it and couldn't help but smile. "I guess if you really want to do this, then I wish you the best. But for now, both you and Max had better survive this battle, so you can do what you can to help save your respective worlds."

Barnette nodded with thanks and joined Duero, Max, and Parfet as the four of them made their way to the Hanger where the Templar, Morpheous, and the SwitchBlade Gundams were being stored.

As they arrived, Duero said his farewells to Parfet and promising the head engineer to return back safe while Max and Barnette said their own farewells and promising each other to return safely back to the ship. Kyo looked at them and gave his own prayer for everyone to make it back home safely, his thoughts went to all the people on the Nirvana…Jura, with all her beauty and now growing affections, Dita, with her innocent nature and charming smile, Meia with her calmness and inner strength, Gascogne, who was like a sister to him, Paiway, who was like a baby sister to him, and to all who have become facets of his life.

Once he was done, he climbed the ramp and took the cable to his Gundam's cockpit. While there he decided to at least speak to all the people involved.

The Nirvana…

"Captain, we have a call coming from Kyo." Belvedere said to Magno as the crew got ready.

Magno accepted the call and in the view-screen appeared the Gundam pilot. "What is it Kyo?"

"Permission to speak to the crew, Captain?"

Magno nodded as Kyo looked as if he had some words to say. "BC, tell the crew that Kyo wants to have a word with all of them."

Buzam nodded and called the attention of all the crew as they listened to Kyo.

(This will be a long speech, but I hope you readers can take it…Here it goes.)

Kyo took in a deep breath to calm his nerves, and began to speak to the crew as they all were ready.

"I want to say that we all started this whole journey with a lot of differences. I was just a guy drifting with not much of a place to call my home, nobody I knew was waiting for me, and I had no reason to fight with all that I was. I fought to survive only, no real reason, except finding anything that can tell me where I was from."

"You also had your own reasons, reasons why you all chose to be pirates, and why you live your lives the way you do. Bart, Duero, Max, and Aleck have their own reasons to become soldiers of their world. They made their own choices, though some were forced to them by circumstances and chance. But despite all that we all have our own reasons and direction."

The crew listened attentively as this was the first time Kyo would give a speech, apart from the one he gave when he had died the first time.

"For all of you ladies, you were always taught that men were the enemy, that we were inferior and not equal to women. Even when you became pirates, those were your beliefs for most of your lives, and that guided you all this way, until you attacked the Ikazuchi."

The women were silent as they listened, recalling the event that brought them all to this point, and to meet men for the first time and how hard it was let go of those teachings. The Dread pilots stood near the simulators, just like the girls in Kyo's Crusader Squadron.

"For you guys from Talark, you were taught for all of your lives that women were monsters, creatures who know no pity or mercy and deserved neither. You have never met women, but the hatred that was ingrained into you always spoke that. Until you were on the Ikazuchi and when the women attacked it."

Duero, Max, Aleck, and Bart listened as they also recalled the classes they were in about women and why they were the enemy. They recalled all their separate experiences before and since.

"I only came to Talark to get supplies and move on with me own search. I had no desire to join the war between your worlds and ideals. Since I had been fighting for so long, and for many reasons, I thought nothing different with the war between your sides. That was the way I saw things…until I snuck on the Ikazuchi."

Kyo stopped as he recalled that event. Then when he was done reminiscing, he continued to speak

"None of us knew that this would bring us all together, whether we wanted it or not. We found ourselves together, stuck on the other side of the galaxy, trying to go back home, and trying to get along, while dealing with the Harvesters attacking us every chance they could get. Our different ideals and perceptions always clashed, and even when we agreed to work together to get home, we still had so much doubts and suspicions. I won't say what changed it since we all knew what happened."

The crew recalled what it took for them all to look past their planet's teachings, and even if was already many months ago, it still brought them some shame to recall.

"But now we learned that they want to destroy all human life because they say we have no right to deny them their own right to exist. We now fight not just to get back home, but to fight for the very future that the Harvesters wish to take from us, now we are fighting as a team. And we have to, since the Harvesters think that we no longer have the right to make our own destiny. We all started as different people with different ideals, and what was once an alliance of convenience is now the only thing standing between the survival of all humanity and it's extinction. Now we are allies ready to defend all that we care about and we are a living example of the power of men and women working together as humans, and that is worth fighting for."

They all recalled what they learned from each other, and how much they had gained and how far they all had gone together. The thought of returning to how they treated each other was no longer something they wanted.

"I want to say that it has been an honor for all of us fighting side by side, and I thank you all since you have become very close to me. I am ready to fight beside all of you, until the very end, and I will never stop until we win this war. Thank you and good luck to you all on this mission."

Kyo said as he signed off, but as he got on his helmet's visor, he began receiving many messages and communiqués from nearly all members of the crew, all of them saying thank you. In that moment all the girls who were chasing him came into his display monitor and replied.

"Thank you Kyo and good luck!"

With the exception of Dita who said. "Thank you and good luck Mr. Alien!"

All the crew were listening in on that one and all had a sweat-drop on the side of their heads.

(I think I can still fix the speech, but tell me what you think about it when you all get the chance.)

Kyo merely smiled back as the crew got ready…

Barnette completed her systems checks and locked in her visor, while saying good luck with a smile to Max, who did the same as he placed in his own visor.

Duero nodded and promised Parfet he'd return as he spoke to the chief engineer as he locked in his visor.

The girls under Aleck's command wished each other well, while Aleck spoke to Gascogne promising another game of cards when this mission was over.

Bart made a promise to the crew and to both Ezra and Lacus that eh would get them all to safety as he warmed up the Nirvana.

Out of the Nirvana came the numbers of Ogres, Desert Fangs, Sky Strikers, and Vanguards. The whole might of the pirates was unleashed, and in the lead were none other than the Gundams.

The Morpheous was now decked in it's Galahad Form Pack, while the Templar and the SwitchBlade flew side by side. In the lead was Kyo in his Infinite-Freedom Gundam, and when they were clear, the forces divided into their respective teams.

It was show time!

--

(I decided to add a song into this story, and it is also from Gundam SEED, here's a clue, it has something to do with the situation the Nirvana is in.)

(As the lead attackers from the Nirvana stream towards their targets at high speed. We see a split scene for each team, with each leader of the teams all gearing up and we end with Kyo as he reaches his objective. And in the back-ground out comes the music)

(Italic for music, the verse in the bottom are the English translation)

_dare mo mina samayoi nagara kotae wo sagashite_

_Everyone, while wandering, is looking for an answer_

As Kyo's team reaches the target they are greeted by hordes of enemy units, Ogres, Desert Fangs, and Sky Strikers on both sides now arm up, weapons at the ready. Kyo then takes out his beam rifle, splits it and fires the very first shot, turning a few Sky Strikers into blasted metallic skeletons that fell to the surface. In that instant the whole sky was filled with explosions, missile trails, and the sounds of gatling gun-fire as the Sky Striker forces on the side of the pirates, and that of the AI forces slammed and began the ageless fight in the atmosphere of the planet.

On the ground, the Desert Fangs of the pirates traded beam bolts with the AI controlled Desert Fangs, the ground was treated to the explosive power of each side as craters and exploding geysers of sand appeared everywhere. And those that came into close contact used the beam sabers built into them, Unit after unit blasted at each other in any distance and there were may that wound up as blasted hunks. Others were dissected by the beam blades as the Desert Fangs struck at each other like predatory cats in a free for all blood brawl. The Ogres began raining missile, bullet, cannon and artillery fire all over the sides, some were losing arms and heads. Those Ogres that came into contact at point-blank range fought like gladiators in hand to hand combat.

_futari naraba jikan sae mo shihai dekiru to omotteta ano koro_

_If we were together, even time could be under our contro_l, _or so I thought back then_

The scene was the same as Duero's team arrived and fought with their own enemies. The Morpheous while it was air-borne dodged incoming missile fire and took out it's anti-ship sword and sliced apart several enemy Sky Strikers of their wings, making the fighters crash like fallen birds into the ground. The Talark Gundam pilot/medic then used his Mobile Suit's arsenals to eliminate as many targets as he could, while still guiding his forces.

The Sky Strikers were going on full tilt as the Dread pilots began to dog-fight in the atmosphere. With all their experience to bring into the mess, the Megele pilots were bringing this fight out like ballet dancers in a play.

On the ground the Desert Fangs on either side blasted each other and dodged each other as they began to attack. Since many of the Desert Fangs were members of Kyo's Crusader Squadron they were able to adapt quickly to their new units, thanks to Kyo's training. The Ogres were going all out as the ground was filled by cannon shells- bullets, beam bolts and missiles.

Duero guided his Gundam towards the object while lending as much support to his team as possible. He fired his Gundam Blood Kiss' Beam Glaive at several enemy units. The triple bladed disc slashed apart several Desert Fangs, amputated an enemy Ogre unit, and when it went back to it's owner, the weapon killed several enemy Sky Strikers by slicing off their cock-pits, and the weapon then returned to it's owner and retracted it's beam edge emitters. Duero then re-holstered the glaive and took out his beam rifle, he then rocketed to the ground and began to lead the ground forces, he then jammed one his sonic resonance short swords into the body of an Ogre, and diagonally lifted the blade, slicing the unit and the Gundam moved on and blasted another Desert Fang that tried to blind-side it.

_tsuki hi wa nagare sora no ima mo kawaru you ni surechigatteta kokoro_

_Instead time flows on, even the colors of the sky have changed,_ _and our hearts passed right on by each other_

Barnette and Max were having a ball in their respective Gundams while they lead their forces. Although Barnette was paired with Max, she still did her best to coordinate her Team of Sky Strikers. The Megele pilot had her Gundam in Mobile Armor mode and was having a field day dodging the incoming fire from her enemies and blasting as many as she could, she still remained careful not to get over-confident. But her worries were not large as Max flew beside her, providing protection with his Templar Gundam's shield. He also responded by blasting more Sky Strikers with his Gundam's beam rifle and the head installed CIWS guns, reducing many enemy fighters into scrap. The Talark youth then took out his Gundam's plasma and rail-gun weapons and blasted and incoming barrage of missiles meant to impact on Barnette, the ensuring explosions colored the sky as both Gundams went on to engage both ground and air threats, while their teams provided support.

Sara and Mai's respective teams began their full assault on their own target. The two were piloting a Desert Fang, and an Ogre respectively, while the rest of their respective teams launched a full scale attack on their target. They were now heavily engaged with their enemies and began to fight with all they had. As much as possible, they had to make their enemies believe that the Lancer Platform that they were heading for WAS the one they wanted.

_megurikuru kisetsu no naka de_

_ano toki ga tomareba_

_ii no ni_

_In the never-ending course of the seasons,_

_wouldn't it be nice if we could freeze time at that one moment?_

The Nirvana, protected by spare Desert Fangs, Ogres, and the Vanguards went on full cruise mode. As the pirate ship arrived on the outer reaches of the planet's inner oceans, the ship cruised over the water's surface, unleashing waves of water and massive amounts of water that created a massive number of massive or small sized rainbows, and those colors were reflected by the ship's plating.

_futari mata samayoi nagara_

_kono sora wo kanata ni_

_ai wo sagashite_

_The two of us, while still wandering,_

_are searching for love in the far corners of the darkness_

(As the music begins to speed up, we spot the pirates deep in the fight on all fronts, and Kyo as well as a pair of particular units close in on the young Ultimate Coordinator, his Gundam, and his team of pilots.)

Kyo turned and spotted the incoming Dominion units, and had to dodge as the Earth Gundams fired their full arsenals at him. Several of his team-members were shot down, but managed to impact on the Dominion units' armor, though they didn't damage it. Kyo had rely on dodging since his Gundam no longer had it's combat shield, but the massive maneuverability and speed gained from the evolution more than made up for it. He then took out his beam sabers and with amazing skill, blocked several beam bolts aiming at him. The Dominion Gundam that was in front launched itself on full power, armed with it's beam saber and with it's shield's beam edge emitters online, intent on turning the Nirvana Gundam into scrap.

Kyo didn't flinch as he readied his own beam sabers.

Max and Barnette moved in unison, evading a barrage of beam fire as the Dominion Gundams assigned to their target area appeared and fought back. One engaged the two, while another took on the other forces of the Nirvana. The two Gundam pilots realized that this was going to be a tough challenge as this was the first time they would be fighting a Gundam which had some or a large portion of the moves Kyo used in his own battles.

Duero spotted his own Dominion Gundam opponent as the Earth built Gundam in question began engaging the Nirvana forces. The Talark physician was thankful all of their current forces didn't have human pilots, as the Gundam tore apart several Desert Fangs with it's beam saber easily. He then got into contact with the units under his command and ordered their pilots to concentrate their attacks on two fronts, one on their target, while the others along with him silenced the Dominion.

Sara and Mai saw the incoming Dominion in their own area as the Gundam deflected several attacks from their teams with it's shield and returned fire with it's own beam weaponry. The two women ordered their teams to separate and engage their enemy while the ones not attacking the Gundam of Earth would focus on their current mission. The Elsman girl and the descendant of the Miazaki family took a deep breath….since despite the fact they were not in the cock-pits themselves of the Desert Fang and Ogre the individually piloted, the fact that they would be facing their first Gundam opponent wasn't lost to them.

--

In the Nirvana, the crew all watched breathlessly as they saw the respective scenes from the respective teams. Parfet wasted no time, though she was very worried in the fact that Duero was facing one of the dreaded Dominion units, she focused on finally hacking the Ai database and coming with the over-ride code to take over the systems of the Lancer Platform they intended to steal.

She knew that the four members of their crew MUST win for their mission to succeed, and the thought of watching Duero die fighting made her blood cold as ice.

(NO! I won't think that!! Duero…please be careful!!)

--

Duero calmed himself as he faced the Gundam, recalling all of his training, he went on the offensive, as he was escorted by the rest of his team.

--

_ima no kimi ni utsuru sora wa donna iro nara kikikaesenai nara_

_What color is the sky right now where you are? As it is I can't ask again_

Kyo went on the offensive, but he ordered his team to maintain their attack and keep the enemy totally occupied and launch a full strike against the base they were attacking. The attack was working as Kyo could detect even more forces from the AI army approaching his team. Since he was no longer a target to capture and also the prime target of the Harvester forces, the enemy would hit him first. He wasn't disappointed as the Dominions focused on him.

The first fired it's beam rifle and then it's head guns, spraying beam and projectile fire at Kyo. He quickly dodged the beam bolts and took the bullets, but knew that no wasn't the time to play around. Once he got clear, he closed in and swiped his beam sabers, but both attacks were blocked by the Dominion's shield and it's hastily released beam saber. The two locked on for a second and the two separated, Kyo dodged an incoming stab from behind him by the other Gundam, he then flipped the Infinite-Freedom upside-down and fired several salvos of bullet fire right into the face of the Dominion when it tried to hit him.

The Gundam reeled back, but blocked the rest with it's shield, and it's partner came from behind it and struck with it's beam saber, making Kyo rocket back, it then activated the beam edges of it's shield and tossed it like a Frisbee at Kyo. The Nirvana's Gundam dodged it, but barely as the beam edge nearly sliced off some of the feathers on the upper left wing of the Gundam.

(Hmm…they're using those new beam edged shields like boomerangs. This is not good.)

Max and Barnette also found that fact out as they watched the Dominion Gundam they were fighting reel back it's own shield. They were able to hit it, while keeping a good offensive barrage on it when it suddenly reeled back it's left arm and they saw the beam edges ignite. Barnette was able to evade the surprise shot and switched back to the SwitchBlade's Mobile Suit mode, and Max was able to block the attack with his own shield, which by now sported a hot welt on it when the beam edge hit it.

The other Dominion was also doing the same thing, but was able to slice the legs of two Desert Fangs, and slice in the middle an Ogre unit. This made the girls move back their units a bit to avoid being slashed by the deadly shield.

Duero was able to dodge the incoming attack without being hit, but the shield sliced into a Desert Fang all the way into the middle. The physician was able to dodge reflexively, thanks to his years of combat training, thus he avoided the weapon. He watched as the Gundam reeled back it's shield as the Desert Fang it hit blew up immediately. The medic knew what could have happened since the beam edge nearly aimed to his cockpit.

(That was close! I'd have to keep to the offensive, or else that shield will hit me when I least expect it!)

Several other Nirvana units tasted the edge of the shield from the other Dominion that was facing them. Three Ogres were decapitated, and two Desert Fangs had their beam cannons sliced off.

Sara and Mai saw the same thing, but they were not that lucky. One of the beam cannons mounted on the back of Sara's Desert Fang was sliced off by the beam edged shield, and one of the arms of Mai's Ogre unit was also slashed off by the shield, and not before impaling itself into the chest of one of the Ogres behind the two. Had one of their crew been in the Ogre, she could have been sliced and cauterized by the weapon. They were able to maintain an edge on the Dominion when it suddenly fired the shield at them. They were lucky they weren't in the cock-pits of their respective units or else they would have been killed, they watched in trepidation as the Dominion Gundam reeled back it's shield and the Ogre behind that took the beam edge full in the chest exploded.

--

_taisetsu na koto wasurete shimatte iku you de sukoshi tomadou kokoro_

_As I continue to forget the important things in life, my heart becomes a little confused_

Kyo dodged another attack from the Dominion units and then realized that there were two weakness of the beam edged shield. The first was it was gone, that left the Gundam of Earth very vulnerable to retaliation. And the next weakness was that the shield was only able to be reeled back thanks to a special cable. That's why these Dominions worked in a pair. One would toss it's shield, and the other protected it with it's own shield. He then decided to do things just right, as the rest of his team kept the other forces off of him.

The Dominion in front of him once more attacked with it's beam saber, Kyo blocked it and spotted the second getting ready to release it's shield to slash him from behind., he waited and when he spotted the second Dominion release it's shield. He deactivated the Infinite-Freedom's thrusters and plummeted downwards, dragging the Dominion Gundam attacking him a full drop down. The Dominion couldn't recover itself and had the beam edge of it's companion's boomerang shield into the side of it's left thigh. Once the shield was embedded, Kyo wasted little time and used his Gundam's energy dart launchers. The energy spikes tore into the left forearm of the second Dominion, and exploded, ripping the arm to pieces. He then charged as the Gundam he just attacked, and rocketed I-Freedom to full speed. The I-Freedom slammed into the second Dominion Gundam before the Earth Gundam could fight back, and by using his Gundam's deadly speed, he sliced off the beam saber from the hilt right out of the hand of the Gundam.

He also spotted the other Dominion ready it's own shield for a toss at him though it had already lost it's left leg due to the explosion caused by it's companion's still embedded beam edged shield, he waited and with a quick adjustment of the thrusters and some combat moves, he made his Gundam grab the still extended forearm of the Dominion and then yanked with full power, bringing the Gundam of Earth…right into the path of the thrown shield. The Dominion that Kyo grabbed and dragged into position got the beam edge of it's companion's shield right in the chest. Just before the Dominion that was impaled by the shield was about to explode, it fired it's plasma cannons right at Kyo, unleashing the rest of it's arsenal, intent of doing as much damage on the bane of the Harvester forces.

The beams impacted on Kyo's Gundam, and were deflected by the P. Phase Shift Armor of the Paeksis-enhanced Gundam, but this allowed the other Dominion to attack it, along with the rest of the AI forces.

Kyo spotted that and decided that now was the right time to unleash all the big guns. He quickly ordered the rest of his team to fall back and meet up with the rest. They naturally protested, but he quickly told them of what he had to do, and when they recalled what they had seen in the battle footage, they moved out. The AI forces rallied behind the still functional Dominion to take out Kyo.

But that was when they got the shock-treatment of their now short lives…

Kyo activated his Gundam's HiMAT system and locked on all available targets, and there were a LOT of targets since the AI entity had sent a massive number of reserves into the fight to kill him literally flooding both the ground and sky with it's reserve forces, meaning that his team would have been overwhelmed had they stayed with him, but this gave him the chance he wanted in the first place. Once he locked in all the available targets…

The feathers on the I-Freedom's wings detached from the wings and then surrounded the Gundam like a forest of flying beam cannons. The feathers then glowed with great power as amounts of energy began to amass. In less than three seconds, the beams launched out like water from dams…turning the sky into a kaleidoscope of bright explosions, heated metal, and bright colors as the beams from the feathers, along with Kyo's own beam arsenal streaked all over the place. The surviving Dominion was torn apart as the beams slammed into it, shredding past it's own Phase Shift Armor and tearing out every inch of the Gundam. Enemy Sky Strikers were blown to bits as they attempted to escape, but they failed. The ground forces of Desert Fangs and Ogres were torn apart as the shower of beam fire was followed by another suppressing barrage.

In that instant, the fight was over, and the Nirvana Gundam stood triumphant, or in this case, flying triumphant as it's feathers returned to it and were now back to being part of it's thruster systems. Kyo wasted little time as he contacted the rest of the pirates on how to kill their respective Dominion opponents.

--

"Captain, we've received some new combat data from Kyo, he defeated those new Dominions!"

The crew of the Nirvana cheered. But both BC and Magno shook their heads. "As much as that would a great thing, we still have to get out of this trap! Have all the team leaders get the information!" Both Captain and Sub-Commander then began to download all the needed information.

Minutes later, the rest of the pirate forces gained the tactical data and began to fight back. Although Kyo had won his bout, many of the Nirvana's converted units fell before their Dominion opponents, only Max, Duero, and Barnette were able to hold their own with their Dominion opponents. But with the new combat data, it was now their turn to fight back!

The pirates in Barnette and Max's team got the data and directed their units to fight back. Several Desert Fangs began to bombard the enemy Gundam with their beam cannons, this lessened the chance of it launching it's shield. The Ogres then fired several shells, this forced the Earth Gundam to move back slowly, it's shield still at the front. That was when the Sky Strikers came into play. They flew in and in moments closed in and launched their rounds at the Gundam, and although the Gundam's Phase Shift Armor protected it, it couldn't block all the attacks at once. It fired it's beam arsenals at the pirates and directed it's surviving forces to attack, but as it began to fight back, several Desert Fangs on the pirate's side slashed it's shield with their beam sabers. The shield held, but when the Dominion tried to block another attack, it was hit from behind by a Sky Striker in a suicide dive when it tried to jet back into the air. The explosion bought the pirates enough time to attack with another Desert Fang, and this one's beam saber slashed deeply into the torso, since the Phase Shift Armor was strained. The Gundam used it's beam saber to slice off the head of it's attacker, but got blasted in the face by another Desert Fang's beam cannons. Causing it to lose it's head…literally. The Gundam reeled as it was dog-piled by the pirates' forces and in that moment, it blew up as if couldn't handle being blasted and slashed. In that instant, the pirates had slain their first Gundam in combat.

(Don't think that they can kill Gundams as of yet. They are piloting the units they have through simulators, and therefore don't sacrifice their lives. And they know it.)

As Barnette and Max got the combat data, they came up with their own stratagems. Max fired his Gundam's beam arsenals and Barnette quickly switched to her Gundam's Mobile Armor mode. The SwitchBlade was now in Mobile Armor mode and the Megele girl did a move that would have been considered suicidal by most standards, including that of her planet's pilots. When the Dominion Gundam that they fought with launched it's shield at Max's Templar in retaliation once the Talark teen halted his barrage, she accelerated at full speed and with the right wing of her Gundam…

Slashed the elbow joint of the Dominion!

Thanks to her Gundam's Polaris Phase Shift Armor, the Gundam suffered little damage from the move, but the damage to the Dominion was significant since it's Phase Shift Armor wasn't always effective as protection at the joints. Coolant flowed out like blood and power cables sparked like severed blood vessels, and the frame parts were like protruding bones as the Dominion tried to recover, but before the Earth Gundam could fight back, the Templar closed the gap and with it's beam saber decapitated the enemy unit once it ducked the shield thrown at it. And to add more damage, Barnette in her SwitchBlade Gundam, which was now in Mobile Suit mode, slammed it's own beam saber right in the back of the Dominion. The Dominion exploded in mid-air as both pilots went back to fighting with their remaining foes. When the Dominions arrived, the tide was in favor of the AI forces, but now, despite their losses, the tide was now in favor of the pirates.

_mekurumeku ginga no naka de_

_sono kokoro takuri_

_yosetemu_

_Within our dazzling galaxy,_

_your heart is drawing in and approaching me_

Duero gained the data as he slashed down more enemy units with his Gundam's anti-ship sword, three Ogres lay before him like slain units as the Talark teen faced off with his Gundam opponent, which was also fighting off several pirate units. The doctor also knew that if this was still happening, their forces would not be enough to stem the tide and counterattack. He then took out his Gundam's Blood Kiss Glaive, and when the beam blade emitters were released, and ignited, he tossed the weapon right at his opponent. The Dominion blocked with the shield, and jetted back to block the Morpheous' Zwei-hander anti-ship sword. It got a surprise when the Morpheous moved aside and switched to a different weapon.

Despite the sheer damage power of the anti-ship sword in this range, it could be blocked easily, and Duero knew that for a fact and activated the beam katars of his Gundam. The beam emitters were retracted and separated on the fore-arms like a reverse scissor, and when activated the weapon would combine to form into a blade in the upper section of the hand, and then once that was done, the emitters would create the blade. The Morpheous then went on the offensive and began to punch at the Dominion, and since the Dominion was caught by surprise, it received several deep punctures to it's chest and torso. As it tried to jet away. Duero retracted his Gundam's right beam katar and caught his beam glaive, and without pause, slashed the chest of the Dominion Gundam with it, this tore into Dominion and made it stagger back, allowing Duero to use his sonic resonance swords and jammed both weapons right in the chest of his target, and with a pull, jammed one sword right on the head. The damage was very extensive and the Dominion just blew apart, and thanks to it's still functional Polaris Phase Shift Armor, the Morpheous was unharmed. The Talark teen knew better than to wallow in self-congratulations, and went to assist his team, as their losses had been dire.

The second Dominion was able to inflict serious damage to the pirate forces, as the numbers of burning hulks attested to it's power. But it then was hit from behind by the Morpheous when it rammed it's own shield on the Gundam's back. The pirates rallied and struck back as they worked in unison to take out their opponent. Duero then took out one of his Gundam's sonic short swords, and with a quick toss, the weapon was able to pierce through the shoulder of the Gundam of Earth, and this made it difficult for the Gundam to fight back using it's beam shield as a boomerang. The pirates leaped at this chance and several Desert Fangs slashed at the Dominion with their beam sabers. It managed to jet into the air, but Duero was nearby and slammed his anti-ship sword on the shield when the Dominion tried to block it. But the damage that had been done before, became even stronger as the arm broke and exploded…leaving the Dominion with only one arm. The Ogres blasted at it with all their concerted fire-power and with the support of the Sky Strikers, they were finally able to defeat their target.

Sara and Mai made their own attacks on their opponent, but both now piloted Desert Fangs as Mai's Ogre was totaled previously by the Dominion they were facing. The two then began to attack, Sara bombarded the Dominion with her unit's beam cannons, as Mai began to attack with her unit's beam sabers. She dodged when the Dominion fired it's beam weapons, but Sara took that chance and fired yet again and then charged, working in tandem with each other as they closed the gap. The Dominion blocked the incoming attack from Sara, and then the other from Mai, but they never let up in their combined assault and fired their cannons at point blank range at the Dominion, even if it had it's shield in front. The damage however was massive on the Dominion as it's shield was overheated to the point that it would explode, forcing Sara and Mai's Gundam opponent to jettison the ruined shield or risk it exploding and ripping off it's shield arm.

The two pressed their attack, but they also paid a high price. Their beam cannons had over-heated and exploded as well, severely damaging their Desert Fang units and hindering them from attacking effectively, so they had no choice but to get as close as possible and when they did, the used their still functioning beam sabers, and when they hit the Dominion, slicing their weapons into the abdomen, they activated the detonation system of their units. They switched to another pair of units, Sara taking over an Ogre, and Mai in a Desert Fang. Their previous units had already detonated, and this caused the Gundam to detonate as well.

The two girls went back into the fight as their team engaged their last Dominion opponent who had totally overpowered the pirates, many of the units under Sara and Mai's cooperative command were destroyed and littered the battle-field. The girls rallied their team-mates and with similar moves they were able to defeat their opponent.

Despite the numbers of losses they had gained, the pirates had succeeded in depleting the strength of the AI forces, and launched their own attacks on their respective targets. Kyo's team broke apart to aid the rest of the teams as their numbers were the only ones that were not severely depleted by the arrival of the Dominion units.

Duero guided his team, who cheered at arrival of reinforcements and pushed back the surviving AI units, as Barnette and Max arrived with their surviving forces. The Talark teen used his Gundam's weaponry to destroy whatever units the AI forces had left to guard the dishes, in moments, the giant transmitter towers were now burning. Max and Barnette had already destroyed their target and were happy to see that Duero were still alive.

Sara and Mai guided their teams to hit the Lancer Platform, causing the surviving AI units to fight even harder to prevent them from taking the platform, but knew that they did their best and now decided to retreat, they knew that the teams had to assemble and strike out the power stations so as to disable their enemy and halt the activation of the Armageddon Protocol.

Kyo nodded as he got calls from Barnette, Duero, Max, and from the others that they had completed their work, and it now was time to destroy the power-stations that would keep the AI forces operational and halt the Armageddon Protocol to be activated. He diverted some of his team-members to rendezvous with the Nirvana to give the ship more protection as they made their way to their real target.

--

Had the AI leader been human it would have given a howl of unadulterated frustration. Many of it's forces were badly depleted, and it would be possible for the Nirvana and it's crew to escape from the trap, and it would take far too long for the Harvester forces to assemble, as the suns the planet orbited began unleashing massive solar flares into space, causing some powerful spikes of energy to jam the systems of the fleet. It was also apparent to it that two of the powerful attacks from it's foes were ruses, to make it deplete a considerable amount of it's combat reserves. The shield around the planet had been depleted due to power loss as the satellites were no longer functioning, giving the Nirvana a perfect window of escape.

It made several calculations and realized that the Nirvana was making it's way to another Lancer Platform…but that platform had considerable defenses. However, considering the massive fire-power possessed by the pirates, the Lancer could be captured, so it had no choice.

/Code Alpha 10-809-900. Activation for the Armageddon Protocol…is authorized.\\

Underground, massive energy emitters began to glow with power, and in a few minutes, they begin to emit powerful waves of pure tectonic energy. This was merely a test run, but it's effects were being felt, and it was a prelude to the true power of the AI forces. The AI leader then sent a communiqué to the rest of it's forces to make a full march to where the Nirvana would be heading.

--

"Captain! I'm picking up several seismic tremors coming from different parts of the planet! That must mean that the AI has activated it's secret weapon!" Bart said as he ran the scanners of the Nirvana on the area around them.

Magno wasted little time and contacted the leaders of their assault wings.

"Kyo! The AI has activated the seismic weapon, you have to hurry and take out the power plants!"

--

"Understood!"

Kyo then got into contact with the others and issued his orders. "All units! Assault the power plants and destroy them all, I'll leave that up to both you and Mai Sara! Barnette, Max, Duero, it's time to pull back!"

"Don't worry Commander! We'll deal with the power plants!" Sara said in her communiqué while she and the others were in the simulators and directed their units to attack the power plants and get past their defenders.

The I-Freedom, SwitchBlade, and the Morpheous Gundams began to make their retreat as the rest of the remote-controlled pirate units bombarded the power stations. Since all teams were melded into a single attack force, their numbers were now greater than before…. But they still had to be careful as they had to destroy as many power plants as they could and eliminate the enemy at the same time.

_futari tada hoshi wo miagete_

_ano toki no sora no_

_iro wo kasaneteru_

_The two of us are just looking up at the stars,_

_and in this moment, the colors of the sky are all blending together_

As the battle raged behind them, the four Gundam pilots raced over the sands, marks on their Gundams showed their battles, and they were lucky to have made it out alive. But they however kept close in combat formation, Kyo was in the lead, Duero taking the middle, Barnette on the left with her Gundam in Mobile Armor mode, and Max on right, with his still functional shield protecting him.

--

As the Nirvana came to it's target Lancer Platform, it was greeted by several platoons of enemy units. The crew watched as their teams began to fight back, namely their covering teams of Sky Strikers. They got word from Kyo about reinforcements on the way and when they arrived it was time for them to take the Lancer Platform, the surviving forces from the various teams were now mixing with the rest of the pirate teams. In a few minutes, the AI forces that guarded the Lancer Platform, and their defensive installations clashed.

"All right! Now we need to hustle ladies. Keep in formation and support one another, don't get careless and waste your shots, make them count."

Aleck said as he guided his GUiAZ unit along with the other units as they came into close contact with their target Lancer Platform. The pirates who were still piloting the remote controlled units, such as the Sky Strikers provided support fire, while the rest followed Aleck and his Mobile Suit as the battle-hardened veteran guided his team to take and secure the Lancer Platform.

The girls watched as Aleck began to systematically take apart several of his foes. One Desert Fang was slashed in mid air by the man with his Mobile Suit's sword when it tried to slash the head off. And an Ogre got several direct blasts in the chest, and exploding from the fire-power of the GUiAZ unit's own assault rifle. They had to admit that he was a tough pilot, as he didn't stop and press the attack. The elder male then directed the other pirates, who were in their Vanguards to lay down suppression fire to the rest of the team as they attacked the defensive installations near the AI platform. Once they were able to push back the enemy, and secure the Platform the Nirvana dispatched Parfait's engineering team with a full escort to the control station. Aleck got out of his Mobile Suit, slung his Long-sword assault rifle on his shoulder and went with the team, which also included Gascogne and some of the Register personnel.

It didn't take long for the crew to make it to the control centre of the Lancer Platform. Once they were there, Parfet went o work as she and her crew began to hack and take control of the Lancer Platform. They then installed one of Parfait's latest tools, a device similar to the remote controls they installed in the Desert Fangs, Ogres, and Sky Strikers. But this one was designed to allow the Nirvana bridge crew to take command of the Lancer Platform's functions while being in the command bridge off the ship, plus the device allowed them to send power from the Nirvana's Paeksis so that would allow the Platform to still function even if the teams attacking the power stations succeeded, the Platform would still be online.

"Almost there…got it!" Parfet cheered as she and her crew were able to install the device.

"Good, now we get out of here and back to the ship!" Aleck said as he and Gascogne, who was armed with a rifle, and the rest of the security team began to move and secure their escape route. They knew that even if they had been able to capture the Lancer Platform, there was no telling how many AI units would make their way here.

Minutes later…in crisp military fashion, the crew were back in the Nirvana while the Vanguard pilots got out of their Vanguards and waited for word. And they didn't have to wait long as the PA came with the announcement.

"Sara and Mai's teams have destroyed the power plants! The shield is gone!" Belvedere and Amarone replied as they scanned the report and the shield above their current location.

--

The success of the Nirvana strike teams was evident as the seismic tremors halted and stopped, but that didn't mean that it was over. The AI entity began to activate the back-up power supply of the seismic generator network. It would take a maximum of three hours, but it would take the Lancer Platform three and a half hours to make the pathway to allow the Nirvana the chance to escape.

The rest of it's forces were now on the way. Even if the forces suffered considerable losses, they still had the numbers to equalize.

All over the bases, which now ran on back-up power, all the units under the command of the AI entity were now being unleashed…

And that meant…ALL of them!

As Kyo and the others flew high above a base, they spotted the full mobilization of all the AI's main attack units, and everything they could muster.

"Okay, this is going to be bad." Kyo did a calculation and determined that this force was not as numerically superior to the forces the teams fought, but their numbers were just as high. And from what he could tell, they needed more time as the full might of the AI forces were being unleashed, and they were not just Desert Fangs, Ogres, or Sky Strikers anymore, they now included all the medical droids, the combat models, and those heavy duty ones. Those droids were now being hustled into combat transports, and Kyo didn't need a wide imagination as to what could happen if those units got into the Nirvana.

"We've got to high tail it back to the Nirvana!"

--

"Captain! We have three hours and a half to go before the Lancer Platform can send us back to space!" Parfet reported as she began to transfer power from the Paeksis to the Lancer Platform's power matrix.

Magno nodded as she realized that the time-frame would make it possible for them to be late by thirty minutes since according to Kyo, they needed three hours before the Armageddon Protocol can be reactivated. She then gave the decision for a VERY desperate gamble.

"Parfet, I want you and the Engineering crew to get as much power as you can spare to make the Lancer Platform move faster. BC, have the crew regulate the power output so we can make sure that there's enough power to keep both the Nirvana active and the rest of the systems!"

"Roger!" BC wasted little time as she took command of Ezra's console, as the young mother moved aside and sat near the Captain with the floating cradle which had Lacus in it sleeping. This was a delicate procedure as they had to make sure they fed enough power to the Lancer Platform's power matrix while making sure to have enough power to keep the Nirvana functional. They had to hurry as the enemy fleet might still be getting in position.

"Get into contact with Kyo and the others!"

In minutes Kyo and the other pilots appeared on the view-screens. "We need your help Kyo, we're trying to get as much power as we can so we launch quickly!"

"Understood, but we're going to have to make it even faster, we've got some serious company…look." Kyo then showed the images of the mounted forces heading in their direction.

Magno and the crew of the Nirvana were in shock, but they knew that they still had time to mount a defense of the ship and the Platform. Kyo confirmed this as he continued.

"The others will form point defense, while Bart and I will deal with them. I'll hit them first and Bart will follow with the Nirvana's main guns. We'll have to make Bart's damage the greatest and I'll slow them down, and if needed I'll finish them off. I'll catch up with the rest of you while I cover the Nirvana's retreat once you are all out of the area."

Barnette came into the communiqué and shook her head. "No way Kyo! You can't handle all that by yourself, we'll stay with you and we'll all go together."

Duero and Max nodded in agreement, they had no intention of leaving Kyo behind.

Kyo knew their intentions and spoke to them quickly. "I know, but this is our only option. None of your Gundams have the power needed to escape the planetary gravity here, and the only way you can do that is using the Lancer Platform, but there won't be enough power to do that once the Nirvana takes off. Plus if you reach space, you'll need to defend the Nirvana at once. The time is not enough for our teams to assemble and fight properly once they are in space. Only my Gundam can reach space on it's own power…so you'll have to trust me on this one, this is the only chance we have."

The others knew that was true. Out of all the machines in their arsenal, only Kyo's Gundam had the power to leave a planet's atmosphere due to it's fused nuclear/Paeksis reactor, this was true in the mission they had done all those months ago on the desert world similar to this one, only Kyo's Gundam, in it's original form could escape without aid from outside sources, and considering the over-hauled power and performance of the I-Freedom Gundam, it was more capable than any machine in this department.

Dita, Meia, Jura, and the other girls arrived in the bridge after they left the simulators. The three Dread pilots had been part of the assault forces and sadly were unable to use their own SEED modes since they were in IN' the cockpits to totally manipulate the controls. They looked on in worry and it didn't take long for them to try and come forward. Kyo however saw them and smiled.

"Don't worry…I'll be right behind you all."

_taisetsu na koto wasurete shimawanai de itai_

_kegare wo shiranu kokoro_

_Don't let yourself forget the important things in life_

_A heart that knows no impurity_

The crew nodded in unison and went to work, they knew that this was their only chance to escape. The Nirvana flew into position as the lancer Platform came to life. The three other Gundams got near the Nirvana ahead of Kyo and his Gundam to form a defensive perimeter and get into the pirate ship once it reached space and quickly launch to ensure that it would still have protection.

Kyo got into contact with Bart, and then gave him the needed data and the plans for their combined defense of the ship. He would serve as the outer attack ring, and once he did as much damage as he could, the navigator would provide the rest of the barrage. Bart told him that he might not have enough power to hit all the targets. But Kyo assured him that the power of the Nirvana's guns was enough, even though they were not at full capacity.

As the timer passed, it didn't take long for the first wave to appear on the sensors of the bridge crew of the Nirvana. The crew was busy routing and regulating power, leaving the defense up to their navigator Bart, Kyo, and the rest of the ground forces. Sara and Mai were still in command of their forces but had a considerable distance to cross before they can come to the aid of the ship. Kyo however had other ideas.

"Sara, Mai, I want you and the rest of your forces to strike at the enemy once Bart's barrage hits after mine, once you do, have ALL the units go on full auto-pilot and they will take care of the rest."

"Roger!"

--

As the AI units came ever closer, their formations became apparent. The combat transports would be escorted by the Sky Strikers and when they were close, they would deploy inside the Lancer Platform, and destroy all the equipment to prevent the pirates from using the platform for their escape, and would board the Nirvana and exterminate the pirates inside the ship. The others would destroy every trace of the Nirvana and it's crew.

Kyo then waited since it would be another thirty minutes before they were in adequate firing range, while Sara and Mai's teams would take and hour to reach the incoming waves of enemy units. As the time began to count down, he waited…

--

The AI waited as the count-down for the reactivation of the Armageddon Protocol was now only two hours away. It then gave the order for a full charge on the captured Lancer Platform and the Nirvana for the waves of units it was able to assemble.

The AI forces picked up speed and they now used up larger quantities of power to reach their target. If it was going to fall, it would do it's duty…and that was to fight for it's masters, the Harvesters

--

Kyo activated his Gundam's full arsenal including his new feather beam cannons, and then gave Duero a call.

"Duero, use you Gundam's remaining defensive systems on my mark in front of me and the rest of the team."

Duero nodded and began accessing the OS and checked the Galahad Form Pack's remaining equipment. The HALO' defensive emitters was designed for one function, and that was to create a special defensive energy field that had the ability to scramble the tracking systems of missiles and could deflect beam weaponry by a small but effective margin. The HALO emitters would be deployed like shields all over the place and could defend blind spots for both the Morpheous and the allies of the Gundam's pilot if the emitters were given those commands by the pilot.

Once the data was compiled, the emitters flew away and divided into two groups, one to defend the Morpheous, SwitchBlade, and Templar Gundams, and the other would defend the I-Freedom.

And in a moment…

"The first wave is in sight!" Bart said as he spotted the incoming mass of targets. Kyo spotted them too and began tracking their progress using the calculations from his OS.

"Wait for it Bart…"

.

The two men watched as their foes came ever closer, even the normally slower Ogres were giving all they got to reach their target, the Sky Strikers were flying overhead, along with the troop transports. The Desert Fangs were in the lead as they began to fire their beam cannons to at least damage the foes of their masters despite the lack of proper range and effectiveness to damage them completely.

"Sara, Mai…are you in range?"

"Give us another twenty minutes…"

"We don't have that kind of time! Move with all you've got, even if you have to deplete all the reserves of power you have!"

"On it!"

Kyo looked back as his HiMAT system locked on the various targets. The ridge that they were coming over looked as if a black wave was coming right at them. He checked in with the others and got a report that they were nearly ready. The gamble was paying off as the timer for the activation of the Lancer Platform was decreased and they were almost complete with their calculations and coordinates. The cannons were primed and Bart was ready to fire. Bart could only fire once so as to ensure he didn't eat too much power from the Nirvana. So this would be a one shot deal for the navigator.

On three Bart, we give them a real blast!"

"Got it! Guns are nearly at full power!"

The wave came closer and closer, and their weapons fire began to pick up the pace.

"One…"

Missiles from both Sky Strikers and Ogres began to fill the sky. Some slammed into Nirvana's shields, which held although it was at half effectiveness. The shields held but some got through and hit the Nirvana. The plating held and the crew were already gearing up for the trip into space. Magno and BC waited as they watched the count-down, along with the others.

"Two…"

Bart grimaced a bit from the impacts on the ship but held his position, the bombardment began to grow as scratches appeared on his arms, one on his face, and several cuts on his body began to appear, and they were already bleeding slightly. The navigator however focused on his task, compared to his rather unceremonious and very painful landing on this planet, the wounds he had now were nothing but tiny scratches.

The wave of units finally appeared and they now flooded the valley where the Lancer Platform was located. The units continued their barrage and didn't stop for anything.

Kyo looked as the missiles that were aimed had him were scrambled by the HALO emitters and the beams all streaked beside him, he checked his OS and the map of the combat zone he outlined…now it was time!

"THREE! FULL BLAST BART!"

The I-Freedom took out the dual beam rifle, split it into it's two halves and unleashed it's plasma and rail-gun cannons. The feathers that were once pure crystal became metallic and flew away from the Gundam's wings and then aimed right at the enemy, and points of power glowed in front of the barrels.

"GOT IT!"

The areas of the Nirvana where it's guns were stored opened up and the cannons glowed with power as whatever energy from the Paeksis could be spared was relayed to them, in the Navigation Well, Bart's own HiMAT system locked on and gave him the go signal to open fire.

In that very moment both Gundam and pirate vessel unleashed a barrage of beam fire that literally lit up the sky with energy lances! The beams slammed right into the enemy wave, and tore through their foes like hot knives through butter along with unleashing huge geysers of sand and molten metal. Desert Fangs were blown apart, Ogres were shredded, and Sky Strikers exploded and fell like birds shot by hunters. The troop transports were not lucky as they were blown apart and sent spiralling down, out from their still burning wrecks came the parts of enemy droids, totally blown apart.

The first wave was totally devastated and the second wave was also hit hard. Many of them couldn't dodge in time as the sheer number of units allowed for some VERY impressive explosions! Shrapnel from exploding units shredded through allies and the area was literally turned into a burning wasteland as hulks of all AI units were decorating the place with their ruined forms. The beams still tore through the next wave, but the intensity was lost as the front was devastated but the gaps were filled by units that survived. The survivors banded and continued the attack.

Kyo then got word from Sara and Mai.

"We're all ready here, quite the light-show Commander!"

"No time to admire it! Take out as many as you can, and switch to auto-pilot!"

The girls nodded along with the rest of their teams as they switched their forces to go on auto-pilot and log out of their connections to the units they commanded on this mission. The units the pirates had stolen now rushed into the fight while the AI units were still disorganized by the beam barrage from both the Infinite Freedom and the Nirvana. The result was an instant melee free for all. Ogres on both sides fired all their ordinance before going hand to hand. Desert Fangs exhausted the charges in their beam cannons and went for their beam sabers once they came to close combat. The Sky Strikers then fired all their missiles and went into dog-fighter mode.

The pirates cheered as they all gathered their forces to escape as the Nirvana's bridge crew gave a cry of triumph as the Lancer Platform now activated and in the hour that the battle…hopefully the last battle on this world, was over and the ship was now flying up towards the atmosphere and into deep space.

It was at this moment that the seismic tremors began.

_megurikuru kisetsu no naka de_

_kono hoshi ga kiesaru_

_toki ni wa_

_kokoro goto zero ni modoshite_

_shounen no hitomi de_

_mitsumete_

_In the never-ending course of the seasons,_

_an hour will come when this planet will vanish into nothing_

_and all the things in my heart will be restored to zero_

_as I stare on with only the eyes of a boy_

The pirates saw that these earth-quakes were just like world ender types as the sand dunes were shaken apart. Earth jutted out like spears everywhere and tore apart the enemy and ally units that were in the field. The seas they passed boiled and became like acid, and the sounds of the still existing native creatures of the world were like lamenting songs for their dying planet. Geysers of lava exploded all over the place and the entire world was dying in front of them.

Magno didn't waste time and neither did BC, they gave full orders to everyone to brace for a hard takeout and ordered Bart to route all power to thrusters and shields. The navigator nodded and made his move, still ignoring the pain as the heat from below was threatening to singe his skin. The rest of the crew including Bart, Max, Aleck, and Barnette were still in their units, ready to deploy the very second they were in space to defend the Nirvana, to the death if it came to that. The Nirvana rocketed out the area as they were surrounded by the field of the Lancer Platform. They moved as fast as possible so as to get the maximum altitude needed to escape.

Kyo wasted no time as he jetted out of the area, following the Nirvana as massive fragments of the desert world rocketed upwards like fiery missiles. The Lancer Platform began to lose power and in a few minutes, the power faded and the systems of the Lancer Platform was destroyed along with the facility. However the Nirvana was already at the desired altitude and in moments ignited to full power all it's thrusters.

--

Out in space…

The Harvester Fleets were caught off guard when the planet began to explode and break apart. They had been able to complete the formation when they suddenly detected the fall of the planetary shield. The planetary explosion that followed nearly three hours later sent massive waves of pure kinetic energy and this sent massive numbers of Cube Fighters slamming either into each other, the massive asteroids all over the planet, or to their Seed Ships. The kinetic energy launched massive numbers of asteroids at the Harvester Battle-ships, both were able to shield themselves, but the immense waves of power were followed by far more massive chunks of the planet.

Bart decided that since the Nirvana was now underway, he would have to do some serious maneuvering while keeping the ship from being torn apart from the kinetic wave of destructive energy and dodging the incoming chunks of the destroyed planet..

Kyo knew that this was going to be one heck of a dodging game.

The Harvester units in front of the escaping pirate ship and Gundam couldn't even respond as they were caught off guard and were sent flying away by the kinetic blast.

If the universe had eyes and ears, it would have recoiled in fear at the massive destruction on such a scale as a planet was literally shook to pieces. And it would have held it's breath as the combined Harvester Fleet was covered in the debris and massive plasma storms that followed, and the Nirvana and the Infinite Freedom Gundam being covered in massive clouds of dust and super-heated gas.

In what was once a desert world was nothing now but debris and a massive cloud of dust and debris. Nothing was happening, and nothing moved.

--

In that moment however, a shape came out from the other side of the cloud of dust and debris.

It was…the Nirvana!

Despite some burns on the ship in various areas, the ship was still intact, and inside were massive cheers as the crew celebrated their escape. Bart was also cheering as he was able to evade the barrage with very serious wounds. Magno and BC smiled as they heard that all of the crew were alive and safe.

Barnette and Max who were out of their respective Gundams hugged one another, and Duero who was also out of his Gundam was suddenly tackled by Parfet who cried out in utter joy and relief that he was safe, holding him like a vice regardless of the fact that he was asking her politely that he needed some air in his lungs.

Ezra held Lacus's hand while the baby was still in her cradle, but she had happy tears on her face that now she and all her friends would make it back home. Belvedere, Amarone, and Celtic were cheering everyone and smiling radiantly.

Gascogne smirked as her girls in the Register cheered their good fortune.

Sara and Mai celebrated with cheers along side their fellow Crusader pilots who also shared hugs and cheers with the Dread pilots. The Engineering crew congratulated each other on a great job done.

Dita, Jura, and Meia gave each other smiles as they had won this hard struggle with everyone safe and alive. Misty gave a sigh of relief as she looked at the radar and reported no sign of pursuers.

It was then that everyone on the Nirvana cheered even more as a familiar sight was before them…

With it's wings and crystal feathers glowing brightly was the Infinite-Freedom Gundam as it flew around them like a guardian angel and in their view-screens was Kyo who was smiling all the while, he looked exhausted but was happy. The medical scan done by Buzam made them all relieved, as Kyo had no serious injuries.

"Now that we're done with this mission, what say we go back to our journey?" Kyo asked them all.

The crew all responded with a hearty cheer. "Roger!" While in the back-ground Magno and Buzam smiled.

"This guy will never cease to amaze, will he BC?" Magno asked her second in command.

Buzam smiled. "No, and who knows what else we will see?"

Magno nodded as she looked in the veil of stars and cosmic bodies. This made her recall the scene she saw many times when she was still with her family. She then looked at all the crew of the ship who were her family. I'm happy to be alive, and with all of them, here and now.

"That is what makes the future all the brighter BC, now let's go home!"

_futari mata ano yume no hate_

_arukidasu tsunaida_

_te wo hanasazu ni_

_But for now we're together again, and toward the end of that dream_

_we start walking, hand in hand, never letting go_

(End of song)

--

In the Medical Bay… not a day after the escape

"Ow! Okay…that's good Paiway, you did real good!"

Bart said as he thanked the young nurse as she carefully bound his burns with some clean sterile gauze after applying some soothing medication. Bart was lucky he had taken some time to learn how to maneuver the Nirvana and avoided too many serious injuries.

"Thanks, you bald dope!" Paiway said with a teasing tone as she finished patching up the navigator.

"Hey! Stop calling me that!"

Bart replied back as he faced the nurse. He however didn't get mad, he had gotten used to being teased and let it slide. Duero and Max were there and were happy for the girl's progress, it wasn't all that high, but Paiway was becoming better as a medical specialist.

In that moment two certain girls came into the medical lab.

"Hi Duero!"

"Hi Max!"

Both men turned to find Parfet and Barnette, who walked into the rooms with smiles on their faces, and with some curiosity, the men noticed they had some pink in their cheeks.

"Anything wrong?"

Both men asked when the girls walked up to them and whispered in their ears. The men looked back at the girls and were puzzled.

(What's a lunch date?)

Both men thought, but before they could ask the two girls grabbed them and without further ado, took them out of the medical bay. Bart and Paiway poked their heads out of the medical bay and looked at each other with puzzled expressions, but Paiway had her signature smirk when she looked at the retreating couples and then took out her frog puppet and her note-book, and pen, along with her trusty camera.

"Oh! More new developments, I can't miss this! Pai-Check!"

Bart could help but smirk as he put back on his uniform. "Well, back to the old routine." He then held his newest possession which was the doll and made his way to the cafeteria.

--

In the Bio Park…

Kyo was there taking a deep breath, he had been able to get a good day's rest after their escape, and he was happy as several individuals had began to tire him out.

(Wager a guess who those people are.)

He then thought about what would the Harvesters do. After this, it would infuriate the leaders of the Harvest even more now that they had been defeated and they had escaped. Kyo didn't know what would be waiting for them as they made their journey back to Megele and Talark, but he wasn't going to give up and despair.

As he moved away after a minute of introspective thinking, he made his way back to the ship. He wanted to meet with his friends and make his plans for the future, though he wondered when he would get his memories back, and most of all.

What would the Harvesters do this time?

--

Kyo was going to wish he didn't ask…

At the world of the Harvesters, the news of the Nirvana's escape infuriated the Council and the angry cries filled the Council chambers. However in another part of the head-quarters of the Harvesters…somebody else was not as angry.

(Hmm…the escort fleet was able to escape in time, and now are with the fleet. This is good, the sample is still intact. All that has to be done, is to make some changes and the Nirvana will be seriously dealt with.)

The Harvester Leader looked in his console with a smile, though they had lost almost two fleets and had lost one battle-cruiser. He knew that it wasn't a total loss in the part of his forces. Now all he had to do was placate his followers, he took some time to ponder on the possibilities he would have with that sample, and what data he had gained since the battle on the surface of that planet.

--

Deep in space…

Another ship made it's way through the sea of stars and planets. But it's destination was not Megele and Talark, but Earth. It was one of the Earth battle-cruisers that was trying to seal the planet and kill the Nirvana. It was badly damaged but still functional. It now was on escort duty since even in such a state, it was still a deadly weapon. It shielded a certain escort fleet and took most of the damage and had lost most if not all of it's own escort forces, but many of it's own weapons were still functional.

After all, the cargo of the small force it was escorting was worth it's weight in a whole planetary quota of organs, and in this case, the loss of another battle fleet. But that wasn't the only gift it was escorting back to it's masters.

Deep in the bowels of the damaged but still functional ship were three robotic forms. All of them were still not lost in the fighting, but although they didn't have a chance to face the Nirvana and it's Gundams, there was always next time.

The Hell-Fire, Devastator, and the Wyvern Gundams were still inactive, but when they would be finally completed…

Woe to all that would face them!!

--

To be continued…

--

See you at the next Chapter as we see the rest of the adventures of the Nirvana crew…and what will happen between Kyo and the girls? Well…you'll have to wait and see now won't you?


	13. Chapter 13

GunDread SEED The Second Stage

Disclaimer: I once more state that I have no legal ownership of VanDread or Gundam SEED. That means that I am not to be held liable by anybody claiming ownership of said shows

Chapter 6

Part 1

Plans and Preparations

--

The Nirvana was busy cruising in space, and for the first time since the planet incident not nearly a week ago, the crew was not being attacked by their enemies, the Harvesters and that meant some serious down time for the crew of the pirate vessel. And a load of people were taking great advantage of that. But for some, there was time for a good conversation.

--

In one of the rest rooms…

"It's nice to take a break from the fighting. By the way, do you think the Commander's all right?"

Sara Elsman asked Mai Miazaki as the two were busy taking a refresher from their daily work schedules.

The brown haired girl shook her head sadly.

"Nope I don't think he's completely forgotten it. He's still working at the Register and with his Gundam, but for now he's still not being easy around the rest of us."

Sara nodded. "Yeah, I guess so. But it was…rather interesting, don't you think so?"

Both girls blushed a bit as they thought back about that incident not a few days ago. Sara then thought about some other details and decided to ask. "Have you heard about some strange things happening in the Medical Bay?"

Mai shook her head and that was when she decided to ask.

--

In the Medical Bay…

Duero and Max gazed at the computer monitor in the medical facility. Paiway was taking a break in the cafeteria leaving the two siblings to complete the process of their experiments. Both men were in a state of utter resignation as the data proved that the theory was very much completely accurate, and when they completed the next step of their test earlier with the data they were able to get from the old colony ship's archives, they knew that there was no escaping the truth now.

The elder sibling then took out the container that had Kyo's seed sample and quickly placed the disposable container in the slot for the incinerator. The last of Kyo's seed sample was used up and frankly, Duero was happy for it since it had caused some considerable risks.

He didn't hold it against Parfet when he found the bug Jura had placed on the console of the Medical Bay not a month ago. Ever since then, several girls, including the blonde Dread pilot in question had been trying to take the sample by sneaking into the Medical Bay. He and Max had caught them in the act on more than one occasion, and knew what they were after, even if they denied it.

Max and his brother made one final test and when the data went positive once more they knew that it was time to inform the captain about this fact. When they were nearly finished with the compilation, Duero and Max heard the door open and spotted Barnette Orangello walk into the room. The green haired girl greeted the two men and Duero decided to go and take a break in the Bio-Park, he told Max to meet up with him soon and present their combined research to the Captain.

Barnette walked over to Max and had a tinge of pink as she gazed at the younger McFile sibling. She then decided to get back to what she wanted to do before her embarrassment overwhelmed her and walked towards the younger man.

"Hi."

Max smiled at the Dread pilot and responded. "Hello Barnette, are you all right? You seem to have an injury of some sort."

"Yeah…I got this small bruise on my arm getting out of bed this morning…and uh…" The girl said as she stood in front of the younger medic.

Max offered a seat to Barnette. "No need to worry, I'll take a look…" He then professionally looked the injury over. "Hmm…it's not too much of an injury. I'll just give you some ointment and it will fade in a few hours." He then got to his feet and took an ointment bottle out of the nearby locker and when he returned to his patient, he poured a small portion of ointment on his hands and on the area where Barnette's bruise was, once the application was done, he began to massage the bruise, with just the right amount of force to allow the congealed blood to flow and the muscles to loosen, without causing pain to flow.

Barnette's cheeks had a deeper pink tinge and her heart beat a bit faster as she felt the warmth of Max's hands on her skin. Granted the young man's hands were rougher than hers, but he was so gentle in his ministrations that she didn't notice the difference. The way he moved his hands and the warmth he had mixed with hers, making her feel very relaxed as she gazed at the young medic.

"You know something Barnette…hello, Barnette are you all right?" Max asked his patient when he noted that Barnette was staring at him with considerable focus and she didn't hear him. And he could see that she seemed to have some color on her face, similar to the time back on the planet.

"Huh? Oh! I'm sorry!" Barnette immediately realized that she was staring liberally at Max and quickly shook herself mentally while trying not to embarrass herself. "You were saying something?"

"I was saying that this is the fourth time this week you've gone to the Medical Bay for minor injuries. Yesterday you came with a minor cut, the day before that, you had a small burn in the kitchen from cooking, and the first day…well, you get the picture. You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd start thinking you were getting this injuries on purpose."

Barnette merely scratched the back of her head. "Now why do you think I'd do something that silly?" She replied with a laugh and a sheepish expression. She then gazed as max went back to his ministrations, she took in the way his face looked. He had tanned skin, she noted that before on the desert world, but under the lights of the Nirvana's lighting, his face had an almost exotic tan, like light copper. She could see that he had very well formed muscle structure, not very hardened, but smooth and strong. She then looked at his eyes, and took in the wonderful shade of amber in them.

"What's wrong? Do I have something on my face?"

"No…you just look…very, what's that word…handsome."

"A compliment, thanks." Max said with a smile as he finished his actions. "Now I recommend that you try not to move too much when sleeping. What kind of dream did you have to make you do that…was it an intense dream?"

Barnette gave an embarrassed look as she nodded. "It was intense, but it wasn't a nightmare. I need to get back to work, Meia's supposed to have a training session for the Dread pilots on new tactics to beat the Harvesters next time we meet them." She then stood up and made her way to the exit of the medical facility.

Max nodded as he escorted Barnette out of the Medical Bay. "Maybe I can find out why you had that dream. I'm not saying I can be a dream specialist, but if I know what made you have that dream, then maybe I can help you avoid getting too many injuries early in the morning."

The two then parted ways as Barnette headed of in one direct, while Max went back to the medical bay to end his shift and meet up with his brother later, all he had to do was compile his own work.

Barnette looked back at his retreating form and then she blushed deeply as she gazed at Max's retreating form as certain images made their way back into her head.

"I wonder what would you say if my dream was about you Max?" Barnette asked herself quietly as she thought about her dream…and began to blush even harder.

--

"This is the first time I've seen you have your hair down Parfet."

Chief turned and faced her superior in the Engineering Bay of the pirate vessel. The head engineer was still in her normal engineer's garb, but the second in command of the engineers noted a considerable amount of changes in the spunky engineer.

"What do you think? Do I look okay?" Parfet asked as she released her hair from her normal braids. (How they remain the same shape and size, I'll never know.) She then combed her hair with her fingers a bit and allowed the normally curled strands to loosen.

"You look fine, but are you sure you want to go around without your glasses on?" The second in command under Parfet Balblair asked as she pointed to the pair of spectacles the head engineer had placed on the table. Like all the girls under her, the head engineer had some difficulty without her glasses when it came to moving and looking at certain things.

"It's all right, I won't be needing them where I'm going. I'm just going for a physical check-up, nothing major." Parfet said as she walked away from her fellow Engineer and…

Smack!

Bumped nose first on the wall near the door!

"Ouch! Hehe." Parfet rubbed her nose carefully and gave a sheepish look to Chief and opened the door. This naturally left the young woman with a confused expression on her face and the rather large sweat-drop on the back of her head.

Later…

"Oh…I wish I still had my glasses!" Parfet said as she tried to make her way to the Medical Bay to see a certain Talark medic, who was no doubt getting ready to leave the medical center of the Nirvana. The head engineer wished she at least had her glasses since she had found herself lost in the paths in the Bio-Park.

Darn! If I don't hurry I'll miss Duero by another hour! Parfet reproached herself as she tried once more to get out of the park. But she had lost her way and before she knew it she took to a brisk walk so she could find a way out.

It didn't take long however for Parfet to collide with someone.

"Ahhh!" Parfet yelped in surprise but then found herself being held by the person in front of her. Since she closed her eyes for a moment she had no idea who was in front of her.

"I'm sorry, I just need to find the Medical Bay and…"

"Parfet, are you all right? What are you doing without your glasses?"

Parfet stiffened as she reached out and held her rescuer, since she realized who she happened to be holding. She opened her eyes and found herself staring at a broad chest…a man's muscular chest. And she had no trouble recognizing the voice.

"Duero?"

"Yes, it's me." The Talark youth answered as he gazed down at the petite engineer. He was curious why Parfet was without her glasses, as he always saw her wearing them on almost every occasion they met. He then noticed that Parfet's hair was not in her normal braids, his confession to Kyo already showed that to him she looked fine with those thick braids, but for some reason beyond him, there was a certain urge in him saying that he should try and feel the chocolate brown tresses through his fingers. He put that idea aside as he still wasn't totally sure about the whole idea of physical attraction existing between him and his long time female friend.

Parfet's eyesight was only bad at long distances, meaning she was near sighted, so she naturally had no trouble seeing at close range. She could smell Duero already, back then in the past she didn't notice anything about Duero, but ever since that mission on the trap planet they were stuck in, she felt this need to know all the details about the head physician of the Nirvana. His scent was different, it wasn't like the perfume she knew existed and used frequently on her world, nor did it smell bad, it was just…him, and for reasons she didn't know, she liked Duero's scent. She then decided to look at him.

The doctor noted that the head engineer was going to look at him so he moved back a bit to give her some space. The head engineer looked at him and he looked at her.

Parfet noted that like his hair, Duero's eye, the only one not covered by his bangs, was deep onyx black. She felt like staring at it since it reminded her of a pure midnight in Megele, a very beautiful and serene midnight black. She also noted that Duero had taken off his normal trench-coat that he had with him on almost all of his duties, except for the time he slapped on a pilot's uniform and helmet when he piloted his Morpheous Gundam, this allowed her to see the broad shoulders and his neck. The body parts in question were covered with tanned skin and had a deep sense of power. She also felt the warmth he was radiating through his clothes, and the heat from his harder male form was starting to affect her as more heat rushed up her face until she thought her cheeks would ignite. It didn't help matters as she began to recall a certain event that happened a few days ago.

Duero noted that without her glasses on, Parfet had deep violet colored eyes. Since she had never taken off her glasses until now, he didn't know that violet was her eye color. Her eyes reminded him of some deep colored rock crystals he had seen his brother fashion as a jewel when they were still kids back on their desert planet. Since she didn't have anything to hide her face, Duero noted that she looked very nice with smooth light cream skin and in his opinion, didn't have anything to detract her features. He then noted that Parfet had once more unzipped her jumpsuit and had the sleeves tied around her waist. This allowed him to see the upper form of the brown haired girl, which was still clothed in her tank top. He noted that despite the fact that Parfet wasn't as…well formed as the other girls in the chest she was… Duero mentally slapped himself as to avoid staring at her a bit longer than needed.

Parfet then decided to break the embrace despite a voice in her head telling her not to.

"Sorry for bumping into you Duero, I guess I should have brought my glasses with me when I went out to talk to you and have my physical."

Duero nodded. "You should not forget them when you are out of the Engineering Bay." He then had this voice in his head, telling him that Parfet looked a load better without the large glasses blocking her eyes, it made her look more…Duero immediately took on the persona of his medical side and decided to ask a question.

"You know, with corrective laser surgery, you could have your eyes restored to normal 20/20 vision Parfet."

Parfet smiled, while squinting to see Duero better. "I know, but I've been wearing the glasses for so long, they are a part of me now and I couldn't bear the though of losing them someplace."

"Hmm…then I suggest you get some contact lenses, men on my world who can't afford or not wish to undergo eye treatment or have glasses made for them, have contacts specifically made for them."

"Maybe, but I don't have the money to have that made, and we're not near Megele for me to pay for them anyway."

"Don't worry about that, I'm sure there may be some there in the Medical Bay, and if there isn't any then I can have some made for you."

Parfet blushed at the thought of Duero actually making something for her, sure there was the painting during Christmas time, the same one she loved looking at while hiding it from her fellow engineers, but something that personal was a different matter.

"Is that okay with you? I mean you're very busy taking care of others and not just me you know?"

"Not a problem, you're a valued part of the crew and to be honest one of the people I highly respect on this ship. If you did lose your glasses, then at least you have something to help you once you get a replacement. (And before he could contain his mouth) And you have a very interesting shade of violet in your eyes, so I think you should show it more often."

"You mean it?" Parfet felt her heart stop for a moment and beat rapidly as she gazed at Duero.

Duero knew that he admitted the truth and decided to complete his words. "Yes, I happen to like that shade of color you have, I hope I didn't say something to upset you."

"No! It's not upsetting…It's just that nobody on my world or even here comments on the color of my eyes when I take my glasses off, thank you Duero." She then decided to ask something she normally wouldn't have asked him under most circumstances, but it seemed that now was a good time as any. "Duero… Can I see your face?"

Duero was somewhat confused at that statement. "What do you mean? You've seen my face already for a very long time."

"Not that way…I mean, can you move that bang of hair of yours aside so I can see what you look like without it?"

Duero thought about it and nodded, since he was considered to be of average appearance on his home-planet he guessed there would be no harm in him revealing the rest of his face. But as he reached with his right hand to move the bang away…

"No, can I do it?" Parfet asked timidly and when Duero nodded his consent she reached out with her own right hand and pushed the bang of Duero's black hair aside. Once she did so, she felt a rising amount of heat hit her full in the face and her eyes widened.

Duero's face was well formed, smooth tanned skin, and had a quality that screamed attractive to Parfet, though the thought of any man being attractive to a woman of Megele was unheard of. Parfet realized that it was a lie, Duero was very much a beautiful specimen of a man as his face was perfectly formed. No flaws in the nose, his lips seemed to attract her gaze along with the strong lines and features of his face, but it was the fact that both of his eyes were now exposed to her that made her gaze at him. They were like beautiful stones of midnight-black that beckoned anybody gaze at them, and Parfet realized she was doing that VERY shamelessly. She wanted to stop but all that she could do for them moment was gaze at Duero, and when she was done…all she said was…

"Beautiful…"

"Are you satisfied with your look Parfet?" Duero asked as a formality since he already knew from the way Parfet looked at him she enjoyed it. And for some reason, he felt…proud of it.

Parfet merely nodded silently, while trying not to blush to the point that she would collapse out of utter embarrassment.

The two then went back to the direction of the Medical Bay to complete Parfet's daily physical check-up. All the while the brown haired girl was blushing deeply as she began to have…rather…indecent images involving herself and the man beside her

--

Later…

As Duero and Max made their way to the bridge to request an audience with the Captain, they were being greeted by stares from various members of the female crew, it didn't matter what section of the ship the girls worked in, they were still being greeted by stares that somewhat unnerved them. It was then that they ran into another one of the few men on the Nirvana.

"Hey Gunny, how are you doing?" Duero asked their senior in combat school. The older man gave them a wave and then walked up to them with a look of confusion, slight confusion.

"I'm fine…minus the fact that I've been stared at by the girls for the past few hours. You have any idea what's going on?" The older man asked his former students.

"Not a clue Gunny, maybe we can ask them once we get the chance." Max replied as he checked the data disk he had in his hand.

Bart then called from behind them with a wave. "Hey guys! You all having a meeting of the minds or what?"

"Not really, by the way Bart, shouldn't you be in the navigation well on a practice run or something?" Aleck asked the bald navigator as he normally would be working in the bridge for a practice run in order to master the full functions of the Nirvana.

"Not right now, the Captain said I need a break anyway since I've been in the well for the past three hours since this morning." Bart said as he cracked his knuckles and allowed the stiffness in his neck to be loosened. He had taken only a light meal and decided to get some practice, he had always been lucky or rescued when he first took on being the Navigator, but after all he had gone through, it as time to shape up and get serious. Lives were at stake and he wasn't a kid anymore, the loss of Shirley taught him that, despite this change of outlook, Bart still remained himself, though in this case, more serious and focused when it came to his duties as the Nirvana's pilot and the main gun operator.

"Is the Captain still there?"

"Yeah, she's there with the commander talking about some important matters, you guys want I can call her with the communicator?"

Duero and Max thought about it for a moment and decided to allow the navigator to call the Captain. It didn't take long for the navigator to call Magno and Magno wasn't all that happy.

"What is it this time Bart? We're rather busy right now." And that was true as Magno and BC were deep in discussion

"Sorry to disturb you Captain, but Duero and Max have something to show you."

"All right, tell them to go to the Conference Room, Buzam and I will be waiting for them."

Duero and Max thanked Bart and Aleck as they made their way to where they would meet up with the Captain. Aleck however noted that there was something serious in the air surrounding the two young men who were his former students. Aleck was older than the other men (minus the fact that Kyo was older by at least four centuries) and had a great deal of instinct when it came to what others had in their minds. Something bothered his former students and this made him very uneasy, however he knew that the McFile siblings were among the best students in the Academy and could handle things when they wanted to. He sighed and decided to grab Bart by the neck and drag him away.

"Ouch! Gunny! For Grand Pa's sake don't grab me like that! And where are you going anyway?!" Bart yelped as he tried to loosen Aleck's grip on his neck while the two were walking.

Aleck loosened his grip a bit but held Bart nevertheless. "I'm heading off for a cup of coffee and a game of cards with Gascogne after break-fast, you coming?"

Bart sighed and nodded, it's not like there was much else to do today, but he perked up as another idea came to mind, but this had nothing to do with him cross-dressing one time all those months ago. He had an idea on how to improve the food pills and that meant a side trip to the kitchen and getting some ideas of food preparation…and since he had little else to do…

"Why not?"

--

In the Conference Room…

"What is it you wish to discuss with us today Duero? It sounds very important, even more so with both you and your brother here." Magno asked as she and Buzam faced the two McFile siblings who were carrying a bag of some sort.

"Yes Captain, it has something to do with the current methods of reproduction both our planets have. We've already uncovered much information that has some considerable ramifications for that process."

Duero then began the explanation by loading in a video disk into the insertion slot. In moments, the viewing monitors showed what the women easily recognized as the facility they used on Megele to store the eggs of the female couples who intended to start families, namely the eggs of the woman who planned to be the ohma.

"The process of Megele women on procreation involves the process of splicing the genes of both consenting parents in a vat that replicates the womb of the woman who will be the bearer of the child. The ohma's egg is filled with the genes from the fahma to complete the genetic material exchange and once the egg shows signs of the fertilization and growth process, the now fertilized egg is them surgically injected into the fahma's womb and is allowed to complete the growth and maturation process and in the period of nine months, the baby is born naturally…as far as the female birthing process is concerned."

The group watched the video from the splicing process and finally to the impregnation and birth. Magno then looked at both men and wondered why they would bring up something she had been familiar with when Megele was founded.

"I am impressed by the way you understood Megele's birthing process, but what does this have to do with what ramifications you both mentioned?"

"Allow us to finish Captain. We'll explain everything once this last part is over." Max said as he inserted the next data disk, and this one revealed what appeared to be a massive cloning vat/factory, but the captain didn't recognize the design of the place, but she did notice that there were only men who manned the facility.

"On our world of Talark the process is different, but with some similarities. Since men don't have any natural ways of giving birth to our next generation, we rely on more mechanical methods. In this case we use a special birth matrix vat to store the seeds of two consenting male parents, and when they are spliced, the vat is manipulated to ensure that the fetus is able to be born in human form. And after nine months of gestation and controlled growth, the child is released from the vat and is raised by the two fathers."

Magno shivered at the thought of being born like a machine, being assembled with no warmth of a mother's touch around her as a child as she watched the video depicting the process. But for reasons unknown BC didn't seem all that disturbed by the images she was seeing.

"For all intents and purposes, though the women are more anatomically suited to have children than men, both our worlds' birthing methods have the same key principles to act as the operational foundation." Duero said as the video ended.

"That very informative, but what does this have anything to do with what ramifications you mentioned?" Buzam asked, with a slight hint of impatience.

Duero and Max were silent for a moment as they realized that what they would say would be a real shocker. The elder brother took his younger brother's prolonged silence as a sign that he should take over with the explanations.

"Captain, Commander, we've done some intense research on a theory I came up with not a few months ago concerning the process of artificial child-birth, namely that of our two worlds…and we've uncovered that if our worlds continue the methods of procreation we have shown you both, then the populations on both worlds will face the same situation that nearly ended the Coordinators."

The two women were stuck silent by that and looked at each other gravely, and also watched the two men who had the same grave looks in their faces. Then the elder woman leaned forward.

"Can you explain further?"

Duero nodded as he brought out another video record. The images in the new disk were different and showed a set of genetics research notes, all of which concerned the human genome.

"During the time of Earth, our ancestors had given birth to children naturally, namely when the introduction of the Cosmic Era calendar. Therefore meaning…procreation between men and women being the only way to propagate future generations. This was before the founding of advanced genetic enhancement from conception by George Glenn, the man who was considered to be the first genetically engineered and enhanced human. He founded the ideas which we all now as the way to have methods to re-engineer the human genome at birth by scientific means namely when the child is still in the embryonic stages of development, with it being reintroduced back to the womb to be grown into full term. The methods he founded however proved to have incited violence and hatred, which as you recall from the video record from Misty Cornwell's escape pod led to the separation of the human race into two genetic types."

"Coordinators on one side of the spectrum, they were those who were born through the methods outlined by George Glenn before he was killed by an assassin. And Naturals on the other, they were those who rejected the birthing methods of Coordinators and gave birth to children naturally. This, plus political and economic reasons resulted in the war that started from the attack on the Junius 7 PLANT colony."

Max then took over as he moved the images to what appeared to be still data notes on the human genome and designs for what appeared to be a birth matrix.

"What we didn't hear was that giving birth to Coordinators at the time was not in the least bit pleasant. Many rich and influential families at first covertly had children born as Coordinators as there was a world-wide ban on having children born as Coordinators. But when the ban was repealed, many families went and had appointments of have their children born as Coordinators. However, due to some of Glenn's notes being destroyed by those who hated genetically enhanced human beings, the process was flawed, as many children who were subjected to the process suffered genetic and physical defects since the results at birth did not match up to when the genes were tampered with, plus the mother's womb was unable to support the genetic modifications, and many families would not be able to have children as miscarriages were common. This was the greatest problem faced at the time by those who wished to have children who were genetically enhanced."

"The solution came from a man named Dr. Ulen Hibiki. Both of us tried to unlock what other data we could but some of it was sealed by a high security system. But from what we learned, he was able to perfect a device that could replicate the environment of a woman's womb without the wildcard' factors that plagued those who wished to have Coordinator children. Ulen's research pointed out that since there were certain random genetic instances in the womb of a mother which caused mistakes to manifest in the newly modified genome structure of the child leading to the inability to handle the growth and acceptance of the newly modified genome, then the child would not survive birth, and even if the child did survive, then that child would have severe mental, emotional, and physical defects."

The images then showed the man in question as he worked on several design specs in a wall monitor.

"Dr. Ulen then decided to create the artificial womb which would allow a child to be born, but cut away the danger of random genetic damage/mix-up that would be involved if the child was born naturally. It was said that Ulen's work on this process was the most hated by the radicals of the terrorist group Blue Cosmos at the time, and therefore years later, when he completed and perfected the process, he and his wife were killed, there was no other data since that too was sealed away. What is known is that the colony where he worked as attacked by a biological weapon, and many important records were lost or stolen. But those who were able to salvage most of his notes were able to create the artificial womb and this allowed Coordinators to be born without serious to critical physical and mental defects. The result of the artificial wombs being used for giving birth to children were children who were very much more efficient than those who were born normally."

Duero nodded as he showed images of children who performed better than others in many aspects.

"These children would be able to learn anything at a much faster pace, have increased immunity to certain viruses and nearly all diseases, plus would be physically stronger and faster than normal children, and would be more flexible on many fronts of human actions and culture. Sadly they were treated like freaks at the time, until the end of the war and the eventual peace treaties and actions made by both sides."

"Go on." Both women said as they listened more intently.

"At the time, a fatal mistake on the birthing process of Coordinator generations was founded. It turned out that future generations of Coordinator children ran the risk of sterility. This was due to the fact that their genes, namely for distribution of inherent genes was the first to be tampered with since parents could now dictate every aspect of their child, from height, eye color, and the like. Despite this flexibility the genes of Coordinator children were altered and were not allowed to be able to combine with the other set of genes from the respective parents naturally, even more so with the use of the artificial womb and lack of natural gene input as that of Natural born children. That fact was discovered by scientists on the PLANTS when they ran tests on the third generation for continued genetic viability. The scientists rushed to find a cure to counter the threat of sterility and the following genetic and physiological damage that would be the results…but were only able to do so with the end of the war between the PLANTS and Earth."

Max then took over as the images changed to a large room where both the symbol of Z.A.F.T and that of the Earth Alliance were seen side by side, and members of both factions were signing on a peace treaty.

"Scientists from both Z.A.F.T and the Nations of Earth were able to isolate and create a genetic cure that brought that genetic instability to normal, but this meant that they could not use the method of the artificial womb too much fear of re-upsetting the genetic pool of their group. In this time however, there were recorded couples who were either Natural or Coordinator, such unions were at first reviled by those who still believed in the fact that either side were the enemy. But when their children were born an amazing discovery was made, the cure had somehow done more than allow the stability of the genome to improve, but it allowed Coordinators to be born in the natural way without the major risk of genetic, mental and physiological damage to the child, and the child is still able to have succeeding generations. Many still resented these unions, but in the coming years, the children who were born of Coordinator and Natural parentage, exhibited the traits of both gene groups."

"These children had the same abilities of Coordinators, but when they would have their own children, there were no dangerous complications. These children and the succeeding generations that followed helped seal the gap and in time, both terms of Coordinator and Natural were discarded, and the human race became one unified whole. This happened for the past three hundred years all the way to Colonization Era…and to this point in time when our two planets were founded."

Duero then ran a data disk that revealed an image of the human genome. And began to high-light several important points with a laser pointer. Along with those images were the images of the two birthing methods on both Megele and Talark.

"When the two parts of the Ikazuchi were separated, and the seven founders of our respective planets arrived on the worlds we descended from, they knew that they could not have children in the normal fashion due to their decision to separate from each other. So the only option they all had was to use their own genetic material to ensure that they would have future generations. Thus they used the method that Coordinators used to have children in the time of war and the separation of the Coordinators from Earth's population."

"The artificial womb…" Magno said silently as she digested the information. BC was still silent as she listened in.

"The condition that plagued Coordinators and their generations is known as gene shifting as on occasion, genes have a rare tendency to move away from the assigned gene blocks they are supposed to bond with, it also exists in natural child birth but is counter-balanced by the random gene variables and the natural gene input process of the human female's womb. But with the artificial womb and the manipulation of genes by artificial methods the danger of the genes being misplaced by being tampered with increases dramatically. The gene code blocks that form the basic foundation of the genome are either scattered or merge with the incorrect gene code blocks, and this can result in mutations and mistakes in the child's code since the gene blocks are supposed to follow a pattern similar to that of the gene block formation of the child's parents. The changes were subtle and were considered merely minor mishaps when the process was used, and were naturally discarded. But the damage began to manifest into growing instances of sterility and genetic instability. The plans for the creation of the artificial womb still were kept and also there were records of it in the Ikazuchi as mementos of the past."

"The men of Talark used the complete process of the artificial womb while the women of your planet used their natural wombs to give birth, but the process and procedures of genetic manipulation and control in the creation of Coordinator children served as the fundamental foundation of our planets' individual procreation process. And like the saying goes… Mistakes have a way to come back and haunt you.' "

The screen then showed the DNA profile of the gentle bridge officer, including the facts surrounding Ezra's family tree and their own DNA profiles. Next to Ezra's DNA model was that of her daughter, Lacus. In certain parts were the DNA structure was colored along with that of Lacus's own DNA profile.

"I'd like to show you that the damage is underway because of the use of the methods we all are using, as you can see, there are high-lighted sections of Ezra's DNA profile, these indicate the traits that she can share with her children. Normally the DNA profile has considerable similarities in sequence between parent and child due to inheritance, but as you can see there are now differences in Lacus's DNA sequence pattern."

"Lacus has a different DNA sequence pattern than her mother's" Buzam noted as she and Magno gazed at the two DNA patterns. Important marker acids from Lacus's DNA model were not in place where they should be and contrasted with Ezra's.

"Yes, normally the gene codes should be the same since Lacus inherited them from her mother, but they are not. Ezra's own DNA profile doesn't match the normal DNA profiles of her own fahma and ohma and their own DNA profiles don't match those of their own parents effectively. The damage however is already building and the process of birthing in Megele is just adding more fuel to the fire."

Max then took over as Ezra and Lacus's DNA pattern took center stage and charts began to show lines that were marked with Ezra and Lacus's name and their respective DNA profile.

"We're not saying that she can't children nor can Lacus have any children of her own when she matures, the damage hasn't gotten to that point, but the damage is still there, as time will progress, Lacus's DNA and that of Ezra will be harder to replicate and use as a foundation to have new children, in time however that will change in which greater genetic and physical defects will become present in the succeeding generations as it becomes more saturated due to overuse, instability, and lack of natural manipulation, the damage will continue until…the DNA becomes totally unstable."

The DNA profile then broke down and all of the gene blocks that formed the DNA strand shattered, making the women in the room silent as they began to grasp the ramifications.

"I think we made out point. When I began this research I thought it would not be validated, but the data is conclusive and accurate. I'm sorry but the damage is already spreading." Duero said as he and his brother waited for Buzam and Magno to respond.

"But this is only Ezra's family line. Surely the others don't have such damage." Buzam objected as she looked at the monitor that had the image of the shattered DNA strand.

"No Commander…the damage is in ALL the women of Megele. Ezra and her daughter weren't the only ones we tested this theory on. We also took samples from members of the crew, including ourselves, and we've found that the men of our world are also affected by gene shifting."

Duero said as he revealed more DNA strands, the DNA profiles of Dita, Meia, Sara, Jura, Mai, Gascogne, Parfet, and many others, all of their DNA patterns were marked, showing the damage of gene shifting. He then revealed the DNA profiles of himself, his brother Max, Bart, and Aleck, showing to them that the damage was not limited to women, but to the men as well.

"I guess we've all reached the end of the loop then." Magno said sadly as she thought over all that she had been shown by the two men.

Buzam took all this in carefully and replied. "How could something this critical and this dangerous be totally ignored on Megele and Talark? Surely the First Generation was aware of such a thing like this occurring during the birthing process?"

"Pride and arrogance, BC, pride and arrogance are the reasons we have reached this point." Magno said in a sad tone of voice. "When the two sides separated they were blinded by their desires to live apart, and their own vision on what they future of their new generations should be. There should have been more time to consider the ramifications of such an act, but it was already too late. It's like the saying I knew of back before the split and the founding of both our worlds. It went as… The sins of the past can always influence the future.' How true it is now, considering the situation."

"We know that saying as well, but that now is a moot point at this stage." Max said as they finally showed the last image of their research model. "In any rate, the continuous use of the current birthing methods will result in the eventual destruction of the gene pool on both planets. And as a result, we'll be repeating the failing of the Coordinator side of our heritage, but at an even grander scale."

"True, if both worlds die, then who will help rally the forces we need to defeat the Harvesters? But we can't do much moping and worrying about it in our current state, in that case…what options do we have to remedy this problem?" BC asked.

Magno gave a very large knowing grin as she gazed at the two men. "It's rather obvious IF you were paying attention BC. Assuming you've done all this important research, you both KNOW what our two peoples will HAVE to do to correct this, I take it?"

Duero and Max looked at Magno without an answer for a few minutes, and then nodded with grins as they knew what Magno was stressing.

"We surmised you knew what we meant before, since it was obvious as you are also one of the First Generation." Max said with a smile.

"What is it our people will have to do?" Buzam asked, though the silver-haired female jus KNEW the answer would shock her.

"Why, the process men and women went to have children together, what else?" Magno said with a smile and in a straight no-nonsense tone.

"WHAT?!" Buzam said as she felt all her blood flow into her face and make seem as if she had been poured with red water.

(Apparently, she had NO idea how much the answer would shock her, didn't she? Oh well.)

"It is the most logical and viable solution. Long before the advent of Coordinators, artificial birth methods, and genetic engineering, the human race always propagated new generations in this way in the very beginning of it's existence, so it makes sense that co-gender procreation is the most logical step." Duero said as he remained calm while the Commander of the pirates looked as if she was in the company of completely proven escapees from the loony bin.

"You…you…you mean…men…men…men and…men and…women, will…have to?"

"Don't sound so shocked BC, I know about the process myself. You see, before Megele was founded, and when I founded the pirates, I was a mother with a child with a man, so I can assure you that the process is very much possible." Magno said with a sad smile as memories of giving birth to her son came back to her, and seeing the precious bundle look back at her and her husband, the boy's father, and give a small cry. She quickly shook those memories aside for the moment.

Duero and Max then placed their gazes at the elder woman and the elder McFile decided to ask the old captain. "Captain, Kyo was the one who informed us of the process, this was the reason I began to research on this theory."

"Ah…I see that Kyo told you about it. Hah, I KNEW that he would know." The older woman gave a smirk at the two men.

Duero blushed a small shade of pink and replied. "Well, his explanation on the facts of life' as he put it was…rather informative, though he didn't give all the details on how it was done at first. I am still very curious about it and hope that you can shed some light on the subject, if you wish to do so Captain."

Max then interjected. "I also have been informed and just like my brother I am also VERY interested on how it was done. He did give us more information, but with all due respects to you Captain Magno, can you tell us how the process works between a man and a woman?"

Magno gave a hard look at both men, and then…grinned and laughed out loud. "Now if I told you two strapping youths that, then it would be a really interesting time on the Nirvana when you figure it out! But I can say that it can be the most…"

"CAPTAIN!!"

All three turned and faced the sub-commander who looked a great deal more anxious than they had ever seen her.

"What is it BC?"

"Captain…Are you and the doctors…suggesting that…men and women will really have to…?"

"Yes I am."

"Captain, that's…"

"Buzam, hear me out. On the day that men and women on the ship of Megele separated I knew in my heart that the time would come when we all would have to come back someday, I was denied the chance to see my own child grow up because of the splitting between the crew of the Ikazuchi. I have always believed that both our sides have reached the point where we both should live as human beings were meant to live…and that was TOGETHER. Coordinators did so despite their use of artificial wombs and so did Naturals before they both put aside their differences and brought the human race back together. It was how our ancestors lived and prospered many centuries before the time of the First Generation on both worlds. And I for one wish to say that the time is now."

"But what you're asking is near to impossible! The leaders of Megele will NEVER agree to something of that magnitude! And I doubt that the men of Talark will agree to something like that either!"

"Are you saying that you disagree with all the evidence Duero and Max have worked hard to show us is not evidence enough of what we have to do?"

"No…I admit that their data is accurate and very much authentic…but still, we can't just…"

Magno smiled and gave a reassuring nod to Buzam.

"I know what you mean BC, I'm not saying we force the women of our world or the men of Talark to do it immediately. But you know that there are women on Megele who disagree or object to what Lady Grand Ma says. Many individuals on Megele are willing to be more open, and despite the Megele police and military's own attempts to put a stop to those dissidents, there are many of them who are idealistic. Take the case of Dita, she is one of the most open-minded people I have ever met in my life. Even if she never met men before she was the very first to forge a relationship with a man, namely our Gundam pilot Kyo, and you know how much closer she is getting to him. I'm willing to bet all my credits that there are people like Dita who are open-minded and willing to seek out new things for themselves on Megele. Many of our own crew are already discarding the propaganda of our world and are more accepting of our male crew as well. And from the looks of Duero's younger brother, and their senior instructor and from what they have told me when we met, there ARE also men on Talark who also disagree with their leadership, despite the risks entailed by it."

"In any case, we must show both our leaders that at the rate our population's futures are going, it will be doomed for all time. Furthermore, we would make the sacrifices of our ancestors mean nothing. They all survived a war sparked by hatred, and now were able to reunite and become stronger than before when there was still a division of genes to what we are now…if they didn't then none of us will be alive today. Not you, me, Duero, his brother, the men of Talark, the women of our world…everyone in the whole galaxy."

"We would be repeating the sins of the past in a more horrific fashion if we don't make this happen. Also, children from both our sides would help forge a new peace, just as children between Coordinator and Natural parents did in the past, and give a greater future to all of us. I can't deny that such a process will be long and hard, considering the situations on Talark and Megele, but if even one couple from either planet agrees and both make a lasting relationship, then we can be assured that it will be worth every moment and effort."

She then gave both medics a very sly grin. "I said it before and I'll say it again, things have gotten a lot livelier since you guys joined us, I think things will get even MORE interesting! By the way you two…"

"Yes Captain?" Both brothers asked.

"Since the two of you have taken so much time and effort to complete all the data, then I suppose you both will ALSO be joining in this move to unite men and women?" Magno said slyly as she knew just what she really meant by UNITE men and women. "Do you each have a certain somebody in mind as your life-partner?"

The blush on both Duero and Max's faces went from small smudges to full time spills as the brothers began embarrassed and flustered at the meaning of Magno's remarks.

"We…uh….haven't thought that far yet." Both admitted while they twiddled their fingers.

Magno merely laughed as she already knew very well about the growing relationship between Max McFile and Barnette, and Duero's own relationship with Parfet. She couldn't help but smile at the thoughts of those relationships. She then wondered how a certain Gundam pilot would take to this situation and that made her grin like a certain fairy tale cat in her mind.

(Looks like Kyo and I are about to catch up with that conversation from last time. This will be VERY interesting!)

Buzam couldn't do much but give out a tired sigh and have a sweat-drop flow down the side of her head. There was only one thought in her mind as she thought over what she had learned.

(This is really going to throw the crew in a SERIOUS LOOP if they learn of this.)

She didn't want to even try and comprehend the reaction on either Talark and Megele if the data ever came out.

--

In one area of the Nirvana…

Kyo was busy walking to where the rooms in the male section of the Nirvana were, he needed to get his mind back into order after the last few days. It was torture enough for him to be in the company of many attractive females, and he had done a load not to be staring at many of them in appreciation and desire, namely with the three Dread pilots and along with others. It was torture to be working with the Crusader Squadron, who were comprised of very much athletic girls who's bodies would be shining with sheens of sweat during work-outs, and no doubt in his mind Sara had a…bounce in her step when she worked out.

It was hard also when working with the girls in the Register in his off hours, having his hormones play merry hell on his mind while working, made him very aware of their own well built forms in their clothes, complete with mini-style skirts, he knew that Mai had well formed legs, since he had been looking at her somewhat more often than needed, the rest of her form was…well stacked.

The other girls who were after him were also on his mind. Misty Cornwell, who was slowly adjusting to the rest of the crew showed the innocence of youth, with her own sense of adult maturity. Even when in her normal clothes she was very attractive, and Kyo wondered if he was starting to develop a complex similar to a Lolita complex. Minus the fact that she spent nearly sixty-three years in cryo-sleep she still looked fourteen years old. But her exuberance in getting close to him as of late was playing merry hell on his mind. But he would have to be dumb and blind not to tell that given a few years now to physically mature, Misty would be one hell of a babe.

(He doesn't know he's already four hundred nineteen years old, so he beats Misty by miles in the age department.)

Of course there was no doubt on his involvement with the three Dread pilots. He thought about Dita, since she was the first he ever met. Having to recall the exuberant redhead sitting on his lap, and whenever she squirmed on a certain part of his male form made him VERY aware of Dita's lithe form, it didn't help matter when she would glomp onto him, allowing him to feel her full form, along with her own developed chest. Plus seeing her nude was enough to make him hard in many ways at night and deprive him on occasion of sleep.

Meia was next, and having seen her in that very attractive dress, AND seeing her NUDE, made Kyo very aware of the hidden and obvious beauty of the aqua-haired girl. He then recalled how it felt of her sitting on his lap and her leaning on his chest, and this made him blush to the point he'd be considered having red for skin. Plus seeing her, in any dress, or on the bath fiasco…without any clothes…it kept him very much active at night.

Jura…well, after seeing her nude on more than one occasion, and being able to witness her sexuality, and nearly having sex with the blonde, he was very aware of her beauty both in and her own growing inner beauty. Seeing her in her normal garb was torture enough, but the transparent tank-top and pants was something else, not to mention when she didn't have a stitch of clothing on was something way out of his league. Plus the images she left him in his mind in either dress or without them was plain torture.

(ARRRRGGGGHHHH!!)

Kyo then recalled an incident that reversed the situation in a sense that now the women were looking at the men…in the same fashion as he would look at some of if not many of them in the same fashion. And it was all ironically possible due to the need to have a good clean bath, with some warm water for a change since he had taken so many cold showers, by all rights, he should be suffering a massive bout of terminal pneumonia.

(I should have been more thorough when I checked the bath area that day!)

Kyo thought as he thought back on that scenario a few days before.

--

Flashback…

Kyo sighed as he checked the chronometer, it was already twenty minutes past ten that morning and he was getting rather curious as to what was taking the others so long. He sighed once more and gave a small smile as he looked into the room behind him.

The room was like the Nirvana's communal bath, in fact it had the same facilities as the room in question, shower stalls, bath tubs, supply stations of shampoos, lotions, and soaps, a large artificial hot-spring was there, and several Jacuzzis were present as well, and all of which had privacy screens, and only the artificial hot-spring had no privacy. In most circumstances, it would have been the same as the women's communal bath, but in this case, it was located elsewhere, namely in one of the sections for the men. Apparently this was one of the original designs of the Ikazuchi while it was still a colony vessel, and therefore, this was used by the men and women, before the separation of the ship and the founding of Talark and Megele. The men of Talark apparently wondered what to do with the room and left it alone when they began to refit the Ikazuchi as a warship, though from what he was able to find out, many of the top brass, since being privy to the past knew this room and were planning to use it…that is until the pirates hit the ship and they all got sling-shot to this side of the galaxy. The communal bath of the women was part of the pirate cruiser they had before the Paeksis fused both ships.

He had found the place when he decided to go exploring the ship, since most of the sections on the men's side were not always well explored, he was over-come with the desire to see what else was on the ship, and for once he was grateful he did so. He began to supply the room with water from the reservoir an when he got the water recycling systems online he went on to fix the temperature settings. Once he was done he was happy to find that the place had a stock of bathing supplies, and many were for men! Once he did so, he decided to take baths here in secret, ever since he had caught the women installing cameras in his shower stall months before, he took no chances and searched the stall BEFORE taking a bath, since there was no telling if a camera was there again. But he had been limited to taking so many cold showers for so long to restrain his hormonal fantasies at night that he almost forgot the feel of warm water on him. If it hadn't been for the coffee he drank on occasion, he would have really forgotten what warm water or hot water felt like. He made sure to soak in cold water to keep him calm, and then slowly took a soak in warm since using both water temperatures instantly would have been a serious shock to his body temperature and that was the last thing on his mind when he wanted a bath.

He then decided after finally having few good soaks to finally relax, he would invite Duero, Max and Aleck to try it out, the room had supplies for all of them, and getting a warm bath was on his mind, plus he knew that the guys at least deserved to know a few things about some of the things about the world of humanity outside of Talark, plus since the place was similar to what women used to bathe, then they can understand the desire of the women to be clean, this had still mystified Duero and his brother, despite the latter's long exposure to women in the past.

Kyo smiled as he heard the voices of the men in question, and naturally when he spotted them they were still garbed in their normal clothes. The good thing was that the bath complex had robes, towels and clothes for them to use.

"Took you guys long enough." He said as he walked over to the others.

"This the place?" Aleck asked as he gazed the room over.

"Yep, it's the same design specifications as the female's bath area, so there's nearly no difference between them anyway. Have you ever used them?"

"Yep, while we were back on that desert world, but using them wasn't a full priority when you've got robots looking for you periodically." Aleck said as they entered the facility.

"So this is a Jacuzzi." Duero said, happy that a portion of his curiosity was satisfied. Ever since hearing the word from Paiway, he was curious what this thing was that the young girl sent her patients after treatment.

"Yep, now let's get changed, it's time to get into a bath." Kyo said as they were in the adjacent room and took out some towels and bathing shorts.

Unknown to them however, it seemed that a certain bunch of girls were busy looking through the Nirvana's sections…and were close to finding them.

--

In one of the Nirvana's common rooms…

"It's so silent in the ship now. I hate to admit it, but I wish something would happen for a change."

Jura said dejectedly as she scanned through the rooms using the computer terminal on the desk. She had been taking a good deal of sleep, and enjoying her dreams of a certain somebody, but she had to awaken for break-fast and went to the Dread meeting room to discuss things with the rest of the pilots when they would meet up with the Harvesters. Meia had come up with some new tactics on dealing with the Harvesters, and they had been working on those moves for the past two hours.

Jura was happy to take a break, but wondered what she should be doing. Part of her wanted to seek out Kyo, but knowing his schedule, he'd be very busy working on either his squadron's battle formations and tactics, perfecting the systems of his Gundam, or helping out in the Register, so for today she decided to just lounge in the room and see what's new in the Nirvana. She wasn't alone as several other girls were there as well, namely her fellow Dread pilots, Dita and Meia, along with Barnette and Parfet. They were talking before and decided to just relax.

"I know Jura, I wish we could have times like before, like I would chase Mr. Alien, but I did promise him not to do it too many times." Dita said as she worked on a small piece of embroidery. She wanted to give a present for Ezra's baby, Lacus and also to keep in tune with her practice as a seamstress. Ezra was busy taking care of her baby and was in her room for most of the day, but the night before she taught the redhead embroidery so it made sense she would still be practicing it. Besides she could use the skills to make another lovely present for Mr. Alien.

"Well at least we all can take some time and get some rest, though it is getting rather…boring to say the least." Meia said as she decided to read a book in her free time. Unlike the advanced data-pad style books some of the girls loved to read, Meia owned a few old style paper books; these were well preserved and very well restored so they looked as if newly purchased. The book she was reading had the title of A Bridge of Hope', a story that Meia read in her youth, but put aside when the disaster happened. It was one of her favorite stories as a growing up child, but she nearly burned it before joining the pirates. After making peace with herself she decided to at least get back to what she loved reading about, it was about two people from different worlds who meet due to circumstances and in time develop a strong bond with one another, it somehow made her think of her growing relationship with Kyo.

"Yeah…hmm, Parfet, can you bypass this security code?" Jura asked the bespectacled engineer when she encountered a password protected viewing option.

"Let me take a look…hmm, this is old colony code system. This will only take a minute." Parfet said as she began to hack into the old database and found the appropriate codes. Once she did so, she was now able to activate the cameras.

"Okay, this seems to be the camera controls for the rest of the old colony ship." Jura said as she scanned through the camera options. "Okay, rooms, the sub-bridge, supply docks…seems that there's so much unexplored areas in the ship. I guess we were so used to our side of the ship, namely that of our old cruiser we didn't explore every area. So let's see what we have here…."

It was then that Jura spotted another camera option. "Hmm…it seems that there's a second bath area in the ship, and it's in the men's section." When she turned on the screen, she then placed it in the wall monitor system in their room. It was when the image came to light that she gave a gasp.

"Look at this!"

The girls with the blonde looked to their absolute surprise, they found out that the bathing area was being used…and NOT be their fellow female pirates!!

Dita, Meia, Jura, Barnette and Parfet were in total shock and something else as they realized that they had just been able to catch the men…in THEIR birthday suits! ()

The girls were rendered silent and then decided to use the various cameras to move around the bathing area, as Kyo, Max, Duero, Aleck, and Bart got down to moving towards the nearby stalls, and they were only having towels on.

Jura had seen Kyo in the nude before, namely in the bath area all those weeks before, but this was the first time she saw him without him trying to escape her. The fact was that despite the lack of her being in the same room as him didn't stop her as she looked at him with a smile as water began to soak his male form, rivulets of water ran from his hair which was still in it's ponytail, all the way to the rest of his body.

Dita and Meia had also seen Kyo naked, and so it was no surprise when their own body temperatures began to get up a few notches AND they began to feel their heart and breathing rates begin to climb.

Barnette was also in awe as she gazed at Max. Now she had seen him with his torso bare, but that was when she still didn't trust men, and when she learned her lesson, she began to admire the form of a man, but when she saw water and soap suds sliding on Max's body she couldn't help but have the desire to her hands over his hard, warm and wet chest and…

Parfet was in the same situation as she gazed at Duero who was in the nude with fogged up glasses and a line of drool going down to her chin. When she confessed interest in learning more about, namely to Duero in question, she admitted her involvement in the installation of cameras in the men's bath-rooms. She promised to herself since then that she wouldn't violate Duero's privacy, but ever since the growth of her feelings for him, she wished that she could be more intimate with him. And as of now…she was getting her wish, and in more ways than one as she continued to stare and drool...

Unfortunately, when Jura had the images broadcasted on the main monitor of their room, she accidentally activated the video feed to be broadcasted in the entire ship!

Oh boy!

--

In the bath area…

Kyo gave a satisfied smile as he washed his arms and then his hands, then all the way to his chest, back and torso, the water was not too hot nor too cold and the stall had a slight haze of mist around him, he reduced the shower in order for him to wash himself properly with the bar of soap, allowing soap suds to be on him, and flowing downwards. That was when he decided to take the cloth piece that held his long hair together in his ponytail. This allowed the long chocolate brown strands to become loose and full of moisture.

Duero did the same as Kyo did, washing his body from arms to torso, and abdomen, He also did the same with his shower stall and let the water flow slowly over his body. He then took the time to wash himself properly, since Talark had a somewhat terminal water shortage situation that comes on more than one occasion in it's time, it made sense that taking long leisurely showers was considered a serious waste of precious water sources, and only done the prissy idiots who wanted to be the cleanest corpses in the desert. So in this case since the water on the Nirvana could be recycled many times, the Talark youth decided to indulge in taking a full shower. He then moved the wet bang of his hair on the right side of his face aside, and allowed the hair to stick on the rest of his locks so he'd have no problems cleaning himself properly. He disliked the first introduction to cold water when he was still a prisoner of the pirates and went through the disinfection process, (anybody recall the time he, Bart, and Kyo were in their boxers being hit by cold water from hoses?)

Max had already experienced something like this on the desert world, namely in the underground cities, but due to the many dangers on the planet at the time of the exile of his team and that of Claire's own fellow women, he had not been able to enjoy a good complete bath. And even when they were about to escape, he couldn't take a complete bath due to his still healing, though nearly cured wounds. Now he was busy cleaning himself carefully and enjoying it6. Just like his elder brother, and all the men of Talark, he was very much conscious when it came to proper water source management, so for him to take a complete shower was unheard of before, but now he liked the idea immensely, yet he never will give up the idea of conserving water. He had already unbraided his own long braid of hair and the strands framed his face, along with his own ponytail, allowing the wet strands to cover his shoulders and back.

Aleck just was well was washing his body, from arms to his torso and abdomen, having experienced the same thing on the world he and the other men of the Shard were stranded in. He also kept the teaching of Talark about not wasting water sources. The women in Claire's team always complained about not being able to take long showers and in the past in somewhat grated the nerves of the long-time combat veteran. But he understood women a considerable deal more than most men back on his world, and understood their obsession for cleanliness.

Bart, did very much the same, and was happy to try out these showers, and unlike the cold disinfection treatment he got a few months before, he had warm water for a change. He wondered what soap was at first, but he understood a load more now, and had to appreciate the way it could help in the bathing process.

All of them were unaware that they had a very INTERESTED audience as they went into the other processes of bathing.

--

In the Crusader Squadron's training gym…

"What's this for?" One of the girls in Kyo's team asked her commanding officer Sara Elsman.

"I have no idea…" Sara said as she stared wide-eyed at the scene. The rest of the girls were also in silence as they saw for the first time, their commander without a single stitch of cloth on him. There were times he took off his clothes, but he always had an undershirt, but this was the FIRST time they had seen him naked…with the exception of Sara.

--

In the bridge…

"What is the reason these images are here?" Buzam asked as she wondered why the images of the only male members of the Nirvana in the bath were on.

No one responded to her question as Belvedere, Amarone, and Celtic were looking totally wide-eyed as the men continued to clean themselves and they looked even closer at the men as water flowed over their nude bodies.

(Thankfully, Ezra was by now sleeping alongside her daughter, cause God knows how she'd react to this!)

--

In the Register…

"What's all this about?" One of the Register girls asked.

"I don't know…but I' LIKE it!" Mai replied as she stared at the images of Kyo washing away the suds on his body. The other men were there in the images, but the Miazaki woman had her eyes only on her commander in the Crusader Squadron and fellow male Register companion.

The other Register girls were in silence as they gazed on the three Gundam pilots, the navigator, and the elder male. And one of the most avid watchers of the elder male from Talark was a certain leader of the Register. Gascogne may not have said anything, but she couldn't help but show the smirk on her face.

--

Medical Bay…

Paiway's mouth was wide open as she gazed at the scene. But just like before, her precocious nature made her take out her trusty note-book and pen.

"So that's what men look like without clothes on! What till the veterans back home hear about this! Pai Check!"

--

Star Chart Room…

Misty was having a field day as she gazed hungrily at the men.

--

The bathing area of the men…

Kyo and the others finished their cleaning and went on with their hair, with the exception of Bart who has already shaved off his hair. Once they were done, they went out of the stalls, wrapped towels on themselves and then made their way to where the hot-spring was.

--

The rest of the Nirvana crew from the security personnel, the Dread pilots, the engineering teams, and many others were all silent as they watched every image…right down to when the men left the bathing area after soaking in the hot spring.

That instantly ignited the rumor mill on the ship like never before. And several groups of girls began taking large gulps of water. Others were busy trying to figure out why they seem to be reacting rather…strangely to what they had just witnessed.

(Whether what the crew witnessed was a good or bad thing was still up for debate.)

--

End of Flashback…

Kyo sighed as he recalled the effects of that event. Ever since then the crew, all female crew that is, had become more and more curious about men, literally shocking the daylights out of him when they came up to him with the question of them being allowed to see him bathe. He found out what happened after hacking into the security database and found the video record.

It naturally didn't help matters that Duero, Max, Aleck, and even Bart came up to him with questions concerning the sudden yet subtle change of attitude of the crew. The men were becoming somewhat unnerved by the sudden staring they got for the past few days after their bath, and although there was no hostility directed at the men…rather a curious and cautious air was present when the other crew would look at them.

Kyo gave a groan as he decided to get a break. But that was when his attention was grabbed by none other than a certain elder.

"Kyo, are you there?"

Kyo turned on his communicator and responded to the Captain. "I'm here."

"Kyo, there's some important matters I need to discuss with you in the Conference Room, in private. Can you make your way here?"

Kyo thought about it and decided what could it hurt if he went there anyway? He about faced and made his way towards the Conference Room.

--

As he made his way to the Conference Room, he was surprised to enter and find Magno Vivian…

Singing?

Apparently the elder woman decided to relax as she waited for him and decided to sing to herself. Despite her old age, the elder woman had a voice that would have passed for a woman of late teens or early adulthood and she sang with the grace of a natural singer.

But as he listened something about the song Magno was singing began to affect him.

(Another inserted song, care to guess who sang this one?)

(Italic for song lyrics)

_shizukana kono yoru ni anata wo matteru no_

_ano toki wasureta hohoemi wo tori ni kite_

_In this quiet night, I'm waiting for you_

_During that time, your smile has faded away_

Kyo listened, amazed at the fact that the elder woman could sing well despite her age, but in the moment he began to see images in his mind.

He saw himself in his own eyes, with the hands of maybe a five or four year old boy, playing with a rubber ball in a living room… the place felt safe, full of peace, joy, and possibility… was this palce, his childhood home? He then chased the ball, and then tripped, he felt his knee was in pain. He felt himself begin to cry, but then saw a shadow, he turned and saw a beautiful woman kneeling beside him, he saw that she was smiling and he smiled back…

But her face he couldn't see clearly, along with her smile as it began to fade…

(Was… this woman… his mother?)

_are kara sukoshi dake jikan ga sugite_

_omoide ga yasashiku natta ne._

_Now that a little time has passed,_

_Fond memories start to resurface._

Kyo saw more images in his mind's eye, they were still hazy, but for some reason they were getting clearer as he listened to Magno's song.

He could see himself playing near a beach, and there in front of him…was…his house? He turned and saw a beautiful mountain, and there were trees, and the smell of nature. He then saw a man kneeling…waiting for him, he ran to that man as if he knew him. He couldn't see the man's face clearly, but he could feel no fear as he was lifted by the man…who gave him a lift on his back. He saw himself playing with the man's hair and his laughter mixing with that of the man carrying him.

(Was… this man… his father?)

_hoshi no furu basho de_

_anata ga waratte irukoto wo_

_At the place where stars fall,_

_I'm always wishing for your laughter._

Kyo listened even more as more images flooded his mind, they were still hazy and fragmented…but they began to become clearer…and were becoming whole for some reason

(He saw the two people talking, and he could see that the woman was expecting a baby… they called him over, and he came, the man whispered in his ear. The words were silent, but he felt a sense of awe and joy as he saw the expressions of happiness on the face of the man and woman… were they his parents? And did that mean that his…mother was pregnant…with a brother or sister?)

(His…parents, laughed with joy as the man who could be his father placed his ear on the woman's belly, and the woman held him and he too placed his ear on his mother's enlarging belly. They laughed with joy…and so did he.)

_itsumo negatteta_

_ima tookutemo_

_mata aeru yo ne_

_Even though we're apart now_

_We can meet again, right?_

Kyo did nothing as he listened as the images became different, but clearer and more constructed, no longer broken and no longer covered in mist.

(He sat on a couch in…a hospital, he was older now, maybe around four or five. He saw his father calling him, beckoning him to come forward, he ran and when he arrived both of them went to a room. In the room was his mother on a bed, tired looking but happy and holding a precious bundle in her arms. Beside her were two other people. A man with deep blue hair and emerald green eyes, next to him was a woman dressed like his mother in patient clothes, she had deep blonde hair and amber eyes, and as he looked at his father, and those in the room, he didn't see haze covering all their features… his father was a mirror image of him and had a deep violet shade to his eyes, and his mother was like a princess with deep pink hair and sapphire eyes…like his own.)

His father guided him to his mother, and there he saw that his mother had a baby in her hands…and the baby had the same blue shade of eye color as his mother. His mother spoke to him and so did his father, their voices still hard to understand but the message was clear for some reason.

("Say hello to your baby sister.")

He smiled and greeted his sibling, and heard her give a short cry and began to sleep.

_tsu kara hohoemi wa konna ni hakanakute_

_hitotsu no machigaide kowarete shimau kara_

_From when has my smile faded this much_

_Since it was shattered by one mistake_

Kyo wondered why this time he had a sad memory near this part of the song.

(He was beside his father being older now, at the age of eight or so, and they were saying good-bye to his mother, and baby sister who could walk now at the age of what appeared to be six. The sun was setting behind them, high-lighting the sadness in the eyes of his mother and sister as they bade farewell. His mother was also expecting another baby soon.)

(He saw his sister come to him and hold his hand, and with a pleading voice asked him…)

("Come back soon!")

He felt himself smile and speak back to her.

("I promise…"

_taisetsuna mono dake wo hikari ni kaete_

_tooi sora koete yuku tsuyosade_

_Change only the precious things into light and_

_Go beyond the sky with fortitude._

Kyo saw new images in his mind as he listened even more.

(He was in a large base…alone with his father, he felt afraid, but he felt his father's hand on his shoulder, reassuring him. He then met the same man who he knew as his uncle, beside him was a man with black hair but red eyes…he however wasn't an enemy and he felt he could trust him, along with the woman beside him who had blonde eyes and deep purple eyes as well, she had a warm smile around her and that made him feel safe.)

("Welcome to the Guardians, kid!") The red-eyed man said in greeting to him.

_hoshi no furu basho e_

_omoi wo anata ni todoketai_

_itsumo soba ni iru_

_To the place where stars fall,_

_I want my thoughts to reach you._

_I am always by your side_

More images came to mind to Kyo…

He was older now, maybe ten, but he felt older…and wiser. Around him were cheers and cries of joy. Beside him was his father, his uncle, many of his friends, namely his two closest friends, the man with red eyes, and his blonde friend, there were others who cheered beside him. His father came beside him and offered a smile of happiness.

("We did it…we're going home.")

(He thought of his mother and sister, and was happy that he protected them…and they were always with him since he could feel them, through what his father told was…the SEED mode he possessed.)

_sono tsumetasa wo dakishimeru kara_

_ima toukutemo, kitto aerune_

_Since I will embrace that coldness._

_Even though we're apart now,_

_We will definitely be back together._

(He came home with his father, in the night, but his island home was bathed in the multiple colors of fire-works as a celebration was underway. There were all of his friends near his home, and this time as he walked out from the door of his home, the home he left for two years, came his sister, and another toddler…his baby brother. They ran up to him and hugged him, as his mother hugged his father. They were all together again.)

(They all celebrated on the beach as the fire-works continued, coloring the ocean in various shades of color as he sat with all of his friends, alongside his happy sister, who he promised he would return.)

_shizuka na yoru ni_

_In the quiet night..._

(End of Song…)

Kyo shook his head a bit as Magno stopped singing, and he nearly felt a deep sense of loss as the mages faded away from his mind.

"Oh, Kyo, you came early." Magno's voice called to him, making him turn to face the elder woman.

"Sorry Captain, I never knew you could sing so well."

Magno nodded as she faced the young Gundam pilot with a smile. "It's something I do when I have the free time for myself. I loved to sing when I was a little girl and up to now… Kyo…is something wrong? You seem to be out of place." She asked as there was a very serious look on Kyo's face.

Kyo thought over and over on why Magno's song sounded very familiar to him, and why did it invoke those memories and made them clearer to him than before when he had difficulty recalling the past. In a few moments, he decided to ask Magno if she knew.

"Captain…where did you learn that song?"

"It's an old Earth song that I loved singing to my baby boy when he was born. Why, is there anything wrong with it?" Magno asked as she looked that the Gundam pilot who had a very peculiar look on his face.

"No…it's…just that, for some reason…the song is very familiar to me…and your way of singing it is very familiar to me also."

"Hmmm…maybe it was something you listened to in one of your journeys. Earth songs were very popular in many places in those days when the Colonization Era was happening."

"Maybe…" Kyo wasn't entirely convinced that it was the truth, but for now he had other concerns. "By the way, what was if you wanted to discuss with me?"

Magno gave him a sly grin that made Kyo a little uneasy as she gestured him to take a seat.

"Kyo…do you recall that conversation I had with you here when we were still on the desert planet?"

--

Flashback…

Magno: I would have seen him grow up into a good young man, and he'd be going through all the things normal men his age would. I know of what you're going through in that sense Kyo…believe me I know.

Kyo: What are you saying?

--

End of Flashback…

Kyo gave a mental groan as he recalled the conversation. He then gave a serious stare at Magno once he sat down and faced the elder woman.

"I recall, now what does this have to do with the situation?"

"I have been receiving some reports that you've been trying to avoid contact with various members of the crew for the past few days. The Crusader Squadron's training regimes are being led by Sara more often, and Gascogne reports that you have been avoiding the rest of the Register girls, namely Mai." Magno then gave him a very knowing smile.

"Now since you have not been born on Talark, and you know more about men and women than the other men, and you are very much a healthy young man, I take it with this down time of combat you HAVE time to notice the fairer SEX by any chance?"

Kyo couldn't help himself as he gave a groan and a blush at the word SEX. And he groaned even more when Magno had a grin on her face as she looked at him intently.

"I see…you didn't act this way all those months before since we were always on alert for the Harvesters, and since the battles were very frequent you were able to restrain your hormones…so to speak, but now…"

Kyo couldn't take it anymore and decided to be a bit blunt while remaining objective. "Thanks for informing me of that Captain, but exactly what is the reason you brought this up anyway?"

"Before I answer that, I want to know how you find your travels with me and the crew, and give me an honest answer. I want to know how you have been holding up."

Kyo sighed and decided to say how it has been. "It's been a very interesting time, everything's not so bad, provided you recall the mutiny Barnette started, but that's old history now. So far I'm very much getting used to it though it's still touch and go, but things are getting better."

"That's very good to hear all right, at least there's no hostility on the ship, and that's a good change from the time when we all didn't trust openly. But what I want to know is how have you been coping with being on a ship with ninety percent of the crew being all female?"

"You sure you want me to answer that question?" Kyo said with an embarrassed look. The last he wanted to do was unload all his burdens on the Captain, she had more than enough to contend with anyway.

Magno laughed a bit and then smiled. "Come on Kyo, you don't have to be so guarded about it, I am a woman who HAS a husband who I was VERY intimate with on MY wedding night and after, I had relationships with men in the social and intimate sense in my youth before tying the knot, and I have given birth to a son. I KNOW about the reactions of young men have towards women and the results of it, believe me…so tell me, how are you holding up?"

Kyo took a deep breath and decided to at least relieve himself of SOME of his problems. "Frankly, I'm amazed I'm able to keep my hormones bottled up for so long, along with all my feelings. Every time I see some of the female crew, my brain is filled with very detailed images, and I've been taking so many cold showers, I should be already having ice water in my veins. Plus my hormones keep sending me very…uh, vivid ideas when I go to sleep. Normal guys in my shoes would have already…"

"I see." Magno said while she tried not to smirk as she listened. "So in simple terms you've been under stress for the past few days due to having wet dreams concerning some of the girls here on the ship?"

Kyo put his hands on his face, trying to hide his frustration and utter embarrassment. "Yes, that's pretty much it, and I've been at it ever since I came on the Nirvana."

"I see." Magno then took a deep breath and mentally steeled herself as she decided to ask Kyo a VERY personal question while trying not to laugh at what his reaction would be to it.

"How would you feel if I allowed you to have sex with Dita?"

Kyo immediately stiffened and went into SD (Super Deformed if anybody doesn't get it) mode while his face was bathed from the roots of his hair down to his neck bathed in deep crimson, he then slammed his hands on the table and shouted.

"WHAT THE HECK DID YOU JUST SAY?!"

Magno merely looked back and nodded calmly, but Kyo could tell she was trying not to laugh at his embarrassment. "You heard me, how would you feel if I allowed you to have sex with Dita?"

"M…m…me…me a…a…and…D…Dita… h…ha…have…" Kyo began saying while his blush grew even more.

"Have sex." Magno then smiled. "Or would you like another girl to be your bed partner? Maybe Meia, or perhaps Jura, I also think Sara or Mai, or even Misty, since she IS older than she looks, will be very much willing to join you doing…"

"STOP IT CAPTAIN!! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR GOURD?!"

Kyo was totally embarrassed and Magno decided to placate the young man before he fainted from blood loss. "Calm down Kyo I was merely teasing you. Please, calm down and let me explain."

Kyo decided to calm himself and relaxed. Magno then decided to explain her actions to the young man.

"Kyo, I think that your mental condition would be better off if you were able to release the tension, and I believe it will be best that you unleash all those pent up feelings, they are not very healthy for you to keep contained anyway. Besides I can relate, I mean, I was still a very active young woman when I was on Megele, so you can imagine how hard it was for me when there were no men, namely my husband who could help me relieve all that…sexual frustration and desire."

"Uh…I don't think you need to tell me that." Kyo said since he was not in the mood to be knowing about how hard it was for Magno to live without her husband.

"True, I don't talk about that normally, but our discussion is about you and your situation. Now I think you should finally release it and I think that you can go ahead and have a relationship with any of the girls. Or if you feel like it you can have more than one girl and I will still approve of it."

"Huh?! Did I just hear you say you would approve of me having a relationship with a member of the crew…and you'd still approve if I have more than one in mind?!"

Magno nodded. "Yes, so I take it you're willing to make out with a member of the crew? Who's the lucky girl?"

Kyo's mind was divided into two conflicting sides…. One side was his male instincts and hormones who were singing praise towards the heavens since now they could indulge in it. The other side was his moral and practical side, and this was telling him that there was something totally wrong with the situation.

"I don't want to sound ungrateful Captain, but have you lost your mind?! I mean…"

Magno gave him a slight smirk. "Now that's not a very nice thing to say, I'm already giving you a chance you release your tension and hormones, and you deny it. I always thought that nothing would relieve the stress from young men like you than a good old fashioned night of passion and pleasure with a very…"

"STOP! I CAN'T DO THAT!!"

"Why? Is there something wrong with your pipes, or you don't know how to do it?"

"THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH MY PIPES THANK YOU VERY MUCH!! AND OF COURSE I KNOW HOW TO DO…HEY! THAT IS NOT YOUR CONCERN!!"

Magno laughed out loud and then smiled. "I can see that, so what's the problem, you know how to do it, and I can guess that you know a good number of tricks."

Kyo couldn't help but shout, he knew that it was wrong for him to be shouting at Magno, considering her rank on the ship, plus her age, but she had touched a rather sore subject.

"I KNOW! BUT YOU THINK…"

He then tried to calm down and speak clearly.

"Look, all I'm saying, is yes I do know how to have sex with a woman, but you think the crew on the Nirvana have any idea how to have sex with a man?! They have never been with men for all of their lives except for these past few months! I can guess that the only sexual orientation they have is with other women, so how do you think will I be able to have sex with a woman who's knows nothing about doing it with a man in the first place?!"

"That's very easy. I can tell you that there's only seven words to tell you what to do. You teach them how to do it."

THAT got a reaction…

"WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU SAYING?!"

"It's not that hard is it, you've had great success teaching Sara and the girls of the Crusader Squadron on how to pilot Vanguards, so I don't think you'll have any problems teaching them that."

"Are you nuts or something?! Teaching them how to pilot Vanguards is totally different from showing them how to be physically intimate with a man and you know it!"

"True, but it would be helpful since many things are pushing to this point. You could try it and just present a preview of it. I'm sure they will be willing to try, and considering things, you'd have no shortage of willing partners in showing the process…"

"Captain, are you even listening to a single word coming out of my mouth?! It's not that simple!" Kyo sighed and then spoke slowly so as to bring out his point.

"What's going on Captain? I can already say this much, a few months before you'd probably have me thrown out an airlock if I did do those things since you treat the crew like your own family, but now you're actually allowing me to go for it?!"

"Yes."

"Tell me why, I KNOW there's a reason for this."

Magno nodded and replied. "I can tell you that you are right and I do have some reasons for allowing you to go ahead."

"You see, ever since the founding of Megele and me not being able to see my family for the rest of my life made me look at every young member of the ship as my daughter, though they can't really fill the void where my husband and son once, I feel like they are my family."

Magno sighed and punched up a picture of a family of a man and a woman, with their children, a boy and a girl. Beside it was a picture of a Megele family, the female father, the female mother, and their daughter.

"And I am part of the past of humanity so I consider the new ways of having children as wrong. Having a family and children isn't a lab process. It may have existed during the time of the war between Naturals and Coordinators, but that is now in the past and even then there were men and women living together, and humanity is united once more after the end of the war between Naturals and Coordinators. Love, happiness, trust, respect, and hope were what made a family strong, and the way things are now, I don't think it will end well."

"When I think about the war between men of Talark, and the women of Megele, plus the way children are born on either world, I feel like we're walking back into the same state that plagued humanity when there was a separation of both sides during the wars. We make what our ancestors strived to do after the war before the Colonization Era mean nothing."

She then smiled at Kyo and showed him a few images of the rest of the crew. "I want those I care for to be happy, and Kyo, I know that with you, that can happen."

"What?"

Magno merely shrugged. "I'm old but I'm not blind, nor am I dense and I know for a fact that your not any of those. I do keep an eye on things and I can tell that a considerable number of the crew have feelings for you. I can see it in their eyes. They don't know why these feelings exist in them towards you nor what to do with them."

"That's the reason why I don't want to do it Captain." Kyo said as he looked at the images of the crew.

"Look, the girls have been long-time friends long before I came on this ship. The mutiny placed them on opposite sides, and I'm happy at least that things have changed since it was over, but this is about their feelings. And the feelings of a person's heart is something I don't want to play around with."

"If I did have a relationship with one girl, how would the others feel about it? They'd think I didn't pay attention to them and I rejected them completely. They will never be the same, they'd be hurt and angry, plus they would become hostile eventually to the girl I have a relationship with. If I, for example, have a relationship with Dita, how would the others take it, they might become jealous of Dita, and god only knows how she could handle being shunned by her friends. I don't want Dita to deal with that kind of situation for the rest of the trip."

Kyo sighed once more as he imagined how hard life would be for him and Dita if they did have a relationship onboard the Nirvana, how Meia, Sara, Mai, Jura or others would react. He shuddered at the possibilities.

"The same could happen if I make a relationship with a girl apart form Dita, If I had a relationship with Meia, the others would have a grudge on her, and she's already making many close friendships, how would it be if they begin to dislike her for having a relationship with me? It would affect so many things on the Nirvana namely with the Dread pilots."

He also shuddered at what the results would be if he got into such a relationship with Meia, or Jura…the possible outcomes were like living nightmares as he thought about them.

Magno nodded. She understood Kyo's situation in that respect. He had a kind heart and a caring nature, so it was no surprise he was very reluctant to go and have relationship with any of the girls in fear of hurting the others if he did have a relationship, or in Misty's terms a girl-friend. But she also knew that it was a bad idea for him to keep his feelings bottled up inside of him and it could be bad for not just him, but for the girls in question. They too didn't know how to deal with what they felt for him and if he kept himself closed from that, the results for both parties would be very bad.

"Relationships are like that, sometimes they have their own share of pain and happiness. How you deal with it is how well it will work out for both you and your partner. But the fact is that whether you planned it or not, you have tugged their heart-strings and they are already starting to get more attracted to you. Keeping them inside you and not replying back to those same feelings from the girl with affections towards you is just as unhealthy as denying they exist. And you know what could be the results of you do have an intimate relationship with them."

Kyo nodded…he knew what would be the results of such intimacy… kids.

"Me, as a mother, would love to have children playing here on the ship, I know Ezra would love it if Lacus had some play-mates and I know for a fact that you'd be a great ohma, or in old terms, a father. You have so many good skills apart from being a Gundam pilot. You can sing, cook, dance, you have a kind heart and nature, you care so much about others, and you know when to put your foot down when it counts. To tell you the truth, you are already prime husband material in my book." Magno smiled happily at the thought.

Kyo blushed at that, getting praise on the possibility of being a great father is one of the things men don't normally get, even more from a woman who had a husband. "Thanks…"

"The girls see it and I won't be surprised in the least if they secretly like the idea of you being the ohma of their kids, you would really make a wonderful father, and your kids would be blessed, along with your wife. Plus your…shall we say…knowledge of co-gender procreation will be a real surprise and they will really enjoy that."

"Captain! You're embarrassing me, I'm not THAT perfect…besides, how can you be sure, I mean, I am human, and I do have some bad qualities too."

"True, nobody's perfect, but that is what makes us who we are."

"So I…"

"Listen Kyo, regardless of things, the fact remains that no matter how hard you try to suppress it, you WILL need to release those feelings. Now I'm not saying you go wild and take every girl you see into bed." Magno laughed as Kyo's blush burned at that idea. "But you at least have my approval to go ahead, and I know that with time, things can work out for you and whoever your partner will be."

(Though if I know those girls you'll have more than one after you, and THAT will be very interesting to see!)

Kyo was silent and his mind was still trying to come to terms with what was happening, that is until the combat alarm came on. Looks like it was time play, and considering how he felt, he'd be more than happy to tear into an entire Harvester battle fleet before his tension got the better of him.

As Kyo left, Magno called him. "Oh, Kyo, can you tell me WHEN you're going to pick a girl or MORE than one, if we make it back to Megele, I'll do my best make a good reception for you and…potential life-mate."

Kyo gave a look of shock and then about-faced and ran to the Hanger where I-Freedom was being stored. His mind was still divided into two parts…

One was his hormonal urges which was in total ecstasy as it screamed…

(THANK YOU!! NOW LET'S GO GET LAID!!)

Images began to circulate all over Kyo's mind about certain things. The other side of his brain, namely his morals and his emotions who screamed back at it, trying to suppress it.

Kyo gave a groan and focused on bashing the crap out of the Harvesters as he got into his uniform and arrived in the Hanger. The way he felt now he needed a serious session to bleed out his tension and emotions.

As he launched out of the Nirvana and went into combat with the Harvesters with the rest of the pirates, he wondered how things were going for the rest of the galaxy.

--

Speaking of the galaxy and those in it…

--

The Harvester home-planet…

The Council was busy getting new reports from their various fleets, normally reports of resistance to their fleets was part of the regular problems they had to deal with when gathering their resources for the continued survival of their people. But that had changed, they had received reports of their fleets being ambushed by advanced combat elements, and even when they were able to secure any nav-computer from any surviving ships, they discovered the coordinate databases either destroyed or system wiped, denying them coordinates to the human colonial worlds or the core planets.

And even when they did find those computers with intact coordinates, they turned out to be either wild coordinates resulting in their fleets being sent to uninhabited systems, in result wasting fuel reserves for their forces, or into nova clusters which resulted in massive system crashes in their forces due to massive radiation pulses that bypassed the shielding, meteor belts that resulted in massive damage to their fleets and losses, falling into unstable phenomenon of various forms, they even lost a large fleet to flying into a black hole!

And the second was to flying into a heavy ambush right out of nowhere with opposing fleets, resulting in massive losses from attacking fleets that immediately fled after they hit the fleets hard, and though they gained some considerable organs from the felled crew, they suffered even more when the nav-computers had dead-man codes filled with deadly viruses that corrupted more than one battle-ship's CPU. The whole human race was now on full alert against them and were very much retaliating, and were getting even more successful each time.

"This is unacceptable!!" A Council member screamed in her frustration. "One of our combat recon forces was ambushed in Gamma sector, and was exterminated!"

"You think that's bad?! Fleet 19 suffered another system crash, resulting in the entire fleet and battle-ship to be lost to us, and right into a meteor shower!" One member retorted as he displayed the report.

"Fleet 41 suffered severe damages from using faulty coordinates that sent the entire fleet flying into a blasted ion storm, not three days ago. The technical units we sent to repair it also were lost in the same ion storm, and it will take the techs ten to twenty days to even get the basic CPU online!" Another Council member said as she also displayed her report.

In simple terms…the whole Harvest operation was going WAY down the hill…

It would have continued until the Harvest Council Leader came into the room, along with the head weapons developer. The leader sat on his throne and watched his fellow members. One then came forward and bowed respectfully, but the leader could tell that his subordinate was trembling with both fear and rage.

"Leader…permission to speak?"

"Granted."

The subordinate faced his leader and spoke in as much civility as he could. "With all due respect to you Leader, how can we ensure that the Harvest will go according to plan? All of our fleets have encountered increased difficulty in gathering organs from various inhabited worlds. We've been losing more and more fighters, and resources every time, resistance to the Harvest has increased even more, even worlds that were once complacent have retaliated, all this has been reducing all of our quotas. But as far as we have seen, you have made no plans on how to deal with this matter."

The leader merely nodded and stood up, he walked to a screen and punched in an image of the Nirvana.

"The resulting resistance to the Harvest and our forces is a burden, but we have this one ship to truly worry about. The Nirvana has now began to inspire the rest of the colonists to resist us, if they were able to unite…then the resulting resistance will be even greater that what we have dealt with before. The head of our weapons department however has gained some very interesting information and as placed some new ideas to my attention."

The leader then turned to head scientist. "Begin your explanation."

The head scientist nodded as he stepped forward and began to explain. "We have been able to gather as much resources and plans as we can gain from all of our forays into the plan to deal with the Nirvana. Despite many failed attempts, we have gathered more data and hope to complete the final equation to crush the Nirvana, and the I-Freedom Gundam and it's pilot. We have also completed the last of the design requirements for our other Gundam models, The Devastator, Hell-Fire, and Wyvern Gundams will be ready and…"

"Hah! We have already lost the original Dominion Gundam, along with the first variants when the Freedom evolved thanks to the Paeksis, and just recently we lost the new Dominions trying to crush the Nirvana on that desert planet! Every new variant of the Dominion Gundam has failed…how can three new models…" One lower ranking Council member was saying, but that was all he was going to say…

SPLISH!!

Since he was now clutching his now bleeding neck, which had a small throwing dagger embedded at the right side near the throat. He was bleeding profusely and gurgled his words as he fell from his seat. As he tried to stand up another dagger flashed and cut deep into his forehead, resulting in his instant death as he fell. The rest of the Council were struck in silence as they looked from their slain comrade and then looked back…to see their Supreme Leader with his arm outstretched aiming at the fallen member of the Earth Council.

The Leader gave a simple look of irritation. "I believe I didn't give you the approval to speak yet so you don't have the authority to speak until the one speaking is finished. There IS such a thing as professional courtesy, that hasn't died yet."

He then faced the others of the Council who cringed in fear, including the one who spoke to him. "Make one thing clear, I will NOT tolerate ANY and ALL forms of insubordination within this Council, so unless you have reason and my approval, you will NOT speak out of turn. Is that clear?"

"Yes Leader!" All the Council said in unison.

The leader then faced the guards in the chamber, who thanks to their harsh discipline and focus, didn't cringe the least when they saw him kill the former Council member. One of them, who had the rank of guard commander came over silently and awaited his master's orders.

"Have his organs removed and have them given to the wretches on the lower regions, tell them those are free. Have his body displayed as a symbol to those who try to question either my plans or motives. Understood, Commander?"

"Yes leader." The lead officer nodded as he and one of his men took the body of the now dead Council member.

The leader then faced the head technician and nodded. "I have to apologize for the disturbance, you may continue your report."

"Yes Leader." The tech nodded without batting an eye-lash and went back to work. "Normally we can still engage the Nirvana with one battle-ship, however we have not had any success due to many factors that the pirates have found ingenious ways of exploiting to their advantage. So we have decided to create a few new weapons in preparation for the next encounter. Apart from the three completed Gundams, and the newly built Dominion models, we have created a few new weapons to aid in our efforts."

Images of a ship design came into focus, along with two more, a ship that looked very familiar, and a new Mobile Suit design, and it was…

"These new weapons will be part of the assault on the Nirvana. However we also have to consider that the Nirvana has a penchant for escaping even the best of traps, their escape from the desert trap a week before can attest that fact. To that end we have requested several of our battle-ships to be here in dry-dock to under-go certain treatments for this mission."

Data images came into view, filled with new plans and design specifications on several battle-ships. In them included the inclusion of certain features.

"The down-side is that most of their weaponry will have to be either reduced or disabled, namely their main beam cannon and the loss of most of their torpedo launchers. However they will still be able to use their support fleet and reinforcements, considering the features we plan to install…and the number of ships involved…we believe it will be worth it."

The leader nodded. "You have my personal approval to make this mission official. The name of this mission shall be Operation: Burning Paradise'. And you and your teams will be given whatever aid and resources you may need."

He then faced the rest of the Council. "None of you can question this, until the mission is complete, in the meantime…we will continue our normal operations, until Operation Burning Paradise is officially underway. Secrecy is paramount to the success of this mission."

"Yes Leader!" All Council members said, but that was when another raised her hand.

"Permission to speak?"

The leader looked at her, making her cringe in fear, expecting a quick death for disturbing their leader. But she was relieved when he smiled.

"You may speak."

"Leader, we have gained no news from our spy Rabat for the past few months, not after he was seen leaving the space station: Mission Delta 6. What shall we do about him?"

The leader nodded as he also thought about the inter-stellar mercenary under his Council's employ. In a few minutes he gave a decision regarding him.

"Rabat has made two mistakes, the first was his leaving behind the data-cube concerning his routes to the hands of the Nirvana's crew, since his last report said he had…'lost' it, though it had later been proven from his neural scan when he was met by one of our scouting probes that he lied about it. His second was allowing himself to be found on Delta 6 by the same pirates. Before the loss of our forces we had learned that he had been found out as our agent by the pirates, and all information regarding his various objectives, aliases, physical data, his contract with us, everything… was revealed to the inhabitants of Delta 6. This has been confirmed when we had intercepted a data transmission burst from Delta 6 no less than a few months ago, before the resistance has grown to this point."

"It seems that many of the inhabitants of that station were survivors of planets we had harvested before, and with the aid of the Nirvana crew, and the data they had concerning Rabat's trade routes, they had learned that he is the one responsible for our harvesting of their people. Thus they had ousted him and forbade his return, but with the aid of the Nirvana's crew they had the power and equipment to broadcast that data to all the inhabited worlds. This has no doubt led to the increased resistance our forces have encountered for the past few months."

The Council members were very much in anger, and the leader did nothing to stop them from cursing the rat bastard, they became silent when he called their attention.

"As it stands, Rabat is no longer an asset, but a liability, and we cannot undo the damages his arrogance has caused us. Therefore his contract with us is now terminated."

"If our forces encounter him, shall we harvest him Leader?" The same woman asked carefully.

The leader merely smiled happily. "Why should we pollute our organ supply with that of a foolish traitor? No…he will NOT be harvested. As now, our forces have full authority to exterminate him on contact. Meeting dismissed."

As the Council went about his business, the leader came forward to the Council female member, a very attractive blonde with a considerably attractive figure and assets' he then whispered in her ear, making the blonde Council member smile and blush as he walked back to his room.

He then turned to the woman and smiled with a lustful expression. "See you there."

--

In the void of space, a certain ship belonging to a certain rat was cruising along, and it looked like the stuff thrown out of a monster's gut…

Rabat felt like he had been coated in scum and refuse for the past few months. The mercenary had been traveling non-stop ever since leaving Delta 6. The fact that he was no longer able to dock with the mission station was very much a regret, but he thought he could get over it.

It was only now he realized how wrong he was.

He had been escorted' by the Asuka siblings, Kouji and Maia, who were in their respective Gundams. The two had also given him a sporting set of injuries along with the ones he had gained from Kyo when they found out the truth of his involvement with the Harvesters. Kouji had punched him so many times that he had a black eye the size of an apple, plus several more bruises in various parts of his body, along with those was a cracked knee-cap and a broken rib on the right side of his body, Maia also did a number on him with his hand still recovering from having three broken fingers in mid-bone, a cracked shoulder-blade, three cracked ribs on his left…for a young woman, she packed more physical strength than any woman he knew, in fact, both siblings could hit just as hard as Kyo! It had taken Liz herself, along with Patch and half a dozen others who were as strong as Patch to restrain Kouji and Maia when they faced him and attacked.

He was angered at them and tried to fight back, and the results were there, he was able to get to his ship and was leaving when the Shinobi and the Kunoichi Gundams appeared beside him, Kouji and Maia were seething with extreme hate, and if the leader of Delta 6 and her fellow survivors didn't restrain them, they would have broken every bone in his body and killed him, even if he knew that many of them were rooting for the two Yurenian siblings to do just that, so he wisely kept his trap shut when they called him, informing him that Liz allowed him to leave alive, instead of being shot down by the mission's now restored weaponry. They also warned him that the only reason they were escorting him away from Delta 6 was that if he tried anything dumb like inform his bastard employers, then they'd have the power and authority to reduce him into space dust the very second they intercepted a transmission from him.

As he cruised space a few days after that incident, he realized that he could no longer be able to trade with anyone. Even the illegal merchantmen that he bought some of his own bogus merchandise wanted nothing to do with him. They even went as far as to send more than one assassin to kill him, or kill him themselves. His contacts on other worlds were now aware of his involvement with the Harvesters and also denied him what supplies he needed to keep himself and his ship working order.

Rabat gave a sigh of frustration as he recalled many of the instances where he had been denied, or even attacked by the worlds or people he came in contact with.

Flashback 1…

Rabat was happy to spot the incoming ship. The ship named the Wandering Pit, which resembled a small carrier belonged to a small group of merchants who were the same as he was. They were selling supplies to various space-farers like him, and they were willing to trade even more in dubious items. He then scanned the ship and began to establish contact.

"This is Rabat, long time no see…"

The communication screen in his ship came online and a man with a beard and a monocle who looked like a slick businessman of both respectable and dubious origin gave him a smile…though for some reason, Rabat could see that there was a trace of anger in it. He naturally discarded the idea since this guy had swindled him once, but he didn't care since he had done more swindling on him too.

"Hello Rabat, it's…been a long time."

"Hey Mack, listen can you and the others give me some supplies, I've got some left-over credits to pay…"

"Sure we do…in fact we have quite a surplus of ammunition. I hope you are willing to pay for it." The other merchants who knew him also smiled, though there was something off about their greetings.

Rabat looked at his reserves and nodded, it was time for him to replenish his ammunition belts and he did have enough credits. Utan was ecstatic to have some new supplies of weaponry, though Rabat knew that she would waste them the first chance she got.

"I got enough credits so sure."

Rabat then was shocked when the ship suddenly activated it's shield, comm-jammers, and weapon banks, which were aimed at him and his ship's scanners told him that the safety locks on the Pit's weapon-systems were now removed.

"Whoa! I said I got credits Mack, why the hell are you?!"

The man's smile faded and a look of intense hatred and fury replaced it, along with the faces of the others.

"Credits that you got selling others out? Credits you got as payment from the Harvesters by any chance Rabat for guiding them to some worlds that don't have people on them anymore? The credits you have gotten from the Harvesters as payments for selling out the whole human race?! " Mack shouted as the Pit began to close the distance.

"What?!" Rabat was shocked at this. How did they know I worked for the Harvesters?!

"We may cheat others Rabat, but even WE won't go far as to sell every human being to be turned into cattle for credits!! We will never take money that's been dipped in the blood of whole planetary populations, unlike you…you sick bastard!"

"Whoa…Let's talk about this! I'm sure we can…"

"No…if you think we can work it out…you traitor, then you are really becoming stupid! We will never take your blood money…you stinking rat bastard! But you can have the ammunition for free…"

The ship then unleashed a barrage of beam fire, projectile fire, and missiles at Rabat's ship. This made Rabat realize that he was under attack by his own associates as he moved the ship and began to retreat.

"When you are already destroyed from this universe!!"

End of Flashback 1…

Rabat was lucky to have made it out of that mess, but his ship had taken some serious damages and he had to use some of his left-over ordinance to escape the attack drones the Pit had released from it's combat bays, this reduced his supplies of ammunition a bit more.

But that was only a prelude to all the other things he was about to suffer after his expulsion from Delta 6.

--

Flashback 2…

Rabat gave a groan as he removed another bullet from his shoulder while hiding in a junk-yard. He was happy that his tunic had some ballistic underlays and that saved his life, but he had suffered a great deal since landing on Teria 7. The planet had been known for it's vast facilities involving weapons distribution and storage and the world was known as a good place to get supplies for a ship's weaponry... and for more personal uses.

Unfortunately even on a shady planet famous for trading weapons to any and all human beings he wasn't safe. The planet's underground heard of him as well…and had deployed several bands of their best warriors to ambush Rabat when he was in one of their colonial cities, and when he was spotted by one of their agents. He had tried to warn Utan to activate the ship, but he found out that the underground had made sure that his communicator's frequency was hacked.

"Having a nice time Rabat?" A feminine voice said out seductively with deep seated malice and hatred from his communicator.

"Look Web, I'm sure we can come to some sort of…" Rabat began to say as he tried to reason with his follower…namely since that woman was the one who shot him with a rifle.

"Now why would we do that hmm?" Web's voice came back as she appeared in the communicator. The woman was a sexy blue haired girl who's hair was half-way to the middle of her neck, her eyes were deep green and had the quality of a femme fatale, and her eyes were now staring deep at Rabat. And if Rabat recalled it right, she would be wearing her normal black body suit that did a great deal of justice to her figure, and her figure and build and assets would have ignited a man's basic instincts into an inferno, which would be the first, and last mistake of the man in question. (2)

Rabat had met Web in one of his forays while his identity as the agent of the Harvesters was still his own secret, and on another world. He normally would have hit on the sexy woman, as he had done in his days, and he tried to do the same on the Nirvana prior to being exposed by Kyo. However, Web or who's real name was Jessie Farnell, was no ordinary woman…She was a foremost assassin for the Sisterhood of Night, a shadowy organization that had some control in organized crime, and served as assassins or body-guards for some of the human worlds that were in the sector he was in, namely to underworld leaders, none of whom tried anything dumb to their female body-guards…UNLESS it was in the contract, and as far as he knew none of the Sisters complained, some of them even became wives to some of their contracts, either criminal or legal. He would have reported to the Harvesters about the human worlds in this sector, but he made the mistake of crossing paths with Web when he tried to swindle one of Web's contractors.

He was able to escape due to Web's contract expiring on the same day, but she nearly blew up his ship and had left a virus in his ship's CPU, and it lead to a whole data-drive crash, and made him lose the coordinates to the sector of space. He was able to restore the data drive thanks to the Harvesters and hoped that he could get the chance to pay Web back.

He didn't expect her to be hunting him…

"Listen…I didn't do anything to you and it's been nearly three years since I made that mistake of swindling that person who had your contract…so why…"

"You want to know why I'm hunting you then?" Web smiled a predatory smile. "The Sisterhood got a very lucrative contract on your head. You see…some of the worlds that got hit by the Harvesters happened to have a few survivors who had some serious muscle, they were either off-world when the Harvesters hit or were among the lucky ones to escape. Now when it came out that you helped the Harvesters gut those worlds, they naturally put a bounty on your head. And other planets realized that you might come by, so their governments put an official bounty on your head, and I'll say this much, they're not the only ones after your stinking hide. Every criminal organization from the Gamma to the Beta sector also have a bounty on your head. And trust me Rabat, that bounty has just reached nearly a billion credits. But I'm not hunting you for just the credits, I'm hunting you a more…personal reason."

Rabat was able to escape as another bullet, this time from a sniper rifle tore through the steel wall and he ran as another hail of bullets chased him turning the nearby scrap pile into swish-cheese.

"What?!"

"You recall Yureni Prime? One of the worlds that got hit by the Harvesters?" Web's smile changed and became one of undisguised hatred and rage. Coming from a man, that would have been intimidating…but from a female professional assassin…it was enough o make even a battle-tried and tested soldier cry.

"Yeah…I went there."

"Good, I was hoping you could remember that. I went there when I was now allowed to retire from the Sisterhood. I met a good man there, and I was happy too. We did everything together, and he didn't care if I had been an assassin in my past years. I happened to love him very much, he was the first and only man I cared about more than any mission I did in the past. But on the day I would return after ending my time as an assassin and we would make our relationship public…your clients came and decimated that world. He was killed along with so many others."

Rabat realized what that meant…he had just killed an assassin, ex-assassin's fiancé, and there was nothing more terrifying than a woman who was angry, and an angry female assassin was a SCARY sight.

"You killed the only man I loved Rabat, and that's why I decided to return to Sisterhood, even if I swore to him on that day I would quit from killing. Prepare to meet your maker you rat bastard."

--

End of Flashback 2…

It was only when Utan came into the area with the ship he was able to escape, but not before nearly bleeding like a stuck pig from the left thigh after the last bullet Web had fired struck him. He was able to escape, but not before Web threw a grenade at the thrusters of his ship, naturally resulting in the large charred hole on the back.

The under-world now wanted to kill him. Web was only the first of many assassins and mercenaries that went out to kill him. Some did it for the bounties offered by the officials or by the criminal under-worlds. Others had their own reasons, some of which were similar to that of Web. But all that made it very obvious to Rabat that he wasn't safe anymore in his old haunts in the underworld.

And the official bounty placed on him by the legitimate worlds made it even harder.

When he came to another world known as Rygl 4, known as a very industrial world specializing in various construction materials for colonies and ships, plus the making of valuable ores and composites, in the intent of getting parts and materials to repair his ship, he was immediately shot at the very second he was identified.

He escaped the planet before the people's combat fleets comprising of fighters, carriers and battle-boats came at him. He couldn't do anything like contact his Harvester employers since his communications had been jammed.

And that wasn't the only world where he was attacked…

On Janrell 3, a world that had some of the largest weapons manufacturing plants and facilities, dwarfing even Teria 7 on that scale in another sector, he had been able to land but immediately found himself surrounded by several regiments of the planet's battle-hardened combat infantry. The men were rigidly disciplined and didn't kill him on sight, but he could tell that despite their solid expressions they would have killed him in a heart-beat if their officers weren't in the area.

He tried to weasel his way out and get some extra supplies for his ship. But instead the commanding officer merely punched him hard in the solar plexus, making him bend over and receive a stun blow to the back of the head.

He then found himself being interrogated in a hardened combat bunker a few hours later, and the whole situation for the next ten hours was pure hell for him. He hadn't been provided food or water, and he was constantly being beaten by the men that came in, even female soldiers came and attacked him. He could have sworn that he was being given nearly twenty new and VERY painful bruises for thirty minutes each and more when another soldier came in. Each time a torture specialist would come in and force him to answer any questions pertaining to the Harvesters and their combat fleets. After nearly being beaten to an inch of his life, the officer replied that they were going to execute him tomorrow.

He was able to escape thanks to the same device he had used to leave the Nirvana, but his injuries were slowing him down, and if Utan didn't arrive and help him by first disabling the security system the soldiers would have killed him anyway. Utan was very frustrated since they didn't get any new supplies or armaments for the mecha frame of their ship. Rabat didn't care, since he now used up nearly all of his newly purchased medical supplies to heal his extensive injuries.

When he came towards the planet Sandris, famous for being a world specializing in agriculture and food production to re-supply his ship's food stores, he wasn't attacked, but merely ignored. The planet's main defensive shield came online and all of his communications signals were very much denied access.

He had spent nearly three hours trying to reason with the inhabitants, and was about to resort to informing the Harvesters when he discovered that he was being surrounded by combat drones. And the same drones had now jammed his communications.

He then had no choice but to leave, naturally denying his ship fresh supplies of food, and water. No doubt he was going to have rely on whatever he could scrounge up from his ship's food stores.

On the planet Gurin 4, a world that specialized in fuel production, refinement, and storage, he had attempted to steal or buy some fuel. But even here, the reach of his crimes was very long. He had been able to bypass some of the security locks to a supply warehouse, but it turned out that the inhabitants ALREADY knew he was going to try it and had placed many of their security personnel on the scene…and he had another meeting with Web in the same place.

The female assassin was now able to break another set of his bones, including his ribs and left arm, and nearly succeeded in killing him when she had him cornered, and thanks to his patch's flash bang style device, he was able to escape, but not before having to only acquire a few measly canisters of fuel for his ship.

On Ferin 4, another planet with amazing medical facilities and one of the foremost developers of advanced medical gear, supplies and equipment, he had also been given the royal treatment of being ignored. The planet however gave him a firm warning, and sure enough, the planet's orbital shields and it's space defense stations were online, making it very clear that he could do nothing but leave.

This pattern of the underworld attacking him every chance they got, and legitimate government forces hounding him every chance they got had gotten under Rabat's skin more than once, and he tried to sneak into a world.

That however was a serious flaw as he found out that any aliases he would normally would fail, and he got into a world where the inhabitants immediately considered him a harbinger of doom and immediately tried to execute him in a number of bloody and efficient methods, and suffice to say, that was the LAST time he ever went around using another name!

Now his ship was breaking down, low on spare parts, fuel, ammunition, food, and medical supplies, plus all his collected injuries made it very difficult for him in every scenario. Plus not being able to land has made him forget his own personal hygiene and health, and now he felt like he had taken a bath in refuse since he hadn't taken a decent bath in over three long months.

(Damn that Gundam piloting bastard to hell!!)

Rabat fumed as he thought of Kyo and cursed the day he ever ran into him on the Nirvana and that abandoned Mission.

He then checked his scanners and gave out a smile as he identified the incoming signals. It was a Harvester supply and reinforcement group, it comprised of some Cube Fighters, a Seed Ship, and most of all a few supply drones.

The drones were part of the fleet and resembled the ancient Earth fish, the remora. They would flock to the Harvester Fleets and act as suppliers on the move for fuel, spare ammunition and the like. They were also capable of combat as they had the same weapons as the Cube Fighters, though they were not as well armed or armored as the standard fighters of the Harvester Fleet.

(Finally some good luck for a change!)

Rabat thought as he send his ship's ID signature and waited for the forces to respond, at least with the fresh supplies, he could finish his task, get his latest pay-check, and get his ship repaired.

If he thought his luck had changed…he had NO idea how wrong he was!

The Harvester units picked up Rabat's transmission and ran it through their data-archives. And when they identified him and came across the new directives concerning the mercenary…their mission became clear.

Rabat wondered why the Cube Fighters and supply drones came at him at high speeds and at what appeared to be attack angles. He however got his answer when they fired and his ship was hit by a few salvos. He immediately got his ship into evasive maneuvers and realized that this was no joke, they were not playing for the crowd…they were going to kill him.

"UTAN!" he shouted to his simian companion as he powered up his ship's defensive unit, but considering the lack of extra ammunition, he doubted he could keep up the fight.

What the hell is going on?! Why are they attacking me?! Rabat then recalled what Kyo told him on the Nirvana before.

Flashback…

Kyo: Listen up you stinking genetic reject. From this moment, I don't consider you as a human being, but an inhuman parasite. I should just rip you into shreds so you'll be out of our misery, but that's a small consolation to all the grief and problems you've caused to the whole human race! However, make no mistake of this. I promise you, that if you ever cross my path again… I'LL MAKE SURE YOU GO STRAIGHT TO HELL!

End of Flashback…

BOOM!!

Rabat had no time to recall all of it as now he was being attacked by the forces of his former employees. With low food, fuel, medical supplies, and now soon to be lost ammunition…Rabat couldn't help but feel his luck was about to run dry on him.

--

Back at the Nirvana… a few hours after the battle

Jura and the other girls sighed as they took their baths in the Jacuzzi. The communal bath was very much intact after the incident that involved a certain young man. But for now, they were in the mood to relax and take some time to clean up.

"Ah…I feel like I haven't been able to clean up in days!" Jura said as the bath attendants of the Nirvana massaged her body while she had a towel wrapping up her nude form, while she also had a towel keeping her long blonde hair under wraps.

She had been busy coming up with some new schemes to get Kyo to give her his seed, and naturally have a baby. But the reason for having Kyo's child began to change, and she began to wonder about what she will do after having Kyo's child. She blushed slightly as she began to feel even more attached to the Gundam pilot, she felt this after that time she had nearly succeeded in seducing him. She then decided to go and see the Captain and ask her some important questions.

She then turned to see the others in the bath area. Dita was there taking a bath, and scrubbing her arms with some soap. Meia was taking a soak in a tub, Sara was in the shower and taking a good warm one, Mai was also rubbing herself with a wet sponge while sitting nearby. Misty was there as well, taking a pail and pouring cool water on her nude form. The girls as far as she knew all had the desire to catch Kyo, and she felt that it was going to be one hell of a race to catch the Gundam pilot.

Once she was done with the massage, she went to a nearby tub filled with warm water, she then took off the towel covering her body, revealing her naked form as she went into the tub. As soon as she began to soak in the warmth, her mind went back to some of the videos she had seen, and in that moment, she felt a rush of heat in her body and a smile began to make it's presence on Jura's face along with a deep blush.

(I'll make you mine yet Kyo!)

Meia looked herself over as she cleaned herself up a bit with some soap while she got out of the bath. She began to think about her growing feelings for Kyo. She decided to at least be more open towards Kyo since she did like him, and as she thought about the two times she had seen him nude. The first was in this very same room… and the second was the time they had seen him bathing in the men's side of the ship, and as she thought of those times, she couldn't help but blush hard at the images of the young man she had seen. As she thought about it…she began to wonder what else she could try to get Kyo to open up to her.

(I wonder…maybe I should try and learn how to cook? I wonder what Kyo's favorite food is?)

Dita smiled as she took out a pail of cool water and washed herself clean of the suds. She then wondered about what she should be doing after beating the bad aliens. Speaking of aliens…she then thought about the object of her attention and affections…Kyo. She wondered if she could make something delicious for Kyo to munch on, she hoped he would be all right. Plus she wanted to be closer to him, but thoughts of a less innocent nature came into the mix as she recalled the times she had seen Kyo without a stitch of clothing on him. She put those aside for a while as she thought about what to make for Kyo.

(Maybe I should make a cake for Mr. Alien!)

Sara began to wash her hair with some shampoo and thought about a load of things, normally she'd be thinking about new tactics and maneuvers for the rest of the Crusader Squadron the next time they faced the Harvesters… but now her train of thought was directed at her commanding officer. She began to wonder about what else she could learn about him, and despite that in military terms, fraternizing with an officer of higher rank was a violation of protocol, Sara Elsman knew for a fact she wasn't in the military, at least officially. She liked the softer side of Kyo, and was eager to learn more, namely from what she had seen.

(Hmm…maybe I should ask him more questions when he's not on duty.)

Mai was busy as she finished rinsing herself clean and decided to try some scented oil to soften up her body's sore muscles. As she did so, she began wondering about her relationship with her fellow Register worker and commander in the Crusader squadron, Kyo. She had already made her intentions clear that she wanted to know even more about him. But how to do it?

(Hmm…maybe I can ask him after work. I might learn more about him, after all, he's the ONLY man I've ever told about my family history.)

Misty gave a sigh as she finished her bath, allowing the feel of the cool water on her skin, maybe that could relieve the tension and maybe allow her to have a calmer attitude, namely when it concerned her Prince Charming. She had been having more vivid dreams of the Gundam pilot as of late due to seeing him naked in two occasions. She knew that the other girls in the bathing area, namely the three Dread pilots, Sara Elsman, and Mai Miazaki were all of her rivals in getting Kyo as a boy-friend.

(I'm not going to lose my Prince Charming to any of them…no way!)

The results were the same despite the directions they came from. All six girls had only one thought that made them the same.

(I want Kyo!)

--

Elsewhere on the Nirvana…

Kyo didn't know why, but he couldn't help but have a feeling of dread and anticipation crawl down his spine. And for some reason he began to see a certain bunch of female crew-members in his head.

--

Of course Kyo wasn't the only guy who had a girl after him…

Barnette smiled a bit as she finished her latest master-piece in the kitchen. She finally put the last pieces of basil and sliced spring onions as toppings to her fillet mignon and placed the sauce on it. She planned to have this for Max since he had been very busy in the Medical Bay, and just recently he was there in the galley, she had met him earlier and decided to ask if he would like to try some of her cooking. He agreed and here she was.

She had made sure that unlike the spice laden fillet she had made to get a one-up on Kyo before they became friends, she wasn't going to do anything that harsh since she wanted to get closer to Max, namely after seeing him in the nude.

Back then she would have never considered a man attractive in any sense, but now it was different. After the scene she had seen, she didn't have any trouble having fun thinking about Max.

Max wondered what Barnette's creation would taste like, and after getting a considerable amount of the odors coming from the kitchen, he could tell it was a good meal. Though she had been staring at him with even greater intensity, and why was it he was also staring back at her with just as much intent?

--

Elsewhere…

Parfet was happy as she worked in the Engineering Bay, with only Duero as company since the other girls were either on duty on other parts of the Nirvana or were now on their way to eat at the galley. Duero agreed to help her out on some maintenance work since he had been able to complete his shift in the Medical Bay.

She turned and watched Duero as he had taken off his trench-coat and was only garbed in his normal sleeveless black body-suit. She began to let her eyes wander over Duero's form. His shoulders were broad and hard looking, no doubt from his battles as a child to survive in his desert home. He had told her about himself, just like his brother Max had spoken to Barnette about his life. To say she was shocked was an understatement about his life but the results were undeniable, as he was a very hard-working individual, very intelligent and very much a guy anyone can count on…namely her.

She immediately blushed at went back to work, namely because she began to recall when she had seen him naked.

Duero on the other hand turned and looked at Parfet and watched her work. He still wasn't sure about the attraction thing but he wasn't going to pretend that he liked the way Parfet looked in her tank top, with her jump-suit unzipped and wrapped around her waist by the sleeves, allowing her form to be seen, and he wasn't going to deny that…he liked her figure.

Duero immediately went back to work before his brain began to get a load more filled with unknown images.

--

Back to a certain rat bastard…

Rabat gave a groan of frustration and effort as he checked the wreckage of the Seed Ship for more spare parts he could salvage. He and Utan were able to hold their own against the Harvesters, but paid a high price for their fighting back.

The mecha frame that served as the primary weapon system of his ship was nothing but a jettisoned, smoking pile of debris after being brutally blasted and torn apart by the Harvester forces. Utan had already used up every bit of ordinance they had, and had to resort to hand to hand combat in order to break even. The ship itself had been blasted hard and thanks to it's shield and armor plating it was still functioning, but barely as most of it's systems had been severely damaged, and it's core power planet was also leaking, and needed immediate repairs.

Rabat and Utan worked as fast as they could since there was no telling if the Harvester forces they had defeated had sent a trace signal to any units in the vicinity, right now they were wearing space suits to make sure they had not wasted the energy of the ship.

After getting a serviceable cable relay from the ship the mercenary went on and activated the emergency systems of his ship. He then waited as panels on the wings of his ship opened to reveal solar power collectors. As the collectors began to absorb the energy from the cosmos, Rabat saw that their power absorption rates were low since they were also damaged by the battle.

As much as he wanted them to move faster, he could do nothing but wait. He had to get as much power as he could to his ship's back-up power generators and leave as fast as possible before he got hit even more, plus being sent adrift in space was a prospect Rabat wanted no part of.

As his ship began to slowly to leave the battle-field Rabat realized now that one thing was apparent…

He was now a hunted man…on both sides

--

Back on Earth…

The chambers of the Harvest leader were spacious and full of whatever tools the man needed to run the whole world of the Harvesters. But like any leader he also needed some things to unwind and take the edge off to relax. And for now he had something…or in this case…

Someone…

The female Council member was on his bed sleeping soundly while the man admired her features, namely her undressed form underneath the sheets of his bed. The woman might not be able to have children by most standards, that didn't mean that sex was out of the question. He had loved the situation an exploited it well, after several hours that is…

He sighed as he got out of bed and went to the windows of his little enclave and watched the world outside. He hoped that soon, things will become different for all involved. He had his own plans and he was now ready to implement them once the time came…but for now, he had to do as much damage to the Nirvana until the time was right for the revenge his people wanted.

He then turned as saw the woman starting to recover, he smiled as her and she smiled back. He wasted not time and went back to his bed and his companion. There would be others like her, but for today it was her turn.

Outside of the room of the Harvester Leader, the guard droids didn't leave the location even if there were moans and cries. Since they derived from pleasure and not pain the droids had their duties and kept focus on such matters, and that was to ensure that no one disturbed their lord when he was…taking a break from his duties.

Despite all this…the players in the universe were now getting ready for their next climactic battle as the Harvester techs instructed the construction drones to begin the installation of their requirements for Operation Burning Paradise.

--

To be continued…

--

Author's notes:

Chapter is now officially completed, and I want to say thanks to the many readers and hope to hear more comments soon from all of you. See you all on the next chapter!

Okay, I am also now allowing anyone to send me reviews and comments, but like the members of , please be sure to be constructive with a critique if you have one, but if it's a flame, them I'm going to kill it.

Looks like Rabat's crimes are about to super kick him in the ass…REAL hard! So what else will happen?

Well, what did you expect? Even criminals can band together when they learn that a threat is leveled against ALL of them, and being turned into spare parts for organ hungry people is one dead serious threat in itself.

So, how many other people will try to kill Rabat now that they know he's the Harvester's prime spy? And what will be his reaction that his own employers, former employers that it, now want him dead?

--

Important points:

Okay, I think I should explain this before I get too many questions. But the burning one is probably from the fact that most Coordinators in the Gundam SEED anime who are in Kira and Lacus's age gap are considered to be in danger of being sterile. So the question would go like this.

"How could Kyo be born naturally when Coordinators of the Third Generation showed signs of sterility, and his mother Lacus Clyne would be in that category?"

Here's my view of it. In the fact that if you all have seen Gundam SEED, you should know that Kira's NOT a normal Coordinator by any standard, but is in reality an Ultimate Coordinator, so he actually is far superior to BOTH Naturals and Coordinators, add the fact that he is a First Generation Coordinator means that he does not have the danger of sterility as the succeeding generations of Coordinator children do, plus the fact that he has no gene flaws…so to speak due to being the only known successful' Ultimate Coordinator born. In my point of view, this would allow Kira to have children who share all his traits, combats skills, and most of his Ultimate Coordinator traits.

In my view-point of Lacus being Kyo's mother, she had already received the gene cure at the end of two years in the end of Gundam SEED, and due to the fact that she exhibited certain traits similar to SEED mode, she may have gained a gene side-effect from the SEED that allowed her to have children, kind of like being able to evolve and have kids, this mind you is only MY interpretation to fix in my story so don't expect it in any Gundam SEED forum pages. These ideas were in my mind when I wrote the Prologue of the First Gundam SEED so this will show how Lacus could have children, namely Kyo, and Kyo's younger siblings Mira and Aki.

If anybody has more questions about this and want more clarification, then you can email me, send reviews, or comments. Either way, I'll do what I can to make the picture a load clearer to everyone.

I got inspired by this when I saw a screenshot of another VanDread DVD known as VanDread: Turbulence, in which Dita, Jura, Meia, Ezra, Paiway, Misty, Parfet, and Barnette are in the baths, naked with their assets hidden by their limbs, hair, towels, various postures and positions, (Close enough, but…NOT THAT WAY YOU PERVERTS!) and the mists from the warm water. (What a blasted shame that was!)

Now since this was a bathing scene for the women in the anime, it was VERY interesting! Namely in the eye-candy and fan service departments! As if seeing Dita, Meia, Jura, and Barnette in their normal attire isn't enough eye candy, that picture took the cake (-). (I AM a straight guy you know!) But I figured it was time for the women to get the feeling of physical attraction to the men, so I figured I'd do the reverse and have the men in the spring instead.

Hope that this will be acceptable, now if any ladies are reading this part, then I hope that it fits the bill properly. I'm not yet done with it, so we'll see the results of this later on as I work on it more.

(2) Think of a fusion between Faye Valentine of Cowboy Bebop, and Christie Allen of Dead Or Alive, and you've got an idea what Web would look like. Oh Yeah!


	14. Chapter 14

GunDread SEED - The Second Stage

Disclaimer: Another disclaimer? OK then, I state that I do not hold any current or prior document citing my personal ownership of Gundam SEED or VanDread. There, happy now? Ok, now on with the show…

Chapter 6

Part 2

Life Choices

( ): Thoughts

(Italic): Dream voice

--

Dream sequence 1…

(_Wake up…_)

Kyo opened his eyes and found himself in what appeared to be a void of pure night, as if he was back in the black world he found himself in all those months ago. He then watched as the world changed and then he found himself in front of a very large house. The house looked like a mansion in the woods with normal light white paint on it and various color tinted windows. A two story building with a garden nearby and the play-ground…pretty normal place as he looked at it, but it felt so familiar to him.

(_Is this my home…looks very cozy._)

Kyo took a tentative step and touched the door, and he was surprised to be able to touch the metal of the door-knob and then he opened the door… he found himself in the living room…the very same one he had seen when he heard Magno singing that song a few days before. He looked around and spotted a picture near the wall. He went towards it and it struck him…

(_No way…_)

He saw the same image of the picture in his time of his first death' in the Paeksis, the same beautiful woman with pink hair and blue eyes holding a baby who was sleeping, and next to her was the same brunette man with deep violet eyes, both were smiling happily at their baby. And he knew them now…the woman was his mother, the man was his father, and the baby…was him. He then looked around and spotted another picture, but this was larger and had more people in it.

There was his parents, and many others, there was the same blonde woman with amber eyes sitting next to his mother, holding her own baby, and beside her, smiling was the same man with deep ocean blue hair and green eyes, both of whom might have been his relatives. Next to them was a brunette woman who was rather attractive with her own baby, and the child had blonde hair as well, next to them was a man who had tanned skin and blonde hair and next to him was a woman who had…the same copper hair as a certain girl he worked with in the Crusader Squadron, plus they looked somewhat…

(_What the…? Are those…no…this picture is very much older generation, so that would mean…those two must be, Sara's ancestors. But what are they doing in this picture?_)

Kyo then heard a voice call out to him to go out of the house, as he did so, he spotted the people in the picture, all at the road nearby. His parents looked at him and called his attention. He ran towards them…but the scene faded to black instantly.

Normal time…

"NO!!"

Kyo sat up and began to breath quickly as he tried to adjust to seeing the interior of his room in the Nirvana. The memories of his past were coming up, but they were still broken and fragmented for him to piece together…but at least he could recall them more clearly than in the past.

He looked at the chronometer and saw that it was only one in the morning; he had finished a gruelling training session with the Crusader Squadron and in conjunction with the Nirvana's Dread squadrons on new tactics for combating the Harvesters a few hours ago. He gave a groan and went back to his bed and put back on the blanket since he needed to get as much rest as possible since the war was far from over.

He then went back to sleep…

--

Dream sequence 2…

(_Wake up…_)

Kyo shook his head and opened his eyes a second time…but when he looked about, he realized that the whole world around him was dark once more. It wasn't like he was dead or anything, the last thing he recalled was that he went to bed in the Nirvana and went straight to sleep and awakening form his first dream. So why the heck was he back here?

(_Where am I?_)

Kyo asked himself as he tried to make sense of where he had gone to this time.

(_Am I dreaming again?_)

(_Wake up sleepy-head!_)

_Huh? That's another_ _woman's voice…where am I?_

Kyo asked as he tried to make sense as to where he was this time. The scene then changed into a sunny sky and well lighted location. Kyo reflexively tried to shield his eyes, but the glare didn't hurt in the least and he recalled that if he was dreaming then mostly the physical senses didn't always work the way they were supposed to. He moved his hands out of the way…

And found himself on a beach complete with sun, sand and surf. The breeze felt…cool, as if it was not yet noon time in where he was. The sands were pristine and clear, no sign of trash anywhere. The sound of the waves were also accompanied by the sounds coming from the nearby inland forest when he turned around to look at the rest of where he was.

(_Now where is that voice I heard earlier?_)

Kyo asked as he began scanning the area around him.

(_Right behind you Kyo!_)

Kyo turned and then found himself staring at…Jura Basil Elden who was dressed in a deep blue-green swim suit that hugged her gorgeous frame like second skin, the front had an open slit in the front abdomen area to the upper portion which was having a hard time containing the blonde's breasts, allowing an amount of Jura's skin to be revealed in the diamond form along with her cleavage, while strips were in a crisscross pattern on the long slit. Her hair was also in it's normal style behind her and with the sun providing light, the long strands of blonde hair glowed like golden threads.

Kyo could have sworn he had a rush of heat fly right from his body up to his brain at the sight. He also found out that even in dream mode, his hormones were very much active no matter what state he was in.

(_Hi Jura…what are you doing here in my dreams?_)

Before he could get an answer, another voice came into where he and Jura were in.

(_Hi Mr. Alien, time to go for a swim!_)

Kyo turned and spotted Dita in her own swim-wear, namely a two piece bathing suit in pure red and it had thin straps that seemed invisible, this allowed him to see her lithe form and developed figure very effectively, Kyo tried not to blush even harder as he began to stare at Dita very intently and his mind began to recall how she looked with no…. He then realized that there were other people in the dream too.

(_Hello Kyo, nice to see you here!_)

(_Hi Commander, you like?_)

(_Hi Kyo, you care help me cook?_)

(_Hey my Prince, can you put some oil on me?_)

Kyo turned and found the previously unoccupied beach was now full of people. It seems that apart from Jura and Dita, Meia, Sara, Mai, and even Misty found their way into his dreams, more maybe his hormones were playing games in his head again. (Which it's really doing anyway! () )

Meia was wearing something similar to Jura, but deep blue, and didn't have the slit but that didn't mean that she didn't look sexy in the least. The swim suit hugged her frame well and it showed her own proud bust, though how the heck he knew that fact was beyond even him. He found himself staring at her from head to toe, and another fact came to him that she didn't have the circlet on her in this dream.

Sara was wearing a silver colored two piece strapless bathing suit, and her hair was wet, and considering her well formed body, it took a load of concentration for Kyo to look at her in the eye and acknowledge her. This may be a dream, but that certainly was not an excuse for him to go nuts yet. But his hormones were getting a riot as it tried it's absolute best to make him indulge in the sights.

Mai was in a pink swim-suit with flower decorations and her own hair was in a long braid reaching the shallow part of her lower back. She looked very happy as she was near a portable grill. She gave Kyo a smile that made him even more acutely aware of his now aroused male instincts.

Misty was wearing a strapless blue swim suit and although Misty wasn't as…busty as the other girls, she still radiated an aura of innocent sexuality that was at this point adding extra merry hell on Kyo's already flayed hormones. She was there on a beach chair reclining and giving him a VERY seductive smile.

Kyo immediately tried to turn about and get some distance from all this before his male instincts erupted EVEN if this was a dream…and an apparent wet dream at that.

(_Crap! This getting out…_)

He then turned spotted all the girls who were running up to him, their forms…namely their assets making themselves rather obvious. He could see that they were not going to let him go, and they all were looking at him as if he was the most desirable companion of the decade… that was when he felt somewhat drafty and took a look down. It suddenly became apparent to him that the clothes he had previously…had just decided to disappear…along with a certain article of clothing!

(_of hand…!_)

--

In Kyo's bunk…

"AAAAAUUUUGGGGHHH!!"

WHAP!

Kyo swore as he got up and got his body untangled from the sheet of his bed. He then cradled his head and was happy he was taking a load of endurance training, but for now he wished he took some training on how to suppress his basic hormonal urges.

He looked at the chronometer and saw that it was only two in the morning and he gave a groan. He then got up and put on his normal clothes, and took out his lap-top. This was the one hundredth and sixtieth dream he had on record. The past dreams were not that bad, but ever since Magno gave him permission to have a relationship, his hormones wasted no time making even sleeping a hell of a chore. In the dream before he woke up he was able to only scream out just as the girls surrounded him, they then tackled him, and they then placed him on a chair, and they began to remove their…

Kyo immediately shook his head clear of those thoughts as he got out and went towards the Hanger Bay.

(Damn! I might as well get some work done on I-Freedom and get my latest physical in the Medical Bay…after all I seen in that dream, there's no WAY I'm getting any sleep today!)

--

A few hours later…

"What is our current status BC?" Magno inquired as she and her fellow pirate officers were in the Conference Room. They needed to know how much longer will it be before they could be entering familiar territory.

"Due to various battles with the Harvesters, and that trap we had been caught in, our time table has been affected and we cannot reach Talark or Megele for the next few weeks, or even a few months." BC said as she placed their location on the star chart, showing that they still had a long way to go before reaching their home-system.

Magno sighed and nodded. There was little they could do but keep on moving and hope that they would make it back to their respective worlds before the Harvesters came and gutted them. Nobody deserved the kind of pain and suffering the Harvesters inflicted on them.

--

In the other side of space…

Rabat gave out a gulp and so did Utan as they found themselves now being faced by another Harvester unit…far larger and better armed than the ones they had fought with not a few days ago, they were low on power and were still trying to get the ship to safety, plus they now longer hand any means to fight back with, and that was very much the worst case scenario. The Harvesters were not attacking instantly, but he knew for a fact that things were going to change in a heart beat. And sure enough they did…

As the ship of the inter-stellar mercenary tried desperately to escape despite it's grievously damaged state, the Harvester units attacked, intend in crushing the now worthless former asset of the Harvesters…

Space was always known for the fact that no one can hear a scream. But if that law was bent for the occasion, anybody within earshot would have had their blood frozen solid as Rabat's primal scream of fear and despair mingled with that of the now incoming weapons fire.

--

Back at the Nirvana…

"What's the matter Kyo, you seem to be rather…exhausted, having problems?" Duero asked the Gundam pilot as he was running a physical diagnostic on him. The Gundam pilot looked rather tired as if he had been in a rough bed for the past few hours. Max himself was also curious about the state of the Gundam pilot while he ran through the Medical Bay computer for some information concerning even more methods on how to treat injuries on the female members of the crew.

Kyo gave both brothers a rather exasperated look.

(Other than the facts that, Magno just gave me the authority to go forth and multiply, Jura stripping naked in front of me and we nearly had sex, Misty using every trick in the book, Meia is wearing dresses and looks damn sexy in them, Mai and Sara, asking me to work with them more closely, and Dita…well being herself, no I don't have a single problem. How about you guys?)

Instead of saying all that Kyo opted to just relax and try to explain. "It's just been…rather confusing and frustrating."

"Oh? How so?"

Both brothers asked. Duero and Max were still in the Medical teams but also trained alongside Kyo in their respective Gundams as reserve pilots, and thanks to Kyo's training sessions and his teaching of combat tactics, it didn't become long for both siblings to be very capable in their Mobile Suits. Aleck was also in on the training despite his own experience, since Kyo knew the power of a Gundam unit, the elder male decided to pick up some tricks and methods.

"Did you guys ever have a day that you think you've got things or people figured out, they suddenly change and catch you with your pants down?"

Both brothers looked at each other at first in confusion, but as they recalled stories of Kyo's escapades involving certain members of the Nirvana crew, and the two also recalled their own experiences with a certain pair of female crew-members. So they made the connection and decided to see if they were correct.

"You're…what's the term again… having girl problems?"

Max asked as he had encountered situations like this on his exile in the desert world with Claire and the rest of the crews on both ships.

Kyo gave both brothers a tired look.

"That's a mild way of saying it."

He then had a feeling the two men had something to tell him, and if he guessed it right it meant they learned something about the opposite gender.

"You guys want to tell me something about girls again?"

Duero and max knew that Kyo was rather accurate on such things and both nodded.

"Yes, we've found some data on the subject you spoke of."

Duero said slowly, this made Kyo curious since Duero's way of saying it made it sound that he was rather embarrassed, and that in the Gundam pilot's mind was a first.

"Which one?"

Max also chimed in as he went closer and sat next to the nearby monitor. "The one you called the facts of life."

Both men then began explaining that during one of their forays in the rest of the Nirvana, they came across what appeared to be records, and naturally they decided to view them using a nearby playing system. And that was where they got the idea on how men and women could achieve procreation with one another.

(Guess that Jura left a small amount of those tapes, and guess who found them?)

When they finished both men had raging expressions of utter embarrassment as they recalled that they also underwent their first nose-bleed at the sight of men and women having sex. Duero and Max felt frightened and curious at the same time and for reasons they couldn't make all that clear they began seeing themselves doing it with a certain woman in mind. Duero saw him doing it with Parfet, and Max saw him also doing it with Barnette.

Kyo gave a look of shock and in this case relief, now at least there were some people he could talk about the stress he underwent in the Nirvana when dealing with the female crew. And he could tell that they were thinking about it a lot more now.

"Was what we saw…really how, men and women have kids?" Both men asked.

"In answer to that…yes. It kind of blows all the ideas you two learned about procreation back home away…doesn't it?"

Both men were struck silent as they began to get it into their heads, they didn't know what to say. Until they decided to answer slowly. "Yes…it really does."

Kyo could tell that they were in shock, but from what he could sense they began to see how come they began to act the way they do now with the women around.

He just hoped nothing crazy would be the result of this discovery.

--

Later…

"Three Pairs."

"Full House."

"Damn!, I was close this time…oh well." Kyo said as he chalked up another loss to Gascogne while he was now in the Register. He still had some difficulty with card games but he wasn't getting all that worked up about it. He watched as Gascogne reshuffled the cards and then began to deal them out.

Gascogne was curious why Kyo seemed to be a little out of sorts. "You okay Kyo, you've lost a lot faster than before, are you feeling sick or something?"

Kyo shook his head and took the cards he had been dealt with.. "I'm fine…just feeling rather…occupied lately."

Gascogne nodded as they began to play yet again. After a few minutes of silence, she decided to break the ice on the subject she had discussed one time with the Captain.

"You planning to ask Mai or anyone else here out on a date anytime soon?"

"Maybe…What?!"

Kyo put down his cards and stared at Gascogne with a look of disbelief as the Senior female looked at him with a slightly amused expression. He couldn't believe he heard that come out of Gascogne Rheingau's mouth!

"I guess that means your still thinking about it then?" Gascogne smirked.

"What the heck was that all about?! Don't tell me you had…"

"Talked with the Captain?" Gascogne asked, and then she merely nodded.

"As a matter of fact I did, and I have to admit I was rather surprised when I found out your situation as to why you've been very efficient to the point of curiosity is because you wanted to get away from the girls before you lost control…of your basic male urges, right?"

Kyo looked as if he had just been pole-axed, and figured that if the Captain had spoken to Gascogne about the situation, then there was not much he can do about it.

"Yep, I didn't want to discuss this since it might make things…well, inconvenient."

He said as he went back to his hand, though he was now rather cautious as he played hands with Gascogne.

Gascogne admitted to it but she found the idea rather intriguing to say the least as she also went back to her cards.

"Maybe…but to be honest you can say that a load of things made me ask that question. You want to know what those reasons are?"

"What?"

"Mai's been asking me to allow her to work more in time with your shifts here in the Register. The other girls also like it more if you came in early so they can have you nearby even if you're busy with other duties. Mai also asked if she can work with you when deliveries have to be made either here in the ship or wherever. The girls also want you to spend more time here when you have nothing to do in the rest of your duties, they also like more if you cook for them more often…the list can go on and on. They really like it when you work here…namely Mai."

Kyo gave a shake of his head, he had noted those changes as well, he however was happy that the event that led to the men being given the full one over in the entire ship wasn't the one they were discussing right now.

Gascogne however KNEW about it ever since she had heard about it in the gossip grape-vine considering the time the video of the men taking a bath was on. She however kept the smile that was the result a secret from Kyo…since she knew it would make him very much uncomfortable.

"Speaking of which…I'd like to make a little wager with you today." She replied as she looked at her hand.

"What's that?"

"Let's have a game of ten hands today. If you lose today…then you take Mai on a date soon."

"What?!" Kyo looked with an expression of disbelief as he heard that one. "If I lose you want me to go out on a date?!"

"Why, is something wrong with it?" Gascogne said in her easy going manner as she picked another card.

"I can't just go out on a date ON a bet you know!? Besides…how the heck can you be sure Mai will even agree to it?!"

"Actually she was the one who asked me, since you also work under me for a chance to get to know you better." Gascogne looked at Kyo who was struck dumb and smiled at him. "Don't worry, it's just a friendly date, nothing serious…at least to my mind anyway. Actually I was rather surprised she suggested the idea in the first place since she was rather hesitant about all of it, it took her nearly ten minutes to make the first few sentences."

Kyo gave it a thought. As far as he could see, Mai was making a bold move and he hoped that nothing bad comes out of this one. He did recall she wanted to start a relationship with him of all people, so it made sense something like this was going to happen eventually. But he wondered if it would be a good idea considering his other situations with certain members of the crew. He then gave a look to Gascogne and naturally pressed on with his next question.

"And if by some way I win, then what?"

Gascogne smiled. "Then you'll have to cook for the Register for the next two weeks."

Kyo thought about it and weighed his options.

(Lose and go out on a date, win and wind up in cooking duty for the next week…not like all of them are bad choices…at least at a certain stand-point.)

Kyo nodded as he got ready to play.

--

The Harvester home-world…

"What's the current location of the Fleet?" The Harvest Council Leader asked the head technician as he and the rest of the Council watched the screens depicting the area of the galaxy where their Fleet was being stationed.

"They are currently hours from the Nirvana's current location. They have not yet been detected by the ship's sensors or their scouting parties. They are either too busy, or they believe that they can handle us now, or the enhancements to that portion of the Fleet have worked perfectly. Either way…we have the advantage." The head technician replied.

"Are all our weapons ready for combat duty?"

"Yes, the Devastator, Hell Fire, and Wyvern Gundams are now completed and awaiting the order for attack. The other weapon units are also awaiting combat orders."

"Understood…as of now Operation Burning Paradise is in effect."

"Parameters for the Nirvana?"

"Wipe them out…all of them." The leader said with a tone that might not have any emotional volume…but anybody could hear the hidden desire for the demise of all that opposed the Harvest.

--

Out in space…

The Harvester battle-ship's CPU glowed as it received the order to begin moving out to engage the Nirvana. Within it's bowels rested three new Gundam units, and they too were now powering up for their confrontation with the Nirvana and the Gundams owned by the pirates…but mostly their target was a certain Paeksis Gundam.

However behind them in the massive hanger was an evil shape…and an more powerful looking…

Mobile Suit

And as the Fleet ship went on the move it seemed that if flew in a formation that befitted that of a large combat fleet…but it was the only ship in the area.

Or was it?

--

In the Nirvana…

(Try and guess the out-come of the game between Kyo and Gascogne?)

Kyo gave a sigh as he walked out from the Register and decided to take a walk, he had only won two hands out of ten. Gascogne was happy that he had gained some skills in playing cards, but she still wiped the floor with him, and so he had no choice but to follow Gasco's request that he'd go on a date with Mai. The question was…how.

How and what do I have to do to make it work? Kyo thought since the first thing he needed to do was deal with the fact that if any of the crew saw that, there would be NO guarantee that the date would be private. Plus he would have to find some way of dealing with the possible out-comes.

Kyo shook his head, since Gascogne didn't give him an exact dateline on when he was supposed to take Mai out on a date, he thought he would have more time on what he had to plan and only if he was really going to push through with the idea. He then concentrated on more important matters…namely with what the next session with his squadron would be focusing on.

As he made his way, he found himself near the Bio-Park and spotted two certain medics.

"Duero, Max."

Both siblings turned and greeted the young Gundam pilot, their friend, Gundam pilot mentor…and the only man in their whole cadre who had knowledge about the nuisances of the female gender and as of today…they had a very serious question to ask him about women.

"Kyo…we were actually planning to go and see you."

Duero said as they waited for the Gundam pilot to come to them.

"I guess I spared you the time of finding me then." Kyo then leaned on a nearby railing with Duero and Max joining him. "Okay you guys, shoot."

"Shoot? Why should we shoot you? I mean…"

"That's just a figure of speech guys, what I mean is, you can go ahead and ask me."

"Well…it has something to do with what…what we learned on how men and women had children. We don't really know all that much and we think…we think we don't have all that much experience in this sort of thing."

Max began to say as he tried to concentrate on what he needed to say as he had some difficulty with the question both he and his elder brother wanted to ask.

(Yeah I'll bet you two do.)

"Look, I did say I can answer as much as I can those questions you two have burning in you about women, so there's no need for you guys to act like bashful school kids, just ask me what you want to ask… and I'll try and answer them as best I can."

Both brothers looked at the serious look Kyo was giving them and decided that they should be frank towards Kyo. Though Kyo could be diplomatic if need be, he could be the kind of guy who prized the truth more than others.

Duero was nudged by Max so he took the initiative. "We were…wondering on what to do…with a girl who WANTS to have sex with one of us."

Kyo turned into a statue of stone and a VERY large sweat-drop descended down his head as he digested the question from the two siblings…Of all the questions he was expecting from them. This was the LEAST expected, and even more so since he was at a total lose on this topic.

--

Back in space…

The Harvester battle-ship waited as it scanned the area, hoping to spot the signature of the Nirvana as it deployed it's forces and got ready to engage the thorn on it's masters' side for the past many months.

In it's Hanger, the Gundams were kept in their hangers as requested by their Harvester Leader, apparently they were to remain hidden until the best moment for their arrival came to them, like elite shock troopers released out at the last moment. As such, only the other two weapons made by the Harvesters' weapons R&D division would be taking center stage.

In the Hanger both weapons began to power up their combat systems and operation software. As power flowed in their systems and energy pathways, they began to run in their combat and response protocols and powered their weaponry.

As they waited, the Harvester battle-ship's sensors picked up the Nirvana's transponder signature and it would be only a few hours before they would meet, it then began to relay the information to all of it's units, and when they received the order, it was time for them to reveal themselves for battle with the pirates.

--

In the Bio-Park…

"Let me see if I heard that right…You two want ME to give both of you advice on how to deal with a girl…if she wants to have SEX with you?!"

Both brothers blushed and barely nodded. And to see the two men who were not prone to these flashes of emotion, namely involving women very often made Kyo realize this was serious.

"Okay, I can understand that part…but exactly WHY did you two want to ask me that anyway?!"

Both brothers then uncharacteristically twiddled their fingers as they looked on the floor for a few seconds. They then decided to at least explain what made them decide to try and ask him the question.

--

Flashback for Max…

Max took the time and went to work on the Templar Gundam, since he had taken the Gundam unit and trained under Kyo, he knew the value of keeping a well kept and functioning Mobile Suit. Kyo's customized OS for his Mobile Suit also allowed him to customize areas that could accept the changes in the systems without affecting overall combat performance.

As he placed the last touches in the Templar's OS he got out of his Gundam's cockpit as the chair was raised upwards. And when he came out he went and got ready to report for duty in the Medical Bay…but as he turned he found himself greeted by a certain somebody.

"Hello Max."

"Hello…Barnette."

Was all Max would say…considering what Barnette was wearing at this point…an ancient Chinese style dress that was deep green, with elegant symbols etched into the fabric reaching her ankles, and there was a slit on the left side of the dress, allowing a good view of her thigh and calf, plus the dress had no problem conforming to Barnette's lithe form like second skin, allowing him to see her in her full beauty. She was wearing high heels, and although Max thought those to be highly uncomfortable at first, he learned that the women of Megele had made shoes that kept up the trend of high heels, but were comfortable and well made for balance and strength, and they did well their primary function…which was to make her taller, allowing Barnette to reach Max's chin. On her dress's waist was a light purple mesh that had several diamonds embedded in the fabric, and this gave some emphasis to her eyes well.

Max also noted that she had a light but very effective amount of cosmetics, not too showy or over done, but enough to place good and effective emphasis on her natural physical beauty. Her hair smelled of lilacs from her shampoo, and she had the faint smell of peaches on her skin, meaning that she had taken a perfume of that same smell.

There was only one word to describe Barnette Orangello in that state…

HOT!

(The dress is similar to that of Ada Wong of Resident Evil 4, loved the dress.)

Barnette gave him a smile as she moved in a slow spin to show the full beauty of the dress. The back of her dress exposed her back all the way to her waist and it gave an emphasis to her slender form. Once she finished her display she asked him a question.

"Do you like it?"

Max could do nothing but nod. He didn't completely understand all the aspects of female beauty, but at the moment he felt like he was looking at the most beautiful being ever.

"You look very beautiful Barnette." Spending time with women and learning more things from Kyo had allowed Max to see the beauty of the female form and naturally his body began to react. He quickly looked away a bit as more…indecent thoughts began to make their way in his head. He had already seen a video similar to what she had told him before and thanks to his conversation with Kyo…he now had an idea why his body reacted in certain ways towards Clare and now why he felt this way to Barnette, but the video made him rather uneasy at times.

Barnette blushed just as well, she planned just to ask max out on a date, and the way Max looked at her made her realize how good a move she made when she picked the dress. She wanted to get to know him more, and her plan was only for a short date…though a voice in her head told her that she was lying like a rug, not to mention a part of her brain began to replay certain indecent images involving her and the man she was talking to.

"Is there something you want to ask me Barnette?"

Barnette stopped blushing…slightly as she spoke. "I was wondering…if you…have time to go out with me. We could have a quiet meal, and look at the stars."

Max thought about it and recalled one of his conversations with Kyo concerning practices between men and women, namely during the period of courtship. He put two and two together and figured what Barnette was asking him.

"You want to ask me out on a date?"

Barnette blushed and twiddled her fingers and meekly nodded.

Max figured that since he had nothing left to do for the time being so he agreed. This made Barnette smile at him mischievously as she took his hand. And for a strange reason Max was happy he didn't have any smudges of grease, oil, or dirt on him.

--

Flashback for Duero…

Duero was in the Medical Bay making the last rounds and giving Paiway another set of lessons in the treatment of wounds and injuries of various degrees to deal with the increasing workload, plus it would make her far more capable as a medical specialist. Just like Kyo, he and his brother believed that the young girl was very talented, with the right amount of time and training she could be the best in the medical field.

In the past, she disliked getting lessons from Duero, and now from him and Max. She originally disliked the more bloody side of the medical profession, but Kyo came up to her and told her the story of one young woman he met who was just like her who dreamed of being a doctor to help others even if she was always sick, when Kyo helped find the ingredients to make the serum that cured her she was happy and she made well in the medical training courses, and passed the apprentice board, and the necklace he gave her all those months ago was what the girl gave him in thanks. He told her that no matter how difficult things become for her, he would always support her and so would others on the ship. Paiway took that to heart and worked hard, and the results were becoming more promising, it would take a while but she would become even better.

"Paiway, those papers have your next tests, study and we'll begin testing soon."

"Sure, I'll just have to clean up the supply trays…oh hello Parfet…" Paiway said as she took an incoming call via the monitor. "Oh…yeah, Duero's still here."

"Who is it?" Duero asked as he was rather busy focusing on several reports concerning the physical well-being of several members of the crew.

"It was Parfet, she said she wants to see you, and she'll be here in a few minutes." The young nurse said as she went to reading her new notes…but she still kept her camera close and her note-book as well.

The door alarm chimed much later, signifying the arrival of an individual near the door of the Medical Bay. Duero already knew who was coming and decided to put aside his notes and reports and see what was it that Parfet was asking of him.

"Hi Duero."

He then placed the last data-pad down and faced the spunky head engineer. "Hello Par….fet?"

He looked surprised as he saw Parfet in a dress. She had a pristine white dress that had straps on her shoulders. The dress was plain but for reasons he couldn't understand, Duero saw Parfet at this moment as a beautiful person with no equal. The dress had two slits on the lower sides of it allowing Duero to see her claves, though why the slits were there, he didn't understand and could only make a haphazard guess. She wore some high pumps shoes that made him wonder why Parfet was wearing such strange looking foot-wear. They looked impractical in his frame of mind but he couldn't deny two things, the first was that they made her taller, making her reach his neck, and they made her look…elegant for some reason. The dress also hugged her chest making her breasts stand out.

(I've seen them before…but I didn't know they could be so…what's making me think these things?!)

He noted also that Parfet had some lip gloss on her and she wasn't wearing glasses again, but since she wasn't squinting nor did she hit the wall, then it would mean that she was wearing the contacts he had made for her. She was happy to receive them when they were made and kept them close, though she still wore her glasses. This allowed him to see the intriguing shade of violet in her eyes and he admired it well. She also had her hair in a ponytail instead of her trade-mark braids, allowing the hair to be released from the thick braids the young woman normally had her hair in.

"Hello Duero." Parfet said while she tried to resist the urge to twiddle her fingers. She hadn't done anything like this before in her whole life. When she was on Megele, she was considered plain, so she didn't have too many friends, and this naturally made her feel at home with the others in the pirates engineering section. Becoming friends with Duero made her reach out to others, just as being with Chief and the others had done, and being with the other pirates, namely Dita. But when she began to have these intimate feelings for Duero, she decided to try and take a chance for this day.

And considering the way Duero was gazing at her in utter appreciation made her realize that she did the right thing.

Duero shook himself mentally to get his mental faculties back into order. "Hello Parfet, can I ask…what brings you here."

"Well…" She said as she came into the room, focusing only on Duero, and completely ignoring the fact that Paiway was in the room, who was now looking with awe and surprise…while carrying her camera. "I came here to see if…" She felt her embarrassment continue to climb as she faced the object of her affections. She calmed herself a bit and continued. "if you…have any free time today."

Duero nodded. "Yes, I have just finished my shift and am planning to get some rest, Paiway is taking over for me."

"That's good…I was hoping you and me…could…uh, well…uhmm… go to the Bio Park and see the stars' reflections on the lake."

Duero wondered why Parfet was so nervous about something such as this…that was until he recalled some of the lessons he learned from Kyo, plus he recalled the description Kyo have for the situation he had found himself with Dita. Apparently he was now a recipient of the same process of courtship.

"Are asking me to go out with you on a…date?"

Parfet's blush became brighter as she nodded. "You know what a date is?"

Duero nodded. "Kyo told me about it and told me that it was the best way for…couples to know each other more."

Parfet nodded, placed her hands on her dress and held the fabric tightly to calm her giddy heart. "So…will…will you…g…g…go out…on a date with…me?"

Duero thought about it and decided that since Kyo told him to get to know Parfet more closely then this date would be the most logical move for him to learn about the intricate behaviors of women.

"Sure."

Parfet squealed in joy and glomped on Duero and before she could calm down, she gave him a kiss on the left cheek, making the blush in his own face go brighter, and she began to guide Duero out of the room…but not before popping her head back and looked at Paiway.

"Not a word about this Pai!"

Paiway however couldn't help but smile like a kid on a permanent sugar rush. She quickly got her note-book and with her pen and a pair of cat ears coming out from the sides of her head, plus a serious gleam in her eyes…began to write what she saw.

"This is an unprecedented event in the history of all Megele women! Parfet asking Duero out…on a DATE!! I must record this!! PAI CHECK!!"

--

End of respective flashbacks…

Kyo couldn't help but have a sweat-drop flow down the side of his head as the explanations were finished. As he looked at Duero and Max he couldn't help but understand the situation as it was developing, besides…he had been dealing with the same situation.

"You guys also?"

"What do you mean?" Duero asked.

"Do you know why Barnette is acting the way she is around me? Or why Parfet's acting this way towards my brother?" Max asked.

Kyo gave a sigh and motioned for the two siblings to follow him. "I'll tell you…but this is going to take a while."

--

The bridge…

Magno and BC were there making the usual rounds…but that when the bridge crew called out as they picked up signals from the Harvesters.

"Enemy units have been detected at least a hundred kilometres from our current location. It's the Harvesters!"

Belvedere stated as she, Amarone, and Celtic tracked the incoming signatures.

"How many?" Buzam asked as the girls reported in the results from their sensors.

"At least thirty dozen of their Urchin Ships, about a dozen Seed Ships, gods only knows how many Cube Fighters…and a Harvester battle-ship."

Celtic reported, saying the last with a shudder.

The rest of the bridge crew shared the same sentiments and so did Buzam and Magno. They hadn't forgotten how their first encounter with one of the Harvester behemoths went, and what they had done in order to defeat the first. But they couldn't ill-afford to cut and run. They were close to home and had a chance to warn their worlds of the incoming threat. They only prayed that the experience, skills, weaponry, and talent they had accumulated over the years would be able to aid them…along with some good old fashioned luck.

"Have all the teams ready for combat offensive! All pilots to combat stations!"

--

Back at the Bio-Park…

The three men were sitting down and were still busy talking. Duero and Max looked at the lake very seriously and seemed to contemplate what Kyo had told them concerning the situations they had recently gotten involved in with the girls in their respective lives.

"It's still kind of hard that Parfet wants to be more…intimate with me." Duero said slowly as he digested why Parfet was so interested in him.

Max said nothing but both his brother and Kyo knew that he had the same feelings. Though he and Clare were close, none of them were that close…so it made sense that he would also be uneasy about the situation as well.

"Yeah…well, it's not something just anybody can be used to." Kyo said with his arms crossed over on his chest as he looked at the lake. He then noted from the corner of his eye the signs of apprehension on the two. He couldn't blame them, having to deal with the affections from the women who liked them.

"Look, I know you two feel rather overwhelmed and confused about the whole thing. Trust me, I can relate…It's hard working alongside the girls when part of my brain is screaming for me to give in to my basic urges, while my other side is also screaming for me not to do something I'm going to seriously regret." Kyo said as he looked at the lake and then faced the two siblings.

"I can understand…you see, I don't want to do something that would jeopardize the friendship I have with Parfet. She's been the only female friend I have here on the ship since I came onboard months ago. I just wish I knew more ways on how to deal with this. Physical problems I can treat with my training and skills…but." Duero said as he twiddled his fingers a bit.

"The emotions of a person, namely feelings of the heart aren't restricted by science Duero. This is something no amount of academics can ever prepare you for. No matter how much you wish it could." Kyo replied as he thought about the situations of the siblings…and himself. "What about you Max?"

"Well…I can understand the situation. I mean, I was with women like my brother also…but under different circumstances." Max said as he thought about the situation. "But like my brother…I wasn't…at such a level of familiarity with Clare, and I'm just starting to take the first steps with my friendship with Barnette…so yeah, learning that she wants to be more intimate with me…is a little bit unsettling."

"Yeah, that kind of reminds me…exactly what happened between the two of you to have change her the way she was those weeks before? Not that I'm complaining or anything since the changes are nice, but what happened between you two anyway? I can say that Barnette has a lot to thank you for, so I'd like to know what those things were."

"Yes, I have to admit brother, the changes in Barnette have intrigued me as well, since I met her before you did, she didn't strike me as the kind of person who would give up her beliefs easily. Naturally I think it might have to do with you saving her from that monster previously, and she then took care of you. But what did you tell her to make her change?"

Max gave a bit of a sheepish groan and was about to explain himself when the combat alarms blared all over the ship. The three men took that as their cue to suit up. Duero would be in the Medical bay and would only fly out in the Morpheous Gundam if he was needed. Max would fly alongside Aleck as both he and the elder Talark soldier would be under Kyo's command in the Crusader Squadron.

"We'll have this conversation later. You guys fight hard and stay alive." Kyo said as he went to his locker to retrieve his pilot uniform and helmet.

--

The Harvester Fleet…

The Harvester battle-ship ran up all of it's combat systems and weaponry as the fleet would now make contact with the Nirvana. As it deployed it's forces, it suddenly began to send out short yet power transmission bursts from transmission ports that appeared from the ship's areas.

Anyone familiar with ship-to-ship communications would know that such bursts of data would only be done if there were other ships within the vicinity. But the Harvester battle-ship was the only one nearby within hailing distance.

Or was it…

The space near the ship came alive with Urchin ships, Seed Ships, and innumerable Cube Fighters…and…

Strange nearly transparent shapes began to follow the Harvester battle-ship as it went out to face the Nirvana.

--

In the Hanger of the Nirvana…

"Kyo! Wait up!"

Kyo turned and spotted none other than Jura Basil Elden. Seeing the blonde Dread pilot was a normal thing, but she was not out there in the fighting since Meia and Dita had already launched alongside the rest of the Dread pilots. Kyo had deployed the others and his girls in the Crusader Squadron ahead as he suited up. The situation made him very curious since Jura would be in the front lines alongside the others.

"What is it Jura? We have to be launching now, we're under attack!"

"I know that…but I need to talk to you…it's important!"

Kyo stopped as he was already climbing up the paddock to be lifted into his Gundam's cockpit via the harness cable. He then faced Jura and waited for the blonde to say what she wanted to say.

Jura tried to resist the urge to blush as what she was going to say would make things between her and Kyo more difficult.

"We've…we've been through so much together haven't we?"

Kyo wondered where this train of conversation was going to, but when the ship began to shudder a bit he knew that now wasn't the right time to go down memory lane.

"I know…all of us have gone through a lot. But Jura, now isn't the time for this sort of thing!"

"Please listen to me…you…you recall me wanting to have a baby…your baby?"

Oh no, not this again! Kyo didn't expect this topic to be the crux of the whole matter. "Look Jura, I know that having a baby from a man would make you a new heroine on Megele, but having a baby with a man isn't some sort of…"

"No."

This stopped Kyo be mid-sentence. "What?"

"That's not the reason I want to have a baby with you…it was before…but not anymore."

"Then what's the reason?"

"The reason is that I want a baby with you because I…"

Jura stopped and thought back on a conversation she had with a certain elder woman.

--

Flashback… three days before…

Magno was busy reading a small book in her quarters when she got the message telling her that she had a visitor. She sighed and put the book aside and looked to see who her visitor was. She was surprised to see none other than the second in command of the Dreads, Jura, who she then noticed had a strange look about her.

"Oh, Jura, I wasn't expecting you here at this time of the day. Is there something you want?"

The blonde nodded as she spoke to the eldest of the pirate crew. "Hello Captain…I, I wanted to ask you something very personal…and if I'm intruding, I can ask the question some other time."

"No, not at all. I always have time to listen to what problems any of you have." Magno then sat up and took a new seat on another chair in her room as she beckoned the young woman to take the previously vacated seat. "Please sit down and tell me what is it want to ask me."

As Jura sat down she began to wonder how will she be able to ask her question without being offensive to the elder female. After a lot of mental deliberations on her part she decided to take her questions slowly as to avoid making the wrong assumptions once Magno spoke to her.

Captain…you were alive when…men and women…lived together, right?"

Magno gave a curious look at the blonde woman. This was a question she herself didn't expect from Jura. It was already a proven fact that youngsters like Jura disliked listening to history, and it was a proven fact that older people like herself would love to talk about it if only the younger generation would listen, so it was a first for any of the girls to ask about the old days of the First Generation on Megele. They didn't question Supreme Lady Grand Ma as children, so it wasn't surprising that they didn't question history. But there would always be doubts no matter how hard the truth was hidden. The way Jura asked the question however also made her curious as to what part of the past the sexy blonde was interested in.

"Yes I was, it may have been some time…but I do recall a great deal of things about that time of our ancestors, when men and women lived together. Is there something about that time you are interested in Jura?"

Jura nodded as she bowed her head and twiddled her fingers, that plus the faint tinge of pink on her cheeks made Magno slowly smile as she had a fairly accurate idea what Jura wanted to know.

"Yes…I…I was…wondering how I could get a man to do…something with me."

"Does that something' you mentioned involve certain…intimacies with a man by any chance?" Magno asked with a wicked grin as she now knew where this train of conversation was going…and what was the reason behind the question.

"Y..yes." Jura said as she looked at the Captain. "You see…I found some…videos about that certain… something I want to…I want to do with a man."

"And does your desire to do this particular something by any chance involves a certain young man on this ship?" Magno prodded even further, while trying not to laugh at the look of utter embarrassment which was now being shown on Jura's features.

Jura slowly nodded as she began to explain what had happened between her and Kyo not a few weeks ago when the Nirvana was in the desert world…and despite her immense reluctance she decided to also speak of the times she had been VERY close to Kyo. And she also decided to speak of the time she had nearly snared Kyo…and the things they did before he left her room.

It took nearly an hour for her to explain all the events that led her to this point. All the while Magno was listening intently, and much to Jura's surprise the elder woman began to laugh as soon as she finished outlining the last event. Jura was utterly embarrassed but yet happy when she recalled that time when she nearly got Kyo's seed.

"What is so funny?"

Magno calmed herself as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "It's nothing against you Jura…I was just imagining Kyo's reaction when you…shall we say…followed your natural desires and needs." She then gave another amused cackle at that last part of the sentence.

"My natural desires?" The confused blonde asked.

Magno smiled a bit more as she spoke to the younger woman. "Tell me the truth Jura…when you were able to finally see how men and women would have a child in the natural way…did you feel disgusted or horrified?"

Jura shook her head fervently as she recalled the feelings the video had sent into her at the time of her viewing it. "No…not at all. I..I…felt hot, warm all over….every nerve in my body was on fire! And I felt this intense feeling of…ah…arousal in my body…and."

"And what else?"

"And I couldn't get it out of my mind…and I couldn't help but see myself…and Kyo…doing it." She said the last part in a whisper.

"Ah…you didn't find it the least bit disgusting or horrifying?"

Jura shook her head.

"I see….so why do you want to do it with Kyo?" Magno asked with a grin.

"Because…that is how…men and women had children…and it looks…very pleasurable." Jura said slowly while trying to contain the raging blush threatening to spill over her as she recalled how CLOSE she came to doing the very same thing with Kyo previously..

"No arguments there, the act of sex between men and women is very pleasurable. But why are you only interested in Kyo? Surely the other men would be also viable candidates? Duero is a prime one, so is his sibling, Aleck's not too old, and Bart's…"

Jura shook her head fiercely in disagreement. "No! I don't want their seed! I want Kyo's and only his!!" She then realized what she did and gave brief apology to her commanding officer.

Magno was taken aback by the reaction, but immediately smiled as she now had an idea as to what was driving Jura now instead of fame or recognition.

(Well…who would have believed it?)

"And why must the seed only come from Kyo?"

"Because…well…I…uh…I just want his seed and nobody else's!" Jura said as she managed to regain focus on why she was here. Jura then thought about it, the other men were viable candidates for her plans to have a child. Duero was a good man and his skills, physical abilities, and more were a plus, despite the fact Parfet would argue about that, Max was also a good candidate, but she had no intention of taking him away from Barnette, Aleck was a good man also, he was tough, smart and very well versed in many traits that were very useful…but he seemed to…old for her for some reason. And although Bart had matured a great deal and wasn't a coward or cry-baby anymore…she still couldn't think of taking his seed. She only had eyes for Kyo and no other man seemed to hold her attention but the Gundam pilot.

"Hmmm. So you want his seed more than any man's, and you want to be the one to have only his child?"

"Yes." She said without any hesitation.

"Hmmm. I must say that things have really become very interesting ever since the men set foot on this ship." She said with a very prominent smile.

"So…Captain…how can I…make Kyo want….to do it with me? I…mean, he told me…he liked it…but he stopped me…and well…I just want to know…how to make him want to do it with…me, and finish it with me?"

Magno thought about that and recalled the reason why Kyo was extremely reluctant on pursuing a relationship with any of the girls on the ship including Jura. He had a good reason not to try to release his own passions in fear of hurting them, but she knew that he would only do more damage to himself and others if he kept on denying it. However she was also aware of Jura's reason in trying to seduce the young Gundam pilot. But the way Jura seemed to want Kyo's seed and the way she was now acting towards him…made Magno very aware that there was another reason Jura was still pursuing Kyo and Kyo alone…now the trick was to see if that reason was for real.

"Before I hand you any advice on this matter Jura, I need to ask you a few questions and they are very important, so you must answer me with all your heart and with the truth. Do you understand me?"

"Yes."

Magno nodded and looked squarely at Jura. "First, what do you really think of Kyo? How did you feel when you met him, and what do you think of him now that you got to know him?"

Jura realized that it was time for her to come clean with what she thought about Kyo the day he came onboard the Nirvana. As she began to recall all those times the young man had been part of the crew she began to smile a bit.

"It's…kind of strange when I think about it now. The first time I met him…I thought he was just another man that I'd see after we'd raid their ships and steal their valuables. I thought just like Barnette that they should just stay in the bring throughout the whole mission when we were getting back home. I though Dita was being twice the ditz I thought her to be from before when she began to chase him around, trying to get to know him more."

"He can be rather harsh and difficult at times, but he only does those things when he needs to. He was very different as time passed. I saw him inspire others around him, how he would fight fiercely to protect his allies. He meant a lot to many…but to me…he was more."

"He was there to get me back on my feet when we nearly lost Meia, sure we argued, but he apologized and gave me some really good advice. He's talented, no arguments there, he can dance, cook, sing, and do so many things I thought was impossible for a man to do at all. He was there to help and stay with me if I needed help, and keep me safe when we were on that desert world. And the day he kissed me in Anpathos…I never felt like that before…and the other times we kissed, the feelings in me…grew every chance I was with him….even when, I tried to…ah…convince him…to give me his seed. I told Barnette how it felt once and how I felt so at home being beside him, and that I can do anything…as long as he was beside me."

"So…you came to like him a lot more than before?"

"Yes…I REALLY like him now."

"You like him enough to spend every moment of your life with him?" Magno asked in a sincere tone.

"What?"

Magno sighed and explained. "Jura, you apart from BC and Kyo, may not know this but I had a man as an ohma…or in the past terms a husband...and I did have a baby with a man."

Jura was surprised. "Then you do know how…!"

"Let me finish Jura. When I gave birth to my baby, who was a boy, my husband was right beside me, and he did a lot of things when our baby was growing up, feeding our child when I was too tired, changing his clothes, even changing the baby's diapers, he'd sing beside me when we wanted our little bundle to go to sleep, tell stories and when I couldn't breast feed my son, he'd provide the baby bottle to feed our child."

Magno thought back on those fond memories and tried not to cry as she recalled what was the thing that separated her from her two men. She focused herself on the now and spoke again.

"Jura…having a baby with a man is totally unlike that of Megele. The first thing is that men would also want to have a hand in raising their child alongside their wife. I know Kyo well enough to say that if he did become your child's ohma…or father, he'd be very serious about his role as a parent. A child born the natural way between man and woman is a very emotional and personal experience, even more so since the child is carrying a part of him, and since it's unlike the birth methods back on Megele, you can bet that Kyo will not allow the baby to be apart from him. It's a very emotional thing to have a baby…I should know. And Kyo will no doubt want to be a good father. As much as you need to have Kyo to have the baby, you will need to have Kyo close to both you and the baby as well, since the child is also his son…or his daughter."

Jura thought about that fact and thought about it. Kyo being there, raising their child beside her. And for some reason…she began to smile. "You know…the idea of Kyo being beside me…for the rest of my life doesn't sound that difficult. In fact I would welcome that chance."

She then wondered what she should do. Jura was no fool in the fact that what she felt for Kyo totally went against everything she had believed in growing up. And despite her acceptance of Kyo, she still wanted to know WHY she felt this way towards him.

"Captain…I don't know what to do anymore! I don't understand why I feel this much for Kyo! When he's not near me, my heart has this ache that only grows worse if I don't see him! And when I do see him, my heart beats even faster I feel like I have a concert in there! I want to see him smile and not cry or be sad! I feel so weak when he's with me…yet I feel so strong when he's there! I want never forget the way he feels under my hands, or even how he tastes when I kissed him! I want to feel the warmth of his skin and to never forget his smell! I want to feel his muscles and form with every part of my body and being! I WANT him so badly!"

"I shouldn't be like this! This is not how a woman of Megele should act or think towards a man! But I CAN'T stop! And part of me doesn't want to stop at all! I WANT KYO SO MUCH IT HURTS!!" Jura sobbed as tears rolled down her eyes. "Why do I feel this much for him? Why?"

Magno reached out and held Jura's hand in a grip that spoke compassion and understanding. She then pulled up Jura's face and helped wipe away the blonde's tears as he gave her a motherly expression. "Now there's no need for you to cry Jura. There's nothing wrong with you nor is there anything wrong with the feelings you have for Kyo. What you are feeling is one of the things Megele has been trying hard to suppress for many years. The reason you feel this much for Kyo is because you…"

--

End of Flashback…

"Because you what? Jura, because you what?" Kyo asked as he was wondering what the blonde was thinking about again.

Jura looked at him, no doubt realizing that now wasn't the right time to tell him what she knew what she felt for him after the many months they had been working together side by side…no matter how much she wanted to say it…they still had time.

"Never mind…when this battle is over…I…I'll tell you."

Kyo wanted Jura to finish, but as the ship rocked from another explosion, he also knew that now wasn't the time for it. As he rode up into the cockpit he then came into contact with the bridge and confirmed that he was heading into the fight.

As Jura watched the Infinite-Freedom Gundam prepare to launch she made a promise to both herself and Kyo.

(Not yet…Now isn't the right time…but I will tell you soon…what I feel about you now.)

She wasted no time of her own as she sprinted her way to where her own Dread was waiting for her.

--

Out in space…

"Where were you?!" Meia called out as she spotted the I-Freedom arrive on the scene as it began to rain plasma bolts and rail-gun rounds at a mass of Cube Fighters, many were trashed by the weapons fire and the rest had no time to react as the Gundam pulled out both it's beam sabers and just dashed between them, but not without shredding many of them into jump with it's beam sabers.

"Sorry I'm late! What's the situation?" Kyo said as he flew beside Meia's Dread. All over the place were the Vanguards and Dreads of the pirates fighting beside each other while the areas of space were filled with Cube Fighters and Urchin ships. Next to them were the Seed Ships which naturally spewed out even more of the nasty Cube Fighters in their pre-set intervals. The whole of space was filled with explosions, missile trails, and floating junk…but thankfully there were no serious casualties on the side of the pirates.

"The entire force we're dealing with is something else!" Meia said as she and Kyo fought in tandem as Harvester units fired at them and tried to swarm them every chance they got. "They began attacking the very second they spotted us. The Cube Fighters act as forwards and cannon fodder, while the Urchins give even more headaches, then the Seed Ships send even more at us."

Kyo spotted several of the said Seed Ship's ready to unleash more of the Cube Fighters and he quickly decided to do something about that.

"I'll see if I can give them something to keep them occupied!" He said as he triggered his SEED mode and did the same to trigger his Gundam's own SEED program.

Kyo and his Gundam rocketed towards the Seed Ships as two squadrons of Cube Fighters and some Urchin vessels tried to way-lay him, as the Gundam moved like a bolt of lightning. The Cube Fighters unleashed everything they had as blaster bolts exploded all over the place and streaked past their target as the Paeksis enhanced Gundam dodged and weaved from every blast aimed at it. It would look as if the Gundam was dodging with no effort when it suddenly stopped in mid dodge.

The Gundam's plasma cannons, which had been retained suddenly appeared, along with the rail-guns, and it took it's beam rifle to it's separated form. In that moment the Gundam fired all of it's weapons, including the head and shoulder mounted guns. The barrage caught the Cube Fighters off guard and many were torn to pieces by the fire-power of the Gundam. Those then recovered were not any better as they were slashed to bits by the beam sabers when the Gundam charged.

The Urchin ships fired all their spines in an effort to destroy the Gundam despite the presence of the Gundam's Prominence Phase Shift Armor System, which naturally made ballistic attacks worthless against the Gundam. And that fact became apparent as the spines bounced off the Gundam like they were tooth-picks hitting a steel wall. The Urchin ships had no time to react as the Gundam's speed and maneuverability out-classed theirs. The Gundam then sliced two of them to bits with it's two beam sabers. The Gundam then took out it's anti-ship swords and torn apart the last pair of the Seed ships. The Gundam then combined both anti-ship swords into the staff formation and tossed the combined weapon at the Seed Ships and the remaining Cube Fighters like a boomerang. The speed of the weapon when it was tossed caught the enemy off-guard as many of the Cube Fighters were torn apart by the weapon. It didn't stop until it was embedded into the opening maw of one of the Seed Ships, causing the unit to explode. The other Seed Ship was about to unleash more Cube Fighters and nearly succeeded, but then energy darts slammed into the mass of Cube Fighters, making them explode, wiping them out in a moment and forcing the Seed Ship to back away but not in time to close it's maw…therefore it had no time to escape when from the wreckage of the released Cube Fighters came one of the I-Freedom's anti-ship swords…skewering the ship in the mouth.

The Gundam appeared and then disengaged it's anti-ship sword/staff and made it return to it's normal formation. It then yanked upward the sword in the Seed Ship's mouth and when it slashed the Seed Ship from bottom to top, it followed with the other sword that smashed at the side and tore the Seed Ship as the Gundam turned and then rocketed outwards to take out the rest of the enemy units. The Seed Ships however were able to escape and were then able to get support from several large squadrons of Cube Fighters and Urchin ships came on the scene. The forces then surrounded Kyo and his Gundam, and in a heart-beat unleashed a full barrage. The Cube Fighters fired a massive salvo, the Urchins fired all of their spines in a heart-beat, and the Seed Ships unleashed their kinetic spear tendrils at the same spot where the barrage would be. The placed where Kyo was now as bright as a small star as the Harvester units pounded the Gundam with everything they had.

--

"KYO!" The girls near him screamed along with Jura, Dita, Meia, and naturally Sara and Mai who were in their Vanguards. They were shocked and nearly thought that Kyo was in danger once more. They then began to charge, and even the pirates on the Nirvana were somewhat panicked when they saw that.

--

Their fears however were for nothing as a large form came out from the explosion, startling the Harvesters and making them break their formation…which was a bad mistake.

The form turned out to be…the I-Freedom Gundam with it's wings covering it. The Gundam's crystal-feathered wings were able to protect the Gundam, with the two outer wings protecting the front, while the inner wings covered the rear, and it became apparent that the feathers in their crystal form could deflect BOTH beam and ballistic fire, thanks to the Paeksis energy being emitted by each feather. It had already stored back it's anti-ship swords on the back and was now ready to fight back once it's wings once more opened…leaving behind streaks of blue-green-white energy to surround the I-Freedom as it's wings went back to normal formation…almost like an angel taking flight. The Harvesters had no time to reconsider the results when the Gundam's eyes suddenly flashed. (1)

Kyo locked in the HiMAT system and aimed at all available targets…and once he locked on…

"STRIKE THEM!!"

The Gundam responded as it's feathers once more became metallic and released themselves from their moorings on the wings. They streaked out from the wings and began to fire a massive network of crossing beam fire that caught all the Harvester forces totally off-guard. Nearly all the Cube Fighters were decimated as the beam cannon feathers fired at full power, even Urchin ships were caught off guard and were torn apart as the Paeksis powered beams tore past their defensive armor. Even the Seed Ships were so badly hit in strategic areas that they were totally rendered useless.

The feathers then retreated back to the Gundam of their origin and became crystal covered once more. The Gundam then took out both beam sabers and went on to lead the pirates on a counter offensive as it's wings moved like a bird and it's thrusters pouring out massive thrust and power.

--

The Nirvana…

"That was something! Bart we need to thin them down!" Magno ordered the bald navigator as she and the rest of the bridge crew worked hard to maintain order and to properly coordinate their defensive forces.

"ROGER!" Bart said with conviction as he also accessed the Nirvana's cannons. The ship then told him that full power was his to use. He then began targeting the more important ships of the Harvesters. The Seed Ships were prime targets as the pirates had learned now that they must damage or destroy the Seed Ships to maintain the numbers advantage to a balance. The pirates may be better armed in the sense of new weaponry, tactics, and experience, but the Harvesters still had the advantage in numbers.

Bart smiled as he completed his targeting and in that instant the Navigation Well was filled with target designator icons as he locked onto the Harvester forces.

"OUR TURN!"

The Nirvana's cannons glowed only for a moment and in that instant, plasma bolts streamed out from the pirate vessel and attacked the Harvesters. The beams avoided hitting the Dreads, and Vanguards with precision thanks to Bart's off hour training sessions. The results of Bart's maturity and training were evident as he hit the targets dead on, and any Cube Fighter caught in the cross-fire was turned into worthless junk.

The bridge crew cheered Bart for the precision strike and went on to coordinate the attack.

--

In space…

"All Dreads…maintain full defensive line and keep in contact!" Meia said as she and her teams were fighting their very best. Meia was also happy to see that Jura was back and fighting hard, along with her was Dita, and Barnette, who had decided to use her Dread and not her SwitchBlade Gundam.

The Dread pilots knew that they needed to do and did it well. Despite the vast numbers of Cube Fighters, the pirates had learned enough from previous battles on how to make due with their weapons and own numbers. Plus the support from the Vanguards of Kyo's Crusader Squadron more than made up for it.

Barnette took down more Cube Fighters and smiled as she got back into the rhythm of being a Dread pilot. Her skills had become sharper, no doubt thanks to her use of the SwitchBlade Gundam's Mobile Armor mode. She then scanned the battle-field and then greeted Jura as she and her closest friend among the pirates fought side by side as they always did.

"So, did you get the seed yet?" Barnette asked her blonde friend as both of them took down several Cube Fighters.

Jura shook her head, but she didn't have an angry look though. "Not yet Barnette, but I'll still get it, no matter how long it takes."

"Uh huh. Well I hope you snare Kyo before we get back to Megele." Barnette merely said as she and Jura avoided some incoming spines from a Seed Ship that got struck by several Dreads, and before it could regenerate more spines, it got skewered by a pair of Vanguards that snuck up to it and plunged their spears into it's thin armor once they got off their Dread counter-parts…apparently Kyo had been teaching the girls of his team new tricks and it didn't take long for the Dreads to try out the idea… another Urchin ship tried to fight back and got bushwhacked by a high speed team of Dreads as they blasted it to bits.

"I know…by the way, how are you doing with Max?" Jura asked slyly as she took out a pair of Cube Fighters with her Dread's blasters. Another pair got blown up as Barnette used her Dread's missiles on them.

Barnette blushed a bit as she recalled her…date with Max. "Uh, we're fine…so far. I got to know him a little bit more and things are…fine."

Jura smirked as she saw the blush on her friend as they flew into the battle, dodging incoming fire. "Yeah I can see that. So…you want to try having his seed too?"

Barnette's eyes widened and her blush turned a full twenty shades of red, almost mimicking the color on Jura's Dread armor. "JURA!!"

Jura merely laughed at the embarrassment of her friend. She had seen how Max and Barnette were getting along and although she congratulated her on getting closer to the Talark male, she was a bit envious as she still had some difficulty getting closer to Kyo, but she wasn't going to let that stop her from getting Kyo. But for now she wanted to see how Barnette would react to her question.

"What?" She asked with as much innocence as she could get while she looked at her close friend among the pirates.

"Wh…why did you ask me that of all things?!"

"Just curious, you've been acting more forward towards him for a while now…does that have to do with you seeing that video I had found…AND seeing him nude a few days ago?"

"Jura!! I…I…"

"Don't worry, it's just that you would have a great chance at it. Who knows, you might even have a baby once we get back to Megele. And I think Max would make a very good ohma!"

"Hey! Can you two please concentrate on the battle? You can discuss those things later!" Meia called in as she hailed both Dread pilots.

"ROGER!"

Jura and Barnette's Dreads dove into the battle. While n her Dread, Barnette was still blushing as part of her brain focused on the idea of becoming a fahma…or a mother with Max as her partner in raising a daughter. She put that idea aside for the moment, but not before a silly mental smile appeared in her head. She decided to think about it, and hope there would be time to think about it, and she wondered how Max would take it if she asked him if he'd like to have a baby with her.

As the combined forces of the pirates hit back, they knew that they were going to have their hands full as more Cube Fighters came into the mix to attack them.

Kyo also knew that and contacted the Nirvana. "Captain, have Gascogne take the ATCISS with her when she makes her deliveries. We're going to need the fire-power."

Gascogne nodded as she guided her shuttle the Dreki out to reload the Dreads and provide any supplies for the Vanguards. As her ship was released, it turned out she wasn't alone in her heavily armored shuttle as Aleck was also inside…he was there to aid Gascogne with her work while Kyo was fighting, unlike Kyo who wore his Register uniform, Aleck had on only his pilot uniform.

"I can handle things from here Aleck, you'd better get into the fight, and escort the ATCISS to Kyo." Gascogne said as she released a batch of Dreads as the fighters had been taken in for reloading. Aleck nodded as he put on his own helmet. Aleck had decided to update his pilot uniform to follow the pattern of Kyo's own uniform, complete with combat armor padding and ballistic underlays.

"All right Gascogne. I'll get ready and back you up if you need to fall back." Aleck replied as he got on his helmet and ran to the supply dock where his GUiAZ unit was waiting.

A few minutes later, he got in and uploaded his password to access the OS of his Mobile Suit. Once he was done he checked his GUiAz's weaponry, namely it's sword, assault rifle and other tools. He had also requested some extra goods for his Mobile Suit including a HEAT whip and some grenades. The grenades came in several forms which were High Explosive, Incendiary, and EMP and were stored in a compartment next to his sword.

Next to the GUiAZ was the ATCISS unit and both were quickly released into the fight. The GUiAZ took out it's assault rifle and blasted apart several Cube Fighters that tried to attack both it and the ATCISS unit. Aleck escorted the ATCISS as both it and his Mobile Suit homed in towards Kyo's location.

The ATCISS then began to expand as the I-Freedom came on the scene. The front opened up to reveal the interlock socket and the beam cannons on the front loosened from their moorings and revealed their handles for the Gundam to use.

Kyo quickly turned the I-Freedom around as his Gundam's wings moved to lock in position as it's own interlock socket came in. In less that a few seconds, both Gundam and ATCISS were decked in the colors of the Prominence Phase Shift Armor.

"Okay…time to take the fight to them."

Both the units took off and in that moment Kyo once more activated his HiMAT system, this time his Gundam's feathers once more became metallic and launched themselves from the Gundam and flew around the combined mecha. The ATCISS then activated the missile launchers and beam weapons as Kyo locked in every target he could lock on who were from the Harvesters. Cube Fighters, Seed Ships, and Urchin vessels…and even the battle-ship got the dubious honor of being included.

"TAKE THIS!!"

Kyo also activated his Gundam's Overcharge mode for it's beam arsenals, including his new feather beam cannons and it became apparent that he also activated the same feature in the ATCISS. In a heart beat, high powered beams of destruction and massive barrages of missiles streamed from the combined units.

The entire sector of space where the largest numbers of Harvester units were was filled with massive explosions as hordes of Cube Fighters were turned into exploding wrecks as they were hit by the barrage of weapons fire. The spines of Urchin Ships were brushed aside by the high powered beams and many of them exploded like balloons hit by a super-heated pin. Seed Ships were not spared as their armor was melted like butter from the sheer power of the blasts and they were torn to chunks by the beams.

Even the units which were not in the firing path were not spared as the power waves tore past them and they exploded and even when the energy barrage began to lose strength, the sheer power of the barrage and the sudden release caught the Harvesters and put them between the anvil and hammer. The barrage then slammed into the Harvester battle-ship…tearing into it's armor and scarring it significantly, but the battle-ship remained intact and systematically released more Seed Ships and reserve Urchin vessels to reinforce itself and the fleet despite the losses.

In less than ten seconds, nearly a thousand Cube Fighters were turned into unsalvageable junk, while many Urchin vessels were turned into smoking wrecks like shattered watermelons…while many Seed Ships were also rendered worthless by either the beams or the missiles, or were caught in the backlash of explosions that followed from their fellow units. The Harvester Fleet still had the numbers advantage…but they lost almost two quarters of their forces.

Kyo wasted no time as he disengaged from the ATCISS unit and allowed it to fall back and support the rest of the pirates. Once he did so, the three Dread pilots and their Paeksis enhanced Dreads flew beside his Gundam. He then got into contact with them and made their plans.

"We need to break the Harvester lines and strike at the heart! Meia, we'll form our GunDread and charge past the ranks, Dita and Jura, you stay close and be prepared for me to form our respective GunDreads. The rest of the pilots form up beside us once we break the lines of the Harvesters."

"Let's go for it." Meia replied.

"I'm right with you Mr. Alien!" Dita chirped in glee.

"Let's make this quick!" Jura said with enthusiasm since she wanted to get Kyo alone and tell him what she wanted to say.

The Gundam and the silver Dread combined once more and formed GunDread Meia. The dragon mecha then charged right for the Harvester lines with the other Paeksis enhanced Dreads behind it. The rest of the pirates moved in to support their comrades, it looked like this would an easy attack.

But in Kyo's mind something was off…

--

In the Nirvana…

"This is easy…way too easy." Magno said as she watched the screen. The Harvester battle-ship had done nothing except release more units. In their first battle with one, it didn't stop pounding and hounding them with weapons fire. But this one ship was too…silent.

"I agree…the main Harvester ship isn't even fighting back." Buzam said as she watched the monitors showing the closing distance between their forces and the Harvester battle-ship. "There's no way it would allow our forces to come that close to it. Kyo was nearly killed by the first one he fought with when he was with the people of Melanos. What's going on?"

"I don't know…but I can bet if those sadistic bastard Harvesters have a plan we're not going to like it!"

--

In the Harvester battle-ship…

The CPU determined that it could still fight and retaliate…however, in order for the operation to be labeled a success it needed to lure the Nirvana's forces closer. So it decided not to fire back…

But once the GunDreads made their appearance, it was time to unleash the two weapons it had hidden for a while.

Inside it…the moorings holding the largest of the weapons were released and it began to make it's way out of the behemoth hanger…followed by it's smaller but not less lethal companion. But to further ensure it's success, it began to initiate a count-down…

To the true size of the fleet to be unleashed…

--

In space…

Kyo didn't know why but something was really bothering him, and it had plenty to do with the Harvester battle-ship and the others were approaching.

(This ship is acting strange…it's not even fighting back, all it's doing is let the Cube Fighters, Urchin Ships, and Seed Ships do the fighting…it's not even firing any of it's weapons. Something's wrong.)

Kyo knew this and focused on piloting the GunDread he and Meia flew. The GunDread smashed through so many enemy units that the path they had made was filled with hundreds of smashed wrecks, both of Cube Fighters and Urchin ships. Beside them and behind them, were Dita, Jura, Barnette and many of the pirate forces. He however still couldn't get the feeling that this was beginning to feel like…

A trap…

"We're turning back."

"What? But why, we've got them right where we want them?" Meia asked as she was curious why Kyo would want to retreat at this stage.

"Something's not right…that ship's been acting too complacent ever since this battle started. All it's done is deploy it's forces and stand by. When I hit it with the Liberty's weaponry and my beam arsenals, all it still did was stay there and take it…and not fire back. The ship I fought with before wasted almost all of it's fire-power to kill me…but this one's just staying there, it's hasn't even fired a single torpedo at us. And we're already at a very good distance to attack it and cause considerable damage…so why is it not firing back? No way would it let us get this close."

Meia then realized that Kyo had a point, the Harvesters would never allow them to get this far without a serious fight namely when protecting an asset as a battle-ship, she knew that in the economics of war, losing a battle-ship was a serious flaw in anybody's thinking. Sure the smaller ships were doing just that by fighting them…but why wasn't the battle-ship even fighting back to aid in the defense and to destroy them…all it did was release more fighters for them to destroy.

"You're right…something's wrong. Dita, Jura! All pirates retreat and get a safe distance from the Harvesters!"

"Why?!" Dita called in, confused by the sudden change of orders from Meia.

"We've got them now, why are we pulling back?!" Jura asked, as she too was confused by the sudden change of orders.

All the other pirates in all squadrons were also confused by the sudden change of orders. So Kyo decided to explain the sudden change.

"That battle-ship isn't fighting back…and that is not a good sign. No way would the Harvesters let us get close enough to be serious threat to one of their main battle-ships like this…no way. It feels like they WANT us to get closer to their ship…now I want everyone to pull back immediately, for all we know this might be…"

The threat alarms blared in the GunDread's cockpit and made them turn to see the Harvester ship suddenly open it's maw. The two pilots and their comrades braced themselves and scattered, expecting a powerful shot from the battle-ship's main cannon…

But instead out came a massive war-machine that resembled a UFO with legs, on the top of it were two twin barreled beam cannons. And on the sides were apparently beam cannons surrounding the rims of the strange machine. The pirates had no time however wonder what it was as it unleashed a massive barrage of beam fire…totally similar to that of both the Nirvana's cannon batteries and that of Kyo's Gundam when it used HiMAT mode to fight back. The pirates were able to dodge the incoming barrage, but some of them were not so lucky. Several Dreads were badly hit and a few Vanguards had either arms or legs blown off. The pilots were lucky to have been able to get their machines far back before they would have been blown apart by the incoming storm of weapons fire and they were immediately rescued by both Aleck and Gascogne, both were accompanied by Max in his Templar Gundam. Even the GunDread and the other Dread counterparts were nearly hit, but they were lucky as their reflexes honed by training helped them.

--

In the Nirvana…

The bridge crew was shocked by this sudden development as they stared at the latest weapon of the Harvesters.

"What is that thing?!" BC said in horror as she gazed that the new harvester monster. It was easily the size of one of the Nirvana's arm sections and seemed to be bristled with weaponry.

"I don't know…but there's more to it I think than what we are seeing!" Magno replied as she too was unnerved by the sight of the strange weapon.

"Captain! It's transforming!!" The bridge crew reported as they watched the new weapon begin to change.

--

The pirates then watched in horror as the UFO biped suddenly began to transform into a newer form…

The machine then became a Mobile Suit that was….huge! It stood almost to the height of three Megele housing complexes, easily dwarfing the I-Freedom by almost two dozen or more meters! On it's chest were at least three high output beam cannons, and another in it's mouth, and it appeared to have four of the same assault guns I-Freedom had on it's head. The UFO-like system it started with was on it's back, allowing the cannons to surround it while it's double barreled beam cannons were ready to be deployed on it's shoulders. The body also had several areas loaded with missile launchers, from head to foot. It seemed to have beam cannons even in it's hands and fingers as well! On the forearms appeared to be energy emitters. The machine was decked in black and red armor similar also to Phase Shift Armor.

The…thing then seemed to be looking on the pirate forces with deep green eyes demanding blood-shed and death as the prize for being it's enemies…sending chills down the spines of several of the Dread and Vanguard pilots.

But that was only the icing on the cake that the Harvesters had whipped up as another form came out from the bowels of the Harvester battle-ship…

Out of the bowels of the battle-ship came another weapon of the Harvesters…but to the disgust and horror of the pirates…it was another clone…of their ship the Nirvana! The thing looked to be totally made out of red and black metal, with a massive center of crystal in the middle. It beat like an evil heart as it left the confines of the Harvester battle-ship and went to flank alongside the new weapon of the Harvesters.

--

"NO WAY!!"

"THIS IS HORRIBLE!!"

The pirates were in shock and horror by another level as they spotted the latest weapons of the Harvester units. The Nirvana clone and it's new Mobile Suit counter part began to move forward and get ready to fight. But it was when Kyo detected a powerful energy pulse being emitted in different directions from the Harvester battle-ship. The transmissions matched that of data bursts, and he wondered just what was going on…until he spotted it…

From various sectors beyond the Harvester battle-ship came Seed Ships by the scores and from them came massive waves of Cube Fighters. But they didn't come from the main battle-ship that they were facing, but they appeared from the very void of space.

No way! None of the Harvester ships in record have the ability to cloak and only Seed Ships of that number can be released by a Harvester battle-ship! But how can there be more battle-ships?! We don't even detect any…unless…

Kyo quickly made some adjustments to his sensors and when he filled in the variables…he gave a curse. During his time with the people of Delta 6…namely with Kouji and Maia Asuka, he was able to determine how to detect certain properties of the Kunoichi and Shinobi Gundams' stealth system. By calibrating his sensors to detect concentrated magnetic fields designed to cover certain three dimensional shapes and place them in a spectrum detectable, he was able to see the outlines of any machine covered by Mirage Colloid particles.

And what he saw was horrible.

--

The bridge…

"Where did all those Seed Ships come from?! We barely detected them and now they just came out of nowhere!?"

The rest of the forces of the pirates chimed in as they were caught totally unawares by the sudden appearance of the forces of the Harvesters.

Magno and Buzam were stunned, how did those Harvester units evade their sensors?! There was no way they could have not been detected…so how did they?

"Kyo to the Nirvana!"

"Go ahead Kyo."

"We've got a serious problem…This IS a trap and we walked right into it! Change the Nirvana's sensors to detect magnetic fields to these parameters…the Harvesters are using Mirage Colloid!"

It didn't take long for the Nirvana's crew to make the adjusted settings and they were stunned…

In the sensors and from what they were being told…there wasn't one Harvester battle-ship…

But five of them! And the four were armed with Mirage Colloid, just like that of the Gundams of the Asuka siblings! No wonder they were not spotted by the Nirvana's sensors!

Things just went from bad…to horrifying as the newly detected forces of the Harvesters swarmed towards the Nirvana and their forces.

The true nature of the Harvester battle-plan: Operation Burning Paradise had just been revealed!

--

The Harvester home-planet…

"The Nirvana has been able to bypass our forces' Mirage Colloid systems. They know now what we have really sent against them." An aide reported to the Council as they watched the battle unfold in front of them.

"It doesn't matter anymore…they will have no chance against all of them."

The Harvester Council merely watched as they hoped to witness the end of the Nirvana and it's crew's defiance against their whims.

--

In the battle in front of the Nirvana…

The fight had become very chaotic, but the pirates held on, despite them now being far beyond overwhelmed.

Dreads and Vanguards moved together as they did their best to destroy many harvester units as they could. But they knew one thing, they would have to retreat and re-supply soon…but that would be very difficult.

Gascogne found herself burdened to the extreme as she tried to re-supply both Dreads and Vanguards, along with rescue downed pilots who abandoned their damaged machines. She and the others were blessed at least that none of them were caught by the Harvesters. The Dreki had no weaponry, but Aleck's GUiAZ unit provided point security along with the Templar Gundam of Max McFile.

The fight had become outright deadly as the hordes of Cube Fighters threatened to overwhelm the pirates every chance they got. For one shot down, nearly ten would appeared to take over the place of the destroyed unit. The pirates knew that despite their experience and improved weapons, they were now seriously outclassed in the numbers department, plus they were going to run of fuel and ammunition soon…and they would have been overwhelmed if it hadn't been for two things.

The first being support fire from the Nirvana as Bart poured beam barrage after beam barrage at the swarms of Cube Fighters, totally hundreds of them to lessen the pressure, plus taking out even more of the Seed Ships. He was getting exhausted from all the firing, plus taking the damage from the Harvesters, but he knew better than to stop and let them attack his comrades.

The second and last was the actions of Kyo and his Dread pilot companions. While in their GunDread, which had went into Alpha form, both Kyo and Meia's SEED modes went online and the two began to literally smash into the front lines….totaling hundreds of Cube Fighters, they smashed through Urchin vessels and tore them to pieces, and turned Seed Ships into exploding wrecks, all the while dodging incoming fire from all forces involved. Dita and Jura had also gone into SEED mode and began pounding the enemy left and right, while dodging incoming fire, they had began to try and control the Seed mode that they gained, just like Kyo could use his easily, but they still had some difficulty and needed time. Kyo wanted to train them, but he had little time to do so.

The other pirates were impressed and rallied behind them, and they made a great deal of resistance. But they knew that the Harvesters had their own advantages.

They had numbers of their side.

The hidden ships were nearby, though they seem to have reduced power in their armaments to use their Mirage Colloid feature installed into them, it certainly didn't mean they were less lethal than their uncloaked counter-part as they bombarded the pirates with their weaponry. They kept the pirates on their toes and pinned down.

The new Gundam model was busy firing so much weapons fire at the pirates, they couldn't mount an effective response, and their weaponry was worthless. The Gundam had the same Phase Shift armor as the Dominions, rendering the Dreads' missiles worthless, and the Vanguards' melee weapons were nothing as they both couldn't get close enough to hit it, plus their weapons would be worthless anyway. And even the beam weapons of the Dreads, or even the Nirvana's were not as effective as the new Earth Gundam was armed with energy shield emitters on both arms to deflect BOTH beam and ballistic fire, plus they saw that it's fore-arms could detach and defend their master unit effectively while still firing at full tilt. It didn't care if it hit it's own side's units, they could be replaced anyway.

The clone Nirvana wasted no time and fired the same barrage at the pirates, making it just as impossible to attack it at long range, and closing in would be impossible with it's Gundam escort supporting it, along with the Harvester battle-ships and it's forces. Bart knew better than to focus on it while he had to support the rest of the pirates in their bid to survive this ambush, he had barely made the Nirvana evade an incoming barrage from it and had to focus in holding the ship together, though he had several wounds on his arms, left shoulder, and right hip as testament to his escape. He focused himself from the pain and focused on fighting back. He also had to dodge even more attacks as well.

Kyo knew this for a fact and knew that they had to do something fast or they would be totally overwhelmed. He then knew that the two new weapons of the Harvesters would have to be taken out. Meia read his mind and then got into contact with their two companions.

"We need to take out those two units, they're the big threats right now! Meia and I will strike first and break their line walls, once we're through we can take the fight to them!"

"Do you think we can do it Mr. Alien?" Dita asked as she was in a panic while still using her SEED mode. They were being re-fueled by Gascogne as the shuttle was escorted by Barnette, Aleck, and Max in their respective units.

"We HAVE to…or we'll be in serious danger!"

The GunDread and the two other Paeksis enhanced Dreads, plus several other units, including Barnette's Dread, Max's Templar Gundam, and Aleck's GUiAZ unit made their move the very second they could. The pirates heard of the plan and did their best to fight and hold the line.

The GunDread formed by both Meia and Kyo took the lead as their friends followed them. Their attack caught the Harvesters totally off-guard as hordes of their forces fell in combat. But as they broke through and were ready to attack the two new Harvester units…they got into another shock.

The Nirvana clone began to shift and reform it's appearance. The body became more human-like and become heavier in armor. The arm parts of the ship form became arms and had large blades like anti-ship swords strapped at the forearms, the lower portion formed the torso and legs, while the middle with the red crystal became the chest, the front section also split, the head came out and the split section became two parts, one section melded to the back forming two spikes that also split and reveled red crystals that gave out tendrils of red energy. The last sections acted as shoulder armor bristling with gun ports. The cloned Nirvana became a Gundam!! ()

"OH HELL!! YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS?!" Kyo said as he saw this new change. This also stunned the rest of the pirates as they gazed at the second Gundam model.

The thing suddenly charged it's red center and fired a massive ball of destructive force at the GunDread and it's team-mates.

The group dodged the attack…but not all of them were lucky as a certain red Paeksis enhanced Dread was a little too late and got hit in the rear thrusters while trying to dodge, this caused several arcs of power to slam all over the Dread.

"ARRGHHH!!"

The others watched as Jura's Dread was hit.

"JURA!!" Barnette cried as she rushed to check on her close friend. She was able to reach it and was thankful that her blonde friend was still conscious, but knew that they might need to pull back. Dita's Dread was there as others checked on Jura. Meia was also concerned but then she felt Kyo's body tense up…she looked at Kyo and saw something change.

Kyo on the other hand was in shock and rage. The way Jura screamed froze his blood as he heard her pain. His heart stopped beating as he hard her voice, and in a second his body was filled with rage and anger…

HOW DARE THEY HURT HER?!

He turned and faced the GunDread and with a cold tone spoke at the two Harvester weapons.

"You DARE to hurt my loved ones?!"

The pirates and even the Harvesters were caught off guard as something happened.

--

The Nirvana…

Parfet was surprised as the Paeksis suddenly spiked in power readings and glowed even brighter. The pirates then watched as the GunDread Meia and Kyo formed with their respective machines suddenly split. But the Gundam of Kyo began to glow in deep hues of gold and blue-green. Duero was also surprised when he detected massive spikes in Kyo's physical and mental abilities…these were the same as when he went into SEED mode…but this time…they were even higher.

--

In the I-Freedom Gundam…

Kyo's eyes were still in SEED mode but this time they were literally glowing as the cockpit began to fill with panels around the young man, these panels had crystals in them that seemed to be glowing as well. The young man then went once more into SEED mode, but unlike the SEED in the past, the SEED glowed deep blue/violet and when it exploded it seemed to be absorbed by both Kyo into his eyes. The panels sensed this and reacted…glowing even more intensely.

The Gundam suddenly charged at full speed, dwarfing even the speed of the enhanced GunDread Meia, nearly vanishing from sight, but not before it was nearly meters from the transformed Nirvana clone with it's beam sabers ready. The new Earth Gundam was able to intercept it with one of it's free flying fore-arms with the shield on. The shield blocked the beam sabers, and the behemoth Gundam fired it's weapons in hopes of killing the Gundam, but it's left wings merely deflected the beams with frightening ease. The arm was able to force Kyo and I-Freedom back. But that barely meant that Kyo was out.

The I-Freedom suddenly glowed even brighter as sections of Paeksis crystals began to appear on various areas of the Gundam. There were some on the fingers, mixing with the gold color, more appeared on the shoulders, some on the elbow joints like blades and a few on the wings from links to tips, there were a pair on the knee joints like blades and shins as well. The new crystals suddenly glowed with intense energy…almost the same and in perfect sync with the power spikes coming from the Paeksis in the Nirvana…and with Kyo's apparently enhanced SEED mode.

Kyo merely replied as his eyes glowed with energy, while his own Gundam's own eyes glowed as well. "PREPARE YOURSELF!!"

The Gundam's new crystal parts glowed even more along with the golden joints and it's eyes as it took out it's anti sword swords and then attacked at amazing speed…literally leaving after images of itself. The Earth Gundam deployed it's arm once more. But this time the shield couldn't hold off Kyo as he dodged it's attempt to stop it.

The behemoth Gundam came in to stop Kyo and got skewered in the shoulder by one of the anti-ship swords. The I-Freedom lifted it's sword, causing considerable damage to it. Plus Kyo's other anti-ship sword slashed right across the chest of the behemoth Gundam, making a considerable scar on it.

Kyo then got into contact with his allies. "I'll hold them off! Get back to the others and get some distance now!"

Kyo moved back as he covered the retreat of his team-mates, including the injured blonde pilot who held a part of his heart. He watched as hordes of Cube Fighters, Urchin Ships and Seed Ships came at him.

He didn't flinch at all as he charged once more at the mess of fighters, intent on making them pay dearly for harming Jura…or anyone he loved and cared for with all his heart. The Gundam's wings glowed along with it as the Gundam charged with anti-ship swords at the ready.

--

Magno knew that they wouldn't be able to gain victory if the stayed here and kept on fighting this battle with overwhelming odds against them. She didn't like the idea of retreat as the next person, but better that than lose many valuable crew members and friends. Kyo knew what to do and she trusted him to make it back, his abilities and experience was something she trusted, plus he wasn't planning on dying today..

"Tell all our pilots to pull back now! We need to retreat and make new plans to win this fight!"

BC nodded as she circulated the order to pull back.

In moments, all the pirates began to fall back, with them having regular intervals of defending themselves and their fellow comrades. They however knew that they would have make their shots count as they wasted precious amounts of ammunition in the first half of the fighting and didn't have enough to maintain a proper attack.

Kyo was busy as he faced off against the Harvesters…almost reminiscent of his time fighting the Harvesters when with the people of Melanos, and before he was killed after facing the first Dominion Gundam model. He swung his anti-ship swords like scythes at the Harvesters and turned countless numbers of Cube Fighters into burning wrecks, his anger was in him, but he kept his focus, he'd make the others even sadder if he got killed in this fight. More Seed Ships were diced like chicken on a spit as he tore through many of them. Urchin ships were slashed to ribbons as he streaked past them, his Gundam's speed was off the charts, making the formerly fast Urchin ships look like statues as his Gundam jetted past them and slashed them to bits.

He then scanned his OS for more weapon options, and decided to try the next set. The I-Freedom then unleashed it's wings and the crystal feathers once more became metallic and burst free from their moorings on the wings, and that was enough for another barrage of beam fire to erupt from the feather cannons, the separated beam rifle, and from the extended plasma cannons and rail-guns of the I-Freedom. The result was another massive fire-works display as hundreds of burning hulks littered the void of space. He wasn't stopping as more fighters began to attack. The feathers moved everywhere spitting out high energy beams and hitting even more targets.

Despite the numerical superiority of the Harvesters, against Kyo, his evolved abilities and his Gundam, they were just masses of targets for him to reduce to scrap. He then used the new option for his feather cannons. The feathers began to fly about, making the Cube Fighters break apart so as to remove the chance of more of them being destroyed…but they were in for a shock as the feathers stopped in mid flight and charged right at them!!

The feathers began to collect energy…but not as beam fire…the energy extended and became medium length beam blades…the feather cannons had now become beam sabers. The new weapons sliced right into their unsuspecting targets as they flew past them…leaving behind dissected Cube Fighters and even some Urchin ships. The feathers then flew back to where Kyo was and appeared as fifty floating sabers around the Gundam. They then charged alongside the I-Freedom as it flew into the fray of enemy units, placing aside it's anti-ship swords and reverted to it's beam sabers.

The shock was still there as the Cube Fighters were hit fast and hard…those not being turned into scrap by The Gundam's beam sabers as it streaked past them and tore them up, found themselves being shredded by the flying beam sabers. In a few moments as Kyo dashed past the cloud of Cube Fighters he dived into, the cloud exploded like a massive fire-cracker and when the light faded, there was nearly uncountable junk all over the place.

The transformed clone and it's smaller but still massive Gundam counter part however paid little heed to the loses of their side. They were machines with AI controlling them after all. They focused on eliminating the Nirvana and it's forces, since even the now more powerful Gundam and it's pilot would be helpless without back-up with a force of their size. The AI cores of the two machines began to target the Nirvana and it's forces…time to end this war.

--

Kyo spotted the bastard machines begin to power up their beam arsenals…and he knew what the target would be…the retreating pirate forces…and the Nirvana.

(Crap!! What do I do?! I don't know if the I-Freedom can take a blow from those two the way it is now…but I don't do something…the others are going to be massacred!!)

He then detected the signals of two incoming units from the side of his friends…one was his Liberty Unit…the other belonged to a certain blonde pilot's Dread.

(Jura…NO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!)

--

The retreating fighters of the Nirvana…

"Leader!! Jura's gone back with the Liberty unit of Mr. Alien!!"

"WHAT?!"

Dita, Meia, and the others were shocked notice that the two mentioned were not in the retreating forces. Apparently Jura had disabled the recall system on her Dread…but in her injured state she would not be of much help to Kyo. Plus the ATCISS must have been commandeered by the blonde since she had been able to gain some of it's control codes.

They could do nothing however as they didn't have the time of over-ride the system as they and the Nirvana made a full retreat.

--

Things on the Nirvana were also far from fine…

The bridge…

"Parfet…how's the Paeksis doing?!" Magno asked as she checked on the head engineer on the condition of the temperamental power source of the ship. Buzam was busy coordinating the retreating action of the pirates until they reached safety. Bart was out of the Nirvana's Navigation Well, he was surprised but rightly guessed that the Paeksis had taken over command of the ship. The old woman however didn't mind as he needed medical treatment.

"The Paeksis is reacting to the damage and healing some of the systems…but we'll have to do some very complete repairs once we're out of here."

In the Engineering Bay…

Parfet could do little but try to control the damage to the Nirvana and keep the Paeksis calm, apparently the beams fired by the clone had a deadly effect on their Paeksis since it took over the ship when they began to retreat. She had been able to seal off damaged sections of the ship and her engineers were doing very well. But her concern was on the Paeksis.

"Are you afraid or something?" Parfet asked the Paeksis silently as the thing acted like a kid badly hurt and running away from the pain.

In the Medical Bay…

Duero was once more in his worst case situation as more crew members came in with injuries, Max was there also, and recalled the battle he was involved in with the crew of the Shard, both brothers worked around the clock to heal the crew, Paiway was there, and although the men could tell she was scared, she learned enough to bit down her fear and did her best to help them and her comrades.

Back in the bridge…

"Meia? What?! Where is she now?! She's going WHERE?!" Buzam said in shock as she got an incoming transmission from their Dread team leader.

"What's wrong BC?"

The sub commander faced the elder woman with a look of shock and horror. "Jura's disabled the recall system on her Dread and hijacked the Liberty…she's heading back where Kyo is!!"

Magno was stunned silent along with the others as they saw the Dread of Jura and the ATCISS on the monitors of the bridge.

--

In the Dread…

(Goddess….it hurts so bad…)

Jura moaned once more as she tried to ignore the pain as she guided her Dread to where Kyo was. Despite it appearing that she had gone mad, she knew what she was doing.

(No…I won't lose you Kyo…I won't let you face them alone…this is my choice…)

--

In the Gundam…

"Jura!! Get out of here!!" Kyo shouted as he closed the gap with the Dread, making sure to terminate any Harvester unit trying to harm the Dread. The Harvesters knew the GunDread he and Jura formed had deadly defensive abilities and they could stop their attack so they went after her.

After he turned more Cube Fighter units into scrap, he merged his Gundam with Jura's Dread.

--

In the GunDread…

"Oh god…no…no…Jura…"

Kyo's voice was pained with shock and horror at the state Jura was in. She had a gash on her forehead, and blood streamed down her beautiful face, her hair was a mess, and her clothes were torn, and had several crimson stains, showing cuts and gashes, plus there was a long streak of blood running down her left leg, showing she had a serious wound near the hip.

The blonde gave him a smile despite her pain. "S…s…sorry I'm late…We have to hurry."

Kyo wanted to scream at her for placing herself in even greater danger and not getting treated in the Medical Bay! He wanted to try and do something…anything to save her from the pain she was going through! But he knew that the shield of their GunDread might be enough or the shield of their GunDread Alpha might do the job. So he had no choice…

--

The ATCISS under the command of it's master fused once more with the GunDread, calling in the cybernetic Amazon fighter who quickly activated it's shield system, and in time as the fire-power from all the Harvester's forces was unleashed.

Kyo only had enough time to calibrate the shield's power absorption rates and prayed it would hold…

The beams hit hard and for several minutes, it seemed to be working…but it was too much…

The shield released a massive wave burst and the sheer power overloaded systems of the Harvester units, causing them to freeze and jerk from the massive energy waves. Even the two Harvester behemoths were affected…along with the Earth battle-ships. Kyo needed to create a power setting to not just absorb but dissipate and did so…praying it was enough, it was though… barely.

--

GunDread Jura Alpha was no better… The shield couldn't handle the power and exploded, ripping off the left fore-arm and sending the mecha rocketing backwards like a missile, parts of it broke off and some of the metallic hair was blown away, along with chunks of it's armor, even it's face had tears and scratches.

Inside…it was no better. The only bit of good news was that the Gundam's Neutron Jammer Canceller was able to absorb all of the massive energy pulses, so the two were not hit by negative energy waves…but that didn't mean they were safe. The Prominence Phase Shift held, but in the insides, the two were hit by incoming shrapnel. Kyo was lucky to have his uniform on and the protection came in handy…but Jura had no such protection…

Kyo heard a great scream of pain and knew what happened…

"AAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUGGGGHHHHHH!!"

And his anguish mixed with horror came out in a scream…

"JURA!!"

When the haze cleared…all he saw was Jura slumped over her area of the enhanced GunDread…with blood on her…a lot of blood. Fighting back his tears and grief to try and save her and himself, he checked her neck for a pulse...and found one…faint but very weak…if he didn't hurry…she could…die…

"NO! I WON'T LOSE YOU JURA!! I WON'T!!"

He gathered enough power and rocketed the damaged GunDread back to the Nirvana as fast as he could towards the Nirvana.

--

The Harvesters pulled back for now, they had to clean up their OS for all their units…and they would resume the hunt.

--

In a gaseous nebula, the pirate vessel limped in like a wounded beast. In the Hanger the I-Freedom was damaged badly, but was healing nicely, and so was Jura's Dread and the ATCISS unit as Parfet's engineers came to repair them…but the pilots of the Dread and the Gundam was a different matter…

From the very second the GunDread split, Kyo leaped out of his Gundam, not caring for his own injuries…not caring about the heat coming from Jura's Dread… he ripped off his own helmet not caring where his helmet went to as he tossed it away.

He pried the cockpit open and gently took the unconscious Jura from her Dread. He didn't care as she bled on him as he carried her towards the Medical Bay…he didn't care about the people around him trying to help, he didn't care about the shrapnel on him… cutting him…he didn't care about the blood trail, both his blood and hers that was behind them… All he cared about was that Jura would be alive…

Without any care at all he tore through the door of the Medical Bay and headed straight for the emergency room, Duero and Max were nearby and they said nothing as they knew that Jura needed to be helped. They however pointed to a nearby gurney table for Kyo to place her on.

As the two men wheeled the severely injured blonde pilot into the surgery room, Kyo stood there like a statue…a statue with tears as he recalled what Jura said to him before all this started.

Flashback…

Jura: "We've…we've been through so much together haven't we?"

Kyo: "I know…all of us have gone through a lot. But Jura, now isn't the time for this sort of thing!"

Jura: "Please listen to me…you…you recall me wanting to have a baby…your baby?"

Kyo: "Look Jura, I know that having a baby from a man would make you a new heroine on Megele, but having a baby with a man isn't some sort of…"

Jura: "No."

Kyo: "What?"

Jura: "That's not the reason I want to have a baby with you…it was before…but not anymore."

Kyo: "Then what's the reason?"

Jura: "The reason is that I want a baby with you because I…"

End of Flashback…

(No…please…Jura…you…you wanted…to…because…you?)

Kyo was no fool, he had a suspicion on what Jura wanted to say, her new reason. He tried to deny it…but he couldn't…he couldn't pretend that it might be something else…since he…felt the same…

Kyo turned and with intense fury slammed his fist on a nearby table, shattering an unused data-pad in full force…he cared little as his hand began to bleed. That form of pain was nothing to the pain he was feeling inside of him.

(DAMN YOU HARVESTERS!! I'LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR THIS!!)

He said in a small but very clear pleading voice…

"Jura…please…make it through this…"

He turned and looked at the occupied surgery room…with even more tears in his eyes clouding his vision.

"Please…don't die…"

--

To be continued…

--

Hi, been taking some time off and I am now sending this new update.

The first dream sequence is another one of Kyo's memories coming back to him, so it's still up to me what other memories will Kyo be getting back as the series progresses.

I got to see a good number of video clips of Dead or Alive Extreme Beach Volley Ball 1 & 2. Seeing Helena, Hitomi, Ayane, Kokoro, Kasumi, Lei-Fang, Christie, Tina, and Lisa in their various bathing suits, poses, and more… I just couldn't help myself and try to make the second dream sequence rather…risqué, so to speak. I was laughing my head off when I had this idea, I'll admit it's not completely original, but the idea of it didn't leave my mind so I decided to write it anyway. Tell me what you think…

Don't become too comfortable though, things will get serious in this chapter soon enough.

For now, this is going to be a relaxing chapter, but don't be fooled. If you have already seen VanDread The Second Stage, you can tell by now that not every scene will be easy for the pirates. And as such, don't relax just yet.

(1) Similar to Gundam Wing ZERO Custom in the Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz using it's wings to shield itself when entering the atmosphere…and when the wings would open to reveal the Gundam.


	15. Chapter 15

GunDread SEED The Second Stage

Disclaimer: Figure walks up to recording machine…he presses Play message: I don't own either Gundam SEED or VanDread, so I make no profit from this…

He goes back to work…

Chapter 6

Part 3

End of the Path…

--

The Nirvana…

Kyo was in his room…he had changed from his pilot uniform and wore his normal clothes. The uniform had to patched up and have it's armour replaced with a fresh set, plus his body was healing nicely thanks to the medical treatment he received, but he didn't mind any of it…he had other issues to deal with.

He sat in his room while he ran his hands through his released hair, thought made it all over his mind. Battle tactics, solutions, and ideas were among them…but another occupied his mind more than the others.

Jura… and how he felt about her and the others.

Flashback…

Kyo was in the Conference Room of the pirates, almost dead to the world as he, Gascogne, Buzam, and Magno listened to the reports coming in from various sections of the ship. Ever since their lucky escape, the crew began to hard and long process of repairing the ship. New Dreads had to be built, Vanguards who lost appendages had to be retrofitted with new ones, sections damaged by the fighting had to be repaired.

Duero and Max came in and that was when Kyo looked by after staring at the Conference table for so long, had he been able to develop heat vision, he would have burned a hole all the way to Launching Bay.

"How are the crew?" Magno asked the two medics.

"A lot of them have been injured badly but are recovering…we were very lucky this time though, they all had broken bones and some considerable tissue and organ damage from the numbers of enemies we had to engage…and we've got some in critical condition so they are not able to fight for the next…"

"How's Jura doing?" BC asked, as she knew that Kyo would have asked the question, but considering how enraged Kyo was at this point, it would be far better for the question be asked than to let it be hanging in the mind.

Kyo's face went from dead pan to deadly serious as he waited.

Duero began to giver his report on the blonde pilot. "Jura's badly wounded and it took us several hours to heal her. The GunDread's Neutron Jammer Canceller saved her from being badly injured by the energy waves. She suffered massive blood loss from several torn blood vessels and had many pieces of shrapnel hit her in the abdomen and on the arms, legs and shoulders. Some of her organs were hit and we had to use reconstructive surgery to take away the damage…she was very lucky though, had some of the shrapnel been larger they would have caused immense damage to all her organs. Plus the graphs on female anatomy we found a few weeks prior had allowed us to be successful in fixing the damages."

"What about her…?"

Max continued with the report. "Her uterus…well, that's where she was lucky also, there were only smaller shrapnel pieces that struck near that area and thankfully there were few that hit it…had the shrapnel been larger…then that would have been so badly damaged…she may not have been able to have children at all. In that regard however, Jura is fine and can still have future generations…so Jura is safe, but she's going to be confined in the Medical Bay through the situation.

The looks of relief in the Conference Room were something else…but Kyo's was far more prominent. He looked as if a great burden was removed from his shoulders…and that was saying something.

--

End of Flashback…

He was now in his room…spending the last few minutes after the announcement crying tears of relief. He never had any trouble being honest with his emotions and so he didn't feel any shame in crying. But afterwards he felt the need to bleed out the stress he was in.

After Jura had been wheeled into the Medical Bay's surgery room, he had been there in the Medical Bay for almost two hours until Paiway gently reminded him that others were waiting to be treated, and with that he left, but made a promise to check up on Jura now and then.

He then sighed as he left the men's room and wandered around the place.

--

Later…

Kyo once more waged a battle, but this time within himself as he realized something…

That at anytime…he could die…and only the crew of the Nirvana would remember him, but…most of all…what could he do if any of the ones he loved the most died and he lived. This wasn't a trip back to Talark and Megele anymore…

This was war…and his previous death, and Jura nearly dying…made one thing very clear to him…death would claim any of them at any time.

Images of the others in the same shape as Jura was flooded his mind…all of them bloodied and in great pain…Dita…Meia…Sara…Mai…even Misty. He couldn't help but feel sick at the thought of them dying and he would have no power to save them…and what he felt for them…would die with them…along with a part of him that they unknowingly held.

He then recalled what Jura wanted to say about him about having a baby…and that was another crucible he had to deal with…

Having a baby was a very personal and emotional experience, and wasn't something to be treated as something trivial. Blood ties were very important, and Kyo was very serious if he ever became a father, though his memories of his father were still vague, he knew his dad cared deeply for him and his mother, so he wanted to be like his dad and love their child and his wife with every inch of his being, no matter what would happen…and if any enemy would dare threatened them…then they'd better pray for death for no place in the universe would be a safe haven for any of them from him.

If he did have a baby with Jura…and she went into battle with their child within her womb, it would have been killed easily, just as she would have been. The mere thought of it and his inability to be there to protect both her and their growing son and daughter made him sick to the very core of his being. He would never forgive himself, nor forget how much he failed them both if they were killed.

Jura would have made a good mother; sure she was still flighty and irresponsible at times. But when things mattered the most she was there to lend a hand, and her growing attitude and changing personality added to her physical beauty. Plus he had no problem seeing her holding a precious bundle in her arms. She would have been a real different mother to a baby…that was for sure.

But like her…there were others as well.

Dita was also a prime candidate and knowing her fixation and growing affections for him, she would have jumped instantly at the idea of having a child with him. He couldn't help but chuckle despite his still lingering sick feelings at the thought of Dita holding their baby in her arms.

(Heh…she'd probably call our baby, a cute Alien! God! How will my son or daughter ever deal with that name?!)

Dita was a bit of a child and an airhead at times, but her kindness and friendly nature more than made up for it and helped cheer people up rather quickly…not to mention she was becoming a bit more mature around him and despite the fact that she hadn't done ANY of the things Jura had done…she had her own way of getting his attention, she loved to cook and act like a young mother when she loved to impress him, and that added to the picture of her being a prime candidate for giving birth to and raising a baby.

Meia…well, that was something else. He wasn't sure on that account. Meia had been one of his greatest antagonists when he first joined the crew. But over time, they became comrades after she talked about her past…and so did he with her, then they were friends…now, who knows? Seeing her in the dress a few weeks before sent him into a loop…plus her desire to know more about him was really making him feel rather uneasy. Their relationship was beginning to evolve into a relationship that made him very aware of her own feminine qualities, and he wasn't blind on why she wore the dress either. She wanted to know if he found her attractive, and also if they could be closer. He knew that Meia must be wondering why she was doing those things, but his male side was not complaining the very least. The idea of having a child with her wasn't a bad idea either, as more of her kinder and gentler personality came to the front, combine that with her toughness and capable strength of will, he had no doubt that she'd be a great mother.

Sara…on her case, she was his subordinate commander of the Crusader Squadron. She was tough and very capable as a leader, naturally those were attractive qualities in themselves…but combine that with the fact that Sara Elsman was a gorgeous woman and that would make Kyo wondered how he would deal with her when he was looking at her as a woman and not as a fellow pilot and soldier. They were also rivals when they first met, as he recalled their first meeting when he was to take command of the first all female Vanguard unit, and she wanted to show him his place in her mind. He smirked a bit after the end of the fight, she was not happy, but he was impressed by her and she became his trusted commander of the Vanguard teams when he would combine with the Dreads, so they began to respect one another. As time passed, she began to take an interest of him when they weren't on the battle-field, and although Kyo had known military laws, and one of the was that having a relationship with a fellow female officer was a serious violation of military culture and protocol…he knew that he wasn't an official soldier, and neither was she. She was nice and with her skills and athletic back-ground she'd be a good candidate, and despite her apparent military upbringing, she had qualities as a mother, she likes to cook and had a cheerful, dynamic nature when not in battle.

Mai…well, this was also different. She had been raised by her parents from the very day she could walk and talk to hate men like him the moment they saw each other. To tell the truth, he was not happy with her when she hated him even after he saved her life. But when he learned about her family's past…he began to understand her. Despite her conditioning, Kyo saw that she was a hard-working girl with a kind demeanour when he worked in the Register, he was a bit surprised when she began to change when he was near months after they met. Plus…the day she told him the whole story of her family's creed towards men, he could see the truth, he also told her how he saw her ancestor's decision as a man and he was happy that she didn't take it to offence. She was also very attractive…no doubts there and Kyo wondered how he was able to work near her and try not to leer like a blasted pervert as she was dressed in the waitress style uniform of the Register. Her qualities made her a good candidate as a wife and mother as well.

Kyo thought also about Misty Cornwell, she seemed adamant on catching him as her boy-friend when she competed with the others, and despite she was by all human age standards seventy-seven years old soon to turn seventy-eight in a few more months, she STILL looked fourteen in his eyes…so the idea of him being married to her was very much wrong to his moral stand-points. She was too…young. But he wasn't an idiot to not see that she was a babe in her own right. She had a feisty personality and spoke her mind, which naturally made her have not that many friends among the crew of the Nirvana. Not to mention she wasn't afraid to get mad whenever Dita came close to him, and she even argued with Jura…though she had yet to take on Sara, Mai, and Meia. But she had her own moments, she was very romantic when the mood came on her, she knew how to flirt with him the way a normal woman would when she wanted a man. And despite her attitude, she was the only young woman he was comfortable with, to a degree anyway, when discussing the more physically intimate relationships between men and women. And that was the problem, out of all the women, only she, with the exception of Jura now, knew the driving instincts between men and women…and what the results would be. He didn't know if Misty knew the results if he did become intimate with her, but considering her…she might know about it very well and might know what would happen to her.

All in all…the situations he found himself in with them, compounded with Jura's close brush with death made him realize that if he didn't come true with what he felt, then it would be a death more permanent than the real thing…since it would always come back and haunt him, in that regard he understood what Magno meant about him containing his feelings, and how dangerous it would be for not just him, but everyone around him. He wanted to tell Jura how he felt about her and try to see if she felt the same… but still…he knew that he would have to tell the others about his own emotions…

(Arrgggh!)

Kyo groaned as he decided to leave and think over the situation and made a quick bee-line to the Bio Park. Much to his surprise he ran into Ezra and Lacus…the gentle woman was sitting on a bench while feeding her baby with her milk bottle.

Ezra spotted Kyo and smiled. "Hello Kyo."

Kyo managed a weak smile and greeted the young mother. "Hello Ezra…I think I should…"

"No, it's all right, you helped me give birth to Lacus, and you saved our lives, I don't think there's anything wrong with you being here. Come, sit beside me." Ezra said as she made room for Kyo to sit down.

Kyo nodded and took up Ezra's offer as he sat down and watched Lacus as she took in her food. The baby was adorable, she had green hair and Kyo realized that it would mean that the hair was from Ezra's partner back on Megele, Lacus's Ohma if he got it right. As Lacus opened her baby eyes Kyo was happy to see she had Ezra's gentle brown colour in her eyes.

As Ezra was done feeding Lacus she tried to get her baby to burp, but had some difficulty in that. Kyo noted that and decided to help her.

"Let me do that, I know what to do."

With that he rubbed a part of Lacus's back gently near the shoulder blade, and with that Lacus burped and giggled…making Ezra and Kyo laugh as the baby smiled at her mother and her god-father.

Kyo didn't know why but he couldn't help but push forward a question. "Can…can I hold Lacus for a while Ezra?"

The young woman nodded with a smile as she gave Lacus to Kyo, though she expected Lacus to cry when she handed her to Kyo. She did the same thing when some of the other crew held her…but to the amazement of the mother Lacus didn't whimper, fret, or cry as Kyo's hands touched her, it was as if she knew she could trust the man holding her.

Lacus looked at Kyo and began to giggle and smile with joy as she tried to reach for Kyo's blue/violet eyes, making the young man smile and laugh at her attempts and this made Lacus smile and laugh even more. It seemed that Kyo also had a way with children… which began to show as Lacus smiled at some of the funny faces he made towards her, that also made Ezra smile and laugh. Lacus then snuggled into Kyo's arms as he held her gently, almost like a mother himself. He held her for a while, and as she slept a few minutes later, the Gundam pilot gently handed the sleeping baby back to her mother, Lacus flinched a bit but as Kyo sang a low but melodious tune, she settled back and her mother sang the rest of the song as she snuggled into her mother's arms.

Ezra looked warmly at her child and then to Kyo. "Wow, you certainly have a way with children Kyo."

"Just a few things I learned when I wandered the universe."

Ezra smiled and saw something in his eyes when held Ezra, it was something saying to her that Kyo had done this before and was very comfortable around children. "You know…you would make a wonderful ohma Kyo."

Kyo looked surprised, blushed a bit, and scratched his head. "I don't think I'd make that great a parent Ezra."

"Nonsense, I think any child would certainly be a happy child to have you as an ohma…or in the old days a father. You certainly had an easy time with my daughter."

Kyo was happy for the praise, and then he began to see him standing near Jura with her holding a smiling baby, then the scene changed to him and Dita, then him and Meia, and the scene went on with Mai, and Sara, Misty was nearby, but Kyo didn't seem to picture that well….

But that scene of beauty was replaced with the stark scene of Jura bloodied and wounded severely, then she was replaced by Dita, Meia, Sara, Mai, and even Misty. The fact that Jura was fine and recovering and the others were safe did nothing to stop the look of torment and grief that replaced the happy look in Kyo's face.

He gave a sad sigh and faced the park's trees and scenery. "I don't think I'd be a great father…what kind of father am I if I just let my life partner and my child go through this kind of horror? No child deserves to grow up surrounded by death…and I wasn't able to save…"

Ezra sympathized with Kyo, she was there when he was in grief and in rage over the wounded blonde pilot, she saw from the monitors how anguished the young man beside her was while he carried the unconscious woman in his arms, not caring at all if he too was wounded.

She then recalled the times Jura had come to her and asked how she felt being a mother. Jura fussed over Lacus and smiled at the child when she laughed or smiled. She also wanted to help Ezra take care of her child, and asked many questions on how to take care of a baby. She also heard how close Jura came to not being able to have children at from her injuries.

"You shouldn't blame yourself over what happened to Jura Kyo, and she did make it out from the mess and she's still alive and with us."

Kyo nodded but felt a tear run down his cheek. He began to releases his grief, but carefully as not to awaken the sleeping baby.

"I should have been there…I…I…should have done something! I should have pulled back and got her to medical treatment! But I knew that…if we didn't do what we did, you and the others would be in danger…I just wish that I could have…stopped those Harvesters so Jura didn't have to…to go through so much pain trying to help me…I couldn't do a damn thing…but watch her being injured right in front of me... All my skill and power, all my Gundam's weaponry…nothing could protect her when she needed it the most…damn it!"

Kyo placed his hands on his face and began to sob in grief, regret, and frustration. He didn't care if he wasn't being a tough man who could suck up any punishment and keep on moving, he just wanted to release it before he could go crazy with despair over this.

Ezra watched in understanding and sympathy as Kyo released his grief. It wasn't often a woman would see a man in tears. Back on Megele such a thing was considered a true sign that men were inferior to women. But the gentle bridge officer didn't see it that way. Kyo was human, with emotions, and to see a man crying in grief over a woman was a first, it showed how much he cared for those around him, including Jura who changed a great deal when she was with Kyo, she heard that the blonde to shed tears like Dita did when Kyo died the first time, so she knew that Jura felt something deeper for Kyo.

As soon as he calmed down and wiped his tears away, he spoke. "Jura nearly died, and she wanted to have a baby so badly…with me of all people."

"I know, she would come to me and ask me so many questions on how I feel about being a mother…she wanted to be one…and she wanted you to be the ohma."

"I know…I mean, I understand why she wants a baby. I know that when I pass away someday, it's hard if nobody remembers you…very hard and very painful. For you Lacus would be taking part of you with her in the future as she grows up…and I know Jura wants it also…"

Kyo sighed as he closed his eyes. Ezra noted that and gently spoke to him. "Then you should go to her."

Kyo's eyes opened. "What?"

"Make her feel safe and strong, she always told me that's how she feels when you're with her."

"I don't…I don't think I can do that…I mean…after what I didn't do."

"She will accept you, I believe that she does care more about you than she lets on, and considering how she is feeling, she'll need your presence now more than ever."

Kyo looked at Ezra for a few minutes, and nodded solemnly as he got up and made his way to the Medical Bay.

--

In the Medical Bay…

Jura lay on the bed looking at the ceiling calmly, resting as she awoke a few hours earlier after recovering from surgery. When Duero and Max said that she was barely able to pull through, she wanted to know, and they told her that her uterus was damaged and she feared the worst…she wouldn't be able to have children, but she was relieved to hear that they were able to repair it and she could have children, but they also warned her of the intense danger she had been in and it was only due to luck that she survived.

She wondered about her decision to go back to where Kyo was, in the deepest fighting, especially in her injured state previously. Why did she go? Why did she go there to be with him even if she knew that she would be injured even further or even killed? Why did she do it, when Kyo insisted she return to the Nirvana?

She knew that their GunDread could have the power to block the shots the transformed Nirvana clone and that new Gundam the crew had named the Behemoth Gundam. But she was shocked at how much damage they had suffered. But for now she had to rest, and ponder what she should do with her feelings, for it seemed that all that mattered to her was that she would protect Kyo no matter what.

She then heard a sound as the door opened in came Kyo. Both their eyes met and Kyo walked up to her.

--

In the rest of the ship…

The rest of the crew were very busy in order to deal with a load of work that cropped up. Engineers went from section to section to repair damaged areas of the ship, and the Vanguard pilots were out of the ship to provide security and to aid in the repairs. Kyo had requested that Parfet and her crew gain some Mobile Suit training with the Vanguards in order for them to lessen the danger of her crew being accidentally caught in the cross-fire of an attack, plus it would lessen the risk of them being unprotected from the various dangers of space when repairs outside the ship were a priority.

In the Dread training and assembly room…

Meia was busy running some new battle-plans in the simulators, but she had few options, many of the Dreads were badly damaged and repairs on them would take too long, plus building new Dreads from their supplies was becoming harder than ever, both on time and parts.

The Dreads that were not affected by the Paeksis were made from at least three components. The first was the fuselage and cockpit, housing the cockpit and systems for the use of the Dread, the second where the engines and power plant to serve as the body, and the third and last were the wings. All these served the pirates and the Megele military well, a Dread could be assembled very effectively. If the wings were destroyed, then the Dread can be attached new ones, and if the engine and cockpit were hit, then it too could be replaced, only fuselage and cockpit was given exceptional defensive properties to protect the pilot.

Only a handful of still functional Dreads were available, and her Dread and Dita's were the only Paeksis enhanced Dreads that were available, Jura's was still being repaired by the engineers while the pilot was in the Medical Bay resting from her surgery.

She turned and saw Dita as the redhead entered the simulator room.

"Leader, have you seen Mr. Alien?" Dita asked worriedly as she went up to her commander.

Meia shook her head, she hadn't seen Kyo when they all saw him rush up to Jura's damaged Dread and take their wounded and barely conscious blonde comrade to the Medical Bay, she and Jura were friends despite their bickering at times, and with their unspoken and unseen war for Kyo's affections, so she felt very sad that Jura was badly hurt, and she also felt relieved when the announcement came that Jura will pull through.

"I haven't seen him Dita. I think we should look for him later since we've got a load of work to do."

She however felt another fact tug at her. The fact that Jura nearly died and nearly lost the chance to have children got her to realize that she too would be killed, this was no longer a trip back home, but a war that would determine if their worlds and all others would be saved from the Harvesters. Jura's brush with death reminded her of the fact that she was mortal and unlike Kyo who was brought back to life, she might not be. This made her wonder if she could be remembered by anybody in the future. She and her family didn't always get along, but she was happy now that she made peace with her past and thanked her fahma and ohma for bringing her into this world. The though of having children was something she didn't want or consider due to her traumatic past…but she too wanted to have a chance to be remembered and like all women of Megele she grew up knowing that having a baby was a great mark for any woman, but she also felt that she wanted not to have a baby in the way of her world…but with someone close to her heart, and only one person seemed to hold her heart….Kyo.

Both this and her feelings for Kyo made her realize another thing, if she died, she would be denied the chance to tell Kyo how much he meant to her, and to her that would be more painful than any fight she had been in as a street thug. She thought about it even more and wondered what she should do about his feelings fro the young man that meant so much to her.

Dita also thought in the same lines as she thought about her friends Jura and her Mr. Alien. Like Meia, Jura and all the other crew of the Nirvana, she too was raised to know how wonderful and important it was to give birth to a child. And the feeling of losing that ability to have children made her shiver with fear. Not to mention she thought that she would never get the chance to tell Kyo how she felt about him.

She was now getting used to thinking about calling Kyo by his real name, though her habit of calling him Mr. Alien seemed more appropriate, but she did hope that one day she could grow out and call him by his full name, that is until she learned all she could about him. Dita also felt this desire to show to Kyo how much she cared for him, that was the reason she began to change some habits, one was not to glomp hard on him and try to talk to him, more as to gain a chance to know more the object of her affections. Her heart raced at times when she was with him and she felt this warmth in her when she got to feel his hands on hers. The thoughts of it at times made her blush hard, coupled with the times she recalled seeing him without a stitch of clothing on. She prayed that she would get the chance to finally tell Mr. Alien, before something bad would happen.

Naturally…they weren't the only ones who thought about Kyo…

"Sara…It's going to be another three hours before we can get the power conduit replacements for your Vanguard. They took a serious beating and need to be reinstalled again." An engineer said as she spoke to the woman in question via communicator.

"Understood, take your time." Sara Elsman replied as she was in her room. She was busy thinking about the situation they were in and what possible solutions they could try. But her mind was filled also with the thoughts on what happened to Jura…and what it meant to symbolize.

She thought about her own upbringing…just like all the other members of the pirate group she too had been born with the ideal of giving birth as a great gift that should be cherished and respected in their world and where they would be. Sara's family knew that well, and their daughter, the second of three knew that too. Her elder sister was already the proud ohma of two beautiful daughters, and her youngest sister was soon to graduate from school and had many friends, all of whom loved to have a baby themselves. She liked the idea, but devoted herself to training to uphold the heritage of her family since her ohma was a combat instructor and her fahma was a field reporter. They agreed with her joining the pirates due to the fact that they didn't always understand why men should be considered as enemies, but they held the belief that women were better, and she naturally wanted to prove the truth in their teachings.

The thought of not being able to have children of her own made her feel horror, and that was enough for her to consider that maybe once the raid on the men was over nearly a year before she'd settle down and have a family.

Back then, after the raid she'd find a willing partner on Megele and settle down with the rest of the pirates, but naturally the event with the Paeksis had changed her plans. She worked hard so she and her fellow women would make it back home, but along the way she was assigned to the newly formed Vanguard squadron under Kyo's command.

Back then, the idea of her following a man's orders made her shiver in disbelief and disgust…but with Kyo, it was different, they didn't click well that was for sure, but they did fine, and seeing a softer and gentler side of the tough male pilot made her smile. Despite the fact he was her commander she'd wonder what it would be like for her to have a partner like him. The idea of her having a relationship with a man would have shocked her entire family and her world's society in general, and she honestly wondered at times why she felt this strongly for Kyo. But she thought now that with time, things could be very much different. Kyo was a man worthy of respect and he was…nice.

The reality that she or Kyo could be killed in this war made her realize something…that was, that someday she would have to see how Kyo would take it if they had a relationship that went beyond that of commander and officer. She liked him and who knows where that would lead to, and she was willing to find out since it would make her understand what it was like in the past, as she began to take an interest in it since learning about men and women living together.

In the Register…

"Incoming delivery for the Dreads!"

"The Vanguards need more servo-parts!"

"The engineers need more tools for the repairs! Somebody get them and send them to them quickly!"

"Easy girls, one order at a time, no need to get rushed or over-worked. And smile!" Gascogne called out to her staff as the Register was busy filling out orders for the needs of maintaining the ship.

"Yes Ma'am!"

Mai sighed as she also smiled and worked on helping out her fellow Register members and coordinate the repairs of the Nirvana and the Dreads and Vanguards. But she had her mind on other things as well.

Gascogne noticed that and decided to give Mai some time to think since she already had an idea as to what or who she was thinking about.

"Mai, you need to rest."

"Oh…I'm fine Miss Gascogne. I'm sorry if I'm holding you and making you worry." Mai realized then that she had diverted all her attention on something that she didn't need to think on, there was so much to do.

Gascogne merely smiled. "No worries, besides once things are back into working order you'll need to prepare for the reprisal assault on the Harvesters. I'll handle the work-load."

"But…"

"No buts…as you're boss in the Register, I insist you take a break."

With that Mai was taken out of the Register, and many agreed since she was among the others of their group who were part of Kyo's Crusader Squadron.

As Mai walked to the room where she was in she wondered about the situations they were in. But her concern was with Jura. Her relationship with Jura was that of comrade and she felt very sad that she was badly injured in the fight they had with the Harvesters, and she felt relief that she was safe. But she learned from the incident that at any time she or others could be killed in this war. Nothing was permanent in the universe.

This also made her realize that the same could happen to Kyo, though he was brought back to life by the power of the Paeksis, she doubted that it could happen again, and this would mean that her chance to form a relationship with him would be gone forever. The thought of her having a relationship with a man back in the past would have horrified her and made her feel like she broke all the rules and teachings of not just Megele, but her family.

Kyo however wasn't the kind of man that her family had described, nor was he the kind of man portrayed in the many propaganda films her world had shown to them when they were children. She was the second eldest of four children, her ohma was a military advisor and her fahma, was a factory supervisor, thus showing why she worked hard and learned quickly the trades. Though her ohma and fahma were disappointed in her joining the pirates, they agreed and made sure that a supposed 'accident' made it seem that she was lost in a routine delivery. Her ohma and fahma didn't like some of the things the Megele government did, but they made sure that she would never forget her family's creed in dealing with men. Now…she realized that the creed was no longer an idea that would be very beneficial at all. Kyo had shown that not all men were vile, honourless, and cowards. He showed that although men were not perfect, they were very much capable of honour, respect, kindness, and dignity. This made her feel ashamed when she thought about how she acted around him in the past…and she was happy that things were smoother between them, though she still hoped that she could get the chance to get to know him more, besides…she still had a date with him.

--

In the Medical Bay…

"Kyo…are you all right?"

"I should be the one asking you that question Jura, not the other way around. How are you?"

Kyo walked over to Jura and got a chair to sit beside her. He couldn't help but stare at her. Her head had a bandage on it, her hair was a mess of tangled curls looking like a tornado had played on the tresses, she had bandages on her arms from other shrapnel wounds, and he knew that she had bandages on her body, namely where…she had been seriously wounded, even if she had a blanket on her. He avoided staring at it, but admitted one thing…

Despite being bandaged, still in recovery, looking like a mess…Jura was still one thing…beautiful…beautiful and alive.

"I feel fine…no matter how crummy I really feel. I must look like a ragged doll to you right now."

"Not really. We need to talk." Kyo said as he gazed at her and held her hands.

"I know…"

"What in the name of all that's sane made you go back there? You could have been killed, and you nearly were too." The desire to shout at her was still there, but Kyo know that it would just make her feel even worse than she already was. But certainly didn't mean he didn't feel angry towards her.

"I know…I'm sorry…I…I just didn't want to lose you." Jura said lamely as she looked at him, she saw in his eyes how angry he was, there was relief in his eyes as well, but she knew that what she had done must have been a shock to him.

"So you think by going back and nearly dying I'd be safe?!"

"No! Look, I don't plan on losing you…and I don't want to…"

"Look…I…appreciate what you did, but losing your life would not have been a good idea…"

"I know…but you…"

"Does this have anything to do with you wanting a baby? Jura, you have any idea how close you came to NOT having any?!"

"So what would you have wanted me to do…stand by and watch you die, along with my other comrades?!" Jura forced herself up, rather angry and despite the pain that began to creep up on her she glared at Kyo.

"That's not what I meant!"

Jura got angry and pushed Kyo's hands away. "You have no idea how I feel, do you?!"

"What?"

Jura began to cry as she pounded him on the chest, she was still weak so her hits didn't register as too much pain on Kyo. But Kyo realized that she was still healing and if she began to struggle like this, she'd aggravate her own injuries. He held her but she didn't stop hitting him.

"Jura, stop this, you'll make your pain worse. I'm sorry, it's just…"

Jura however didn't stop as she looked at him with tear streaked eyes…making Kyo wish he never brought up the subject of her risking her life and nearly losing the chance to have children. But she surprised him by moving away and slapping him on the face, the hit wasn't hard and Kyo ignored it, but wondered why she did this, he then decided that she was having a great deal of emotion and didn't react, but she then held her hands n her face and sobbed even more.

"You…have no idea how I feel…about you…"

Kyo was stunned when he heard that. "What?"

"I…want you…I want you so bad…and even now I can't fully understand it. Every moment I think about you…my heart feels so empty if I don't see you…"

"Jura…"

The blonde then glared at Kyo with moisture in her eyes. "No, hear me out. Please…"

Jura sobbed and decided to tell him what she felt. "…and when I see you, my heart beats so fast, and I feel weak and strong when you're near. I want to see your face so much, it hurts me when I don't. When you kissed me on Anpathos, I felt like my body was hot and I felt I'd collapse…and when you kissed me after that, I feel so safe with you…"

"When you died the first time, I felt a part of me died with you…and when you came back to life… I felt like I could fly. I loved it with when you would blush and stutter when I get close to you. I feel happy when you call me beautiful I feel safe when you are with me. I even have dreams about you…and me…together. At first…back before you kissed me, I would have considered those things…these…feelings as a mistake….I should have…but they keep coming and instead…instead of being a mistake…I feel like they were the most wonderful feelings I have ever had…. When you kissed me and…nearly…had sex with me…I felt like I was in paradise, the way I feel about you… is so new…and I…I don't want them to…go away…ever. As much as I don't…want you to leave me…"

Jura cried once more and Kyo decided to just hold her. She didn't resist and her sobs became quieter as they embraced.

"I don't want you to die…I feel so much with you…that…that if you die, and I…I didn't try to save you…I would die all over again…and this time…now that…I…feel this much for you…I don't think…I would…survive it."

Kyo knew that what Magno told him was the truth, the feelings the girls, such as Jura had for him were deep, and if he didn't at least acknowledge how he felt for any of them, including Jura, then he would be hurting them deeply, and the wound would be more painful than any physical pain they or he would suffer.

"Now you understand why I am angry with you."

Jura's eyes shot open and she looked at Kyo who looked back at her and before she could do anything, he kissed her on the cheek first. Then he spoke…

"Because I care about you too Jura, and if you died…in front of me…then part of me will surely die with you, and I don't think I could survive that."

Jura said nothing as more tears flowed down, and Kyo kissed her, and like what they did when she nearly succeeded and making him have sex with her, they kissed deeply…as if they wanted to remember this moment for all time, no matter how long or short it would be.

The deep kiss lasted for nearly three minutes, but to the two, it felt like three long years.

Kyo thought about what he was doing, and also how would the others react if they saw this. Meia and Dita would be crushed and shocked, and he didn't even want to know how Sara, Mai, and Misty would take this. He knew that he had feelings for them too, very strong feelings, and they were separate and unique from the feelings he had for Jura. And their reactions to this situation would be unpredictable and no doubt they would be hurt and angry…at both him and Jura.

But for now, just for now this was just between him and the blonde pilot. He would have to talk about the situation he was in to them all soon, but for now, Jura's pain was the one thing he wanted to suppress and heal. She needed this…

Jura thought about what she was doing, and also how would the others react if they saw this. Meia and Dita would be crushed and shocked, not to mention things between them will become even harder to deal with, and she didn't even want to know how Sara, Mai, and Misty would take this. Dita, Meia, Sara, and Mai all had feelings for Kyo, very strong feelings, she knew that for a fact, and if they saw this, there would be some very serious problems between them.

They were her comrades for many years and as they went on this journey she saw them change because of Kyo, along with her…and if they saw this, they would never forgive or forget it…but for now, that wasn't her concern… She needed this so much… to know that Kyo did care for her.

When the two separated, Jura merely smiled and Kyo looked at her while wiping away her tears with one hand. She felt some of her burdens removed since Kyo admitted that he cared deeply for her.

"Thank you…but I know…you care too much about others too…"

"Yeah…that's why I can't exactly…well, be intimate with anyone right now. You have a lot of friends and comrades, apart from Barnette on this ship…long before I ever came into your life. I don't want to break that friendship with my presence."

Jura was silent at that, she wasn't as flighty as others would think since she liked to observe. Dita was becoming more mature around Kyo, Meia was loosening up and becoming more open, no doubt to being close to Kyo, Sara was becoming better and more capable, Mai was getting past her family's policy towards men…and Misty was trying at the very least to make due with the people in the ship. Many others began to change due to Kyo showing that men and women could work together and could achieve so many amazing things together, and this changed many of the crew for the better.

Kyo changed a lot of people, including her.

He then gave a slight smile. "And to add to that, you want a baby…with me. I still don't think that now is a good time for me to be a father of all things."

"You mean…you don't want to have a baby…"

"It's not because of you…hell, any guy I know who's been around women all his life would jump at the chance to be with you. Plus I felt that I could be like my dad, even if I didn't see him before, I know he loved my and my mom. But I don't want to leave and disappear to leave our child as if I never existed if we fight out there. I don't want any child or our child whether it is a boy or girl to grow up in the world, without either of us taking care of him or her…"

"Not to mention…if we did have a baby and you went out in battle…pregnant with our baby, and what happened to you would happen again…but our child would…die…how hard do you think it would be for you to live with that?"

Jura was silent as she nodded. The thought of her bringing a baby in a dog-fight and getting her child killed sickened her immensely. She was a pirate and it would be needed for her to fight, but no way she would endanger an innocent life, even more so if the life was that of her child. And she considered what would happen if she did have a baby with Kyo's seed, then how painful would it be for the child if something happened to her and she wouldn't be there for her baby. Or…if Kyo died and she and her baby would be alone… she didn't want that, she wanted Kyo be near her and their baby. She wanted to Kyo to teach their child all that he could so their child whether boy or girl would be prepared for the new world they were fighting for.

"Or how would I handle losing our child…or both of you at the same time? I will never be able to live with myself if that happened to you and our child. I'd fail in my duty as a father, and as a…husband. And that kind of failure will haunt me till the day I die."

Kyo looked at Jura and hoped that she could understand his dilemma when it came to things like this.

"I do care about you…very much Jura, and I hope you can understand me since' I'm like this right now."

"I understand…and I'm sorry. But I still won't give up on having a baby…but, thank you for telling me…I appreciate it." Jura said she began to lie down back on her bed.

Kyo gave a sigh of relief in his mind as he helped her lay back down on her bed. "Thanks Jura, now you need to rest, get well and maybe…things will work out."

"I hope so…" Jura said as she rested on the bed.

Kyo then kissed her one last time and she responded lovingly as they parted. Though both knew that they still had deep feelings for each other and they would still have a long way to go before things could be serious. But at least their cards were now on the table…

Both mentally chuckled at themselves for using Gasco's favorite phrase.

--

In the Nirvana's halls…

Kyo walked into the Register and looked at the darkened room, he spotted the deck that he normally used when he battled with Gascogne, and decided to sit down and think over the situation. The head of the Register and her crew were busy helping the rest of Parfet's engineering teams to help get as many Dreads and Vanguards operational as possible

He knew that this was a critical time, and the ship's crew was going to have to do something drastic to win this one. He began running some scenarios in his mind so they could come up with a solution…

"Smile, smile."

Kyo turned and drew his sword halfway out and spotted a strange mushroom shaped doll making some weird motions, he frowned a little as he waited for his unexpected companion to show him/her self.

It didn't take long for him to see Dita pop out like a jack in the box near a table, the doll was a hand puppet and appeared to be one of Dita's playthings. The Dread pilot smiled and gave a cheerful expression.

"Hello Mr. Alien."

Kyo shook his head a little and sighed, his thoughts were so focused in the situation they were in that he didn't sense the redhead. He got up and faced the Megele girl who stood up and faced the object of her affections, who sheathed his half-drawn sword.

"What are you doing?"

"Just trying to make you smile Mr. Alien."

Kyo sighed, since sometimes he wondered what it would take to get Dita really down, and shook his head. "Just how can you remain so cheerful when things are this bad anyway? You have any idea how serious things are right now?"

Dita looked away a bit and looked a little downcast. "I…when I was still a little girl, something happened to me."

Kyo realized that what Dita would say was serious. "What happened to you?"

--

Flashback…

We see a housing complex on Megele become dark as it's power was taken from it and we see all the inhabitants, young and old mill around in shock and despair. Voices of sadness and disappointment filled the air as the women tried to come to terms of the events that had just taken place.

There, stood a little redhead, who appeared to be only eight years old, holding a little doll that looked like a classical alien figure. The little tyke was wearing pajamas made of yellow cloth. Her deep blue eyes shone with innocence and confusion. And her long hair of crimson flowed behind her like a banner.

As the images flew, the little girl tried to help out her fellow women, but winded up making a few messes, one of then included spilling a bucket of water intended to clean and mop the floors. However, instead of making angry noises and scolding the little girl, the others smiled and began to laugh, as the little redhead looked on in a clueless and innocent manner.

The laughter continued and so did the smiles as the little girl asked silly questions about a book that she was reading as the women crowded around her and laughed and smiled.

The little girl then continued and made a funny face and smiled joyfully as the women around her smiled and laughed as all feelings of sadness left the others as they gazed at the smiling little girl.

The little girl's name was…Dita Liebely.

--

End of Flashback…

"That little girl…was you?"

"Yes…that's why I don't like it when people I like are sad, because it makes things so lonely and scary. That's why I want them to be happy, so that's why I always smile. But I wonder if I overdo it sometimes." Dita said as he sat down next to her Mr. Alien.

"I think that you did great in that respect, you're always making others feel happy, so there's nothing wrong. I heard how you gave that speech back a few months ago…that was very good, and you made other people happy from then to now, so don't be sad or think you're overdoing it."

"Thank you Mr. Alien!" Dita said as she glomped onto him, naturally making him very aware of his hormones once more. But he quickly restrained them as he and Dita heard an incoming call from Meia.

"Kyo, we need you in the Planning Room, we may have something to beat the Harvesters."

--

On Earth…

"The Nirvana is still undetected, our forces are scouring the location as we speak." The lead technician reported to the Council as they waited in anticipation for the final battle and eventual death of the Nirvana, and it's crew…with them gone, the Harvest will not be stopped.

"We do not care, have ALL areas of the sector scouted, find them…and terminate them."

The leader merely watched as he and the other members of the Council waited for the out-come of the operation. There was now way the Nirvana will survive this trap.

--

In the Nirvana's Planning Room…

"All right, I'm all ears on this plan you have in mind Meia." Kyo said as he and Dita came into the room, with her holding him tightly by the arm. This naturally gained some stares and some hidden glares on the bubbly redhead. Kyo sighed a bit and hoped that things don't get out of hand even more.

Meia broke her stare at Dita when she heard Kyo's question. Just like many times she was getting rather peeved at Dita when the apprentice Dread pilot glomped onto Kyo, though she resisted the idea, knowing how much Dita had grown due to Kyo's influence…like she did.

"You recall that Message Unit that Misty had with her when we found her?"

"Yeah, the one with the trap virus that went around and disabled the Nirvana. I haven't forgotten how much of a pain that was. So you want to download the virus in that module into the CPU of the Harvester's battle-ship?"

Meia nodded as she began explaining the strategy to him and the others. "That's the main idea. Remember how this module nearly shut down all the systems on the Nirvana?"

"How could I forget? I spent most of the battle time trapped in an elevator." Kyo answered. Not to mention delivering Ezra's daughter.

Parfet nodded as she brought in some more information on the War Room's holographic monitor. "According to the data we recovered from our last encounter with the enemy, we discovered that all of the smaller units, their Gundam units, and their new weapons, are controlled by the Earth Battle-ship, which uses special remote control wavelengths. But in the situation we're in, it appears that the battle-ship that doesn't have Mirage Colloid is the main command unit. It has been the only one sending those special wave-lengths to the rest of the battle-ships that are part of it's fleet."

"Hmm…that would make sense. Not to mention the energy requirements of Mirage Colloid are very high. That would explain why most of the other battle-ships' weaponry are either removed or reduced in power consumption. The power would be used to contain the Mirage Colloid particles to ensure that the ships would remain invisible. Kouji and Maia told me that they needed to watch their Gundams' power cells so they don't burn too much energy with either the Mirage Colloid or the Phase Shift Armour. So that means the other battle-ships had to sacrifice a lot of features to make room for both the Mirage Colloid generators and the power reactors, since not only do they have to keep out of sight, but also their own units until they were deployed were also under the Mirage Colloid's influence." Kyo said as he gazed at the latest data readouts in the screen.

Duero McFile nodded as he was also there in the briefing along with Max McFile.

"According to the research we both have done, the Harvester Armada in general acts like a living organism. That is to say, that each separate unit, such as the Cube Fighters, the GunDread Clones, their Gundam units, and even their latest weapons functions as extensions of the main 'brain' as you could describe it. The brain is naturally the central computer of the Earth's Flagship. It's through that, which allows the Harvester forces to be able to act in concert with each other. If one component is attacked, the others would defend it. However, if the main control network was attacked and disabled, then in theory, the entire fleet will become inoperative. It may be possible however that the other Harvester battle-ships may still have basic combat protocols to activate should they be deactivated, hopefully the virus will affect them as well." Duero replied.

"Why can't we just jam their wavelengths?" Barnette asked.

"That would reduce their capabilities, but not halt them entirely, Barnette." Max interjected. "There will be the possibility that they have back-up communications waves should the ones they use will be rendered worthless by us."

Parfet nodded as she brought up an image of the cucumber-like battle-ships. "Max is right, the main Earth battle-ship has more than enough firepower on it's own to destroy us, and even those battle-ships that gave up a lot of weaponry to house their Mirage Colloid system have considerably high amounts of fire-power. From what I can tell, the Harvesters are merely toying with us. Besides that, we can't jam their frequencies forever since they operate on a random energy modulation pattern. The best shot we have of winning is to take out the central control system. Once taken out, the other units will lose all their primary command and function protocols. Plus the other ships that have Mirage Colloid rely on the main ship without the stealth feature for data, and they too will be infected by it since the virus was retooled to 'piggy-back' as Duero puts it on the Harvesters' communication networks…if the main battle-ship is infected then it's communications will send the viruses to the other battle-ships as well."

"We can cause a big diversion and secretly send in a raiding squad into the ship. Once they get in and reach the main system, the virus can be uploaded, which will cause major functions to cease. Furthermore like I said, once the virus gets online, it will also infect the others as well. We can take them down with one clean shot. Though how we wipe them all out is going to be one heck of a trick."

"What about the other battle-ships? I doubt they plan to let us just waltz up to their main command ship and let us in." Sara asked. "Don't forget we still have to deal with that new Gundam they have…the Behemoth. And the new clone…"

"Well, according to our analysis, we've got the exact amount of fighters and pilots to pull this one off. Plus, Parfet and her staff have one more surprise for the enemy…even those two." Meia replied

The bespectacled girl nodded. "Even though we can't disrupt the Harvesters' control frequencies indefinitely, we can launch a sizeable electromagnetic pulse that will cause them to lose momentary contact with their all forces. You all have just about a ten second window. That should be enough time for you and I-Freedom to combine with Meia and punch your way through the command Earth battle-ship's hull. The rest of the raiding team will follow. We've done some close estimations to the main computer's location, once you all get there, upload the virus, and the rest will fall into place….hopefully."

The other pilots nodded as they realized that this was their best chance of winning this encounter. Kyo however felt that it might not be that easy. He felt that the enemy had other secret weapons in their demented arsenal waiting for all of them. Plus there were two factors that bothered him.

His first concern was the lack of any Gundams in the Harvesters' side. Apart from the Behemoth Gundam, there were no signs of any Dominion units, no GunDread Clones either. It was as if they were relying solely on numbers and their Cube Fighters more than made up in that department. But even with their updates they were still not in par with the pirates since the pirates were very much familiar on how weak they are in many ways. Granted the Nirvana clone was deadly in itself, but it too would have weaknesses, especially if it was attacked in point blank range.

The second concern in his mind was also still the absence of Dominion Gundam units. If the Harvesters could build a Gundam of the size of the Behemoth…then what would happen if they had developed other Gundam models…and where they being held in reserve? There was a massive amount of room in that battle-ship so he won't e surprised if there more Dominion models, and any of the new ones he felt the Harvesters had in reserve.

--

Kyo's suspicions were right on the money…since right now…

In the bowels of the Harvester battle-ship…the one managing the whole mission…the Gundam units held in reserve were still there and ready to be deployed. The Devastator, Hell-Fire, and Wyvern Gundams were still being held in reserve but they were also being given new directives.

It was possible that the pirates would try something soon…so the Mirage Colloid armed battle-ships were spread out in a loose net pattern as they probed the area, searching for their quarry. The new Gundams remained as reserves and the trump card against the Infinite Freedom Gundam. Had they been manned with pilots, the people would have been itching terribly for a fight, but since they were CPU operated, they were to wait until given the go signal.

--

The Nirvana…

While the crew of the pirate vessel prepared for their latest gamble against the Harvesters, a certain blonde Dread pilot lay on her bed thinking about what she had heard from Kyo…about how much he really cared for her

Kyo: "Because I care about you too Jura, and if you died…in front of me…then part of me will surely die with you, and I don't think I could survive that."

I know he cares so much for me…and even if he didn't say what I wanted to hear him say. I didn't say it either…but do I really feel…that for him? Jura thought as she pondered on what she can do with her feelings for Kyo, and both their respective confessions.

On her world of Megele, she had grown up with the belief that creating a new life was the most sacred thing, and a woman had that sacred duty to help create the new generation. Becoming an ohma or a fahma was to be cherished, as the children she would create of give birth to would carry a part of her into the distant future. While she had grown up, she had always looked forward to the day she would hold a precious bundle in her own arms. Her dreams became even grander as she decided that Kyo could be part of her child.

Then…something changed. She couldn't explain it fully, but according to what the Captain had told her, she had begun to develop certain feelings and emotions towards the Gundam pilot, which by Megele standards, brooked close to both heresy and blasphemy. She was still shaken when Magno had told her…what she felt for Kyo…

--

Flashback…

"NO! That can't be! That can't be true! I can't be…in…lo…love…with Kyo…I can't be…" Jura's voice trailed away like dust in the wind as she couldn't believe what the Captain told her about the feeling she felt for Kyo.

"Well, as far as I can tell, you've got all the signs and symptoms. Why else are you so determined to have his child and him by your side?" Magno stated as she gave the blonde woman a warm smile.

"And I have to be honest, I couldn't be more pleased and happy for you Jura. Kyo in my book is more than qualified as a husband to you and a father to your children. Though I think some of your fellow pirates may have those same feelings for him."

"But…but…it's…impossible!!"

"Who said so?" The aged woman asked.

"It's…it's…impossible to feel LOVE for a man!"

"Oh? Why?"

"Because…"

"Because what?"

"Because…just…because! It's not done that way on Megele! There's NO WAY a woman…could fall in…love with a man…"

Naturally, the elderly Captain of the Nirvana was totally amused to see the normally proud and vain Jura, become so flustered and embarrassed over something so simple and natural since she was radiating it when Kyo was near, and she knew Jura wasn't the only one who had those same feelings as Meia and Dita were radiating them as well, though not yet in the same degree as Jura was. She patted Jura's shoulder to ease her tension and offered her some advice.

"Well, in case you have forgotten, we're not on Megele and besides, you haven't been back on our home world, since you joined this group four years ago. So does it matter if you are in love with Kyo and Megele thinks it's wrong? You joined up with us all since like many of the other girls, you wanted to get away from Megele and all of it's rules, it's mistakes and stupidity. Love is one thing we can't control, and I know that love that blooms between man and woman is no lie or crime…but is the most wonderful thing that can happen…yes it has hard times, but also has good times too. Remember the main reason why the pirates were formed? I formed the pirates and I became a pirate in the first place, because I wanted to explore new options and ideas. And to live the way I wanted to, free and with no stupid rules stopping me from making my own destiny, and not having to deal with the problems, that made me lose my home in the first place. And I hated the fact that I was not there with my husband to live with him and my son, who grew up without me to be with him."

Magno then showed Jura a picture of her and her family…and Jura saw from the frame the love and security Magno had when she was with her family. To think that the elder woman was denied the chance to live with her family for nearly a hundred years was terrible.

"The day I left Megele to be a pirate, even I didn't know if my husband and son were alive…but I wanted to be free and explore the world once more and not restricted from finding my future for myself, the future I wanted to share with others, namely my family, though they may not be with me anymore. Out here, we all can decide what we want, how we want it, and when we want it. We don't have to worry about what others think, because we all were entitled to live the way we want to. We all work together because we all want the same thing, and that is freedom. We want the freedom to choose, the freedom to explore, and the freedom to live our lives to the fullest we can manage. We have no idea what the future holds for us, but we can face it properly if we are ready and willing to face the consequences that our decisions and choices bring along with them. That's what life is all about."

"But…if what you're saying about how I feel about Kyo is true…then…"

"Then you need to ask yourself, is that what you truly want? And don't think on what the people back on Megele's government would think or say about it. They have absolutely no business with your own life. This is your decision and yours alone."

Jura remained silent for a very long time as she thought about living with Kyo, and then considered the possibility without him by her side. Finally she gave the captain the barest of nods, which signified her decision.

Magno nodded back to her. "I see that you've made your choice, and I pray that good fortune will be with you."

"I know, I guess no matter what, I made this decision so I must see it through to the end."

--

End of Flashback…

Jura sighed as she recalled that discussion, and wondered what she should do now. At the moment, she could still fly but her pain hadn't subsided and her wounds still need time to heal. But she felt very restless and wanted to do something to help the others, even in her current state. When Barnette came and greeted her, the two friends began to talk to one another about their situations, and the plan of the pirates to defeat the Harvesters. It was there that Jura made another decision, that would be a change for her. She then asked that before she left to fight, Barnette would call over Duero and Max.

--

The Harvester Fleet…

The lead scout Cube Fighters were busy reaching the nebula where the Nirvana was last seen escaping from the fleet. They were about to activate their shields, when the lead fighter was suddenly blown to pieces…and in the flash a massive storm of beam fire came from the nebula, reducing over forty of them in a heart-beat. The others retreated to assess what had happened, but they were also attacked by an incoming barrage of missile fire.

From the nebula came the hated I-Freedom, and behind the Gundam came Dreads and Vanguards, with them came another hated unit, the ATCISS, the Liberty. The Cube Fighters got ready to fight, it was time…

--

In the Nirvana…

"You want us to do what?!"

Duero and Max were flabbergasted and shocked at Jura's request. The blonde had just asked them to give her some pain-killers so she could go out and fight with the others!! That was probably the dumbest thing to ever ask a physician in the battle-zone.

"So you'll do it?" Jura asked.

"NO!! What you are asking is something that goes against every code of ethics we have as doctors!" Duero interjected.

"Besides, Kyo would never forgive either us or you if we let you out there and get yourself killed."

Max replied as well, adamant in the fact that Jura needed to heal instead of going out to get killed.

"Please…I need to do this." Jura begged.

"No! What you should be doing is to rest and recover, and that's final!"

--

The battle in space…

"I'll clear the front until Barnette can fire the weapon made by Parfet, we need to hit as many of the Harvesters as we can!" Kyo said as he and I-Freedom flew past several Cube Fighters and tore them apart with the beam sabers. He then placed one saber aside and took out one of his anti-ship swords, ignited the beam edge and jammed the massive sword into the closing maw of a Seed Ship, he pulled the weapon down, following the beam saber going upward. He then jetted away as the Seed Ship exploded in two pieces behind him.

Several Seed ships decide to gang up on him and fire their tendrils, but the Gundam nimbly dodges the attempt and slices into one Seed ship with it's anti ship sword from top to bottom, and with amazing forces, tosses the beam saber like a spear…skewering a Seed ship in the mouth as it was readying another batch of Cube Fighters and passing right through it and was picked up by the Gundam, who then stabbed a Seed ship from behind as that one too tried to release another batch of Cube Fighters.

More Cube Fighter conversed on the force of the pirates, and were being cut up by the pirates in a coordinated fashion. Most of them however focused on the Gundam and it's Ultimate Coordinator pilot, since the two were the greatest threats, that also was a mistake as the pirates took advantage of that focus.

Kyo took out his beam rifle, split the weapon and like a maverick cow-boy began shooting down Cube Fighter after Cube Fighter as they came in range. The casualties of the Harvesters kept on pilling and Kyo decided it was time to really cut a swath through them. He accessed his HiMAT and began targeting as many Cube Fighters and other Harvester units as possible…once all of them were detected, he charged all his ranged beam weapons to full over-charge mode.

He also went into Seed mode and in a moment…

The feathers once more broke from their crystal casings and flew beside their master and powered up, along with his other beam weapons, and they fired…

A massive wave of beam fire and solid projectile fire from the I-Freedom rained out and swarmed all over the gathered Harvester units like a wave of destructive energy lances. Hundreds of Cube Fighters were blown apart in mere moments, Seed Ships were skewered and reduced to desiccated wrecks, and Urchin ships were stripped of their spines exploded like balloons. The Harvester forces that were facing the Nirvana's strike team had just been severely mauled.

One Harvester battle-ship armed with Mirage Colloid faced off with the charging Gundam as both it and the Liberty fused once more, the ATCISS merging it's own Prominence Phase Shift Armour system with that of the I-Freedom. The anti-ship swords and their rack had been lifted and had become beam cannons on the side of the Liberty as the blade emitter on the front had been retracted and the beam emitter in the handle and grip became a beam cannon, adding another set of weapons to the ATCISS. They had to destroy the cursed Gundam no matter what it took.

Kyo once more bombarded the Harvesters' vast numbers with his beam and solid weapon arsenals and that of the Liberty's, as he spotted the incoming Harvester ship. For a moment, he recalled his near death when he was with the Melanos forces against one of those things, and his defeat and death in the past when another tagged teamed with the first Dominion Gundam. He however had been given back his life and he was wiser and more powerful now. He was going to show this battle-ship and it's AI HOW he really fought.

Dodging with amazing grace and speed the incoming weapons-fire, Kyo guided his Gundam very quickly and fired it's arsenals once more, reducing a group of Seed ships trying to stop it from attacking…he then ignited the Liberty's massive beam sabers and slashed the sides of the cucumber like battle-ship, since it had shed off it's Mirage Colloid cloak. The beam blades tore into the ship like a knife heated by fire would cut through melted butter. The two units flew close to it, and alternated between slashes and overhead stabs, giving the battle-ship an IMPRESSIVE amount of scars and filled with explosions.

As the two units separated, the battle-ship attempted to turn and destroy the Gundam, but Kyo had another plan. The feathers once more broke free from the wings and got ready to fire…

"YOU ARE NO MORE!!" Kyo shouted in Seed mode as his eyes glowed once more…

The Gundam unleashed another barrage of beam fire that carved into the battle-ship causing massive damage…but the real attack came from the feather cannons as they swarmed all over the battle-ship, hitting it in various areas of value…namely the areas where Seed ships were released, the thrusters at the rear, the weapon ports, and even in the front where the main cannon would be…

The Harvester ship was now in a network of explosions and the damage was so overwhelming that it's CPU could no longer handle the massive strain of damage reports and short-circuited, coupled with that, the ship was no longer able to fight…

The ship now drifted like a wounded or dead whale as explosions continued to occur in the ship and it's forces could no longer fight at all, as many of it's units were now useless and floated in space like dead bodies.

Kyo was tired from the fighting but sucked it up and guided the rest of the Nirvana's forces as they mop it up and took the fight to the rest of the Harvesters. The Harvesters were reeling with the loss of one battle-ship, but that certainly didn't mean they were out for good.

--

In the Nirvana…

"Damn! I have GOT to get Kyo to teach me how to do that!" Bart said as he watched in awe as Kyo took out a Harvester battle-ship in two minutes since he attacked.

Magno and BC were impressed along with the others. Sara, Mai, and Meia were in awe as Kyo took out a battle-ship in such a short time! The Dread and Vanguard pilots were in awe as well, and followed Kyo as both he, his Gundam and the Liberty continued the attack (1)

"WOW! THOSE BAD ALIENS ARE REALLY GOING TO GET IT NOW!" Dita cheered as she and the others moved in for the attack.

--

As the fight moved on…

The Behemoth Gundam and the massive Nirvana clone wasted no time in greeting the Nirvana strike team with weapons-fire. The loss of one battle-ship was enough to make them get serious…if the I-Freedom could take out and literally cripple to death one battle-ship…then what would happen if it got to the main command ship?

Hordes of Cube Fighters were released from every functional Seed ship, and every functional Urchin ship went into the fight as the pirates came ever closer, a massive cloud of debris behind them.

Kyo however knew that now would be the best time to launch their true attack. He got into contact with Barnette as she flew next to him.

"Barnette…once I separate from Liberty and charge, I'll fired another barrage then you fire Parfet's weapon. The blast is right in range since those two new weapons will be coming in fast and hard."

"Understood…juts clear the path for me."

Both Dread and Gundam closed the gap, dodging even more weapons fire. Kyo then disengaged his Gundam from the ATCISS, took out his beam rifle, split it into two weapons and began bombarding the incoming units hitting at specific weak points of the Cube Fighters and hit tem quickly. In order for Parfet's weapon to work effectively she would not be allowed to fire either missiles or beam cannons…since this weapon was a one shot deal.

Kyo began to wait as he once more locked in his full beam arsenal…his Gundam's cannons immediately opened and the wings' feathers broke away from the wings. In a heart beat after acquiring all the targets, Kyo fired all his weapons in full power.

Another barrage of beam fire tore into the hordes of the Harvesters…more Cube Fighters were blown to bits since they had bunched up like grapes, and several Seed and Urchin ships were also returned to the scrap heap. The Cube Fighters decided to break their formations and make it less likely for more than one to be hit, but this was the move Barnette was waiting for.

"Here you go…we've got a real nice gift for you!"

From the special weapon pod the engineers had installed in Barnette's Dread came a glowing red ball of powerful energy. Once it was able to bypass the mess of Cube Fighters that broke up. The pulse ball exploded in less than a few seconds. Covering a massive sector of the central Harvester forces…and where both the Behemoth Gundam and the Nirvana clone were.

He energy bathed every harvester unit in the area and they all went dead as their CPUs were shut down by the powerful energy sphere's blast that was created by the Nirvana's engineers. The Cube Fighters and other units were put to sleep…but the pirates knew that it was not going to last.

Kyo once more fired his Gundam's weapons on full overcharge mode at one point in the main Harvester battle-ship, near the best spot close to the heart of the ship's CPU network. The full blast of all the weapons tore a massive gap for the strike team to get inside.

"Meia! Let's do it! Dita, Barnette, close the gap and let's fall in! Sara, Mai, you and the rest of the Vanguards and Dreads keep them from following us. If they get through, there's now way the rest of us will ever get out from here."

"Roger!"

As the two machines united into the GunDread, the ATCISS fused with them to form GunDread Meia Alpha and they made a beeline towards the hole the Gundam had made…not caring for the numbers of Harvester units that got in their way.

They had just passed both the Behemoth Gundam and the Nirvana clone when the nearest Harvester units began to reactivate. But by that time, Meia' Kyo, Dita, Barnette…and their guest the Navi-bot Pyoro dove into the insides of the Harvester battle-ship.

The rest of the pirate strike team went on to their positions to hold the only escape route for the insertion force.

--

In the Harvester battle-ship controlling the whole fleet…

The CPU was not in a good mood…apparently the pirates had found a way to deactivate it's forces and those from it's sister ships that converged to protect it. The attack from the Gundam of the pirates had left a massive hole in the side and it became apparent that the pirates had deployed a small but lethal strike team into it...no doubt they had figured out that it was the main command node for the entire fleet and they were after it.

It began to activate it's internal defences and deemed now would be the right time to spring the three new Gundams into battle…plus the reserve forces it had on combat stand-by just for this occasion.

--

The pirate strike team were in shocked awe as they made their way through the bowels of the Harvester battle-ship. It was unknown as to why the Harvesters had covered the internals of their ship with pseudo-organic alloy, but it certainly scored points in the psychological shock factor. They all felt like they were in the body of a huge monster, and they were like bacteria to the Harvesters.

But they wasted no time on it since if they were bacteria…they were about of give this Harvester monster a serious stomach problem.

Out of nowhere came barrages of weapons fire some sections of the wall in random but lethal intervals. Apparently the ship had internal defences, but the pirates moved it up a notch and were able to avoid the weapons fire. They tracked the signal marker to the exact location as to where the CPU node of the Harvester ship was located. Once the got there they were awe as the inner hanger of the Harvester battle-ship resembled a humongous stomach and they realized just how easily the Nirvana clone and the Behemoth Gundam were stored in the ship they were in now.

Kyo then separated his Gundam and the ATCISS and then merged with Dita Dread to form their GunDread, while Pyoro used it's gravity filed generator to reach the target.

"Wow! I'm floating!" Pyoro said with glee…naturally that irritated the tense Gundam pilot.

"Need I remind you Pyoro, that we are literally in the enemy's guts and there's no telling just how long we have before they respond and blow us up to kingdom come?! So if you don't plan on winding up as floating junk in this behemoth's belly, quit playing around and get to work!!" Kyo said with gritted teeth.

"Fine, I'm sorry…give me a few minutes to find the right access port." The Navi-bot replied calmly as it moved to where the walls were and a possible access port. When others would say such things, the robot would sassily ignore them and retort, but with the Ultimate Coordinator Kyo, the robot knew better than to get on the guy's nerves with it's antics.

"How long will it be before they find out we're in here?" Dita asked as she scanned the area for the Harvesters' units.

As if in answer to the redhead's question, out from several areas of the ship came some Cube Fighters, and some GunDread clones, each of Meia's, Dita's, and Jura's GunDread forms…all of them ready to fight.

Barnette glared at Dita disapprovingly. "You just had to ask, didn't you?!"

"Sorry Barnette!" Dita said with an apologetic tone.

As the enemy forces came closer, Kyo checked himself and their GunDread. He then spoke to Pyoro.

"This place is about to get really crowded, you'd better hustle it!"

"I'm working on it!"

--

The Nirvana…

"We've got word that the insertion team has entered the Harvester command ship and is now locating the access port needed to download the virus." Misty announced as she kept track of the rest of Kyo's team via audio/radio/and visual connections.

"Seems that the Harvesters have given them some company too, I'm picking up multiple contacts from the Harvesters coming in."

The rest of the bridge crew were silent as they waited for the success…or failure of the commando team they had deployed.

--

Inside the Harvester command ship…

"Damn! I don't have time for you birdy!"

Kyo shouted as he grabbed the wing of a GunDread Meia clone that had been annoying both him and Dita with constant attacks. The GunDread clone tried desperately to break free…but Kyo was in no mood to let it got without a farewell gift. The GunDread clone was brought even closer and the original GunDread Dita slammed it's blade armed right fore-arm and shattered it's head like a rotten melon. The two pilots then tossed the headless metallic carcass of the slain clone into a mess of Cube Fighters, and fired their cannons the second those locked into their shoulders. The blast caught several of the Cube Fighters and turned them into junk and ripped the arm off one GunDread Dita clone.

The two began blasting at every clone GunDread they could see to protect the little, Navi-bot until it did it's job.

Pyoro used a small laser in it's forearms to cut through pseudo-organic tissues and finally uncovered the circuits inside. He then began looking for the access port he needed to upload the message pod in and release the virus. The virus would then be uploaded to all of the Harvester ship's systems and in theory disable the entire fleet of the Harvesters they same way it nearly did the Nirvana a month and a half ago.

--

"Damn! They certainly are getting more determined. Hey Pyoro…is there a waiting period on what you're doing?! This place is getting very messy!"

Kyo asked he and Dita used one of their cannon s that melded with the arm to slash off the arm of the clone of their GunDread and slammed the weapon right in the chest and blasted the thing into nothing be recyclable junk. They then blasted more GunDread clones and Cube Fighters with the aid of Barnette and Meia, along with Liberty which quickly fused with GunDread Dita to activate Alpha mode. Outside, the rest of the commando team held the lines… the Vanguards had maxed out their stores of fuel and munitions and so did the Dreads…since the hole Kyo had made would be their only way out of this place.

"I'd like to see you get out of your Gundam and try doing this!" Pyoro retorted as it worked even faster…he then gave a happy chirp as he found what he was looking for.

"Hah! Found it, now for the hard part."

The robot said as it locked in the pod and began uploading the virus.

At this point the Harvesters realized that the little Navi-bot was the reason the pirates were not going to leave anytime soon and whatever the robot was planning to do would be a danger to the ship. So it made sense that one GunDread clone of GunDread Jura was going in at full throttle and got past Kyo and Dita, and Meia and Barnette were too far away to respond since they too were occupied by several clones. It almost appeared that the little machine would be reduced to junk as the machine closed in…and Kyo couldn't fire the GunDread's cannons since he might hit Pyoro.

But just as the enemy began to arm up and fire, another fighter came into the mix as a scarlet streak appeared and fired a massive barrage of laser bolts. The unexpected attack stopped the GunDread clone cold, allowing GunDread Dita Alpha to grab it and send it slamming into two more clones one of their un-enhanced GunDread and that of Meia's GunDread. They then unloaded their arsenals and reduced all three into worthless junk and leaving quite the mess on the wall as massive gaps and explosions covered the area, and even more so as some Cube Fighters got peppered hard.

--

"I hope I'm not too late? I hate to make it to a party that's already halfway through!" Jura said happily as she got her Dread into defensive position with the others.

Jus then her communications came to life as Duero and max both appeared. "Don't forget Jura the pain-killers we gave you are NOT permanent, along with the stimulants, you still haven't recovered properly. You better come back alive, or Kyo will skin both of us."

The blonde nodded and thanked the two physicians. It had taken her a load of cajoling and pleading to both the physicians and to the commander and captain to let her go out and fight.

--

The Nirvana…

"Oh no! Captain, the Nirvana clone and the Behemoth Gundam are breaking through the lines and heading to where the insertion team is at!" Ezra reported as they saw the two behemoths in question break past their own forces and make for the hole that the Gundam had made.

--

Pyoro then gave a cheer as he finished the last of the connections and activated the uploading command in the message pod. Considering the size of the ship the time for proper activation would be around twelve minutes tops for the virus to do it's work and destroy the main computer permanently. Hopefully by that time the insertion squad can hold out. But that was going to be something else as the room began to buckle and tremble as massive tearing sounds were heard all over the place.

It was also when the CPU of the Harvester ship gave the go signal as three pairs og eyes glowed in the darkness away from the fighting and three forms began to move and appear.

--

"Commander! We can't stop them!"

Kyo got the message and spotted from the entrance as the Behemoth Gundam and the Nirvana clone came through the enlarged hole that they came from. Both were like eager men who were hungry and spotted a feast. But the Gundam pilot was in no mood to be in anybody's guts.

Before they all could react in time the giant's chest glowed once more as it fired the same red sphere at the enhanced GunDread Dita…which quickly blocked using it's cannons as shields. Kyo gave a scream of pain as the cannons barely held back the blast and he, his Gundam, and Liberty were forced back and apart from Dita's Dread. The redhead's fighter was badly hit and was sent to the far side of the room, with severe damage and with reduced functionality. She was still alive but that would be of no comfort to her as her Dread could not move to aid Kyo.

"Dita! Hang on!"

Meia rocketed towards her stricken comrade, but the Behemoth Gundam spotted her and unleashed it's cannons, sending a massive barrage of weapons fire. Meia spotted that and managed to avoid most of the attack but was hit in the engine and one of her main stabilizers just blown to pieces…the damage didn't make the Dread explode but rendered it inoperable. She tried to control her Dread as best she could but ended up floating right next to her comrade's own wrecked Dread.

"DITA! MEIA!" Kyo called out as he spotted them floating in the far away area. He was thankful they were alive…but he was not sure if that would remain a possibility if the two behemoths attacked. He then headed for Jura's Dread along with Liberty, since the GunDread Jura Alpha's shield would be their only chance though he wondered even more if it could hold.

But before he could reach Jura who also knew that they had to combine, another set of beam fire came out of nowhere, stopping him cold and hitting the Dread near the engines, and a large beam edged weapon came out of nowhere and slammed into Jura's Dread. It struck the blonde's fighter at the front shearing of one of the pincer like front parts, sending the Dread flying aside and near the rest of her comrades.

"Jura!" Barnette screamed as she frantically used her sensors to check on her comrades. She was relieved to see that all three women were alive and well for the moment.

--

Kyo righted his I-Freedom Gundam as he then began scanning around for the source of the sudden attack. He spotted the triple pronged beam spear embedded in the nearby wall connected by a beam line.

(No way could that have come from either the Behemoth Gundam nor that Nirvana clone! So where?!)

In that same instant the weapon was pulled back and retracted to a spot near the wall that opened up and out came from the shadows a figure that had some similarities to a Gundam's frame.

(A Dominion Gundam model? No…the shape doesn't match…is it a new Gundam of Earth?)

The guess was correct as the frame looked somewhat less of the Dominion. It had bat like wings behind it and in the right had was it's beam edged wing spear. On the left arm appeared to be a pair of concealed gatling cannons. The Gundam was in deep red and black, and near it's back was what appeared to be claws. It also appeared to have a pair of short heat whip spears in the shoulder pods, and a beam cannon in it's head.

It too had Phase Shift due to the energy emissions coming from the surface of it's armour.

Kyo didn't realize it…but he was staring at the Earth's latest Gundam model…the Wyvern (2)

--

The Nirvana crew were in shock as they viewed the arrival of the latest model of Gundam units in the Harvester's arsenals. The image of the Wyvern Gundam was now being relayed to them via Barnette's Dread.

"The Harvesters have a new Gundam model?" Buzam gasped as she looked at the Gundam that was now facing Kyo and I-Freedom.

"This one seems to be totally on the side of Earth." Amarone answered as she scanned the Wyvern Gundam.

"Well it's not the only one! I'm picking up two more transponder signatures that are both Mobile Suits and have the Harvester signatures on them!" Celtic warned as she detected the said signatures.

--

Kyo shook his head in disbelief as two more Gundam shapes appeared out of nowhere to flank the new Gundam of the Harvesters…and they looked to be just as lethal as their companion…

The second Gundam which was bigger in size, was decked in deep blue-green colours. areas of orange and red on them, like the new Gundam that first appeared this one had the signs of having Phase Shift Armour.

It had a full array of ranged weaponry…on the shoulders were massive beam cannons, there were two chest installed heavy energy cannons, there seemed to be missile pods and what appeared to be folded cannons similar to that of his Gundam collapsible rail-guns, plus it carried what appeared to be a massive bazooka, it was armed with head installed machine guns and even it's mouth appeared to have a beam cannon. Even it's shield appeared to have a set of weapons, namely a pair of gatling gins and what appeared to be an energy shield emitter.

Kyo now faced the Devastator Gundam…(3)

The last Gundam was decked in black, and dark green. It was slim and very fast in terms of appearance. Like it's two companions…it too was armed with Phase Shift Armour.

It was armed with gun pods on the forearms, along with a set of beam guns in the hips, and there was some sort of weapons pack that made it look like a demon…with two massive shield like appendages that had spear-like protrusions on the shields…along with what appeared to be magnetic rails on the inner area of the weapons pack. In it's hands was a massive anti-ship/anti-Mobile Suit scythe…giving this Gundam the look of a spectre of Death.

Kyo at last gazed at the final weapon of the Harvesters…the Hell-Fire Gundam (4)

Kyo wasted no time as all three new Gundams and the Behemoth began to strike at him and his Gundam.

--

The three Dreads…

"Mr. Alien!!" Dita cried in horror and fear as she and the others watched as Kyo and his Gundam Infinite Freedom was attacked on all four sides. She then called up Meia and Jura in the communicators.

"We've got to do something for Mr. Alien!! He's in real danger!!"

Meia sadly shook her head as she tried desperately to reactivate her own Dread. ":No good, the Behemoth took out my Dread's stabilizers and one of my main thrusters has been totally destroyed. My Dread's nothing but a floating mass of metal and parts now!"

Jura also shook her head sadly. "The same here… My beautiful Dread's now worthless as a weapon! No matter how I don't want to say it…but Kyo's on his own."

Dita tried desperately to power up her Dread…for a second the fighter came to life and made it by a few feet…but then it powered down and gave out. All three Paeksis powered Dreads were now worthless.

As it floated in the bowels of the Earth battle-ship, the Navi-robot was waiting to be picked up by Barnette's Dread.

"I hope Kyo can hold on until the virus kicks in!"

--

Kyo wasn't technically alone as Barnette and the Liberty unit continued to pour weapons fire to support the Gundam…but they were held back by none other than Nirvana clone. Under the combat directives in it's CPU it would make sure that no one would interfere as the new Gundams will finally destroy the I-Freedom as per the orders of the creators. The technicians of the Harvest finally want to see the end of the I-Freedom's power by the hands of their new weapons.

--

"Crap!"

Kyo shouted as he guided I-Freedom away from an incoming stab from the Wyvern's beam spear, but barely blocked an incoming strike from the Hell-Fire's heavy scythe. He jetted away, and was about to retaliate but had to use his Gundam's crystal wings to block a massive barrage from the Behemoth Gundam's cannons. Once eh cleared the blast he dodged another swipe, but was suddenly shocked as massive super heated green flame came out of nowhere…following the swing of the Hell-Fire's massive scythe.

Apparently the Gundam had special plasma gas containers in the scythe's blade holder, which released the gases and there was an ignition device that made the gas explode and ignite, creating a fire-storm of super heated plasma that could melt apart ship armour…the weapon would not only slice off a part of the target, but the super heated plasma gas that ignited would severely melt the target, adding even more damage to the enemy.

The I-Freedom jetted away and had to avoid a massive barrage from the Devastator Gundam that wasted little time trying to blow to pieces the vaunted Gundam of the pirates. It fired it's beam cannons on the shoulders, then the ones in the chest and the next in the mouth. As Kyo dodged the attack, the hip mounted guns came to life and fired out some solid projectiles that looked like grenades…and they were too…

The explosions were avoided, but they worked like fragmentation grenades (Frag Grenades to any Counter-Strike or FPS game buffs reading this part) as they released high explosive impact needles. The I-Freedom's Prominence Phase Shift Armour held tough, but that certainly didn't make things easy as Kyo barely dodged and incoming wave of beam bolts from the Devastator's shield.

Kyo charged at fought back, making the Devastator use it's shield's beam emitter as Kyo took out his Gundam's anti ship sword. He had to stop the attack as the Wyvern showed why it had the name. It turned into a dragon-like machine and charged…it's wings suddenly releasing beam emitters that created blades on the wings' front. T apparently tried to do what Barnette had done on her Dominion opponent with the wing of her SwitchBlade Gundam…and this time it was cut the I-Freedom in half!

Kyo evaded, but the transformed Wyvern suddenly turned around the fired it's heat whips, grabbing his Gundam by the leg and the left arm. It then aimed it's tail at him, with the tip being the beam spear, the weapon was poised like a scorpion's tail…ready to skewer him…

"Oh no you don't!"

Kyo shouted as he quickly slashed off the nearest heat whip, namely the one holding his Gundam's leg. The Wyvern had to retreat and release him, Kyo intended to finish the new Gundam but it's partner the Hell-Fire unleashed another slash and this time when Kyo dodged it, his Gundam was hit by a barrage of bullets right in the chest and abdomen.

As he righted his Gundam he gave a growl as all four Gundams decided to strike en-masse to finish him off. He blocked a blow from Hell-Fire's scythe, but got hit by another batch of exploding needles from the grenade launcher of the Devastator. He then had to dodge multiple beam bolts from both Gundams as they tried to blow him to pieces. He was about to retaliate but once more had to dodge and use his Gundam's wings to block another barrage of weapons fire from the Behemoth Gundam. When he tried to recover he got hit by the long length of the Wyvern's beam spear it suddenly appeared beside him. He blow sent him flying into the direction of a wall.

"DAMN!!"

--

"MR. ALIEN!! YOU BAD ALIENS!! LEAVE HIM ALONE!!"

"KYO!! PLEASE DON'T LOSE!!"

"STOP IT YOU BASTARDS!!"

--

In the Nirvana…

As if sensing the desperation of both Kyo and the girls who were close to him…and were those it had welcomed into it's depths, the Paeksis began to glow with great intensity, almost like a mother…ready to protect her children. The crystal then began to make sudden changes on the Nirvana…as it began to access a certain head engineer's computer files.

Parfet was suddenly surprised as she detected that some of her data files were being hacked into.

"What the heck?!" She watched as files were being converted into pure energy…namely that of the data schematics of a certain Gundam. She had been able to download massive portion of Kyo's Gundam design specs, before when it was still the Freedom Gundam, and now when it became the I-Freedom, she also had been using the design specs for experimental ideas on a project she planned to do on her free time…it seemed that the Paeksis had determined them to be useful.

She then realized that it was the Paeksis that was doing the down-loading…she then looked at the crystal reactor.

"What are you doing now Paeksis?"

--

The bridge…

Magno, BC and the others watched in horror as the I-Freedom was being hit on all sides by the four Gundams. They wished that thy could do something…anything.

That was when all the bridge crew saw their system being hack…

"What the heck is going on?!" Buzam asked as she spotted the Nirvana suddenly begin to act on it's own.

"Parfet! What is the Paeksis doing this time?!" Magno called into the Engineering Bay as she and the others were stunned as the Nirvana once more became alive.

"I don't know!" Parfet reported from the Engineering Bay. "The Paeksis is also downloading ALL my files on the Freedom Gundam before and after it became the I-Freedom! It's converting the data into pure energy!"

"What?!" The bridge crew were stunned as the Paeksis was once more acting alive. That was when they got a surprise from Bart in the Navigation Well.

"Captain! The Nirvana's taken command of the guns from me!! It's changed it's targeting coordinates to these…give me a moment to figure them out…" Bart had taken a lot more training so as to be more effective in using the cannons. "What the?! That can't be right?!"

"Where are the cannons aiming at Bart?" Buzam asked the navigator, not liking the sound of his shock and panic.

"It's aimed…right at where Dita, Meia, Jura, and Kyo are at!?"

"WHAT?!"

They could do nothing but watch as they had tried to override the cannons but nothing could be done as energy began to make it's way into the cannons. They thought that something had gone horribly wrong and they were about to kill their own comrades when Parfet noted something.

"Hold on! The energy being fed into the cannons…matches the energy patterns of my converted data files!! The Paeksis isn't going to destroy either the Dreads or Kyo's Gundam…but is actually going to download those files into them!!"

The crew were shocked and surprised by this statement as the beams were unleashed by the Nirvana. Like the beams fired by their navigator/gunner the beams avoided hitting their forces and went deep to where the strike team were in. (5)

--

Kyo gritted his teeth as it looked like this would be the last battle as all four Gundams got ready to open fire. But he certainly wasn't going to let any harm come to the three girls behind him as he stood defiant towards the four Gundams of Earth…

The Hell-Fire, Devastator, Wyvern, and the Behemoth Gundams charged up their full weaponry intent on crushing the Nirvana's forces and wiping out of existence…

Dita, Meia, and Jura braced for the end….but they knew Kyo would defend them with his life…just as each of them would fight to protect him. If they were all going to fall, they would fall together as friends…and with him.

Kyo suddenly felt something…the same presence he felt in his Gundam when he went into SEED mode alongside his Gundam. It was telling him that tings would be all right, for him and his comrades.

Unknown to the three Dread pilots…their Paeksis enhanced Dreads had crystal power cores, explaining the power and strength of their Dreads…and as if in anticipation those cores were beginning to resonate with power.

On top of each Dread came a small crystal piece…like a jewel…

--

The four Gundams open fired, unleashing a powerful wave of destruction right at them…but going a full distance ahead were the beams fired by the Nirvana…aiming right at the jewels.

--

"NO!!" Barnette cried as she watched the event that would spell the death of all her friends and their bid to stop the Harvesters from winning…

--

At that very instant… the beams fired by the Nirvana struck the I-Freedom, and the three Dreads…suddenly they all were surrounded by a nimbus of light.

--

The firepower of the four Earth Gundams struck like a tsunami, engulfing the four machines in an explosive display of pure destructive energy. The four machines seemed to vanish and it appeared that this was truly the end…

Or was it?

--

Inside their Dreads each girl closed their eyes…expecting the end…but instead of blinding light and pain unbearable…they felt a calming breeze surround them…and they opened their eyes…

They each were in a black world…and in that moment each of them were bombarded by memories of their past lives…some were good, others were too painful for them…and then they were replaced by their respective memories of none other than Kyo.

Dita saw every scene as if she watched a movie of her times with Mr. Alien…the good times, the bad times…and even the intimate times, which made the redhead blush as she recalled them…namely when she now saw herself locking lips with Kyo

Meia likewise saw her times with Kyo, from their hostile meetings, to their days learning to respect and trust one another, their growing friendship…and the times they were getting closer, despite her denials…she once more blushed as she saw herself in the dress and Kyo's adoring stare at her.

Jura saw her own times with Kyo, from the times she tried to get him to merge his Gundam with her Dread, the times she was sad…and when he kissed her on Anpathos, the times she tried to seduce him, plus the time they nearly had…sex. And recently their own private moment in the Medical Bay. Jura smiled and blushed as she recalled that.

A voice then called to them…a female voice…

"Not by will alone…or by strength alone…can you protect someone or something you care about. But by what you want the most and with…the right sword can you gain and protect that person or reason…"

They each Kyo nearby…waiting for her, he turned and smiled at her…waiting…

"Are you ready to take that sword and protect that one thing you want the most?"

All three girls nodded and answered the voice.

"YES!"

--

Kyo was in awe as his Gundam was protected once more as massive amounts of energy flooded the systems of his Gundam. But he wondered how good would it be if his friends…and loved ones died while he lived.

That was when the presence told him that Dita, Meia, and Jura were not dead but were just…getting their swords.

(What the heck does that mean?!)

He turned and spotted something…amazing…

The three Dreads were wrapped in a crystal cocoon that glowed like a heart. He wondered what was happening in there.

--

All three girls opened their eyes…eyes that showed that they were in SEED mode. They saw that their Dreads had not been destroyed…but appeared to be in some crystal cocoon. But they saw that some things had changed…

An image projector suddenly appeared in front of the startled girls…and there was a glowing button, and they felt this urge to press it, feeling no malice near them…they did.

The projector began showing a OS system, it was moving a great rate…but the girls could understand it. The OS was running tests on their Dreads CPU, and to their own natural reflexes and skills. Weapons equipment options were displayed. Power networks and distribution protocols were also shown. Data drive use and information transfers were also being done at an amazing pace…

Each Dread pilot suddenly saw the image of their ship the Nirvana being displayed in a menu….filled with green light markers…and there was a title…and below it were six words:

MOBILE SUIT NEO OPERATION SYSTEM

Generation  
Unsubdued  
Nuclear  
Drive  
Assault  
Module

All systems updated and green-lighted

--

The four Gundams were shocked as they watched the unbelievable…the I-Freedom had survived their concerted barrage where normal units would have been turned into nothing but atoms! They got ready to defend themselves as their sensors were nearly overwhelmed by the power readouts from the I-Freedom! But they were also stopped cold as they detected massive power centres coming from the three cocoons behind the I-Freedom!

Kyo grinned as he got ready to fight, and then he felt something behind him as he turned…and saw the cocoons begin to break apart…and out came three forms and when the light began fade…he saw the impossible.

"I don't believe it!"

--

"Amazing!!" Barnette said as she too was in awe at the sight of what had come out of the cocoons…

--

When the light cleared from the three forms completely…the three girls were in awe as they looked at what their Dreads had become!!

Dita's transformed Dread was still in it's normal colour scheme of blue and green…but instead of the bulky GunDread of the past… it now resembled Kyo's I-Freedom! It didn't have the wings or the feathers, but had thrusters binders behind it with wings on it. The hips had collapsed cannons like Kyo's I-Freedom, there was a cannon in the abdomen and it appeared to have a pair of it's own beam sabers as well! There were two rifles behind it and there appeared to be energy condensers and formers on the forearms. And the head was totally similar to the of Kyo's own Gundam! And she noted that her new mecha now had the same armour system of Kyo's Gundam and that being Prominence Phase Shift! (1A)

Jura was in awe has her Dread took on the form it had as a second form when Kyo fused his Gundam with her Dread when they faced off with that hydra unit of the Harvesters over Anpathos! And this one has sleek feminine curves in selected areas…much like her GunDread Alpha form…including the same hair at the back of the head! On her new mecha's left and right forearms were diamond-like shields with green crystal as the centre. The energy emitters that formed her GunDread's shield were scattered in strategic parts of her body. The pincers of her Dread were now behind her and had handles, giving them the looks of massive anti-ship swords in the form of scimitars. There appeared to be powerful thrusters in her new mecha's back and legs. And like before her new mecha's armour colour scheme was still red. And she too could tell that her new mecha had the same Prominence Phase Shift as Kyo's Gundam! (2B)

Meia was also in awe as her new mecha was the same in form as Jura's but had her wings like that of an angel! The head do of her new mecha was the same as Kyo's own Mobile Suit. Her mecha was deep silver, gun-metal grey and with blue eye-lights. Her new mecha was sleek and powerful designed for speed and manoeuvrability…juts like her GunDread was. There appeared to be some of her Dread's old weapons and some very powerful looking new ones as well! There were some weapon pods on the underside of her mecha's forearms…and a beam rifle on the back of her machine's shoulder in easy reach. There were also collectors on the chest and front of the hands of her new mecha, plus some cylinders that looked like handles for swords. And like her other comrades' new machines her mecha too was armed with Prominence Phase Shift! (3C)

The three girls now realized that they were not going to pilot Dreads on this fight since their Dreads had now become…Gundams!!

Kyo shook his head and smirked…The playing field had just been changed…BIG TIME!!

To be continued…

Author's notes:

Hi, I know this was supposed to be posted on Monday next week, but since I'm back to school and there's a food festival I might not be able to have enough time to update as often, so I'll post this now and update in ever chance I get.

Sappy, very sappy and dramatic, I know…but come on, at least Kyo's honest about it. Not to mention a lot of male heroes grief also when they find out the ones they care about, whether they acknowledge that they care a great deal for the person in question or not is their decision, namely their love interests are hurt…so Kyo's not that isolated, plus it makes him more like his dad, remember how Kira cried in Gundam SEED when he watched others die, and he felt that he did nothing to save them?

I know there are some guys who scorn others who cry, but at least those guys are honest about how they feel about something, instead of hiding it and letting it become even worse.

Well that officially finishes this chapter! Things are going to be rather interesting now that the three Dreads have become Gundams! But don't think that's the only surprise I'll be pulling out from my hat!

That also means that don't think that the Super GunDread idea is out of the can either! I've got some special (and I mean special) ideas for that part of the story!

I'm going to enjoy my town's food festival so I won't make a new chapter until the end of the festival and my rest break at the beach. That means there will be a new chapter for next week only. Catch you later!

Stay tuned for the next chapter!

I need reviews and comments, constructive critiques, and suggestions so to make the story worth-while, so send them to me. Flames on the other hand shall be kicked out of here faster than a football in a soccer game.

(1) Remember the scene in Gundam SEED Destiny when Kira gets the Strike Freedom after losing the first Freedom in a duel with Shinn…and he defeats 25 ZAKU and GOUF units…and when he takes out four Nazca class vessels using his rail-guns and the Dragoon beam cannons, leaving the crew alive in each ship, and leaving the ships dead in space? Well…you can guess the inspiration for the scene.

(2) Based on the Earth Alliance's second generation G-Weapon, the Raider Gundam

(3) Based on the Earth Alliance's second generation G-Weapon, the Calamity Gundam.

(4)Based on the Earth Alliance's second generation G-Weapon, the Forbidden Gundam.

(5) This was based on the remote charging system in Gundam SEED Destiny, which is the Deuterion Beam Energy Transfer System or D.B.E.T.S utilized by the Saviour, Impulse, Gaia, Chaos, and Abyss Gundams to remote charge while in the battle-field.

However this version is used to transfer data of the Gundam design specs Parfet had taken and allowed the Paeksis cores in the Dreads to reformat and remodel the Dreads into Gundams…but sadly this is only once in the story as it is a one shot deal… you will never see this again in the other chapters to come.

Now let us see where the designs for Dita, Meia, and Jura's newly constructed Gundams were based upon?

(1A) Based on…none other than Kira's new Gundam in Gundam SEED Destiny! The X20A Strike Freedom! Looks like she's going to really love her new closeness with Kira's son now isn't she?

(2B) Still the same design as that of the Sword Impulse, but with a greater set of surprise weapons and some of the lethal sexiness of the GunDread Alpha form…Jura is going to love them!!

(3C) Based closely on none other than the X10A Freedom Gundam piloted by both Kira and Kyo in the story! And it too will have some rather interesting weapons to go with it.


	16. Chapter 16

GunDread SEED- The Second Stage

Disclaimer: Let me guess…disclaimer? Okay. I herby state I have no ownership in the mentioned shows…which are Gundam SEED and VanDread… I hope that clears it up.

Chapter 6

Part 4

Beginning of the journey…

--

"What's going on in there?!" Magno asked as the bridge crew tried to re-establish communications with the insertion team. They had seen the beams they had 'fired' hit the Dreads and the Infinite-Freedom Gundam…just before they were engulfed by the combined assault of all the Earth's Gundams.

They had no idea what had just happened and assumed anything except the worst case scenario.

--

In the bowels of the Harvester battle-ship…

The whole battle-field was frozen in time…in literal terms as on one side were the new Gundams of Earth…The Devastator, Hell-Fire, Wyvern, and the Behemoth Gundams… and on the other was the I-Freedom Gundam piloted by the young Ultimate Coordinator Kyo who flew on the side of the Nirvana pirates…and the Dreads turned Gundams of the three young women, Dita Liebely, Meia Gisborn, and Jura Basil Elden…all three pirates of the same ship…and people who were very dear to the still amnesia affected Gundam pilot.

Barnette and Pyoro were in awe at the sight…

Kyo was in awe as well as he looked at the transformed Dreads of the three women…wondering how did this happen. But he quickly put that aside as he realized they were still in the fight with the Earth Gundams.

The three women on the other hand were in awe at the changes of their machines…

Dita was in awe as she looked at the still unchanged cockpit of her new Gundam. She felt as if despite her Dread becoming a Mobile Suit it still felt the same as before when she first boarded her Dread when it was made for her in the factory of the pirate base. Like the blue-jay she had as a little girl back on Megele, she dotted on it and despite her lack of some of the finer points in advanced Dread maintenance, she too good care of her fighter. She took even greater care when it was now able to fuse with Kyo's Gundam and tried to do her best in learning the finer points in repairing her Dread. The comfort was still there and she felt safe as if it was the same as when Kyo would fuse his Gundam with her Dread, and he would be beside her. It was as if her Mr. Alien had given a part of himself to her, to watch over her and protect her as she ran her hands on the controls

Meia was relieved as the cockpit still retained the spacious design of her Dread. Despite her best efforts to surpass her still existing claustrophobia, it still plagued her though at a slightly lesser degree due to her making peace with her family and her past, plus her desire to help Kyo in the many battles they would no doubt face together. She too had supervised the construction of her Dread and its design before it was affected by the Paeksis. She, despite her business like attitude admired the design of her speedy Dread and for a moment wasn't totally happy with the changes the Paeksis had done before, but was thankful for the immense tactical edge it gave in speed, manoeuvrability and response to the tightest of battles. And she was happy for the power it had when it fused with Kyo's Gundam. She felt as if even though he wasn't physically there with her…he was with her no matter what.

Jura likewise as her fellow pilots was in awe at the changes to her beloved Dread. Like her fellow pirates she too had taken a deep interest in the construction of her Dread. Red being one of her favorite colours was the reason her Dread was designed as such. She ran her hands on the cockpit for a few seconds to feel if there had been some serious changes to the systems and was happy not to find too many that would be too hard for her to use. She too felt as if Kyo was right with her and all around her in her new machine. It felt the same when he himself was in the cockpit in their GunDread and it comforted Jura in some way.

The four Gundams of Earth were still stunned beyond belief; their CPUs trying to determine the reasons for this sudden change…there were now FOUR Paeksis powered Gundams in the side of the pirates?! How did this happen?!

The Behemoth however wasted no time and aimed its full arsenals at the converted Dreads. They were still vulnerable and their pilots were still not as talented as the Gundam pilot of the Infinite-Freedom. Despite the records of the three women having gained considerable experience in fighting with Mobile Suits…those were only from the Vanguards of the all male planet of Talark…a Gundam with it's design and power, plus it's unique systems however were different in a great degree of aspects.

Kyo spotted the incoming Gundam and realized it was going to unleash its full arsenal on the three women.

"ALL OF YOU!! MOVE!!"

The gigantic Gundam of the Earth reverted to it's combat mode and unleashed a massive barrage of weapons fire at the four Gundams, but the full force of the hits were aimed at the new Mobile Suits…take them out, and their side would still have the edge over the pirates.

As it fired its beam weapons, Kyo spotted the attacks and quickly aimed to protect the three women and their Gundams, using his own Mobile Suit as a shield. The Infinite-Freedom used both wings to shield itself and the three other Gundams behind it. The explosion of energy waves was great and light seemed to engulf the Gundam that used its own form to protect its companion machines.

The Behemoth wasted no time and fired another barrage. Despite the immense protection afforded by the I-Freedom's crystal feathers against beam and ballistic attacks…it couldn't survive a concerted barrage all at once.

However the beam fire was bulging and moving…towards the Gundam of Earth! As it halted its beam fire in shock, it quickly reverted to its normal mode and activated it's deflectors on the forearms…

Just in time as the I-Freedom appeared from the rapidly dissipating energy…its wings opening up…to reveal it holding both beam sabers in a descending cross slash!

"TAKE THIS!!" Kyo shouted as he was once more in Seed mode…

The smaller Gundam slammed both beam sabers right into the left forearm's deflector shield…and went full throttle. The Gundam may not have the mass….but it certainly had more than enough power to rocket it and its far larger opponent out through the hole the Nirvana clone had enlarged.

This left Dita, Jura, and Meia in their now converted Dreads/Gundams to face off with the three other Gundams of Earth.

--

The Nirvana…

"I'm picking up a massive amount of energy coming out from the insertion point!"

Celtic never got the chance to identify it as they watched the form of the Behemoth suddenly appear out of the hole…scattering the combined numbers of units in the area…the Dreads and Vanguards of their teams and the forces of the Harvesters.

--

The Behemoth Gundam's CPU was very desperate to rate how much power the Gundam it was fighting with was radiating…it certainly was that of the Paeksis…but far stronger than it had emitted in the previous battle.

It managed to finally over-power the Gundam and send it flying back. It wasted little time and fired its finger cannons…intent on crushing its deadly adversary in one fell swoop. The I-Freedom however didn't stand idle…it suddenly dodged the incoming beams amazingly fast, and fired its rail-guns at full forces. The shots slammed into the Behemoth Gundam, causing some damage…it them charged at full power its beam sabers prepared to slash into the gigantic Mobile Suit.

The Behemoth dodged, but not before getting slashed in the mid-section by the beam sabers. The Paeksis enhanced Gundam jetted away and while upside down activated its plasma cannons and rail-guns, firing a concerted barrage at the Behemoth that it managed to deflect.

The I-Freedom righted itself and now faced off with its gigantic counterpart…just like the biblical David faced Goliath in the field of battle

--

In the bowels of the Harvester battleship the three Gundams of Earth decided to deploy a few GunDread clones in reserve to hold off the new Gundams in order for them to determine the strength and combat capacity of the new Gundam pilots, plus their CPU's were armed with a virus filter that allowed them to function even as the virus began snaking it's way throughout the fleet.

They had files on the Dread pilots. While the silver Gundam's pilot was by far the most talented of the pilots with Dread combat and served at the capacity of the commander of all the pirates' Dread squadrons, she was reported to be deficient in Mobile Suit warfare and would be a good first target. The red Gundam's pilot was considered to be mid-tier in combat level with Dreads and was the supporting leader, though she had little leadership experience as the records of their forces' asteroid ambush nearly a year ago could attest to it…but they also said that she had some considerable skills with a Mobile Suit. The blue Gundam's pilot was in comparison the weakest of the pilots in terms of flying her Dread, but her skills in piloting a Mobile Suit were somewhat better than her leader's.

Unfortunately for Meia, Dita, and Jura, their opponents had been designed by some of the foremost designers of Earth using the ancient designs of Gundam units and upgrading them very quickly. Not to mention the facts that... they had no experience with a Gundam…and they have not yet faced a Gundam opponent in single combat. The only good news was that the Nirvana clone was being affected by the virus and wasn't attacking them…however that didn't make things any easier for the three women.

"WHOA!! HOW DO I FLY THIS?!" Dita yelped as her Gundam rocketed around like a dragonfly pumped with a mix of steroids, stimulants, and adrenaline boosters. Despite the engines being the same as her Dread's, her new Gundam's engines were far greater in power and thrust. Though the cockpit was the same as her Dread's the controls were altered to suit that of a Mobile Suit. The redhead was used to her Dread flying with just a touch of the control spheres, but with the alterations to the systems, what she had taken as an easy course had just been placed upside down and she was at a loss how to manoeuvre her new mecha properly. Plus there were two extra problems…this was the first time she had fought in space with a Gundam instead of a Dread…and even if she had prior combat experience with Mobile Suits…it was with a Vanguard, not anything as complex as a Gundam.

The good thing that came out of the flying she was in was the fact that coupled with it and the Gundam's powerful thrust rate made it hard to hit the novice Gundam pilot. The combine forces found it hard to hit her and she jetted about and they even had hit each other when she streaked past them. Dita however panicked as she was about to slam into a clone of GunDread Jura which intended to slam into her, and her Gundam threat sensors warned her of the clone of her GunDread preparing to fire once more.

"AAAAHHHH!!" Dita touched the spheres of her cockpit and much to her shock the Gundam she flew halted in mid flight and suddenly rocketed upwards…this made the GunDread clone of Jura take the full blast and exploded like a rotten melon.

Dita then tried to recall the lessons she had taken with flying her Vanguard and hoped that those would apply. She touched the spheres once more and carefully made the gestures on them. To her relief, the Gundam responded and she was able to turn and move accordingly her Gundam as she would have her Vanguard back on the two missions that required her to learn how to do so in the first place, as she now got back into the fight, but she knew that she had to be careful. She then aimed at the nest of GunDread clones which also engaged Jura and Meia.

"HANG ON! HERE I COME!"

--

Jura was busy as she too found out that the best way to operate her new mecha was to convert her understanding of Dread manipulation controls to that of the Vanguard. It took her a while longer than Dita did since she was so used to Dreads and had only been in a Vanguard twice in her career. She had hoped now to forget them and get back to piloting her beloved Dread, but now she was happy she didn't unlearn those lessons as she avoided more attacks from some GunDread clones.

Meia had the same problems as her two comrades. But in her case she had little training and field experience in the art of Mobile Suit control and manipulation and that placed in a serious bind. However to off-set her deficiency in practical experience she did have the talent to learn quickly and on occasion, in very tight spots when it came to that point. That plus her desire to succeed and win in any venture made her the best pilot of the Dread fighter in the pirate group…and now it would help her well. She recalled some of the basic controls of a Vanguard and with that began to avoid the incoming barrages of weapons-fire.

However the three of them had little combat experience still with their Gundams' weaponry in deep space and had to learn quickly if they wanted to survive.

--

Meia began by accessing her weapons inventory and realized that she had some basic armaments to work with. She then guided her Gundam to take out its holstered beam rifle. The weapon was in a single version form, unlike Kyo's double beam rifle but it was a powerful add-on to any Mobile Suit as far as she herself had seen when Kyo would use his Gundam's double beam rifle in combat. She then checked out what she had for defensive options and activated her shield.

On the left forearm of her Gundam appeared a collapsible shield…totally similar to that of Kyo's own collapsible shield. That shield in question was lost when Kyo's Gundam evolved into the Infinite-Freedom, yet it was replaced by improved Prominence Phase Shift Armour, upgraded manoeuvrability, improved reaction time, and its wings could do the very same thing as a shield. In her Gundam's case, it had gained the shield for defensive purposes, and since it was collapsible, she didn't need to carry it in and out of combat.

The shield deflected several attacks from the GunDread clones, several salvos from some GunDread Dita clones were repelled by the shield and allowed Meia to, block, dodge and fire back at the fighters. It was a little harder since all she had to do was aim and shoot her Dreads cannons, but no she had to consider how to angle her Gundam for the right firing angle while on the move and aiming right. She was able to hit several targets as she went on with her in the field training. Several GunDread Dita clones were hit and had lost a few limbs, and another got shot right in the head resulting in it being destroyed. Meia then decided to use her Gundam's speed which was the same as her GunDread…and began to move at much faster pace as she learned quickly on how to use her Gundam's beam rifle on the move. She then realized that she couldn't rely on the beam rifle alone as one of the GunDread clones charged at her with it's arm blade at the ready. She blocks with the shield and has no choice but to holster the rifle. She then had to be on the defensive as the clone pounded away at her shield… but she didn't plan on being hemmed in forever.

"Damn! Take this!"

Meia blocked the next attack and then used her shield to parry the next blow and sent a powerful left hook right into the side of the clone…

CCCCCLLLLLLAAAAAAANNNNNNGGGGGGG!!

In human terms that would have been a haymaker right in the jaw, and anybody hit like that would have either a dislocated jaw or a broken one…or lose a good number of teeth from the blow. The GunDread clone was lucky to not have all three as it was send rocketing backwards from the blow. Meia then recalled some of the combat moves she learned as a child on the mean streets, and learning some Megele military martial arts as a pirate. Since she recalled some of the basic movements on the Vanguard and discovered the same principles applied to her Gundam, she took advantage of it.

Her Gundam charged and landed another punch in the clone's chest and then she connected with a side-kick using her Gundam's left leg, the power was enough to send the clone slamming into a clone of her GunDread and the second clone exploded. Meia then turned and spotted another clone charging at her with the shoulder cannon being used in the same way Kyo and Dita would use the GunDread's shoulder cannons as a sword on more than one occasion. She then recalled that she had weapons similar to Kyo's beam sabers on her Gundam's hip, she reached and pulled one out. The weapon was ornately engraved, making it look like a ceremonial handle for a sword. Meia activated it and it's energy blade came out…but it wasn't straight, but more curved and sharper…like a Japanese Katana…

Meia had no time to study her Gundam's melee weapon as she used it to block the incoming strike. The impact sent her Gundam and her opponent rocketing to the floor. As the two mecha tried to over-power each other, the clone went all out on it's thrusters, intent on running over the newly modelled silver Gundam.

Meia gritted her teeth as she struggled with her opponent. The clone also sent another punch at her and she was barely able to use her still extended shield to block the punch. They kept on at it, tearing up the floor until Meia's Gundam slammed into the wall. The clone got up and got ready to open fire once it jetted back.

Meia shook her head clear from the impact and the jarring sensation and spotted it just in time to move her Gundam out of the way and with sheer will, was able to jam her beam katana right into the gut of the clone. Meia then pulled the weapon away and jetted off the floor as her opponent exploded behind her.

--

Jura gritted her own teeth as she tried to dodge the incoming strafing runs from the clone of Meia's GunDread. Her Gundam's Prominence Phase Shift Armour took most of the hits, but the blonde still had a hard time with her Gundam as she had never fought in space with a Mobile Suit before.

She also checked her Gundam's weapon inventory and decided to use her new anti-ship swords. She took out the weapons, ignited their beam edges, and waited for it…and quickly sliced off the left wing of one GunDread Meia clone, sending the avian mecha crashing and burning into the wall. But she knew that it wasn't going to be a lucky day since she seemed to have no ranged weaponry of her own. And that worried her as two of her GunDread's clones moved in towards her. She then checked one more and found out that she did have some ranged offensive weaponry.

As the two clones closed in she jetted forward and pressed a switch in her cockpit, and on the lower parts of the diamond shaped shields came a set of gatling guns. She pressed the trigger and in conjunction with her also newly discovered shoulder mounted laser cannons; the weapons unleashed a barrage of weapons fire. The gatling guns were like rail-guns on full automatic as they blasted the GunDread clones with hyper-magnetic rounds, and the shoulder guns was firing solid plasma rounds. The weaponry caught the two clones off-guard and one got shredded to pieces, and one was able to shield itself but barely as it was badly hit before and the shield it used was not fully powered and fell to the barrage.

A GunDread Dita clone tried to blindside Jura and the blonde was barely able to activate the shield of her Gundam. The diamond-like shield first expanded and absorbed the energy and fired it right back, ripping away the GunDread clone's shoulder cannon. Jura replied by using her Gundam's anti-ship swords to slice off the arms of her opponent. As the GunDread clone tried to escape, Jura used her shoulder cannons to shred her opponent. But Jura had to put away the swords as another GunDread Meia clone struck. She then found another option to use. She pulled out two extra hidden cylinders from a compartment on the hips of her Gundam and pulled out what appeared to be beam sabers, but she checked them out and found another option with them.

Once she activated them, the beam blades expanded and became even longer and more flexible. The GunDread clone strafed at Jura's Gundam once more, and the blonde escaped and then lashed outwards to the retreating clone…that was when the reason for the beam blades expanding became clear…the long energy blades lashed out and wrapped around the legs of the GunDread Meia clone and held for a few seconds, causing the avian mecha to scream in pain. It was able to get free…but not before the energy blade ripped off it's legs.

The beam sabers of Jura's Gundam had become beam whips! (1)

Jura may not have much experience with her Gundam's beam sabers and certainly not in the new configuration…but there WAS a first time for everything. She then lashed out her second beam whip and grabbed another GunDread Dita clone and ripped away it's left leg. Then she lashed on her other beam whip and tore off the right arm. She then decided to lash away on her target, and the intensity of the beam whips' energy slashed apart portions of the GunDread clone until it exploded into sliced debris.

While the weapons in their secondary mode were something else, Jura had to revert them back to their normal beam saber mode since she was being attacked at a range where the beam whips if used could also catch her in the path of their energy waves.

Jura had one advantage over her other comrades and even Barnette, she knew how to use a sword. Having been the fencing champion in her school for nearly two years before joining up with the pirates, made the blonde VERY good in sword-play. The thin rapier she carried wasn't for the sake of beauty. It had been a gift from her fencing master who told her ohma and fahma that their daughter was by far the best when it came to using the rapier and on occasion was good with both rapier and long dagger in sparring matches.

Jura placed her past skills to bear as she crossed blades with her beam sabers with a GunDread Dita clone that tried to use it's bladed forearm like a sword, even more so when it extended the blade.

(Draw your enemy into a pattern, know how she fights, how she uses her sword…)

Jura thought about all her lessons and used them in this fight. The GunDread was given some combat training and programming but it seemed to be a pure novice when compared to the Megele woman who used swords a lot back in her high-school days.

Jura used the training to block and parry with her right beam saber. She knew that taking too long was a bad idea, but if she made a mistake and left an opening, there was no doubt in the blonde's mind the robot would take full advantage of it.

It took only a few parries and envelopes before Jura struck hard, the GunDread clone's weapon as blocked and it left an opening quickly exploited by the blonde and she slid her Gundam's beam saber right through the sections least protected by the armour plating, just like a warrior armed with a rapier would by-pass an armoured warrior's defences by aiming at weak points in the armour to hit the vulnerable sections and vital areas.

The beam saber appeared at the middle of the chest area of the GunDread, Jura then drew out her beam saber and used her other to slash off the head of the clone. The clone fell away from the blonde who went back into the fight as more enemies came at her and her comrades.

--

Dita was engaged in a duel of ranged weaponry as she took out her Gundams own double beam rifle and began trading fire with another clone of Jura's GunDread. Her weapons were not able to totally penetrate the shield, but that didn't stop the redhead from finding out what she could do to take out the bad aliens who would try and hurt her comrades and her Mr. Alien.

She had to find a way of blocking the incoming fire of the GunDread clone…and found it…

(Hmmm…I hope that whatever part Mr. Alien placed in here by his power can help me….ahh, this should do it!)

The Gundam then lifted it's left forearm and the energy collector on it's fore-arm suddenly glowed and created a large semi diamond-like energy barrier that instantly cancelled out the beam fired by the GunDread clone. The GunDread clone continued to fire but it could not break the shield.

Dita then took out her beam rifles and hit the clone when it tried desperately to break the shield with more fire. It then activated it's own shield but Dita then discovered another option and activated it. Her Gundam then combined it's beam rifles. The right beam rifle combined it's barrel to the rear of the left beam rifle. The outward rifle's barrel moved forward to accommodate the introduction of the second rifle's barrel and power pack…the second rifle's butt-stock then extended to give balance for the now combined weapon. Dita locked on her newly made weapon and aimed at the GunDread clone. (2)

(I hope this works!)

The beam fired by the combined beam rifle was far more powerful than the beam bolts fired by the rifle when it was separated, the weapon was deadly but Dita wasn't totally prepared for the still unfixed recoil of the combined beam rifle that was now officially a powerful beam cannon. Therefore the larger and more powerful beam missed the GunDread clone, but that certainly didn't mean that it was not able to do anything. The beam's powerful energy scrambled the shield of the GunDread clone and made the thing go down faster than a dropped sack of potatoes…but the beam missed completely anyway.

Dita was shocked… How could she miss that target?!

But in reality the shot didn't entirely miss as it tore off the wing from a GunDread clone, and sheered off the arm of another GunDread clone of hers. But the beam went out…

So where exactly did it go?

--

Outside…

"Sara! Look out!"

Mai shouted as she aimed her pulse rifle at a few Cub Fighters about to blind-side her fellow pilot. Suddenly a powerful green beam of destructive energy engulfed the cube Fighters that came right at the Elsman girl. That beam didn't stop there though, it thrashed to bits even more Cube Fighters as some had attempted to attack the strike team. The Cube Fighters stopped their attack…and naturally the pirates bushwhacked them hard for losing their focus.

"Thanks…but how the heck did your pulse rifle do that?"

"It wasn't me…I didn't even pull the trigger."

The beam however did more than just wipe out more Cube Fighters…

--

"Damn!"

Kyo, who still was in SEED mode said as he moved away from another barrage of weapons fire from the Behemoth Gundam. The thing was tough, no doubts there. He had managed to cause some considerable damage, but the Gundam's powerful defensive shields made it hard as hell for him to bypass it's defences easily. It was then that he spotted the lance of pure green energy heading for them.

"Hmm I can use that…"

Kyo did just that as he streaked backwards a bit, and this worked well to his advantage as the Behemoth closed in to take him out…but it moved forward…just enough for the beam to be see…the AI controlled Gundam brought up it's energy shield to block the blast and Kyo quickly attacked…

Placing his Gundam to full tilt speed, the Ultimate Coordinator took out his anti-ship swords and once they were combined, he tossed them like a boomerang and they struck right where he wanted them to…right in the middle portion of the Behemoth's left arm…severing the limb above the elbow. The I-Freedom Gundam then retrieved the combined weapon and placed them back on the racks and took out his beam rifle and began to pepper the Gundam which was able to deflect the massive beam aiming for it. But now with one limb missing, the gigantic Gundam knew now that things were going to be even harder from now on.

The two war machines once more went into combat as they fired their weaponry, intent on crushing each other…

--

Back in the Harvester battle-ship…

The virus was still playing merry hell on the system of the ship but it still needed four more minutes to totally infect the Harvester Fleet. In the mean time the fight was still going on…

However that was also the time the three other Earth built Gundams would get involved. The CPU of each Gundam had determined that the women were learning how to use their own machines at a considerable rate that if given training to further their budding talents, the new Gundams and their pilots would become an even greater threat to the Harvest…just in par with Kyo and his own Paeksis powered Gundam.

--

(This is where we have another song from the Gundam SEED series, here's a clue of the artist…he and his band are famous in Rurouni Kenshin.)

Italic (Japanese): Song Lyrics

Italic (English Translations): Song Lyrics

--

(As the music begins to play, the three girls have been able to force back a good number of the GunDread clones, but the clones have received the order to back away as the three Earth Gundams take to the offensive.)

Dita spotted the incoming blaster shots and was able to once more use her Gundam's fore-arm mounted shield as the Devastator engaged her Gundam. It became a duel of gunners as the Megele girl fought back with her Gundam's beam rifle while using her shield, and the Devastator using it's own beam shield blocked her shots while blasting away with it's shoulder cannons and beam bazooka.

_yasashii sono yubi ga owari ni fureru toki_

_ima dake kimi dake shinjite mo iin darou?_

_When those soft fingers reach in the end,_

_Only now, only you, won't that be all you can believe in?_

Meia used her Gundam's shield to block several blasts from the Wyvern Gundam's ranged weaponry and even blocked the fired beam spear head that would have impaled her Gundam if she didn't use the shield to block the released beam edged weapon. The weapon was retracted by it's owner and the Wyvern charged, Meia used both her shield and beam katana to block the Wyvern's attacks. Both Gundams fired their weapons at the time as they jetted back, causing a miniature star to be born from the combined energy, both jetted away as they began trading weapons fire at one another, while moving at a high speed pace.

_dare mo ga kuzureteku negai wo motome sugite_

_jibun ga ochite yuku basho wo sagashiteru_

_Everyone is breaking down, searching too long for a wish_

_You're looking for a place where you can land_

Jura slammed one of her Gundam's anti-ship swords into the Hell-Fire Gundam, only to have it blocked by one of the Earth Gundam's shield arms. Jura once more moved aside as the Gundam retaliated with a powerful overhead slash with it's anti-ship scythe, along with it was the plasma flame that followed. The Gundam owned by Earth then allowed it's back-pack to be active and it fired several weapons at Jura. The first was from the spear-like protrusions of the shields…turning out to be high impact/armour piercing lances, a built in beam cannon, and a pair or rail-guns. The spears bounced away from Jura's Gundam thanks to the P. Phase Shift, she dodged the rail-gun rounds and used her shield to absorb and reflect the beam cannon blot…but instead of evading it's returning blast, the Hell-Fire used it's shields, that seemed to have some shimmering effect on it as the beam was sent away. Both Gundams then once more fought with one another as the blond attacked with both anti-ship swords and the Earth Gundam retaliated with it's scythe.

_kizutsukete yureru shika dekinai_

_zawameku omoi ga bokura no shinjitsu nara_

_Wounded, unable to stop shaking_

_If these murmuring feelings are indeed our reality_

--

Kyo scored another blow, this time slicing off the barrels of the beam cannons on the back of the Behemoth Gundam. And following it up with a powerful blasted of all his concerted ranged weaponry at the last beam shield of the giant Gundam, once he halted the barrage from ALL of his guns, he followed up with a powerful blow from one of his anti-ship swords. The shield buckled and the energy began to crack as the massive blast followed by a concerted blow began to short out the shield's power system…

A few seconds later…the last fore-arm shield of the Behemoth Gundam collapsed and Kyo destroyed the shield emitter, he then ripped away his Gundam's anti-ship sword and then plunged both it and another beam saber right into the eyes of the Behemoth…denying it the ability to see and use any…or in this case practically ALL of it's ranged weaponry.

The I-Freedom jetted back as the Behemoth began to fire it's last weapons wildly in the hopes of hitting him. The damage to the right fore-arm was high and coupled with the incessant firing naturally overloaded the arm and it too exploded.

(Now it's time for some serious payback!)

Kyo thought as he dodged the shots coming from the Behemoth's chest and mouth cannons as the giant flailed about like a blind drunkard.

--

All three pairs of Gundam continued to fight, the girls however still had to deal with their lack of field experience, plus they had to make some adjustments to their Gundams since they were still somewhat new to this.

Meia opened her Gundam's wings and went on a full attack using her beam rifle as she and her Gundam opponent, the Wyvern Gundam kept on fighting each other. The Megele girl was used to high speed dodge battles, but in this case her Gundam opponent was just as good, each shot that normally would hit their marks were dodged by the nimble Gundam of Earth…which had converted to it's Dragon mode and charged at Meia, firing it's mouth cannon, Meia dodged the attacks and quickly rocketed upwards to avoid the transformed Gundam's beam edged wings as it tried to do the same thing it had nearly don to Kyo on her. She then blocked with her shield as it's beam spear which served as the tail tip launched out to skewer her. She barely dodged the attack and had to quickly adjust her Gundam's speed so she wouldn't crash into the nearby wall.

(Damn! Looks like I'll still need to get used to flying a Gundam...I'd better ask Kyo for some tips and methods.)

_kowareau kara ugokenai_

_sabishii hane kasanete_

_We break each other down till we can't even move_

_Our solitary wings overlapped,_

Dita fired her beam rifles and then used her Gundam's abdominal cannon to try and hit her Gundam opponent. The Gundam blocked with it's shield, and fired back and she also blocked the shots with her own shield. So far it was a very close tie, until Dita realized that the best way was for her to get closer since from what she had seen, the Earth Gundam relied only on ranged weaponry and had no close–combat skills or weapons of it's own. She checked and realized she would have the same weapons as The Gundam of her Mr. Alien had…she then found the weapons and her Gundam pulled out a beam saber and charged at the Devastator. The Gundam of Earth blocked the beam strike but it could not fight back with it's normal weapons since they were all for ranged combat. Dita tried to make a slash with her beam saber, but the Devastator Gundam escaped and began to fire once more it's full arsenals…making the girl panic and move aside.

(Oh! I really need Mr. Alien to teach me how to do this right!)

_deau hikari no nai jidai no_

_mabishisa wo misete_

_We've not encountered the light; _

_Reveal the glare this age gives off_

Jura likewise was having a tough time…though her opponent was using a pole-arm weapon, it certainly was no slouch in combat as it parried away her anti-ship swords. She then realized that she would have to sue her beam sabers since they were easier to control in tight combat than an anti-ship sword. She placed the swords aside and took out her beam sabers…and went at it. Moving as she did in the fencing ring in the past Jura methodically worked on the movements to try and counter the defensive power of the Hell-Fire. She however knew that she had to hurry, her injuries certainly weren't going to fade away as the pain-killers began to wear off. She aimed a hard thrust at the Gundam of Earth but had her weapon deflected, and she also blocked an incoming overhead slash from the scythe of the Hell-Fire.

(Damn! This is harder than I thought! Looks like I'll have to review my fencing skills and get Kyo to teach me how to pilot my Gundam better!!)

_kanashii me no mama de kuchizukete shimau tabi_

_motto zutto motto sotto mamoreru ki ga shita_

_With eyes filled with sadness, with each kiss_

_Growing greater, growing softer, I felt I'd be protected _

--

The Nirvana…

"Captain…the virus is kicking in!" Misty reported happily. "I'm getting a lot sensor readings showing massive shut-downs and malfunctions throughout the Harvester fleet!"

--

Out in space the effects of the virus became even stronger as hordes of Cube Fighters began to freeze and become immobile. Even the behemoth battle-ships armed with Mirage Colloid began to shut down. The pirates were in target board heaven as they began to take out Harvester units left and right!

Cube Fighters were turned into wrecks, Seed ships were blasted and torn to oblivion by both Dreads and Vanguards, and Urchin ships were also reduced to scrap.

Bart got into the act as he fired the Nirvana's guns at full tilt, turning clouds of Harvester units into floating debris. The targets seemed free for all and the pirates were going to do all they could to inflict as much damage to the Harvester battle-group as they could.

At that point Kyo and his Gundam were nearly finished with their little battle with the now blinded Behemoth Gundam.

--

The Nirvana clone apparently had resisted the virus as it continued to fight back, Barnette and Pyoro could do little as they watched the fight while keeping the attention of the Nirvana clone on them and Liberty. They however got some good hits in as the clone couldn't fight back as effectively.

"I hope the others can hold on!" Pyoro chirped.

"You and me both!" Barnette said as she strafed the struggling Nirvana clone, but kept her distance from the gigantic unit.

--

_kokoro shika dakishimeru mono no nai_

_kodoku no tochuu de miushinau sekai ga aru_

_A heart without even one thing to hold on to_

_En route to solitude, there is a world losing sight_

"Take this!"

Dita shouted as she combined her Gundam's beam rifles and fired another powerful blast at the Devastator. Unlike her previous experience with her combined beam cannon…this shot hit the target. The blast was so strong that it literally bathed the Devastator in the energy blast. The Devastator held but it's shield's beam shield emitter was also fried and needed serious repairs.

The Gundam retaliated and fired it's weapons, but Dita once more blocked it with her fore-arm shield. She then moved away as the Devastator used it's grenade launchers. The explosions were powerful and the explosive needles jarred the redhead, making her lose her grip with her beam cannon. She saw the Devastator Gundam get ready to aim. She panicked and got her Gundam up and then used her Gundam's rail-guns and abdomen cannon. Suddenly her Gundam's wings detached and were replaced by wings of pure light…

The detached parts, eight in total suddenly aimed right at the Devastator and fired out beam bolts, totally catching the Earth Gundam off-guard. The blasts hit it hard, and some parts of it were blown off, it also had to lose it's beam bazooka as the weapon was destroyed by a few beam bolts.

Dita was overjoyed! Her Gundam had the same wing weapons as her Mr. Alien's!! (3)

She then retrieved her beam cannon and made them revert back to beam rifle form.

Meia on the other hand was still learning on the fly…her beam katana blocked the beam spear of the Wyvern…and she left it on both hands with her Gundam's left fore-arm shield retracted. The Wyvern back away and launched the beam spear, making Meia quickly dodged the attack and was about move when one of the heat whips that Kyo didn't sever on his first bout with the Wyvern Gundam lashed out and grabbed her Gundam by the neck. The Wyvern then activated it's claws, intending to tear the Gundam apart once it had reeled it in the Paeksis powered Gundam.

"Oh no you don't!!"

Meia brought up her shield in time and blocked the claws, while reversing her beam katana and severing the heat whip and moving away before the Wyvern could use it's now returning spear. Once more relying on what she had learned as a street thug in her younger years. Meia launched a hard kick to the thigh of the Wyvern Gundam and followed it with a knee to the gut. The Wyvern jetted backwards to recover…

Meia ten retracted her shield once more and used her Gundam's other beam katana and delivered two powerful strikes. One sliced to two the beam speared the Wyvern and the other tore into the shoulder of the Wyvern.

The Wyvern jetted away and Meia took the time to rest a bit from the fighting, she was tired and this was one kind of battle she wasn't all the experienced in.

Jura likewise knew that she had to got something fast, the bandages on her body were beginning to show some red on them, and pain began to flow in her once more…this told her that the pain-killers were beginning to wear off.

She had to do something fast to make this Hell-Fire Gundam go away and be defeated since she may not have the strength to handle all this. That was when a daring plan came into her mind. She had seen Kyo do that before when he first crossed beam blades with the first Dominion Gundam…she only hoped that it would work.

The Hell-Fire Gundam was suddenly confused as the red Gundam began to list down and seemed the move in an erratic pattern. The Gundam then recalled that the pilot had suffered grievous injuries in a previous encounter. The CPU then determined at this point this would be the best chance it had to finish this battle.

Jura waited with an expression of pain as her injuries began to throb even harder…but she held on and waited as the Dominion closed in…intent on using it's heavy scythe to cut her Gundam into two pieces with another diagonal overhead slash. There were small droplets of her blood floating in the cockpit, showing that some of her wounds had opened during the fighting…but she sucked up the pain and focused on taking out her target.

The Hell-Fire then sent down it's anti-ship scythe, and just as it makes it's half-way descent, the blonde then uses her Gundam's shield on the right…blocking the descending scythe in the middle, she then captured the blade of the scythe, and with a quickness that showed her skill with the sword…Jura plunged her left beam saber right into the side of the Hell-Fire, right in the left abdominal region. The impact caused the beam blade to apparently skewer the Death-like Gundam of Earth. The machine however was not hit in too many vital areas as it jetted away, despite that it was severely damaged.

Jura groaned a bit as she moved to where Dita and Meia were heading in their respective Gundams.

(It hurts…but I've got to hold on!)

--

"Jura! Are you all right?!" Meia called in as she was worried about the state of her blonde comrade, she had scanned the life-signs of both Dita and Jura previously after wounding the Wyvern. She panicked a bit seeing some crimson blobs flying about that she had no difficulty recognizing as blood.

"I'll be fine…but we've got to get out fast…the medicine is wearing off."

"Yeah! I'm really exhausted too leader!" Dita said as she began to pant.

Meia knew that to be true…she too was very tired from the fighting since this had been the first time she had ever fought in a Mobile Suit and even more so against a Gundam opponent.

--

BOOM!!

All six Gundams looked to the side as something smashed it's way through the side of the ship's bowels…

The three girls cheered as they spotted Kyo's Gundam riding on top of the battered form of the Behemoth Gundam as it's feathers returned to it's wings. The smaller Gundam had just jammed it's beam sabers right into the chest of the gigantic Gundam…which looked like hell had been where it had gone…there were massive rends and tears on it's body, the energy it had was seeping out from wounds in the super-structure. And it wasn't completely fighting back.

The three Gundams of Earth were watching silently as their enormous comrade had just been slain by the powerful I-Freedom. If the three Mobile Suits had pilots, human, pilots they would have been shocked and dismayed that a giant war-machine could have been defeated by something far smaller than it.

The giant Gundam slammed into the main computer node and merely lay there like an impaled corpse as Kyo's Gundam pulled away. It then jetted back to where the three Gundams of the Nirvana were…as the torn and defeated hulk shut down and exploded in a good number of places until it was nothing now but a junk-pile.

_kawareru koto ga kowaku naru_

_fukai kodou no saki ni_

_Things that can change grow frightening_

_In the deep pulsation that lies ahead_

--

"Are you all okay?" Kyo called in as he checked on Jura, Meia, and Dita.

"I'm fine…somehow." Meia said in relief as she faced Kyo.

"I'm still conscious…but we need to move no sense staying here." Jura replied in a pained voice.

"I'm really exhausted Mr. Alien…" Dita replied as she spoke to Kyo.

Kyo was worried about them, they were tired and exhausted from the intensive fighting they all had to do. Jura's wounds were getting worse and he didn't need to know what would happen if she didn't get some proper medical treatment soon. Meia and Dita hadn't been able to rest as well and have been fighting Gundam opponents and they were very much novices to zero-gravity Mobile Suit warfare…

He then made the signal for them all to clear out of the area as the virus had just frozen the Nirvana clone.

"All right…we clear out now!"

The four Gundams, the Dread, and the ATCISS immediately moved out as the virus also made the power-plant of the Harvester battle-ship go to critical overload, resulting in a massive systems crash.

The three other Gundams would have pursued them, but they had taken some hits and their designers needed them back at Earth intact for more updates and needed repairs…something to do with new models to be developed. Since they didn't rely on the CPU of the Harvester battle-ship for all of their combat data, they were very much capable of working on their own. The same thing could be said of the defeated Behemoth but it's damage level was too high for it to be salvaged and rebuilt.

But that certainly didn't mean that this would be the last time they would cross blades with the Nirvana crew.

Besides…they did have a back-up plan…

--

Inside the Nirvana clone…another system came back online as it secretly began to reactivate previously infected systems.

--

As they made their out of the ship, the rest of the strike fell in step with Kyo and his Gundam, though they were surprised to see three new Gundams flying side by side with the lead Gundam…

They weren't the only ones either…

"Barnette? What's going one…are those Gundams salvage from…" Magno asked as she and BC raised the green-haired Dread pilot.

:No they are ours!"

"Ours…what do you mean?"

That was when they detected a massive power pulse and the rest of the crew were in shock when the Nirvana clone suddenly appeared. They were also surprised when the forces from the other Harvester ships armed with Mirage Colloid had also come online.

"What is going on?! I thought the virus had no taken effect?"

Buzam asked as she watched humongous clone suddenly get ready to fight them.

"Commander…the clone of the Nirvana apparently is armed with an independent CPU to help coordinate battles. The virus defeated the CPU of the Harvester battle-ship that lead the whole fleet, but the Harvesters have installed a back-up command system in the clone's own CPU. We just detected command and control patterns coming from the clone!"

Belvedere reported as the Nirvana clone began to be congregated by the now awakened mass of fighters.

_kawasu honoo ni egakareta_

_eien ga mieru_

_Painted in the exchanged flames, I can see eternity_

--

Kyo and the others groaned as it seemed that the Harvesters were STILL not intending to lose. The Gundam pilot knew that most of their forces were too few still to take on them whole Harvester force, and even with the defeat of the Behemoth Gundam, the Nirvana clone was still a serious threat to consider and wasn't an opponent any warrior would offer a chance to be struck by in the back.

He however had a load of concerns…and decided to deal with them.

"Bart, get ready to fire into the waves of Cube Fighters the second they start to approach en-mass!"

"Roger!"

"Sara, Mai…the rest of you and the Dread pilots head back to the Nirvana, and escort Dita, Meia, and Jura to the ship, they need to rest and re-supply."

Kyo then took out his Gundam's beam rifles and got ready to fight once more, he however doubted he could win this fight easily. The Behemoth Gundam gave him a serious challenge and the Nirvana clone was nearly three to six times the size of the gigantic Gundam he had just defeated…plus all those Cube Fighters are not going to let him get closer, plus the Seed ships were another serious consideration, and lastly the reactivated Harvester battle-ships. The Liberty would be a serious help, but it had now depleted it's stores of missiles and had it's beam weaponry…despite that Kyo could tell he was going to need some VERY serious weaponry to defeat all of that.

As he jetted towards the enemy, the three Paeksis powered Gundams began to follow him and the Liberty, the pilots of each machine still intent on not letting Kyo go alone in the fight.

--

"Meia! Get back to the ship, you too Dita, Jura! All of you are still exhausted from the fight, and your injuries haven't healed yet Jura!" Sara said fervently as she tried to stand in the path of all three war machines. The Gundams were very deadly and intimidating, but she had her orders from Kyo, no matter how much she too wanted to help Kyo win the fight.

"Don't worry…we'll be fine."

With that…all three Gundams jetted away from the others and were now streaking towards Kyo's Gundam and his Liberty unit.

--

(The music reaches a high point here as the four Gundams and the ATCISS began to fly in a diamond-like fashion.)

_kowareau kara ugokenai_

_sabishii hane kasanete_

_We break each other down till we can't even move_

_Our solitary wings overlapped,_

"What are you doing this time?!" Kyo said in shock as he spotted the three other Gundams of the former Dread pilots suddenly fly alongside him. Dita in front of him, Jura and Meia on either side. He didn't want them even more injured as Jura had been before.

"We're going to help you Mr. Alien!" Dita chirped in as she spoke to him via com-link.

"You're not serious?! All of you should be resting!!"

"Yeah well…leaving you alone against all of them wasn't what we wanted to see Kyo, you should know that." Jura replied…

"Jura?! I don't have the time to be arguing about this!! Get back to the Nirvana and rest!!"

"Sorry…but I won't do that, not until you are with us." The blonde merely replied as she guided her Gundam beside Kyo's I-Freedom.

"We don't plan on losing you Kyo, so we're going to fight together." Meia replied as she guided her Gundam to be closer to the I-Freedom.

Kyo wanted to reason with them that what they would do would be a suicidal gesture…and he didn't want them to lose their lives over this. But then something seemed to tell him to trust them…and then he noted a set of incoming data on his OS. He accessed it and found something that he had missed during the fighting…it had something to do with the I-Freedom Gundam combining with the three Dreads and the Liberty unit.

(How can I combine with the Dreads when they have become Gundams anyway?)

But then Kyo read some combat data concerning the converted units of the three women.

He then figured that they had nothing left to lose from this fight and got into contact with the three Dread pilots.

"Is there anything on your units that can allow you all to convert them back into Dreads?"

All three girls wondered what Kyo meant by that and then decided to check their Gundam's OS and found out a hidden option that seemed to only appear when they were flying in this kind of formation. They didn't know what this would do but if it would help them win this battle then they might as well use it.

--

The pirates and even the Harvesters were stunned as the three Gundams around Kyo's began to glow once more and suddenly revert back to Dread form. Suddenly the three jewels that appeared from the Dreads to receive the beam fired by the Nirvana reappeared, but this time the beam didn't come from the Nirvana…but from the Infinite-Freedom…

The beam bounced from the Gundam's forehead and hit the jewel on Dita's Dread and then the beam split to hit the jewels on Jura and Meia's Dreads and then on the back where the Liberty was…it too revealed a jewel that absorbed both beams.

The five machines suddenly glowed deep white and began to converge…

In moments a massive glowing form appeared where the five machines were and in the few seconds out came a massive mecha that dwarfed even the Behemoth Gundam!!

It hag glowing green joints and pure silver armour, with red and blue high-lights in several areas, plus it seemed to possess a powerful form of the I-Freedom's Prominence Phase Shift Armour. There were six wings behind it that glowed deep blue and green with massive amounts of pure Paeksis energy radiating from it. He blisters on Jura's Gundam were there as well, scattered on the fore-arms and the shins of the massive Gundam-like weapon. The design favoured Kyo's Gundam but incorporated all the features of the GunDreads, their Alpha forms, and their new Gundam forms as well. On the hips were the beam sabers that would have passed for battle-ships and there were sections that seemed like knives were strapped on the gigantic machine! The whole new machine resembled a legendary angel known in the Bible as the Seraphim…the ultimate angel!!

The newly formed GunDread spread it's wings as if in defiance to the assembled fleet of the Harvesters who were struck dumb by what they were seeing.

_deau hikari no nai jidai no_

_mabushisa dake_

_We've not encountered the light,_

_Only the glare this age gives off_

--

"WOW!! This is SO COOL!!" Dita said as she was once more on her Mr. Alien's lap. The cockpit of their newly formed Super GunDread was like a miniature command bridge like that of the Nirvana. Jura was there near the cockpit where Dita and Kyo were, in her own cockpit, controlling a special combat system that resembled the old version of Belvedere and Amarone's stations in their old pirate vessel. The same with Meia…as she too was in awe along with Jura as they gazed at their new weapon.

"The whole system's changed…" Meia said in awe as she ran her hands on the machine's cockpit

"Mine too…who would have though this would happen?" Jura said as she looked at her own section of the new Gundam.

Kyo however wasted little time admiring the view as he activated the OS of the newly made Gundam unit he and the others were piloting. He found that it had a wide array of weaponry and defensive capacities that he knew would be put to a serious test once they would engage the enemy. And it seemed that time was now…as the Nirvana clone came at them, it's chest cannon priming up and getting ready to fire.

"No time for some admiration! We've got incoming!!"

In that very moment, in a split scene of all four characters, the girls and Kyo went in simultaneous SEED mode and then responded.

The giant Gundam suddenly raised it's left arm and the blisters suddenly bathed the Gundam's arm in a haze of blue-green light. The massive energy sphere was then swatted by the left arm like a rubber ball and sent slamming back into the Harvester forces who were caught off guard.

Hundreds of still recovering Cube Fighters were ionized in a moment when they were hit by the deflected ball as it detonated in their midst, Cube Fighters weren't the only ones though as hordes of Seed ships were also reduced to scrap along with the Urchin ships in the area. The shock-wave was enormous and the blast even knocked back the Nirvana clone.

The Nirvana clone recovered and unleashed a massive barrage from it's other weaponry intent on finishing off the Super GunDread it was now facing. The shots from the cannons of the Nirvana clone equalled the numbers of plasma bolts fired by the original Nirvana.

The formed GunDread merely took out it's beam sabers which were huge and began to charge right at the beams…and began to block them and deflect with the beam sabers, as the beams came close, the Gundam flicked it's beam sabers in the proper angles to block the beams and sent them scattering all over the place… the Nirvana clone then unleashed it's own anti-ship swords, ignited the beam edges and leaped forward, intending to slash the new GunDread to pieces!

The Super GunDread didn't wait as it was guided by it's four pilots and the two slammed with their melee weapons at each other, their thrusters going at full tilt to end the fight quickly and effectively.

_kawareru chikara osorenai_

_fukai kodou no saki ni_

_I don't fear the power to change_

_In the deep pulsation that lies ahead_

For a moment no one on either side moved as both behemoth machines struggled to overpower each other. The Nirvana clone pushed hard with it's anti-ship swords…while the combined Super GunDread fought back with it's beam sabers.

The fight came to a full head as they both forced each other back, and the Nirvana clone once more tried to slice off the head of the Super GunDread with it's two anti-ship swords. The Super GunDread however recovered and slammed one of it's Giant beam sabers right into the stomach area of the Nirvana clone…

The huge beam blade tore through the enemy unit like it had only thin paper as armour and it appeared from behind the Nirvana clone and then was withdrawn as the Harvester weapon backed away like a wounded warrior.

The Super GunDread backed away too as it watched the Harvester ships with the exception of the virus infected one…and the only Kyo had disabled before converge and support their wounded commander, they also began to unload all available ordinance, along with their Cube Fighter squadrons and the rest of their now devastated fleet. The wounded Nirvana clone also charged up it's full arsenals once more and opened fire…

The Super GunDread however didn't charge but dodged each shot coming from the Harvester fleet and in a few moments, the feathers of it's wings broke free and in a nano-second they too became massive beam cannons…totalling a staggering hundred and fifty in all!!

In that instant, all the massive feather cannons unloaded their full attack, swarming beam fire all over the Harvester fleet…

_kawasu honoo yo egakareta_

_unmei ni todoke_

_Painted in the exchanged flames_

_Carry out your destiny_

(The song begins to fade away…)

In less than a few seconds the whole Harvester fleet, including their Nirvana clone had been totally crushed. The Harvester battle-ships that completely functional were turned in rubble by the massive blasts, Cube Fighters were turned into ions…and many more ships of the Harvesters became burning wrecks.

The Super GunDread glowed and returned to the three Dreads which reverted to Gundam form, the I-Freedom, and the Liberty units as they were picked up by the Nirvana and their fellow pirates

--

A day later…

Kyo walked into the Medical Bay in his normal clothes, this was the second time he came into the medical facility of the Nirvana to check on the condition of the three women who were very close to him.

It had been a heck of a reception when they along with the ATCISS were picked up by Sara and the members of the Crusader Squadron. The engineers went to work in storing all four of the Gundams in the available paddocks while they were all gently taken out of their cockpits and placed on stretchers since they were exhausted beyond belief. Jura was taken to the medical facility for treatment and she along with Meia and Dita were taken in to recover from their very fierce bout.

The pirates took the time to repair their forces and the Nirvana and recover their supplies by salvaging what they could from the still existing wrecks of the Harvester ships and units that were still out there. As soon as he was able, Kyo helped in the efforts.

The only ship of the Harvesters they could at some case repair was the one Kyo had disabled in the pervious times of fighting. The Harvester battle-ship was still salvageable and Parfet and her teams decided to get what they could from the wreck. Kyo also requested that they re-program and rebuilt the Harvester battle-ship.

When asked why, he figured that the ship would act as undeniable evidence to the people of the colonies of the true existence of the Harvesters and when they get to Talark and Megele, the ship would do the same thing, to get the men of Talark and the women of Megele to see that the threat they had ignored was very real. The Harvester ship WAS a retro-fitted model so it would still have all the data concerning the Harvesters' operations in the universe and could show records of the many planets already hit by the Harvesters and what else they had planned for the human race…it was no doubt that the Harvester ship would also have data on their plan to strike at Talark and Megele.

As it stood the Nirvana was moving through space on full alert. The Dreads and Vanguards were fully deployed, Barnette had been placed in overall command of the Dreads as she piloted her fighter. Barnette wasn't all that prepared to handle the responsibility of Dread squadron commander, but she was more than willing to help the crew so she took the job. Sara and Mai along with all the girls in Kyo's Crusader Squadron were also out on 12 hour rotating shifts to ensure that the Dreads were always supported in the patrols.

Parfet and her crew were in two teams, one stayed on the Nirvana to take good care of the ship, while the other with the assistance of the Register and some of the Crusader Squadron would be in the Harvester battle-ship to initiate the repairs, right now they had deleted the Harvester ship's old CPU program and were now on the process of creating a new Operation System to replace the one created for the Harvester battle-ship. Kyo also stated that the ship would be invaluable as a forwards scout so they can avoid another ambush like the one they had left behind. Plus it's weaponry would be a good training system for the three girls who now piloted Paeksis powered Gundams like he did. The Harvesters will no doubt make newer weaponry in his mind, but they would not get rid of their basic weapons.

"How are they doing?" Kyo asked the two medics.

Duero nodded as he picked up a data-pad. "They are going to wake up in a few hours from now, they were exhausted from all the fighting and needed to rest. Jura had been fully healed and is resting well. We've also taken some gene samples from them and we've found something…interesting."

Kyo was curious as well and decided to watch as the Talark doctor revealed several strands of DNA, and when he read their profiles he found the profiles to be that of Dita, Meia, and Jura.

"What's this about Duero?"

"We've run some tests on all the crew for any medical problems, it's normal procedure, but just yesterday when I brought them here for treatment I ran into something interesting…" The medic then high-lighted certain areas of the DNA strands of the girls.

"These DNA strands define certain characteristics in a person, namely mental reaction time, physical recovery time, and the learning curve. Now look at this…"

Another set of DNA profiles were shown to be that of the three girls, but was nearly a year old…the same time he had been in the Ikazuchi when the Paeksis first sent them half-way to the farthest side of the galaxy.

"I'm going to start the time-line advancement program so the two DNA profiles would become one to show what has been happening to the girls since the first time the Paeksis sent us to the other side of the universe…notice anything Kyo?"

Kyo looked at the strands and wondered what Duero was pointing at…that is until he noted that the overall effectiveness of the genes' respective influences on the girls began to dramatically improve as the two sets DNA profiles merged to form one set.

"The DNA's been evolving throughout the entire time."

"Correct, My brother and I ran this over and over for the past twenty four hours and found that for the past many months their DNA has been affected by the Paeksis energies which they and you were exposed to when the Paeksis sent us here. Apparently the energy continued to evolve their DNA in these parameters as time passed, namely when they fused their Dreads with your Gundam…since both your Gundam and their respective Dreads apparently have Paeksis power cores. The energy emitted by the fusion process seems to spur on the evolution of their genes all the way up to now."

"I see…would that explain how they… have SEED mode the way I have it?"

"Possibly…however there will be one explanation for their gift. The Paeksis did infuse their genes with energy and would have triggered an evolution to improve their capabilities as pilots, but to gain SEED mode would be far harder since the gift was VERY rare, and as far is I can see, only you, Kouji Asuka, and his sister Maia have it. And according to the database of the old times, it was said that VERY few could ever have the ability to have it, in that sense the Paeksis would need a template to work on, in this case a genetic template for the SEED ability to give it to the girls. They would have to exposed to the SEED Mode in some way or reason."

"So what do you think is the reason?"

"You Kyo…let me show you." Duero replied as he punched up another DNA profile, and Kyo had no problem recognizing it to be his. Duero then high-lighted the same DNA codes that showed Kyo's own abilities. The two looked silently as the numbers of his DNA's gifts…matched that of the three girls.

"Are you saying that the Paeksis somehow gave them my SEED ability?"

"That's possible, apparently when you all were exposed to the Paeksis it had detected your SEED ability and somehow infused the girls with it. Apparently that was for the best as the SEED mode they have gained played a serious addition to their survival in more than one occasion."

"Yeah…I guess so now that you put it that way. But they're going to need some serious training if they need to use that talent properly. Upgrading their Gundams' OS will also have to be part of the lessons I'll have to give as well. Plus it seems that I'll have to work closely with them to make them far more effective pilots when we meet up with the Harvesters."

--

Speaking of whom…

The Harvester Council was in an uproar!!

"THE OPERATION FAILED!!"

"HOW COULD THEY HAVE WIPED OUT FOUR BATTLE-SHIPS?!"

"HOW COULD THE NIRVANA DEFEAT FIVE BATTLE-SHIPS, OUR CLONE AND FOUR NEW GUNDAMS?!"

"THEY HAVE NEW GUNDAMS AS WELL!!":

"WHAT DO WE DO NOW?!"

The leader of the Harvester Council allowed his subordinates to bicker and argue among themselves, while he waited for the reports from the chief technician on the recovered Gundams. He had a load of plans to off-set the disaster of the operation that he had green-lighted. The defeat of their fleet and the lose of nearly all their deployed battle-ships was a serious morale blow to the survivors of Earth…but for him, it was different. The defeat further ensured his suspicions of the identity of the Gundam pilot that aided the Nirvana ever since the first encounter of their forces with the Megele pirates and their male allies. Plus it meant that now he was sure of the full potential of the Paeksis…or a considerable portion of the crystal reactor's powers. Besides it had done a lot for him and now it was time to reveal the true power of the Paeksis…and his own.

He then called the attention of his followers as he began to speak.

"The failure of the Operation was no fault of anyone of the Council. The reason is that we have neglected to use the full power of the Paeksis that we possess. Our fleets are numerous and deadly, that cannot be denied, but the power of the Infinite-Freedom and the newly converted Gundams of the pirates have shown to us that numbers alone will no longer be enough to win this war. We will now have to create our on Paeksis powered Gundams. The field data we have gathered has shown this. The other worlds have no heard of this Gundam's power and have intensified their rebellious natures towards us."

The Harvester Council realized that was a serious cold truth. Their weapons had for many years inspired fear and obedience in many of their targeted worlds, but now with the arrival of the I-Freedom and it's amazing powers due to the Paeksis, the resistance had ignited a full rebellion. Their previously constructed Gundams were deadly and powerful…but they didn't have the over-all evolving power of the Infinite-Freedom Gundam. Their previous victory over the Gundam and it's pilot long ago, they now realized was only possible due to the extensive damage and injuries suffered by both Gundam and pilot. But now they were on the top on combat ability.

Their newly constructed Gundams held the field due to them being new models but they would not be able to equally match the next time. They were now being re-built and some of the techs planned some new design and weapon concepts to be tested.

"Shall we delete the design plans and start over?" One asked their leader.

"No, the designs of the Gundams we have made…the Dominion, it's variants, the Hell-Fire, Wyvern, Devastator, and the Behemoth Gundams have proven that they are still deadly tools in combat. But to truly defeat the I-Freedom…we must have a Gundam that has the same power as the I-Freedom and have the same power of the Paeksis as well."

He then turned to the head technician. "How long will it be before you can find a way for the Paeksis to be able to evolve a Gundam to match the power of the I-Freedom?"

"It will take a few days to work out all the variables, my lord. But it can be done, we have to merely remove some of the power restraints on the Gundams…not to mention create a container for the Paeksis power-plant and then influence the evolution of the Gundam slowly to ensure that all the features can be properly installed into it."

"While I appreciate the intricacies of weapons designs, I asked for the time table you require creating the Gundam. How long?"

"At the least…three to four weeks, provided the designs we have can accept and meld properly with the Paeksis core."

"Then you will have all the resources needed to do so. In the mean time we shall continue our Harvesting operations, and still hold off the Nirvana before it reaches Talark and Megele…the reports we have received state that the pirates will meet up with bands of the resistance and this will be a problem. As far as possible, ambush attacks will still be done and if needed a fleet will try and hold off the Nirvana and the resistance forces."

"Yes, we also have completed the creation of a brand new AI CPU to use all the combat data…" The head technician began to state what he had in mind but suddenly the leader stopped him.

"No…AI weapons will stand no chance against the I-Freedom. You have already seen how many AI units we have sent against the Gundam and they have all failed to kill the machine and it's pilot in every combat engagement so far. This proves that we have to equalize not only in weapons, technology, armour, and systems…but in control as well."

"So what do you intend to do leader?" Another Council member asked.

The leader merely smiled. "The pilot for the new Paeksis Gundam we will create will not be an AI unit…"

"…but me."

--

In the Medical Bay of the Nirvana…a few hours later…

Meia, Dita, and Jura were busy eating some food, they had been exhausted for a day and had not eaten any solid food for the whole day being only fed by nutrient supplementary fluid. They were hungry as can be and dug in.

Jura still watched what she was eating since she didn't want to ruin her figure at all, but she still ate hard as possible. She was so hungry…the whole battle the day before had exhausted her. As soon as she finished she sighed and rested a bit as she felt her full stomach, she then felt the bandages on her, and thanked all her home-world's goddesses that her wounds didn't become even more serious than before. She also hoped that when she and Kyo would meet soon he wouldn't be too mad at her for getting out of medical treatment to help him.

She also thought about the fact that her Dread had no become a Gundam, and what it would mean…maybe Kyo would work more closely with her. She couldn't help but smile a bit at the idea of being much closer to the soon to be father of her children. She smiled even more with a blush as she began to think up a few ways to get him alone with her in the Hanger…

Meia also dug into her meal, yet retained her discipline and dignity, despite her stomach roaring at her to eat every scrap of food on her plate. Her energy reserves were badly depleted from the nearly unending cycle of battle she had been in the previous day. As she recalled her battle with the Wyvern Gundam she began to think.

After running through the whole battle, she realized that she had won only through sheer luck…and though that was good in some situations, she knew better than to think it would help her a second time. She was going to have to learn how to fight in a Gundam, and the only experienced teacher on Gundam controls was Kyo…he would have to teach her a whole new way of piloting a war machine. Her days as a Dread pilot were not totally gone, but in order to match up with the ever evolving weaponry of the Harvesters, she would have to be re-trained…though the idea of her working even closer to Kyo had a very strong appeal to her. The idea of her spending time with Kyo beside her, learning the way on manipulating the controls of her new Gundam would be…maybe it would be like…and she could…

Meia nearly chocked on some water she was drinking and managed to hold and control herself from blushing fiercely as memories of the seating arrangement of her GunDread, with Kyo nearby came to mind…but this time she had rather…indecent ideas about the seating arrangements.

Dita was also busy running the idea of working even closer with her Mr. Alien in her mind. She relished the idea on her working even closer to Kyo now that this had happened. As she finished her food she began wondering about what the events before meant. She loved her Dread and a part of her didn't like the idea of giving up her own Dread, but she then recalled that somehow the good Paeksis had made it stronger, and it felt that Kyo was there always with her. She smiled and wondered what she could learn if Kyo was with her…

She also felt her heart beat faster and some warmth flow in her cheeks as she began to imagine working with Kyo, just like what they did when she sat on his lap…and for some reason she began to wish she was back there…

All three women turned in unison as the door to their room opened and in came Kyo, wearing his normal clothes, but had taken off his jacket and now only had a shirt on.

The girls were startled when they saw Kyo, but his presence was always welcome top them… And they liked what they saw…

Kyo mentally slapped himself the very second he walked in the room and their eyes were on him. He could see the heat in them and he had a rather accurate (or he hoped he did) idea on why he was being studied like a bug under a microscope.

(Just my luck…oh well…)

"Now that you ladies have eaten, how are you doing?"

The girls blinked a bit and responded to the Gundam pilot's question.

"I'm fine…but I was very hungry when I woke up Mr. Alien!"

"Same here…but I'm fine and my wounds are all healed."

"The fight was exhausting but I'm also fine…how long did we stay here in the Medical Bay?"

Kyo nodded as the question came from Meia. "You three were here for a day."

The three girls were surprised by that bit of information. "A whole DAY?!"

Kyo nodded. "You don't have to worry about it. The rest of the crew are handling things just fine. I had a chat with the Captain a few hours ago and she agreed you three need to have some R&R…and she made sure I'm the one responsible for giving you that."

(How in the heck did I let Grandma ever talk me into this?)

"What does that mean?" Jura asked, though she smiled at what that meant…

"It means that while your respective R&R periods are on, I'm going to be the one to tend to you. Don't get any bright ideas though; I'm just going to make sure you all will be all right. After the battle you three were nearly ready to collapse from exhaustion. Once you're all better, you can return to active roster duty…"

The three girls however blushed at the thought of Kyo being their caretaker…they began wondering what that would mean…

Jura began smiling at the thought…

Meia blushed at the idea…

Dita also blushed and smiled…

Kyo mentally slapped his forehead yet again...he didn't have to be a genius to see the looks the girls had on their faces. His hormones once more got involved as images of a VERY indecent nature began to run in his brain…but like before he controlled himself and went back to business.

"Okay…there is something I do need to talk to you three about though…and it's very important."

The girls all stopped their fantasies…BEFORE they became too descriptive and waited for Kyo to explain what he wanted to say.

"All right. Now have you all been experiencing…"

The young man explained a lot of things, namely on their sudden spiking of abilities for some reason, whenever he was in danger and they were nearby. The girls listened intently and when Kyo asked them the last question, they each nodded in answer…

"So you see a seed suddenly appear in front of you when you saw me in danger before My Gundam became the I-Freedom?"

All three girls nodded. He then sighed and spoke.

"Then I guess my suspicions and the work both Max and Duero did were on the money."

"What do you mean?"

"Yeah, Mr. Alien…. Does this have anything to do with that seed like thing we keep seeing?"

"Is this a bad thing to happen, because we saw this seed a lot and we were able to save you so many times."

Kyo merely smiled and replied. "You have gained something from the Paeksis and from me…and that is my ability to go into SEED mode."

"SEED mode?" The three girls were filled with questions. Kyo expected that and replied.

"The best way to explain is to show you."

With that he triggered his own SEED mode and then saw the seed appear and explode in it's kaleidoscope of colours and lights. His eyes glowed a bit and when he looked at the three women they were astonished.

"That's the same seed we saw when we saw you in danger and we wanted to help you!" they simultaneously shouted.

He then spent a few minutes explaining what the SEED mode of the Superior Evolutionary Element Destined Factor or Mode was and what it had done to them. He also explained what Duero had theorized on how they had acquired it.

Dita, Jura, and Meia were in awe, even more so when they learned that the Paeksis had given a literal part of Kyo to them to help them protect him when they needed to the most. Kyo then told them that he would be teaching them how to use it effectively and they were more than eager to learn. This also made them very happy that they were THAT bonded to him…

Kyo however felt a bit unnerved when they smiled at the idea of being nearly genetically close to him through the SEED mode. He just realized that they now had an even greater reason to be close to him and he could tell that they liked that idea for some reason.

(There goes my privacy…)

--

Back on Earth…

The Harvester leader looked at the images of the weapons development factory. On one side were new Dominion Gundam models being built, the three new Gundams were being repaired and data was being gathered to plan new ideas and models to be tested.

He however had his eyes on a nearby hanger where a new frame was being built…and a fragment of the Paeksis of Earth was about to be installed…unlike the blue-green glow of the Paeksis of the Nirvana…this one was different…

It was blood red and beat like an evil heart made of pure stone.

He smiled and looked at the monitor in his room. In the screen were the DNA codes of Kyo and another, and yet another…and they all had one word beneath them…

MATCH…

He smirked as a picture appeared of Kyo and he smiled even more…a very sadistic smile.

"All these years I never thought I'd see your face again…but you did have a bad habit of surviving things that would have killed any normal man…but it made sense… that you'd survive, even after all this time…"

He then faced the window outside and smirked…

"After all…YOU are HIS son."

--

To be continued…

--

Author's notes:

This chapter is officially completed. Though this chapter is short, I guess I need to cut down a bit so I can get more room in my work. Hope you readers don't mind…

The girls now learn where they got their new ability…what will they do now that Kyo will be their personal trainer for the next few days? And how will their relationships with Kyo bloom?

And it seems that the Harvester leader is going to lead the Harvesters this time. What new weapon will the Harvester make with their Paeksis to defeat Kyo and his Gundam?

Why would the leader want to fight Kyo? And why…does he seem to know who Kyo's father is? Does he KNOW who Kyo really is? And HOW does he know?

More on that soon…in the mean time I'll be off working in school.

--

(1) Got inspired by the rarely seen weapon in Star Wars, (except in the comic books) the light-whip used by the Dark Lady of the Sith Lumiya. Not that Jura is evil or anything…but the new weapons certainly gives her a more serious persona.

(2) Inspired by the Strike Freedom's beam rifles that can form into one weapon…namely a high powered beam cannon. Just so everybody knows…only Dita's Gundam can combine it's beam rifles in this fashion…Kyo's Gundam can't do that with it's own beam rifles even if it was based on the Strike Freedom and the Gundam Wing ZERO.

(3) Based also on the Super DRAGOON system of the Strike Freedom.

--

I got to thinking on the weapon Jura carried. On some information sites there was one comment that Jura used the sword, which by what I've seen is a rapier, to shave her legs…SHAVE HER LEGS WITH A RAPIER?! I was insulted and shocked by that comment/description.

Let me explain the reaction…

I'm a sword enthusiast and the idea of anybody, least of all a woman, using a three foot long, razor-sharp rapier to shave her legs is down right crazy! I know that in some parts in other countries, guys use axes or other things to shave their beards, but a woman using a sword to shave her legs is just plain weird!

So why not make Jura not carry the sword for show…but make her a mistress of it instead? She knows how to use it in this chapter, and that knowledge will certainly come in handy. I meant to post that fact in the chapter when Jura was using a Vanguard and it's sword to fight with, but the idea flew away from me. So now I decided to post it here, plus her knowledge will be very useful much later in the story as she will use her Gundam more often.

Hope that clears it up.

--

I told you the Super GunDread idea wasn't gone, but they would mean some trade-offs. The first is that although they will still have the capacity to form the GunDreads they can't form the Alpha versions anymore, also they can't fuse the Gundams with each other…that would be too complicated. They can only combine their five machines to create the Super GunDread if the three girls return the Gundams back into Dread form. Plus the transformation can only be done if the Liberty unit is with them.

The reason for the transformation from Dread to Gundam in the case of Dita, Meia, and Jura's Dreads is that in the later chapters they will be targeted more frequently since the Harvesters are now more than ever wanting to end the Nirvana and they will be using newer and deadlier weapons in the future, so it would naturally make sense that they will need an edge to equalize against certain foes, they had nearly been crushed by the Devastator, Hell-Fire, and Wyvern Gundams, and that means that in Dread form they would be in serious trouble if they fought a Gundam opponent alone. So what better way than to have a Gundam of your own to equalize?

In the Gundam universe, there ARE people who have defeated Mobile Suits using Mobile Armour, namely Mwu La Flaga in Gundam SEED. But that won't happen too often here in GunDread SEED since there were nearly no Gundams in existence before, until Kyo appeared with his Gundam, and with that, out came the Dominion, the Shinobi, the Kunoichi, The Morpheous, the SwitchBlade, the Templar, the Devastator, Hell-Fire, and Wyvern Gundams. The end result would be that Kyo's Gundam was the first to be ever seen in the series and that would play another valuable role in the coming chapters as it's now a race between the good guys and bad guys to create a Gundam that can gain ultimate victory.

--

Song is titled 'Ignited' and sung by TM Revolution, if you guys don't know him, he sang 'Heart of the Sword' for Rurouni Kenshin, he sang 'Invoke' for Gundam SEED, 'Meteor' for Gundam SEED as well, 'Zips' for Gundam SEED, 'Crosswise' for Sengoku Basara, 'Vestige' for Gundam SEED Destiny, "Web of Night" for Spider Man 2 (both in Japanese and English versions). He's known as the singer for heroes in Japanese anime…and I can say this much, the description suits him pretty good.

--

Oh yeah…more hints on the way…Just so you guys reading should know…we are now getting close to the…more physically **intimate** parts of the story so you all don't have to wait long for the NC-17 stuff to come on the stage.

If you guys have any ideas (and I KNOW that you do) on how the scenes should be made, then send me a review or email on the said idea… no worries on details…be very and I mean very, descriptive on them.

However, I stress that there will be NO dark themes on this, if I get them, I will kick them out very quickly.

--

More reviews please!!


	17. Chapter 17

GunDread SEED- The Second Stage

Disclaimer: I don't own either Gundam SEED or VanDread, but I wish at times I did. Oh well, you can't have everything.

( ): Thoughts

(Italic): Dream voice

Chapter 7

Part 1

Leaks, Training, and Vacancies

In the Nirvana…

Dream sequence…

Kyo found himself surrounded by several people…all of the looking at him with undisguised hatred and disgust, they were soldiers who seemed to be wearing some sort of uniform, indicating they were military. They were being arrested and taken away when suddenly…

He was then attacked by a man who appeared to be as old has he was who had broken free and charged at him, his restrained hands intent on choking him. Suddenly as he was about to defend himself the man merely passed through him. He was shocked and turned to face the man…but found a younger version of himself who dodged the attack and with a restraining move pinned the other man down…he could see his younger face…but the man who attacked him…his younger self had no face as his hair hid his upper features.

(_Why the heck are you attacking me?!)_

Kyo heard his younger version ask the man.

The man's voice emitted anger and hatred.

_(Why?! Because you're not human!! None of you are!!)_

(_What the heck are you saying?_!)

_(You're a Coordinator!! A freak made by inhuman scientists for the sake of playing God!!)_

That was when another man appeared, and he was very familiar to Kyo for some reason…he was slightly tanned and had short black hair, deep onyx eyes, and had the look of a battle hardened soldier, further proven by him wearing a officer's uniform. The man then motioned for his younger version to release the man. The older man ten glared at the man and punched him hard. The attacker doubled over and gave a growl…

(_You traitor…siding with freaks like him!!)_

(_Try telling that to the numbers of children your group used as experimental weapons against the peace. Who's the real monster? You torture them, use gene therapy, install implants, expose them to nothing more than records of death and combat, and you use any method you can to strip them of memories and mould them into weapons even if they were mere kids. That's not so different when Coordinators are born…besides…you've got some nerve calling the first naturally born Coordinator and one of my students a freak_.)

The man then turned to several soldiers to give a look of apology to Kyo's younger self. They then took the man and sent him back with the others.

The man then smiled at Kyo's younger version.

(_You did the right thing Kyo…if you killed him instead of restraining him, he would have made you appear as the true enemy, not to mention that it would be hard for you to stop the anger.)_

_(I don't like what he called me Colonel Todaka…but I don't want to make new enemies with others…it's just…sometimes I wish I did beat him up! What right does he and the others have to call people like me and my family freaks when they were the inhuman ones to all these people?!) _

The images then switched to the people who were not the enemy and they were huddling in fear and terror, and were now being treated by men and women, some of them wearing the same uniform as Kyo's younger version did. There was one who had deep black hair and red eyes consoling another person…a woman who was a blonde with deep violet eyes who had tears in her as she gazed at the children.

(_Because they believe so much that what they are doing is the right thing, that they will do whatever they can to keep fighting for their beliefs…no matter how many innocents get caught in the cross-fire Kyo…and I know that it's hard…namely for you since you are young and still new to the world yourself…but never forget what you fight for…)_

The images then changed as he saw himself playing in the fields of a large school…he was older in this scene and he saw a beautiful young woman nearby who was laying with a jumping mechanical ball of pink metal and she was so happy…he knew who she was…though he didn't see her clearly being far away…

His sister…

Then came a young man with blonde hair who cheered his sister and the two shared a smile. He realized that the guy must be his sister's boy-friend and they looked so happy together…and he saw his blonde aunt and his blue-haired uncle, who was holding their daughter's hands…his cousin as she played in a large flower covered fields…

(_You fight for them…for the future…and for peace…that is what you fight for…_)

The images then changed back into the Paeksis, and the same voices he heard many times came to him once more.

(_Always remember, you can do things that others cannot, but they too can do things that you cannot do. Never judge anyone by their abilities, but judge them by how they use their abilities and what they use their abilities for…and most of all…who or what we are can never be judged by our genes or how we are born…but what we do with the gifts we possess_.)

"I…"

Kyo got up and shook his head as he awoke from his dream…or was it another memory coming back?

The memories came a bit more frequently than he could recall and they were very much affecting him…some were very pleasant…some were tragic and painful, and many made him long for the rest of his past. It had been a trying time for him for the past many nights recalling them…but at least his past was coming back…

In the mean time in the present, he had been busy as can be, training the three former Dread pilots in the intricacies of fighting in Gundams. They were doing fine though progress was taking a while. Meia's lack of basic training with manipulating Vanguard controls was a problem at first, but Kyo was impressed how she grasped the basics very quickly, she was a quick learner and that was a plus. Jura was better off in the fact that as a former Vanguard pilot she had the needed field experience to build on, and she learned well. Dita…well, she was still learning and the skills she had earned as Vanguard pilot certainly helped. He knew that today would be a good day for some combat training for the girls with their Gundams. He then decided to reach for his towel and get ready for another day…as he placed his feet down…into water…

Water?

(What the?!)

Kyo was shocked as he suddenly found his bunk and the rest of the men's sections of the ship flooded with knee high water… right in sync for the Nirvana's internal alarms to come online.

--

The bridge…

"Have you isolated the location of the problem?" Buzam asked the bridge crew as they traced the location.

"Anything?" Magno asked the crew as she waited.

Ezra gave the report.

"We seem to have…a leak, one of the water mains leading through the men's quarters has burst and flooded several areas. The bulkheads are holding most of the water and the repairs can be done in a few days…though it will be a few weeks before the rooms of the men can be used again."

"Oh no! We're going to drown…I'm getting out of here with Pyoro 2!" The Navi-robot yelped and then tried to take the basket with little Lacus in it.

"Her name is Lacus."

Ezra reminded Pyoro as she looked a bit tired of the robot. The gentle bridge officer was getting rather annoyed with the robot's constant calling of her little baby after itself.

"Her name is Pyoro 2!"

The robot maintained as it continued to try and take the basket…making the young baby whimper a bit.

Ezra heard that cry and decided to end this.

"Perhaps we can ask Kyo what HE thinks about that name?" She said while smiling sweetly and comely at the little robot.

The mention of the Gundam pilot's name was enough to stop the little machine and make it shake a little and then release the basket and push it back to Ezra.

Ezra smiled a bit more smugly as she went back to work on the console. As much as she could understand Pyoro's adoration of her baby, the Pyoro 2 nonsense had a way of getting too annoying and distracting and if there was one sure-fire way to make the Navi-robot to stop the Pyoro 2 name-calling…

--

In Earth…

The Harvester Fleets were being refitted, and re-supplied. The ongoing resistance had mounted ever since the disaster that befell their latest attempt at ambushing the Nirvana. The Fleet had to make new weaponry as they needed to now match up with the pirates and their new weaponry. But for the other parts of the human colonies, they retained most of their current arsenals.

The Leader walked through the observation chamber. He had gone to the assembly plant with a few of the Council members and some of the weapons designers following behind him.

"What is the status of the three Gundams that have been developed?"

"The Devastator, Hell-Fire, and Wyvern Gundams have been repaired and can be deployed, however the rest of the tech staff plan to keep them here for data acquisition and use their designs for several new design blue prints…not to mention more models like them can be built and deployed, alongside the new Dominion units."

The leader nodded as he and his entourage watched as the Gundams in question were being swarmed over by repair and construction drones. The drones resembled giant spherical sea anemones that floated about and used their multiple arms that had a menagerie of tools to initiate repairs and modifications of the three massive Gundams that were in dry dock. On the nearby consoles on the data uploading station were several bands of technicians who were then taking data pads and they made their way to the design rooms.

The Council were still a bit uneasy…but that was to be expected since it appeared that none of them could ever convince their leader to change his mind. But there were very solid reasons why they couldn't contend with the idea.

The first was that among all of them…only their leader had the physical and mental capacity to pilot a Mobile Suit. Many of them had undergone so many surgeries and organ replacement treatments that their constitution had been severely depleted. Many of them used life support to survive as long as they could, they mentally were ill prepared for combat and the strains inflicted by warfare on a more personal level…and they didn't have the stamina to pilot any war-machine. Only their leader had the physical and mental characteristics to lead their forces personally.

The second was also their physical conditions. Since they had lived in such conditions and due to various surgical procedures, they were ironically the same as the victims of the planet the Nirvana's crew had once tried to save through terra-forming. Their bodies were too frail to handle the extreme environments of the voids of space, and the dangers of combat with their targets. Unlike many of the colonists, none of the Council had ever tasted combat…with the exception of their leader who in the Days of Despair had banded all the survivors together, and had defeated many contenders to be the current leader of the Council.

And lastly, both cloning and natural procreation were denied to them since their gene pool had been totally scrambled and fragmented. If they were slain, then there would be no new generations to replace them.

The leader however was more than capable of such things, but with their gene pool fragmented and their bodies ruined, they could not have any heirs to replace him. That was why he and others had planned the project known as the Re-Genesis Program, and it appeared that from what they had been able to gain apart from organs, the DNA of those colonists would be used to breed new life on Earth, far stronger human stock than before.

The project had hit some snags due to the interference of the Nirvana…but there would be no stopping them as they came ever closer to completing the project.

The leader then went to face another sector of the assembly plan. But this one had a giant Mobile Suit frame inside for storage. But he was smiling as many construction drones were being used on this particular Mobile Suit and there were also numerous technicians and weaponry designers who were working side by side with the drones to complete the new Mobile Suit. The core now had a heart of the red Paeksis in it, and the crystal was already making it's influence felt…but in a slower and more controlled process as the crystals were being carefully directed into various areas of the Mobile Suit for proper installation and then would incorporate the features the leader wanted installed.

--

In the Medical Bay of the Nirvana…

"Aaaachoo!!" Bart shouted as he sneezed once more with the cold. He was with the other men in the Medical Bay.

"Here, take this, it'll make it a little bit easier." Kyo said as he passed him a few pills.

Bart nodded. "What's this?"

"It's a few cold medical pills, I used to have a few colds here and there, nothing I can't handle. I think you need it more than I do."

Bart nodded his appreciation. He had fallen into the cold water when he tried to retrieve his pillow, and naturally was teased once more by the nurse Paiway who had come into the section of the men on a floating tub no less. When Duero got soaked by water while holding his books, Paiway laughed a lot until she too was soaked. Speaking of whom…

"Aaaachoo!!" The young nurse sighed as she too had a blanket wrapped around her to keep warm.

"Oh…I hate it when I get colds. Back home if I ever had one I could never go out and play…"

"Maybe next time you should know better than to tease others when something like that happens again!" Bart jabbed at her.

"Oh you bald meanie!"

"Whatever…"

Bart replied as he took one of the pills, but then tossed another one to Paiway. The two would bicker, but they were okay buddies. Paiway merely smirked with her tongue out and thanked the bald engineer and took the pill.

"This is…very unwanted."

Duero said as he and Max looked at the situation in the Medical bay. The other men had taken most their gear into the medical facility of the Nirvana since the flooding began. Kyo the least amount of space due to the fact that his clothes and some other supplies were in a duffel bag, and most of his more sensitive equipment was in a special water-proof backpack. He also had left his pilot uniform and weaponry in a locker in the Vanguard pilots' prep room, though he DID have a private area since he was the only MALE in the whole bunch.

As medics, they were not liking the clutter that was introduced into their immaculately clean work-space and made it a point to have the others to move out…unfortunately there was no place left for them to go…they too had no rooms since theirs were also flooded… The two men then considered making bunks in the office.

The door opened and in came a few certain people; in this case, it was Misty carrying a towel.

"Here you must be soaked and cold from all that water that fell on you." She said as she pushed forward the towel.

"Wow, that's nice of you." Bart remarked as he tried to reach for the towel.

Misty pulled back the towel and gave the navigator an annoyed look. "No way! This isn't for you it's for Kyo!"

"Awwwwww!!" Bart pouted as the young (technically young) woman offered the cloth to the Gundam pilot.

The young man was at a loss on how to respond to the unabashed feelings of admiration and deep affection being given to him by the blue-haired girl. For the longest time he had been avoiding her and Dita, since they had been vying for his affections with greater frequency and he knew he couldn't return the feelings of one girl without hurting the other. Even IF Magno gave him the go-ahead last time they spoke he was still rather unsure about the whole thing. Plus their adoration would try to choke him on more than one occasion. Since Dita had become a Gundam pilot he had spent time with her to train her and give her the skills needed to use her new weapon better…this naturally made Misty work even harder to snare him.

And speaking of the redhead…

"Mr. Alien!!"

Kyo suppressed the urge to slap his forehead once more as the redhead Gundam/Dread pilot came in the Medical Bay with a hand-sewn violet-blue blanket with a cute green alien with tentacles depicted on the front. She smiled happily and displayed her work, apparently she wasn't aware of the presence of her most persistent rival for Kyo's affections.

"Here Mr. Alien! I made this to go with that pillow I made for you a few months ago! Since you'll be sleeping in my room, I thought I could make things more comfortable and…"

Naturally this had a reaction to the gathered people.

The men looked at Kyo with an interested eye…

Kyo blushing to the roots of his hair at the thought of sleeping in the same room…and in the same bed as the lithe redhead…naturally his hormones were once more screaming at full bass at him to accept, and his morals saying that it was a bad idea.

And Misty?

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE'S SLEEPING IN YOUR ROOM?!"

The cheerful Megele girl heard the voice and looked in the direction to see her rival who gave her a VERY irritated look, which she replied in kind with her own. The two faced off and lighting seemed to connect them as the two had veins on the side of their heads.

Kyo immediately knew that a war was going to happen and he was the prize…and he seriously didn't need that right now. Plus he had a sweat-drop flow down his head as he saw the hostility of the two girls. He also saw that their attention was away from him…and he quickly took this chance to make himself scarce for the time being…

Meanwhile the impromptu shouting match was very much underway…

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!"

"MR. ALIEN IS GOING TO SLEEP WITH ME IN MY ROOM!! I ASKED THE CAPTAIN AND SHE SAID I COULD LET HIM SLEEP WITH ME!!"

"NO WAY IS HE STAYING WITH YOU!!"

"WHY NOT?!"

"BECAUSE I'M ASKING HIM TO SLEEP WITH ME!!"

"TOO LATE!! I'M ASKING HIM"

"I AM!!"

"I AM!!"

"THEN WHY DON'T YOU ASK HIM WHO HE WANTS TO SLEEP WITH?!"

"FINE BY ME! MR. ALIEN?"

"KYO?"

The two girls stopped the raging word war and faced the spot to where the Gundam pilot was…only to find both him and his gear…missing.

The two only said one sentence as they faced the other men who were stunned by the whole thing.

"WHERE DID HE GO?!"

And the men's reply? Well…

"Uh…we don't know."

--

Speaking of whom…

(Whew…thank God I got out of there…)

Kyo thought to himself as he went through the hallways to where the Hanger Bay was with the rest of his gear. He was lucky that neither Dita nor Misty had the kind of training he had or they would have been able to track him. He had been very busy for the past few days, after the colossal battle of the pirates against the massive fleet of the Harvesters, he had been assigned to take care of the three former Dread pilots, he had cooked and even cleaned up after them for a while, not to mention finally go out on a date with Mai, that at the very least wasn't being watched by the members of the crew, who had taken up the practice of watching his every interaction with their fellow pirates as a past-time soap-opera.

Once the three girls were feeling better from the fighting, he put them through computer programming training in order to do the needed updates and configurations on their Gundam units. During those said times he had to be close to the girls…just like he was when they could form the GunDreads. Hat naturally meant even more close proximity to the girls when he dictated some of the methods on how to access and program their Gundams' OS. His mind began to wander as he recalled the positions they were….

"Aaaarrrrggggghhhh! I don't NEED to think THAT right now!"

Kyo silently swore as his body once more reacted as the images came back at him. He then focused on what was the immediate concern…the finding of a place to bunk down…obviously he did trust himself to be in any close proximity with any of he crew in the fact that he would have a seriously hard enough time dealing with his hormones. And it galled him a bit that it would take maybe a week or two before he could go back to his room. So where the heck should he be bunking down.

"Hello Kyo."

Kyo stiffened a bit and turned to find Meia Gisborn looking at him. He apparently was so engrossed with his thoughts he didn't sense her coming towards him. In either case, he was a bit surprised to find the normally serious and businesslike Dread turned Gundam pilot seemed…unsure and hesitant of herself…and that was a bit of a rare one despite her changing attitude towards him.

"Oh…hi Meia, What can I do for you?"

"Well…" Meia began to think on how she could form her words and decided to ask him a bit more personally. "I was wondering if you've already found a place to stay for the next two or more weeks until the men's sections have been drained and cleaned."

Kyo smirked a bit and scratched his bed sheepishly. "No…I haven't found one yet actually. But I was thinking of bunking down in the Hanger Bay, it'll allow me to be closer to my Gundam to update it better, plus I could be on the spot if you or the others want their Gundams' OS updated…"

Meia gave a look of concern and shook her head. "No…no that's not a good idea! The Hanger's not climate controlled as the residential areas and it can be very cold at nights."

Kyo gave a shake. "Oh, I guess that's not a good idea then, since I certainly don't like the idea of freezing all night, though roughing it out's not too much of an issue…then I guess I can bunk down in the Bio-Park then…I always did like the idea of camping out in the woods. Though…I'll have to pitch a tent…"

"No…you'd have no privacy…and you might catch a…" The blue-haired girl said in a softer tone. Meia then turned around a bit to hide the blush that threatened to appear on her face, and she began to twiddle her fingers a bit, and she certainly didn't want Kyo to see her doing both things. She wondered if what she was doing was a good idea…part of her said that it was, and the other said that this was highly unorthodox. But she couldn't help but feel concerned for Kyo's health and well being and it would be nice to take care of him just as he did for her when she was recovering from her first time Gundam battle. She then decided to go for it, and faced Kyo and with the same determination she had in every mission she had undertaken and the same stern expression, though she had a hard time holding it.

"Regardless, you are one of the best fighters of the Nirvana, and we can't have you in a bad physical condition, we still have to fight the Harvesters and you need to rest, so I think you can stay with m…"

"Oh Kyo…"

Both people sighed as they heard the sing-song voice of a certain blonde Dread pilot turned Gundam pilot. They turned and sure enough the blonde was there, still in her clothes. Kyo wished at didn't have to come to that…that is until Jura sauntered over in a VERY provocative manner, swaying her hips and that added to the overall picture of the blonde bombshell that was Jura Basil Elden.

Kyo was struck dumb, sure Jura was a real babe, but this was the first time she had actually used her beauty in this fashion. Naturally he was struck silent and his mind was absorbed in gazing at the blonde.

Meia didn't know what to make of Jura's sudden change of behaviour, but what she couldn't figure out was her own behaviour! She felt an instant twinge of guilt when she saw how clearly Kyo's attention was on Jura for a few seconds, in the fact that why didn't she try it out before on Kyo, considering the way he was gazing at her blonde comrade. The second was instant jealousy as to why Kyo didn't notice her own attractive qualities.

THAT particularly confused the blue-haired pilot, and she felt it once more as Jura glomped onto Kyo and cuddled the Gundam pilot shamelessly right in front of her. It happened yet again when she saw the instant blush that decorated Kyo's face. ()

That was not all as sudden alarm and panic entered her as Jura spoke to Kyo while hugging him and speaking to his ear…VERY intimately if one noted the tone in her voice.

"Now then Kyo…since you don't have a place to stay, and I have SO much room in my place…why don't you…"

Kyo felt his body begin to react violently as his body began to harden and blood flowed through his entire system like hot metal. ..both events happening VERY intensely in a certain part of his anatomy.

"Uhhh…"

That was all Meia could take…

"Now hold it Jura! He can't stay with you!!"

Jura looked back at Meia and was curious why her commander of the Dread squadrons and fellow Gundam pilot was suddenly flustered and looking at her as if she was…jealous? Naturally this made the blonde arch an eye-brow.

"Oh? And why not?"

"Because he's going to stay with m…" Meia realized what she was going to say and halted the sentence before she blushed hard at what she had planned to say.

Jura then felt a bit of anger flow into her, she wasn't fooled too much by the stop in Meia's words, and she now knew that Meia wanted to ask Kyo to stay with her in her room. She then released Kyo and faced Meia…though they were fellow pirates, Jura couldn't help but feel the desire to make it clear that she wanted Kyo.

"And just WHO is Kyo going to stay with?" Both girls glared at one another just like Misty and Dita did…that only meant one thing to the young man in question. He was now the prize in another word war between two women.

Meia certainly wasn't going to back down from this. She and Jura were close associates and they had become friends, but she wanted Kyo also, and the idea of Jura being alone with Kyo made her very uneasy, and goddesses only knew what could happen between them…

"Well…I…I mean that it's improper!!" Though a voice called her a liar since she too wanted Kyo to be with her.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Uh…Jura, Meia, I think…" Kyo tried to placate the two but unfortunately for him they were now in a heated argument and weren't paying attention. That was the message for him to clear out before things got out of hand.

(I must be the ONLY guy in this whole ship with problems like this!! At least the others will have better luck.)

--

Speaking of the other men…

Duero was busy gathering the rest of his books and placing them in a nearby foot-locker in the office. He had been busy checking the rest of his prized collection of old Earth civilization books since they were opening a world that he had only dreamed off. For now he took care in cleaning the place and was now ready to lace the statue that served as his training model when it came to medical matters.

That was when the doctor turned as the door opened and in came a certain engineer…

"Hello Parfet, is there anything I can do for you?" Duero asked.

"Hi Duero…" Parfet called in as she walked into the Medical bay, still with her hair down and her contacts on.

The doctor gazed at the engineer, he then noticed that she was nervous and was apparently trying not to blush as she faced him.

"Duero…do you have a place to stay for a while, until the men's quarters are cleaned and drained?"

"Not right now… I might decide to bunk down here in the Medical Bay, why do you ask?"

"Well…I….I…was wondering." Parfet said with a deep blush and twiddled her fingers in embarrassment. "If you…don't mind…staying in…my room?"

Duero felt a bit surprised as he digested what Parfet was asking of him. He then wondered if it was a good idea for him to share Parfet's private quarters, not to mention the possible rumours flying about, he had heard gossip of the crew following Kyo when it concerned other members of the crew. He certainly didn't like the idea of him doing something considered improper…

But he decided that since he had been with Parfet for over eight months, and in a way…he wanted to get to know the head engineer more…. He and Kyo did talk about getting to know someone better, and the Gundam pilot DID tell him to get to know Parfet more, and this naturally was a good a time as any, he also spoke with his younger brother about his time with Clare and the rest of the Emerald Dawn's crew… He decided that he might be all right in the company of Parfet.

"Um…all right I guess it won't hurt."

"Really! Thank you!" Parfet squealed in joy as she suddenly kissed Duero on the cheek…making the normally calm and collected physician blush.

He hoped what he did was the right thing.

--

Max on the other hand had was in the Hanger Bay, namely with his Templar Gundam, making some serious updates to work out the kinks in his Mobile Suit's OS. He had taken a load of training on this and decided to ask Kyo to tutor him in other effective methods in updating an OS. He was so engrossed in his work that he didn't notice a certain somebody looking at him.

"You're really working hard in there."

Max was surprised to find none other than Barnette looking down at him while the green-haired girl was smiling at him.

"Hello Barnette." He then activated the rising controls to lift up his Gundam's piloting chair so he could step out of the cockpit. As he faced the green-haired Dread pilot he was a bit silent due to while he was in the cockpit of his Gundam, and Barnette was on top…he was given a bottom to top eye full of the Dread/Gundam pilot and naturally, having been exposed to women in his own way and his change of attitude, Max certainly felt a bit hot and uneasy as he faced Barnette.

Naturally he wasn't the only one as Barnette also studied the younger McFile sibling and then decided to speak to him. She hoped that he would accept what she wanted to ask him.

(It's NOT what you perverts think though.)

--

Elsewhere…

Bart gave a look of exasperation as he gazed at the Navigation Well's interface while still in his birthday suit. He had decided to place his gear with him. Thanks to the Navigation Well's ability to store his clothes, he was able to store all of his gear as well. However he had wished to have some room to himself, but since things were like this, he might as well make the most of it…but it certainly didn't mean he liked his situation all that much.

"Sheesh, of all the places I had to stay in."

At least on his mind his cold was fading…

--

Back at Earth…

The leader watched the other scientists scurry back and forth in the genetics research chamber. In the room were vats, storage chambers, artificial environment simulators, cloning facilities, birthing chambers, and a slew of other systems that gave off only one impression…

The place was a genetics research and modification facility… the kind of place you would associate with a futuristic version of Dr. Victor Frankenstein's lab and the same plan, only here the Harvesters weren't planning on breathing back life into corpses.

In the vats were scores of fluids and they were all crimson in colour, monitors near the tubes showed DNA sequencing being assembled, broken down, individual strands being analysed and tested, and those said strands being reassembled. Technicians and researchers were busy non-stop while guards of both droid and human persuasion were guarding the entry and exit points of the massive facility.

The leader then walked to a nearby computer panel on the dais and spoke to a nearby scientist who was one of his subordinates and chief scientist of the whole Harvester research teams.

"Report."

The head scientist punched in the codes and out came another DNA strand, but this one appeared to be far more complex…and around it were various nano-robots that worked constantly with the DNA strands to be perfectly assembled.

"The DNA we received is going well with the fusion process, the energy readouts are now being scanned, though it will take some time to configure…this IS a new sample anyway."

The leader nodded as he watched the DNA being scanned. He then gives a smile as a certain DNA strand was now being added to the mix.

(Hmmm…Ironic that your DNA was part of the whole answer…Kyo…I wonder what would your reaction be if you found out you will be part of the Harvester's re-birth as the human race…at least a part of you is.)

The Harvester Council leader gives a silent chuckle at the thought.

--

In one of the planning rooms…

Kyo sighed as he sat down, his belongings still with him. He had been able to avoid Jura and Meia, but now he just wanted to rest for a while…his stomach growled at him…reminding him that he hadn't eaten break-fast since the incident that flooded the men's sections.

"Damn…I need to eat."

He then heard the door open and in came his second in command of the Vanguards, Sara Elsman, who had a packed meal with her. She was dressed in a short body suit with a slit on the upper chest portion which was only showing a modest but appealing amount of her cleavage, and had a white shirt on with a skirt as well.

Kyo liked what he saw and smiled a bit, though his brain was getting a few extra set of unneeded ideas.

"Oh…Sara, good to see you."

Sara smiled back at her commanding officer. "Hello Kyo, I heard you were not yet in the galley or the kitchen this morning, and I heard what happened."

She sat down and placed the dish in front of her commander. Kyo was surprised to see what Sara had. There were some sausages, fried potatoes, chopped carrots and some sliced apples as well.

"Did you make this?"

"Yes, I learned how to cook a long time ago back with my family on Megele before becoming a pirate."

Kyo smiled even at the food as his culinary experience told him that this was well made food. He then got curious as to what this was about.

"Have you eaten already Sara?"

"Yes and I thought I could make you something since you haven't come in for break-fast yet. It's the least I could do."

Kyo nodded and sniffed the food. "Hmmm…this is great stuff you made Sara, you're a good cook." He then accepted the utensils Sara handed him as he got down to the business at hand, namely feeding his stomach.

Sara smiled and hoped that this would be her opening to ask Kyo if he wouldn't mind staying with her in her quarters until he got his room back, and this was a good a time as any since she had heard that Dita, that girl Misty, and even Jura and Meia were also asking him to stay with them in their rooms. She planned to ask as covertly as she could as Kyo was about to try some of the food.

Unfortunately for both parties involved…another person was about to get involved as well.

"Hello Commander. I have something for you…"

Both turned and spotted Mai Miazaki who was carrying a tray of food, resembling the food made in Japan. Mai was wearing a more unique uniform, it resembled a Japanese style of clothing but certainly left a lot to the imagination as it resembled a certain female ninja and showed the brunette's full assets…though Mai did wear a body suit underneath, on her back was her family's heirloom sword. The brunette had a warm smile on her face as she saw the man she had gone out on a date with… ()

That smile partially faded as she spotted her fellow Crusader pilot…

Both of them women looked at one another, their attire, and guessed the questions they had for the man in question.

(Oh no! NOT THEM TOO!!)

Kyo groaned as he watched the two stare at each other.

--

Kyo was rather in a bind…so how about the other men?

--

Parfet's Room…

Duero whistled as he looked at the neatly piled parts and crates in Parfet's quarters. He saw how industrious Parfet was when she worked in the Engineering Bay, but this was really taking work with you. But he noted that Parfet had cleaned up the place and placed everything in order.

"You're room's…"

"A little bit messy? I usually don't take much time to clean up when I'm working but I decided to tidy up the place. I guess it's not as clean as the Medical Bay, but…" Parfet chatted nervously, nearly expecting Duero to change his mind about sleeping in her room.

"It's okay Parfet, I'll help you tidy up as well. But there won't be any room for me to place my gear or my sleeping bag…"

"Then…would you mind if you…uh, sleep on…on my…uh bed…w…wi… with me?" Parfet asked shyly.

Duero felt his face heat up at the thought of being in such an…intimate situation with Parfet. His logic warned him that if he was caught in a…compromising situation with Parfet…then who knew how the crew would interpret it?

Not to mention the fact it was…unfamiliar territory for him…he wasn't all that sure about this, plus he wasn't all that sure he was ready to be THAT intimate with Parfet to be invading her most private space, it was hard enough adjusting to being in the same room with her, but being in the same BED with her…was something totally different… but for some reason he couldn't say no to Parfet.

Not to mention the feelings of physical attraction, as Kyo called them…along with…with the desire…to…procreate, were egging him on.

--

Barnette's Room…

Max whistled as Barnette's quarters had several gun cases and storage boxes with them. He could smell the faint odour of cleaning fluid and gun-powder, along with several other gun maintenance parts. But he also noted that Barnette, had laboured to remove all the dirt, the odour and parts of her room's other occupants, and she placed her collections of firearms in their cases. Plus she apparently had scrubbed a large portion to ensure that the cleaning fluids and gun-powder smell wasn't detected.

He also noted that in another side…she had several boxes of jewellery and other miscellaneous items, a closet for her clothes…and…

"You really have a nice room, Barnette…though I am amazed at the gun collection, you weren't kidding about the hobby, I can't believe your ohma gave you all these."

"Thanks, I guess…I've had a fascination with weapons when I was young, and before I met Jura. I took most of my time collecting vintage guns and older models as a hobby when these were given by my ohma on my fifteenth birthday, and I decided to be proficient with them. Sorry about the mess…Apart from Jura, I don't normally tidy up for others unless I want to." Barnette replied, also expecting Max to change his mind considering his medical profession where cleanliness was a must.

"It's not a problem, I guess you could say that I'm impressed with the place."

"I hoped you'd say that. But there is one problem…You see…most of the guns and my other stuff kind of take up the place and there's no room for an extra bed. So I hope you don't mind sleeping in the same bed as I do?"

Max blushed a bit, he had NEVER been that close…with the exception of the time Barnette took care of him while he was injured, not to mention he was invading Barnette's privacy…

But his rational side told him that he had done that back on the desert world with Barnette. Plus they were friends after all, and they WERE getting close…truth be told nothing like this happened between him and Clare…but this was different and Barnette was also different.

"I guess so."

--

In the Hanger Bay…

Kyo gave a groan as he faced his Gundam, he had just been able to avoid the shouting match that sprung up between Mai and Sara, and was happy that they were close buddies and things didn't come to blows…he was also thankful that Jura and Meia didn't go that far, and so did Dita and Misty. But who knew what else could happen.

"I'm tired…sometimes I wish things…namely with my girl problems would be a little less complicated."

He then smelled something nice, his stomach grumbled and when he turned a certain blue-haired youth came to face him. It was Misty holding a tray.

Misty smiled meekly…"Hi…I figured I'd find you here. I know you haven't eaten so I brought you some food…and I."

Kyo furrowed his eye-brows, having recalled what had happened between Sara and Mai.

"You're not going to use food to convince me to go sleep with you in your room are you?"

Misty however shook her head.

"No I won't…you look real hungry…and I…I just want to talk…you can just eat and if you want…I'll leave you alone for today. I don't want to black-mail anybody to be with me. It's just…"

Kyo didn't know why…but something in Misty's voice told him this was serious. He nodded and was relieved as Misty smiled a bit more as he took her up to her offer.

--

The rest of the pirates watched the scene as they were able to spot both Gundam pilot and the strange girl with the strange ideas. They were impressed with the scene as Kyo didn't run like he did, maybe they could get some tips on how to speak to Kyo without him trying to escape.

"Wow, Misty certainly knows how handle men!"

"Yeah, this is the only time I've seen Kyo try NOT to run away."

It was then that certain girls came into the room, and they were slightly unhappy.

Dita was miffed that Kyo had escaped from her and she wanted to have him stay in her room. She didn't trust Misty all that much, and she was afraid that Misty's knowledge of men would make things even more difficult for her to gain the affections of the Gundam pilot. However, she never wanted blows to be exchanged since she was too kind-hearted and cared for others to be violent.

Jura was not happy, Kyo had once more evaded her, and Meia had gotten involved, but she knew better than to fight physically with Meia, and not just because Meia was her superior and friend. Meia after all was the best combatant of the crew and she had seen Meia beat up several girls in a mock training match, no doubt from her times as a thug on the mean streets and her intense study with some martial arts. She herself had taken up fencing and was no slouch with a sword, but her bare hand to hand combat skills needed to be perfected. Besides, Kyo wanted no violence between them, he made that very clear.

Meia likewise was not happy with the situation, having lost the chance to have Kyo with her in her room…no matter how scandalous the idea was. Not to mention her fellow Gundam pilot Jura got involved. She had no doubt that in a hand to hand match she could beat Jura, but if Jura fought with her sword, it would be different since she admitted that in armed combat, there were few in the crew that could beat the blonde in a sword match. She and Jura were close comrades and were friends, but it was a competition between her and the blonde when it concerned the Gundam pilot. Thankfully she wanted no blows to come between her and Jura.

Mai was miffed that Kyo was able to sneak away again. After her date with the Gundam pilot a few days previously, she wanted to spend as much time as she could with her fellow worker at the Register and her commanding officer in the Crusader Squadron. But naturally her second in command Sara was in the way. Like Meia, Sara was a proficient hand to hand combat expert, but the Elsman girl admitted that the Register girl, who didn't join martial arts classes as far as she knew her, was very talented with her own skills. Mai wanted no part in fighting Sara since they were friends and any conflict between them would have adverse effects on the Squadron, plus they didn't want to do something that would make Kyo angry towards either of them.

Sara likewise thought the same as she looked a bit at Mai. She wanted to ask Kyo to stay with her for the next few days until he got his room back. She was close enough to do just that earlier, but Mai came into the room. Though Sara was the best next to Meia in hand to hand combat, she had to admit that Mai was no slouch either, no doubt being trained by her family for most of her years just like she did. She wanted no part if fighting one of her fellow crew members, but when Kyo was concerned…things were not as easy as one would expect.

The group suddenly noted the large number of their fellow pirates looking at a nearby monitor, they then wondered what the heck they were looking at. Dita was the first to come forward and ask the question.

"What are you all watching?"

The crew members turned and spotted the small group of their fellow pirates come forward. They were slightly uneasy since the particular bunch of their fellow women had a rather vested interest on the man who they themselves were looking at, but they knew that Meia was the highest in terms of authority.

"We're looking at Misty…and Kyo, she seems to have him trapped in the Hanger Bay…and he isn't running away either."

"What is he doing?" Meia asked evenly…

"He's having break-fast and Misty's just there watching him." One of the security girls replied as they allowed the new arrivals to take a look.

The five girls, then had a very brief but intense look as they gazed at Misty who seemed to be enjoying the sight of Kyo eating her cooking. They then began to have introspective looks as they kept on watching intensely, much to the notice of their fellow pirates

Oh boy…

--

In the Hanger…

Kyo sighed as he tried the bacon and sausages Misty had made, and took a bowl of chicken soup and took it in with a look of satisfaction as he finally had food in his stomach after a few hours.

Misty merely smiled and waited as she watched the Gundam pilot finish his meal. She was happy he agreed to stay, and although a part of her wanted to ask him to stay in her room…she wanted to talk to him about something very important.

A few minutes later, Kyo sighed as he finished his meals and took a glass of water. He smiled as he finished his break-fast and complimented the young woman in front of him, though due to the years she spent in the stasis pod, it would have made Misty Cornwell a few decades younger than Magno Vivian.

"Thanks…now you want to know why I wanted to talk to you?"

Kyo nodded. This sounded like a serious conversation that Misty wanted to speak only to him and he wanted to know what was bothering the blue-haired teen, he had noticed this change for some time.

"Well…It has to do with me hanging out with you. You see I wanted to ask you…do you recall anything about your parents…and where you are from."

Kyo cocked an eye-brow at that. "Why do you want to know?"

"Well…I never told the others on this ship what I went through…probably because of…well…being different, but you and I are the same. I mean, we both know about the truth between men and women, and well…"

"Well what?"

"Out of all the people on the ship…maybe with the exception of the Captain being as old as she is…you're the only person…and being a guy who knows how I feel. And all this time…I feel lonely."

Misty then began to talk.

"I mean…all my life before I woke up here on the ship was back there on Pluto, near the outer regions of the Earth solar system. I was a very normal young girl in a space colonial city… I mean…I had a family…friends, and maybe a few crushes…but that all changed no less than what should have been a week ago…but it's been nearly eighty years."

Flashback…

In a large orbital city in the regions of Pluto's orbit, life was going on. Pluto was later discovered to not lonely have vast amounts of frozen water, but many precious gases and materials. The orbital cities of Pluto were made to not just harvest these precious resources, but to act as focal jump points for any fleet from the outer and inner worlds of the Terran solar systems planning to leave for the outer reaches of the galaxy. The water would be used for drinking, coolant, and as supplies for any ship going for long journeys.

In one of the said cities…there were many people living side by side. Each city was as large as to sustain nearly two to three million people in great comfort and security. Outside these cities were small orbital security stations for the orbital colony's own self defense fleets. In the cities were residential areas, public works, parks, malls…everything…and the people were happy.

In one park…

"Hey Misty! Catch!"

Misty caught the tossed item and was a small wrapped cake which she caught as she gazed at another girl her age. She and the others were Misty's closest friends since child-hood. She smirked and both she and her friend sat down on the bench and began chatting.

"So you're birthday's only a day away?"

"Yeah my mom and dad will be there…and they allowed me to invite others over." Misty said cheerfully as she wore a school uniform along with her friend, a brunette by the name of Yumi, the two have been close friends since child-hood and were close all the way to high-school.

"So…I take it you'll invite Roy over?" Yumi said with a sly expression as she teased her close friend.

Misty turned and blushed profusely…" Yumi! You make it sound like I'm on a date!"

"But you are in a way…come on…I know you've had a crush on Roy for a few months now, and now's the chance for you to get to really know him!"

Misty blushed a bit harder. Roy was one of the best players in the basket-ball team in their school, and she knew she was one among the girls how had a serious crush on the young violet haired athlete.

"Come on Misty…it's not that hard is it?" Yumi pleaded with her child-hood friend. "Maybe you should use those cooking skills of yours…they always say that the best way to a man's heart is his stomach, so try feeding him."

"I…I..I don't know…I mean…I'm not that good a cook…"

Misty said while she twiddled her fingers nervously. Her parents were scientists, and they insisted she learn the sciences, but they certainly approved of her taking cooking lessons, and Yumi, along with others in her school said she was the best cook in the whole room.

Yumi laughed.

"Are you kidding?! You could whip up so much good food, you should have been a chef, not a communications student. You'd be a serious chef and with time you can fill out and be a real knock-out of a babe! I bet if you had a restaurant you'd be slaughtering the boys by the bushels…not to mention have some serious competition for your hand in marriage once you grow up…"

"I'm not THAT good looking you know!" Misty retorted with a laugh.

"Yes you are girl…give a few years you can certainly fill out those areas…" Yumi said with a gleam as she looked her close friend over, namely for her potential to be a babe. "And when you do…the guys would be literally dying of nose-bleeds!"

"Oh stop it…we've got to go…classes are going to start soon." Misty as she looked at her chronometer. Both girls got out of the park and headed for the school complex that they studied in…The school named after a famous member of the Yamato Family…

Kyo Institute of Computer Programming and Communications…(3)

--

Later…

"Hi mom! I'm home!" Misty said as she placed her school bag on the rack, next to her family's bags. The place was cosy…nothing showy or over extravagant, and it yet it had an atmosphere in it.

"Hi dear, dinner is almost finished." Rena Cornwell said cheerfully as she finished the last touches of her family's dinner. Misty greeted her mom and hugged her while she went to the living room, which was full of pictures of her and her family.

"Hi dad!" Misty said as she spotted her father who was in the living room reading an new scientific journal from the community on brand new research methods and ideas. The older man was a bit shorter than his wife, but he was imposing as one of the best scientists in Pluto due to his skills, intelligence, and focus. But at home he was certainly different.

"Hello dear, you're brother will be here in a few minutes so why don't you freshen up for dinner?" Terrance Cornwell said as his daughter kissed him on the cheek in greeting.

"Sure dad!" Misty said as she went to her room to change and freshen up. She then finished and went to her room to change and then met up with her younger brother Griff, who immediately hugged his older sister.

"Sister!! How was your day?" The younger brother said to his big sister with a warm smile. Misty always stood by her little brother since they were younger, she had even bushwhacked a band of bullies that taunted him when he was little, she didn't fight but verbally lashed them evenly for picking on children who didn't do anything to them.

"My day's fine…how was yours?" Misty asked with a smile as both siblings went down from their rooms to eat their dinner with their parents, while the excited little boy talked about how well he did in school , and even gave his sister a hand made drawing of their family, which he said he got an A+ in art class.

All in all…the Cornwell family was a pretty normal family, life with ups and downs, happiness and sadness…and tomorrow they were eager to celebrate another birthday to mark a new year for one of their family.

--

End of Flashback…

"I see…you had a good family and life back on Pluto."

Kyo said with sympathy and understanding as Misty was silent as she finished describing her life back on Pluto with her family. In all accounts, Misty was a very normal young woman, despite the fact she stood out like a boulder among the women of the pirates due to her beliefs on men and women which were of a higher level than that of the recent discoveries of the female pirates about the past of their world and that of the men.

"Yeah…I miss them a lot, maybe my folks could have met you, you certainly would have been picked by them."

Misty smiled with pride…but then she looked sad as she took out from her pocket the two most precious things to her in the whole universe.

Kyo looked and saw a well kept and folded piece of drawing paper and a picture in her hand. He wondered what it was at first, but he quickly made two and two together and knew what those items were.

"Those are the only things you have of them?"

"Yes…my brother's drawing…and our family picture when my little brother had his 9th birthday." Misty said as he placed both items on her chest held them close.

Kyo could feel sadness emanating for Misty and wondered what could have happened to have made her leave her family behind.

"What happened to them?"

Misty looked up and wiped away her tears but more were there for a moment. Kyo could tell that it was a painful thing for Misty to speak of, apparently she didn't speak of this when they first met due to the fact she didn't want to revisit her past…unlike him who searched desperately for his own.

"The Harvest happened…"

--

Flashback…

ALERT! ALERT! ALL COLONISTS ARE TO PROCEED TO DESIGNATED EVACUATION ZONES!!

The entire colony was filled with red lights…outside fighters of their colony's defensive militia were engaged in heated duels with strange octopus-like fighters that quickly began to swarm over them. It was as if one of them would be destroyed by the militia's fighters, five or six more would replace the ones destroyed…it was like fighting a multitude of ants on the march.

The machines began to overwhelm the last pockets of spirited resistance, in the back of the hordes were seed like ships that sent out even more of them, and urchin like vessels began attacking the rest of the forces. Strange beetle-like robots were seen being deployed into colonies, and the screams of pain, terror, and horror filled the streets, even the colonies that were not under attack at this time were treated to the sight as the inhabitants watched in horror as their fellow colonists were mercilessly harvested and torn apart.

Misty was there with her family who were busy readying their own escape modules. Rena then turned to speak to both her children. Griff was terrified while Misty tried her best to console her sibling despite her own tears. Misty wanted to be strong and hoped that this war would be over.

"Misty…I want you to promise me something…"

"Mom…?"

Rena handed her what Misty knew was a message pod. She looked at her mother in panic.

"No…no…No, you can't ask that of me mom!" Misty shook her head, but Rena made her look at her square in the eyes.

"Listen to me…we know who these monsters are…and where they came from…they plan to harvest all human beings from to colony worlds. We have to warn them so that they can be prepared to face the Harvesters…if we don't…then what happened here will be repeated all over again."

"She's right Misty…"

Terrance said as he finished the last touches of the ship's stasis pods. They had reached special escape/stasis pods. The pods were designed for nearly two hundred years worth of travel and could keep the occupant alive for that much time without having to eat or drink. Plus it would emit a special rescue and retrieval signal to ensure that most ships would detect it's signal if it had the same ID recognition systems that would detect the old colonial frequency.

"You have to carry this message…and so will we. We have to warn the other humans about the Harvesters. If we don't then it would be too late. Your mother and I found out about the Harvesters and the operation a few days ago…but we didn't think it would be really happening. Now that it has…we have to do something to prepare humanity."

"But how would they believe it…believe me? I'm no leader." Misty replied.

"You will make it dear…and you…"

"No! I don't want to leave you here!"

"Please…do this, not just for us…but for the human race Misty. We'll see each other again someday." Rena said as she helped Misty into the stasis pod. Despite her daughter's reluctance, she was making her way in due to her being tired from all the running and she was already sad. Griff was still crying but he toughened up as he was consoled by their father.

Misty wanted to stop but she couldn't her mother was right. "Can I really see you all again?"

"We will…"

Those were the only words she heard and she saw her family smile as she was placed in cryogenic suspension. She saw her mother smiling warming, her father giving her a smile. Her brother then called to her before she slept.

"I'll see you soon big sister!"

--

End of Flashback…

"That was the last time I ever saw my family…and the first image I saw waking up was of…"

Kyo nodded as he knew where that would be. "You saw me."

Misty nodded. "When I found myself here in this ship…I thought I was alone…and I was, I don't know if my family are alive, or my friends, if they made it out okay, and if they are…where are they, are they looking for me, do they remember me…and, well…"

"I can understand that…I've been wandering the universe looking for my own path and place…before ever stepping foot on Talark…and eventually here on the Nirvana."

Misty sighed and nodded in agreement. She had a feeling that Kyo and her were the same. Both were out of place, even though she could bet a load of credits a part of Kyo was happy to be in such a situation, most guys back on Pluto would have passed out from lack of blood from seeing all the Megele women, even those a few years older than them! They would have done anything short of outright murder to be in Kyo's shoes. And she…well technically was still young biologically, but she was already 77 years old…in a fourteen year old body…

"I guess…I thought I would have a hell of a time explaining what the message was, but thanks to you they all know about the Harvesters. But this isn't about that…I guess I must be a real pain in the neck to them since I know about the…facts of life since my mother taught me about it when I got older, and well…my dad certainly…"

"Please, say no more…" Kyo shook his head as he tried NOT to think those things while trying not to laugh a bit.

"Yeah I guess so…you being surrounded by so many beautiful girls and well…never mind." Misty laughed a bit and then both of them sighed as they felt that now was the hard part.

"I guess I want to say is that I wanted not to feel alone out here, and I felt that you would be the best one here. But I guess it must be hard as hell for you. I mean those girls are certainly determined, that girl Dita was the first right, and she certainly wants to be with you, Meia…she certainly is finding out more about men than what she used to think and know, Jura…well that blonde seems to really care for you, heck I'd think it would take a crane to get her or any of the others away from you. Sara and Mai certainly are tougher than any woman I recall. All of them know how to fight in some ways."

"I mean despite being a bit of an airhead, Dita can fight well with a Dread, a Vanguard, and now a Gundam. Meia's one of the best in the Dread, and she's quickly learning how to pilot Gundam, plus she's the best combatant in the ship. Jura' a good Dread pilot and she can use a Vanguard well, so no doubts about her learning a Gundam controls. Sara's a great fighter, even you say so and she's your second in command in the Vanguards. Mai's your fellow co-worker in the Register and is no slouch in martial arts and is one of he stronger Vanguard pilots in your unit…plus they can cook and be real good when not fighting…"

Misty sighed a bit. Kyo knew from the sound of that sigh she was sad to know that in a load of ways the others were better than her when it came to contributions to the war against the Harvesters.

"I mean…I was supposed to warn you people about the Harvest and now I'm already too late…and I don't know if my family is alive somewhere…and if they can find me. All I can do is do some odd jobs here and there…and with you…I guess it must be really wrong to you for a girl like me to be trying to be intimate with you."

"Uh…"

Misty sobbed a bit. "I mean, I'm old enough to be a grand-mother by now around them, with the exception of the Captain…at least chronologically….but I'm still fourteen physically, and I know that most guys except those who are real perverts would even look at me in THAT way, I mean I'm still a kid…and I guess…I just want to have somebody with me to show that I'm not alone here. I mean…how helpful am I? I was supposed to warn people about the Harvesters, but I was too late! I have no combat training like the other girls do, I can't fight the Harvesters who…who took my whole life and my whole past away from me!"

Kyo realized that this was serious so he could only do the one thing he could do…he held Misty as the young girl sobbed uncontrollably. The young girl (technically young) accepted it and just let the Gundam pilot hold her.

--

Unknown to Kyo and Misty who finally let her emotions and inner turmoil out the rest of the crew were watching the whole thing…from Magno and Buzam, to Gascogne and Aleck, from Bart to…every member of the crew…including Misty's other rivals…

Who by the way were stunned as the girl they didn't trust was speaking out her heart. They were now intent on finding out more about their rival…and fellow woman.

--

Misty then realized why she was in love with Kyo…but not totally in the romantic sense…but because she found somebody who was like her…alone and in a situation that was hard to get used to. Kyo at times when they were nearby, would be trying his best to help her get adjusted to life in the nearly all female ship, though she could tell hat he too had a hard time, but he did well. But deep in her heart…Kyo was the only person she could trust with her feelings…and now her own fears. She knew that in a way…she was too late to win his heart completely, but she was happy to have him nearby to console her, as she spoke to him.

"I can't fight properly, I am scared of combat, I can't pilot any machine of war, neither a Dread or Vanguard, and certainly not a Gundam like you…or the others. I can only do other jobs, I can out-class them when dealing with men using the past ideas, and cooking is no biggie…but I guess in the romance departments…I'm way back in the rear…I mean…you've been with them for nearly a year…and I'm…only a few months with you. Had I…had I been with you when you came onboard the ship…I wonder what would have happened between them and you…or between you and…me."

"Misty…I"

Misty sighed. "I know…and I guess you know that I wanted you to be with me since in…some ways we're the same…but you're searching for you're past…and I want to either run from it or forget it. But I love the way you are, not just for your looks, though Yumi would call you a hunk out of heaven, and so would the other girls in the school…if you were a student there…I would have fallen for you, no doubts there, and maybe if I was older, physically then I would have no problem chasing you. And you would have been a hit with my folks…but I guess that's not happening too far now. I know you have morals so it would go both ways…I'm physically too young for you…and I'm chronologically too old for you also. So maybe…maybe I should stop before I do something I might one day regret. I don't want enemies on this ship, all I wanted…is not to be alone, and I realize that I…"

Kyo sighed both of them stood up, he helped wipe the tears from Misty's eyes as she hiccupped a bit. He then gave the young girl a warm smile and she replied.

"Listen…I guess you know why I can't exactly be with you…"

But just before Misty could agree and walk away, he gently stopped her and kissed her on the forehead, making her gasp.

"But that doesn't mean I'll let you be alone on this ship…or anywhere in this galaxy. I may not be a boy-friend in the intimate sense to you…but I can BE a friend to you, I'll make sure that you'll be safe, I can help you and make sure that one day you'll be with your family someday…and maybe…you can one day have a boy-friend who will not care if you are really 77. It certainly doesn't show now does it?"

Misty began to smile and laugh a bit. "Flatterer! I wonder how the girls would act if they knew you had such a honey coated gold tongue?"

"Uh…thanks. Don't mention it to Dita though, she'd probably start asking if I have alien powers to change my tongue's colour!" Kyo snickered and laughed a bit.

Misty and Kyo laughed together at the idea and for a moment the tension between them was gone and would not return for a long time.

Both hugged one another and as Misty kissed Kyo on the cheek she smiled. At least things were in a sense straight between them.

"Thanks…but I recommend that you better not bed here…I have a feeling that the girls will know eventually you came back here. I certainly hope that they were not listening to this conversation…until we talk to them about it."

Kyo realized that there were cameras in the Hanger…and he hoped that when he looked up…

"Oh hell no…"

He realized that the cameras were active…and were pointed on him and Misty…

Looks like he and Misty were going to have a long day…

--

Kyo sighed as he looked back at the three Dread/Gundam pilots who were now getting ready for the training session. He was relieved that Misty didn't have to go through an interrogation as Magno and BC had allowed her to be a full time member of the crew…much to both his and Misty's relief, and he hoped that Misty would find her place here on the ship. For now he had other things to do.

After the battle and the transformation of the three Paeksis enhanced Dreads into Gundams, Kyo had to take in some serious changes for the three girls.

They now had to learn the full power of their Gundams, so Kyo had to take three old Vanguard simulators, upgrade and retrofit them, so those would use Gundam data as the tests required. He also had to design the cockpits to replicate the cockpits of their Gundams. And since the cockpits in question still had the design of Dreads, it made things a bit harder. He, Parfet, and Gascogne had to reassemble the Vanguard simulators to follow the Dread cockpits…this made it seriously easier for Meia since she still had claustrophobia. The data he had acquired from the three Gundams and from his own Gundam served as the data schematic for the program of each of the simulators.

The second was that they would have to learn how to combine both computer programming skills and engineering with their use of the OS of their Gundams. It certainly helped that they had experience in programming their Dreads in the past, but he had to train them on how to upgrade the OS of their Gundams, and that was going to be a long way off, but they were doing very well…

And naturally the last change was the pilot uniforms they would be wearing…

After the incident that nearly killed Jura, Kyo fervently insisted that all three of them begin wearing protective uniforms.

They protested a bit and Meia maintained that her chest and shoulder padding unit did protect her. But Kyo would have none of it, and insisted that for their sakes, they would have to change their clothing and get proper piloting gear. He also stressed that there would be the fact that they could be critically injured and the next time…they might not be so lucky. They knew what he meant by that so they agreed, and so he, Gascogne and Parfet went to work on making new pilot uniforms. Naturally the girls were involved apart from their natural measurements being taken.

Dita's pilot uniform was blue and green in colour, with violet lining, with an alien sewn into the back…following the design of a body suit and on the chest, shoulders, abdomen thighs, upper arms, fore-arms, shins, and back was inter-woven light weight but extremely durable armour plating, plus on the back was a removable support back-pack. In it would be easy to reach supplies and also weapons, and munitions.

The suit itself would be built-in injectors of medicine, antibiotics, and other medical supplies that could be introduced directly into the young girl's body with small and somewhat painless injection units…Dita would only feel a tiny pinch from the injectors, and this would only activate if Dita sustained injuries. The suit also was made from his own uniform, very much the same as the jump-suits worn by Dita, Barnette, and Jura on the desert planet a few weeks before. The suit had reinforced joints to protect the girl and yet give her full freedom of movement. The suit was very light weight and could be easily worn and taken off. It also could retain heat, was dirt resistant, tear resistant and was stain resistant as well. The uniform also had another feature, and it was capable of being used as body armour, not just from the armour plating but also had a thin inner layer of flexible reinforced plastic that were able to withstand fragments and shrapnel.

The suit also had a belt with reinforced pouches for any needed items for the redhead to use…and if it really was desperate, Kyo had insisted that she would have a combat knife, hand-gun with some ammunition clips handy on the belt as well, he also insisted that Dita would keep the magazines in some of the pouches nearby as well.

In the redhead's hands was her helmet and it allowed her long hair to be seen still. Dita was a bit uncomfortable in the full suit since she had worn her normal clothes wherever she was, even when piloting her Dread, Kyo didn't want that anymore due to the lack of protection she had. So despite her initial discomfort, the uniform began to suit her well. The helmet also was made from Kyo's own as a template so it was well reinforced, including the visor since it used transparent high density plastic to protect the face, and behind it was a thin transparent layer of ballistic plastic as well. The helmet was also decked in Dita's colours of green and blue.

Jura's own suit was the same design, along with all the features, including built-in injectors, ballistic underlay, reinforced joints, removable back-pack, and outer body armour plating. Her suit however was in red and black, with gold lines on the sides. On her left side was her sword, and on the small of her back was a long dagger she would have in handy. The blonde wanted to have her weapon close, and Kyo, having seen how Jura would use her rapier didn't argue with her, but they would spar instead, his katana against her rapier. The blonde didn't like the idea of not wearing her dress but agreed that the protection the uniform offered was far more practical. She however requested a light extending small shield installed to her uniform in the left hand for protection. Kyo didn't see why, but she insisted, besides, the shield wasn't large and when used could be replaced as well. The shield was made from laminated alloy that could withstand both ballistic fire and energy, and if broken could be easily replaced.

With her also was her own helmet, also in red, black, and gold.

Meia also wore her own suit, patterned very much from her old Dread pilot uniform, and that meant that it was black, white and grey. The chest and shoulder padding from the older uniform were present, but Kyo had to request some…tailoring to take into account the increase in Meia's body…namely in the…ahem. Apparently Meia had been eating a bit more, and she hadn't been taking too many sessions in the Jacuzzi to lose body fat…Kyo didn't know why completely, but his male side certainly wasn't complaining. The suit also had some defensive weapons, namely a set of laser shooters in the same calibre as Meia's laser ring. By pressing a hidden trigger, Meia could fire four beams at one target with deadly accuracy, so she wouldn't need to wear a ring with her. Kyo requested that feature installed and Meia was more than happy with the installation, since the weapons' power pack was easy to replace.

Her helmet, also in white, grey, and black was present in her hands.

All in all, the newly suited girls spelled only one phrase to any normal guy…

MILITARY BABE!

The suits, like the jump-suits the redhead and blonde had worn were very much hugging their respective figures, and showed very curve the very right way, and even with the presence of the armour plate, the girls still looked sleek, lethal…and very sexy. (4)

Kyo put those thoughts aside as the four of them went to where their respective Gundams were waiting for the pilots who were on their way for a training mission. Kyo had already asked Gascogne and Aleck to be the coordinators of the training exercise. The two would be the one who would guide the converted Harvester battle-ship's forces in a mock engagement with the four of them.

Aleck had been playing a card game with Gascogne when she had asked him where he would be bunkering down, and he merely replied that anywhere would be fine by him. So naturally Gascogne asked him to win a few hands with her to see who would decide where he would be sleeping for the next few days…so far the game was called off.

"All right…you all know this will be a full form exercise, so use all your Gundam's abilities and weaponry at full tilt, don't hold back on the targets."

All three nodded as they were now getting ready to depart to their Gundams. But as Kyo was about to put on his helmet…

"What's my Gundam's name Mr. Alien?"

Kyo was wondering when he would hear his name from Dita, but he was surprised that Dita asked him that of all the questions she would ask.

"What?"

"What's my Gundam's name? I mean your Gundam has a name, Infinite-Freedom. So many Gundams have names and they sound real cool, Barnette's Gundam is the SwitchBlade. Mr. Doctor's Gundam is the Morpheous. Brother's Gundam is the Templar, Mr. Other Alien's Gundam is the Shinobi, and his sister's Gundam is the Kunoichi. Even the bad aliens' Gundams have names too! The Dominion, Hell-Fire, Devastator, Wyvern, and the Behemoth. Why doesn't my Gundam have a name?"

Kyo couldn't believe this. "Does having a name for your Mobile Suit mean that much?!"

Jura however also got involved as she liked the idea of having her new beloved machine having a cool sounding name.

"That doesn't sound so bad. I want my Gundam to have a name too!"

"Are you serious?"

Both girls nodded and Kyo naturally looked at Meia so as to see if she would get into it too. The blue-haired girl shrugged in response to Kyo's inquiry.

"It doesn't matter to me that much, but having call signs to differentiate ourselves and recognize each other would be very helpful."

"Yeah, so what name will my Gundam get?" Jura asked.

"Please Mr. Alien!" Dita pouted with the Sad Puppy Dog Eyes treatment.

Kyo sighed as he looked at the three other Gundams, he noted everything about them, their features, combat abilities, and weaponry and came up with some names.

"Okay, you install the names into your Gundam's ID transponder and OS. For Dita…Azure Angel. For Jura…Crimson Edge. And for Meia…Silver Lightning."

All three girls nodded as they recorded the names in their minds.

(Azure Angel…I love it!) Dita thought with joy as she remembered that name.

(Silver Lightning…that's okay with me.) Meia thought as she logged in the name in her mind.

(Crimson Edge…Now that I like!) Jura smirked with pride as she gazed at her Gundam.

Kyo nodded as he could tell that was over. All of them then went on to their Gundams and begin the training mission. The girls quickly logged in their new transponder signals into the OS via computer as they, along with Kyo's Gundam were being set into launching position.

--

Magno nodded as she and BC, along with the bridge crew watched as the converted Harvester units were now waiting for the engagement signal. The elder woman was impressed by Kyo's idea and the ship they had taken would indeed be valuable proof to the men of Talark, and the women of Megele.

For now, it was training time for the crew…namely for three newly baptized Gundam pilots.

"Okay Kyo you and the others have the go signal, good luck and do well."

"Same here, the sooner the Gundams are put through their paces and so will the girls, the better chances we have in this war." Buzam said as she and the others got ready for the training match.

"Roger Captain, understood Commander…" Kyo replied as he and the other Gundam plots put on their visors.

"All Gundams are green-light for deployment!" Belvedere called in.

"No sign of Harvester units, training period is good to go!" Amarone reported.

"Understood…Kyo in the Infinite-Freedom…LAUNCHING!!"

"Dita Liebely in the Azure Angel…GOING NOW!"

"Jura Basil Elden in the Crimson Edge…HEADING OUT!"

"Meia Gisborn in the Silver Lightning…DEPLOYED!"

All four Gundams streaked out of the Nirvana and headed out for their new training session.

--

Kyo then got into contact with the three girls and began to run them through their paces as they came closer to the converted Harvester units.

"First we're going to work on speed and manoeuvrability, so the objective for this first phase of the exercise, is to dodge the attacks of the targets, no need to fight for now. So weapons are not to be used until I give the go ahead. All right?"

"Roger!" All three girls nodded in agreement. As much as Kyo knew that they wanted to go full weaponry, they still need to do the basics. They knew that too so they went to work as the Cube Fighters began their assault. Kyo had toned the weaponstrength of the Cube Fighters so it would be a lesser strain on the girls.

As the four Gundams went in sync, the area of space became filled with weapons fire from the converted Harvester units, and these were reduced so the girls would be able to handle it for today.

Kyo's Gundam rocketed ahead due to it's immense power and speed, the girls followed at their own pace. Meia's Gundam was the fastest of the three and hand no problem keeping up with Kyo's Gundam as both streaked out like bullets dodging every attack.

Jura's Gundam wasn't far behind as she too moved her machine to match the speed of her fellow pilots. Dita was not far behind, though she still had to get used to piloting her converted Dread.

They all moved according to the incoming volley of fire and Kyo watched as he checked the progress of the three girls under his command. Meia may have no prior experience with a Mobile Suit, but that certainly didn't stop her from learning how to use one. Jura was getting closer and closer to matching Meia in the learning department. Dita was doing fine, using her prior experience as a spring board to improve herself…though she still had to work on it.

The girls and him dodged volley after volley, Kyo placed I-Freedom in a spiralling motion with wings folded close to pass through a mass of weapons fire. Meia halted and placed her Gundam in a dive and came upward to dodge more weapons-fire. Jura side-stepped several blasts with good timing, while Dita was able to dodge several attacks, but one clipped her shoulder…thankfully the weapon damage wasn't high, but she whimpered at making such a mistake.

Kyo and the others checked her via com-link to assure her as they went on with their exercise. They each encouraged her to be more cautious next time and move faster, she nodded and worked on her performance.

As they continued to dodge and weave through the battle he decided it was time for them to use their Gundams' defensive abilities.

"Okay…time for you to dodge and defend yourselves."

"ROGER!!"

The Gundams then activated their respective defensive abilities as they engaged the converted enemy units. Meia was able to block several shots with her collapsible shield while dodging the rest of the attacks.

Jura used her Gundam's shields to send back the shots fired at her, resulting in her turning several converted enemy units into scrap.

Dita used her Gundam's fore-arm beam shields and blocked several shots, but she had to dodge several as she still needed more time on how to use her shields effectively.

Kyo's Gundam may have lost it's collapsible shield…but it was far from helpless as it dodged each and every shot being fired at it as it led the other Paeksis Gundams in the combat exercise and also went to engage it's own enemies…

--

In the rest of the galaxy…

The human colonies had now been totally alerted and various accounts coming from the refugee residents of Delta 6 and also the records of every world hit by the monsters from Earth made public outrage the name of the game.

Planets outside of the system of Talark and Megele banded together to form resistance forces…every branch of the military from conventional to special forces were now being assembled at full combat readiness. Patrols of every fighter, ship, and whatnot were now ready to defend the galaxy from Harvester invasion.

Even the criminal underworlds got out of hiding to defend their respective worlds in covert actions by sending out their black-market weaponry to scour the galaxy they resided in for any sign of the Harvesters and their forces…it just goes to show that despite them being criminals…people will always band together to survive any situation. Though they were on the wrong side of the law…these people loved to live free and being harvested by others for their organs certainly wasn't something they were going to allow to happen.

They all however had heard of the pirates who had defied the Harvester armada time and time again in every engagement and coming out with victory…scoring another blow to the once considered invincible armada from Earth.

Many of them wanted to meet the valiant crew and ask them to be the flag-ship of the resistance forces…and the famed Gundam pilot Kyo to be their commander. Many military generals were impressed greatly on how the Nirvana had been able to survive and beat the Harvesters…and the Gundam owned by the rumoured male pilot could be the ace that tilts things in their favour in the brutal war for survival.

In that regard every effort to stop the Harvesters were taken by the now combined forces and if they encountered the pirates, they would gladly come to the aid of the pirate forces.

--

Back in the training mission…

Meia gave a grunt of as she guided her Gundam out to a dive and came up with her shield…blocking an overhead assault by several Cube Fighters as they strafed at her. She then made the move to dodge and block another incoming strike from more Cube Fighters as she jetted away and moved from one side to the other.

Jura blocked the incoming shots and deflected them back, while dodging those she couldn't block with her Gundam's reflector shields, though they were made to block most beam and some ballistic style attacks, she however recalled that her shields can't block all attacks completely so she must not rely on them.

Dita still had a hard time, but was able to equalize as she guided her Gundam to use both it's energy shields to deflect incoming weapons fire from her opponents. She had some difficulty with her Gundam but she wasn't going to give up on her new machine. She needed to learn better on how to use it so she could help beat the bad aliens and help Mr. Alien.

Kyo nodded at their improving progress…and now they had to go to offence…

"Okay…nice on speed, dodging and blocking…now we go on the offensive. Use all your weaponry and see if there are other features in your Gundams you haven't found yet, and improve the one's you already can use."

All three girls nodded as they began suing their Gundams' weaponry.

Meia took out her beam rifle and used it in conjunction with her shield to begin her attacks. She darted her Gundam in and out of various target formations and fired with her beam rifle and blocked with her shield. She put the speed, and defensive ability of her Gundam to the full test and combine it with her quickly improving skills with her weaponry. The former Dread pilot then closed in the gap, re-slung her beam rifle and switched to her beam katana, she retracted the shield and dived into the enemy forces, using the moves she had seen Kyo use in his own training sessions.

Jura used one shield to block while using her ranged guns to engage the enemy, the weapons had rapid fire and deadly fire-power but she had to be accurate with them since they were not that effective at long range unless dealing with large groups of enemy forces. She then took out her beam sabers and worked on her fencing skills, she moved her Gundam like a ballet dancer in and out of the fight and took out even more enemy units with her beam sabers, one of which she had found a way of adjusting the beam length to make it easier to use as short beam saber.

Dita started out with her Gundam's beam rifles, taking the time to aim her Mobile Suit's weaponry as she moved about, she had been improving since the last battle, and it was showing as she began taking out even more targets. She then switched to her abdomen cannon and flew in closer while dodging and blocking enemy fire with her shield. The abdomen cannon wasn't built for accurate long to extreme range combat but it was deadly to medium range combat and could inflict serious damage when the target was even closer. Even more so when fired with all the Gundam's weaponry.

The three girls then tried what other weapon options their Gundams possessed since they knew that in order to match the Harvesters, they needed to find ways to equalize their forces and learn all they could about their new machines, and this necessity was the time to experiment.

Dita then used the beam rifles, combined them to form their beam cannon form and then aimed at a charging Seed ship. Unfortunately she still had to get used to the combined weapon's power output as her beam went wide…

The beam nearly hit Meia's Gundam and even Jura's, but they dodged it in time when they spotted it coming towards them…naturally they both weren't happy with the friendly fire bit.

"Dita! Watch where you're aiming!!"

"Yeah, are you fighting us or the enemy?!"

"Sorry!! I'm REALLY sorry!! I still don't know how to do this right!" Dita whimpered sadly.

"Easy Dita, no need for tears okay?" Kyo called in to the young redhead as he guided his Gundam into a defensive pattern around Dita's Azure Angel.

"I want you to make some re-calibrations on your Gundam's OS, it'll help with the target parameters so it will make your Gundam aim better and not suffer from missing or recoil from that combined beam cannon of yours." Kyo replied as he sent some data to Dita to use in the updating of her Gundam's OS.

As soon as he got closer, his Gundam flew alongside Dita's and protected her from retaliatory strikes…making the redhead happy as she watched Mr. Alien protect her.

"Yes! I'll get to it right away!" Dita chirped with glee and happiness as she began to work on the data once the access board came up to her and she worked on it ().

"Meia, Jura, keep going on with the exercise and keep up the pace. Me and Dita will be with you in a few minutes."

"Roger." Both girls said with some reluctance as they saw Kyo and Dita getting closer in the battle-field. Both pushed that thought aside as they went back to the fighting exercise.

Meia then took out her Gundam's other beam katana and with beam weapon in each hand began to move in a pattern that was similar to some two handed fighting styles she had seen in some movies as a girl. She normally didn't watch them anymore, being older, but decided that since she had beam katanas as her main melee weapons, she had better see if it would work. To her surprise it did, though she still had some loop-holes to fix as many Cube Fighters were torn up by each slash of her beam weapons. She used one beam katana in a reverse grip fashion, while the other was in a normal one handed grip for a few more moves.

Jura was also in the fight as she thrust and slashed with both her Gundam's beam sabers and she then decided to try a move she had seen Kyo do on occasion with his own beam sabers. She began to move her beam weapons in time with the incoming blasts from the Cube Fighters, with the intent of blocking them with the beam sabers. She wasn't able to block all and had to dodge, but the trick wasn't useless and several blasts were deflected away from her. She smiled and hoped to practice the moves more and set a pattern of both attack and defence using her beam sabers.

She then used both beam sabers in the beam whip configuration and lashed the energy at the incoming foes. In this form of combat she still needed some work and it showed as some Cube Fighter managed to escape, but that certainly didn't mean she missed entirely…as several Cube Fighters were caught and destroyed by the extended and flexible beam blades.

"Okay….I got it!"

Dita chimed in as she finished typing in the data and seeing the OS accept the changes.

"Good. No try using the beam cannon again." Kyo said as he moved away from Dita's Gundam, he now flew a good distance away to help Dita and the others if they needed help. He was their teacher after all.

"Okay here we go!" Dita said to herself as she moved in for the kill

She quickly dodged the incoming tendril weapons of the Seed Ship she had missed which was now charging at her again. She took careful aim and quickly locked on and fired.

And struck dead centre without missing or suddenly being forced back by the recoil of her combined beam cannon. The Seed ship was about to release some Cube Fighters when it was hit by the massive beam. The Cube Fighters were instantly turned into scrap by the blast that slammed into them, and the Seed ship was bathed in the energy wave and was severely damaged until it exploded into nothing but scrap.

"Good one Dita! Keep practicing more, but don't forget that you have to use the combined beam cannon when you need to."

"Thanks Mr. Alien! I'll keep working on it!"

He watched the progress of each other girls and nodded with admiration, they will need more time to become proficient Gundam pilots, but they will get there.

Meia then found another option in her weapons menu…she began to access it and the results were that her Gundam suddenly activated the energy collectors and the Gundam was suddenly bathed in pure energy. Meia then moved away and was blocked by some Cube Fighters, she wasn't able decelerate, but then the energy shield destroyed them as if they were nothing but targets. She scanned the energy wave around her Gundam and found out to her surprise that it had the same energy wave-length of a beam rifle's energy bolts.

She tried it again and charged at several more Cube Fighters and they too were reduced into rubble, with no damage to her Gundam at all. Apparently the energy wave that netted around her Gundam allowed it to grant her a second wall of protection, while making her into a massive beam rifle round fired from a cannon. It was almost the same as her GunDread's ability to cover itself in an energy aura to rip through the enemy forces. (6)

As soon as she stopped she discovered that like Kyo's Gundam she had some weaponry in her wings and out came two plasma cannons, she targeted an incoming force and quickly reduced them to bits with the new weaponry.

Jura also took out her anti-ship swords and began to use them as soon as she stored back her beam sabers and decided to try her more larger weaponry. The curved beam edged swords were a bit harder to use due to the size, and length, but the extended reach and damage power certainly made things easier when eliminating the enemy in close combat situations. Several Cube Fighters were unlucky as Jura's beam edged scimitars slashed them apart and reduced them into scrap.

She then tried a double style attack, she first used her ranged weaponry to bunch up the targets and then charged in, blocking their attacks with her shields and then slashed apart more as she came with her beam edged weapons, slashing and thrusting quickly, reducing many to scrap.

Dita practiced with the accuracy of her combined beam cannon and was doing better as more Cube Fighters and bunches of Cube Fighters were being destroyed. The cannon's recoil no longer bothered the redhead due to the computer modifications and her desire to learn. As soon as the was able to eliminate more targets, she disengaged the weapon and reverted back to beam rifles and began to shoot them in a rapid but patient manner. She then tried using her Gundam's own HiMAT system, something she and Kyo had found together, in a moment, her Gundam's rail-guns, abdomen cannon, and beam rifles were ready as she locked on multiple targets, the DRAGOON beam cannons also detached and aimed alongside the rest of the weapons. She then fired as beam fire filled the area and many Cube Fighters were turned into nothing but burning piles of debris.

She then decided to use her DRAGOON beam cannons as they flew around and acted accordingly, attacking any target that Dita was able to identify once she saw them to be Harvesters, as the redhead finished the fight she then put away her ranged weaponry and switched to her beam sabers.

She then recalled the movements of both offence and defence with a beam saber taught to her by Kyo, she used her Gundam's energy shield to block the attacks fired at her by the Cube Fighters and move away from the ones she could not block in time. She wasn't used to melee combat but she tried her best and due to her now sharing some Kyo's Coordinator gifts such as a rapidly increased learning curve, just like Jura and Meia, she had a strong chance of making it through the training.

Kyo was impressed by the progress and decided to call off the exercise, they needed to rest, let the Harvester ship recover and remain intact for evidence, and move on to Talark and Megele to plan the defence of the Human race against the Harvesters.

He then sent the signal to the Harvester Battle-ship to recall it's forces for today, next they would have to deal with Gundam opponents since he had found some interesting weapons to be used in the next round of practice.

"Okay, time to call this a day, we're heading back to the ship."

"Roger!"

The rest of the pirates loved the show and were somewhat disappointed as the Gundams went back to the Nirvana, BC however cleared that up pretty quick as she got the crew back into order.

As soon as the Gundams came back into the Nirvana, Kyo got out of his Gundam and watched as the girls also got out of their respective Mobile Suits. With that out of the way…he decided to get back to some tasks, grabbing some lunch and finally finalizing just WHERE he was going to sleep.

--

Kyo was right in teaching the three former Dread pilots…since back at Earth…

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yes…the increasing resistance forces and the new weaponry being developed by them and the new Gundams means that we must reconsider how we deal with the enemy. In that we must acknowledge that against such threats, the Cube Fighters will reach a state where merely improving them will not be enough. We may have to replace them in the coming months."

The weapons research and development branch of the Harvester Armada considered the information, the Cube Fighters were deadly weapons due to their irregular appearance as that of alien fighters…but that was soon replaced as the resistance has broken the façade of them being from another life-form in the galaxy. Their psychological edge was stripped bare now due to the Nirvana revealing who they really were.

"Any suggestions?"

"There is one…our own conventional Mobile Suits." One technician replied as the screen nearby was activated to display schematics for a new Mobile Suit design.

--

Kyo didn't why at first…but he had a feeling that things today were just going to get more complicated as he got into the galley for some lunch….

If he only knew…

--

"Are you asking me what I think you're asking me?!" Misty was shocked a bit as she gazed at the collected bunch of people who had joined her in the park.

She had just accepted that Kyo would be more of a friend than a romantic interest since he was really a nice guy, and he promised to be a good friend to her. Not what she truly wanted but it was enough to know that he would always be there for her. But now it seems that things were about to take a drastic turn.

"Yes." Jura replied with a smile.

(They want me…to tell them how to get Kyo to stay with them in their room?!)

Misty felt her cheeks blush at the thought, being a normal young woman who had a serious thing for boys, asking a boy to sleep with her in her room was pushing it way past the red lines!

(Man…if my parents ever heard of this…they'd…)

Misty mentally shook that idea out of her head before it got too descriptive.

"Why are you asking me this? And which of you want to know?"

"Me."

"No! Me!" Sara answered.

"I am!" Mai chimed in.

"Come on! Mr. Alien stays with me!

"I think…"

All the collected girls who were in front of Misty began to glare at each other, making Misty wonder if Kyo was ready for the kind of affection the girls in front other were radiating.

(I better do something…)

"I think we'll need to meet the Captain and discuss this. I mean asking a guy into staying with you…in you're room isn't as easy as it sounds."

A tiny voice told her how close she came to doing the same thing…but for now she had to deal with another matter.

Later…

"What is this all about?" Buzam asked in confusion as she saw a bunch of fellow pirates in the Conference Room, along with Misty who seemed to be rather nervous about something, and for some reason, she began to wager that this would naturally have something to do with the male Gundam pilot.

"Ah...well, they want…to know what they need to do to…get Kyo to stay with either of them in their room."

Buzam became more confused, but Magno on the other hand was smiling considerably. She knew that the ladies assembled were deep in their feelings for Kyo, Misty had given up but wasn't unhappy as he would be like a friend and a brother to the young woman. She knew that by picking one, it could make things a bit harder for the females gathered here, but she also knew what Kyo's reaction would be if he was forced without him being able to speak for himself.

That only left one choice.

He reached into the comm-link made the call.

"Kyo…if you're done eating lunch…please head over here to the Conference Room."

In the galley, Kyo's feelings of dread began to climb…just as he finished his glass of juice.

(I've got a BAD feeling about this.)

--

Later that day…namely as the crew winding down after another day to go to sleep…

Kyo sighed as he finally got all his gear and waited as he stood in front of a door.

(God, how did it come to this?!)

He thought back on what he had just gone through back in the Conference Room a few hours before. To say he was shocked was an understatement and he felt some anger at first, but decided that it would be far better since he had three parts of his psyche screaming at him. The first was to finally have a nice warm bed to sleep in, the second was his more male side telling to finally just relax and be with a woman instead of being the isolationist that he had been for nearly a year and a half. And the last was his more…passionate side…urging him on…but no way was he going to try something that dumb with his current bunk-mate

He had agreed with the Captain's rather…unique decision regarding his need for personal quarters until his own was cleaned and retrofitted along with the rooms of the men after a month and a week according to the repair reports from Parfet. He did so reluctantly but did so nevertheless.

As the door opened Kyo sighed to himself…

(Looks like I am going to keep that promise after all.)

He thought as his room-mate cheerfully greeted him

"Hello Mr. Alien! You finally came to my room!!"

As soon as he entered…

Kyo had to admit one thing. Dita LOVED to collect things, namely things she considered 'alien'. The place was decorated with various alien toys, pictures and other ET memorabilia, it was…funny to say the least.

Dita smiled as she got her bed in order along with the rest of her room. Before she had placed her request to the captain along with the others, even before she got into the verbal sparring match with Misty, she decided to clean up her room to make it look more cheery. Misty then told her about not trying anything unbecoming towards Kyo that would embarrass or hurt him, and Dita agreed. Though they were rivals before for Kyo's affections, they were slowly becoming friends since Misty would tell her about ways to get closer to men without Kyo getting angry or embarrassed. She didn't completely like the idea that Kyo wasn't staying permanently, but as long as Mr. Alien was close to her she didn't mind.

"Do you like my room Mr. Alien?"

"Well…yeah, I haven't been here, but it seems really cozy. And it's got a LOT of toys."

"Don't think about that, back at our base, I have an even BIGGER collection back at my room!"

"You have more of these toys at your home base?"

"Yes! But I guess that we'll have to share one thing Mr. Alien."

"And what might that be?" Kyo asked, but he had a fairly accurate idea as to what Dita was getting at since he saw that there wasn't enough room for a bed roll.

"We'll have to sleep on the bed together, there's not much room for another bedroll." Dita said cheerfully.

Kyo blushed at the thought of being close once more to the buxom redhead. It certainly didn't help matters that for the next few days he would have to be in bed with Dita…and then a week from now and the next coming weeks until his quarters in the men's section were useable again…he would be staying with another member of the crew…

(God how am I going to survive this?!)

--

Now what about the other men…apart from Bart?

Parfet's room…

Duero sighed a bit as he held his bunk-mate Parfet. The spunky head engineer was out of her engineer's jumpsuit and was in her tank-top and in a pair of spandex shorts. She smiled as she cuddled up to him, their bodies seeking each other in warmth.

Duero was still confused by all this affection from the brown-haired girl, but he was quickly getting used to it, as Kyo told him to spend as much time as he could with Parfet. He discovered two things…one as that he LIKED being this close to Parfet, the other…was that the deep feelings for the young woman were growing every time she was with him. And one of those feelings was a stirring in a certain part of his male anatomy, that made him squirm…even more so as Parfet snuggled even closer. He was able to restrain these strange urges in his body and was finally able to just appreciate her beauty in relaxed sleep, without the tight feeling of his pants getting in the way…. He sighed as he went to sleep.

Parfet sighed contently has she hugged the object of her affections closer. His smell was different from the odours she knew, but it wasn't unpleasant at all, his warmth, firmness, and strength was more than nice to her. His hard contours were different in feeling but were not unwelcome at all. She smiled as she recalled how Duero looked back in that time in the shower and on the times she had worked with him bare of his trench-coat, and she felt those hard, warm, and firm muscles on her own body…making her squirm a bit as she felt this longing in her heart and the pit of her stomach…for now she focused on enjoying this night every chance she got until he went back to his own quarters.

Barnette's Room…

Max squirmed a bit as he found himself in the arms of Barnette, as the Megele girl draped her right arm and leg over him. She was had taken off portions of her normal clothes and was dressed in the one piece suit that she normally wore, exposing her long slender arms and strong legs. The girl smiled in her sleep as she held him closer and her lips were very close to his.

Max was still confused as to why he felt these strange but not unwelcome feelings for Barnette and her out-pouring of affections towards him, but he was getting used to it as Kyo told him to spent all the time he could spare with Barnette since they each had affection for the other. His feelings for the tough girl were growing considerably and he could tell that the feeling was mutual. He then went to sleep.

Barnette sighed in satisfaction as she hugged the object of her new-found affections….and fantasies. His smell was different from some of the odors she knew, but it wasn't the least bit bad to the nose and his warmth was nice to her. His hard contours were different in feeling but weren't unwanted in the very least. She recalled how Max looked back at the shower and the desert world, and she felt those hard, warm, and firm muscles on her body...making her even warmer…and more aware of his male presence…namely in her heart and…a certain spot. She wanted to take FULL advantage of this situation…though not in the same degree as Jura…not YET anyway.

Now what about Aleck?

Aleck smiled a bit as he gazed in the room Gascogne had given him for the duration of his stay. It was near her room, actually it was a spare room she had with her but wasn't used by anybody at the present. The room had the bare essentials, a comfort room, a nearby table and chair, a communicator on the wall nearby, and some lockers for any gear he could store away.

"You sure I can bunk here?" The elder male asked Gascogne who smiled.

"Yep, the room's not that much, but it's cozy enough for you. The room would have been used as a storage room, but I let it stay the way it is…and It seems to be the right choice…juts don't try and walk into my side when I'm changing…or I'll give you a sparring match and it won't have anything to do with cards."

The man nodded in agreement though the arrangement Gascogne had in mind was a little…different than what he was used to. Back on his exile on the desert world, the female crew of the Emerald Dawn were VERY strict about their privacy and he respected that. And Gascogne was a friend after all.

"No problem…the crew of the Emerald Dawn did the same thing. I won't walk in unless I ask permission Gascogne. That I promise."

"Good."

They shook hands as he was about to go to sleep on his bunk, Gascogne smirked and kissed him on the cheek, making the Vanguard instructor jump slightly in surprise.

"Good night."

Aleck touched his cheek in surprise as the head supplier left the room, he didn't know why but he smiled a bit and sighed.

"Women…even after being with them for nearly a year I STILL don't know a thing about them."

--

Dita's room…

Kyo sighed a bit as he washed his face and got to changing his clothes. He got down to his normal sleeping garb, but was so deep in thought on this latest situation he got himself into, so he wasn't aware that Dita got into the room and saw him change clothes.

Dita was about to greet Kyo when she saw him…

Kyo's body was now derived of his normal garb, and it showed all of his form to the young redhead…though she had seen him naked before in the Nirvana's bath area, she wasn't all that aware of him in the sense that she didn't understand all the things about what would make a man attractive to a woman…but after the various incidents…she began to figure it out VERY quickly.

His chest was well sculptured, testament to his years of battles and training, His stomach was flat like a washboard, and his flanks and hips (the ones shown as he's still got on his boxers, you perverts!) were well formed. His skin had a light tint, but was clear, despite some scars, his arms were long and were well defined by strong and tight muscles. His hair was like a long crop of light chocolate brown silk as it flowed over his back, this time unbound from the cloth that made it form into a ponytail. His legs were long and lean, and were also well formed, from his thighs to his lower legs.

Kyo looked like a statue of a man showing the full beauty of the male form…which he was doing very effectively.

Dita felt her heart beat faster as she felt heat flow through her body, especially in the place between her legs. She sighed a bit and that caught the attention of Kyo as he finally wore his clothes for bed which were a shirt and a pair of shorts. He then gazed at Dita who was in her pajamas.

"Hey Dita, are you all right?" Kyo asked as he smiled at Dita in her pajamas. She looked so cute and innocently sexy…which she was….he however quickly suppressed the ideas that began to form in his head at the thoughts.

"I…I…I'm fine Mr. Alien!" Dita said while trying to hide her blush at the smile on Kyo's face.

"If you are, then why are you blushing?" Kyo asked with a simple smile.

"Nothing!" Dita squeaked as Kyo came close to her. Kyo smiled as he hugged Dita a bit.

"It's okay, I'm just teasing you. Shall we go to sleep?"

Dita nodded as she and Kazuki lay on the bed, she sighed as she cuddled up to Kyo, who blushed a bit more as the cheerful Megele girl hugged him. He groaned quietly as he felt his body react to Dita's own body as her soft curves melded with his, he sighed slightly and closed his eyes, while Dita smiled as she hugged her Mr. Alien.

Kyo realized his teasing nature would soon get him into trouble, but he also realized that he would be doing this for the next few days…and even if it was going to be over soon…he would have to stay with others as well. He agreed to it and decided to follow his decision anyway.

(I just hope I can get through this all…)

For a few minutes he stayed awake to make sure Dita didn't try anything resembling the times they had been stranded on that desert planet. He finally went to sleep as the ship made it's way to the system of both Talark and Megele.

--

To be continued…

--

Chapter 7 Part 1 is now completed!

(1) Hey I would too if a blonde babe like Jura suddenly walked up to me in that fashion and hugged me…ah…well, you'd know MY reaction to that, and I can guess yours as well.

(2) Okay…I never DID get to the character sketch on who Mai Miazaki was based on, and believe me, who I wanted to base her appearance on was a hard one…I had two in mind, and I decided to choose only one. If you guessed it right, then I don't need to say it…

But if nobody gets it…then I will say it. Mai Miazaki is based on Mai Shiranui of King of Fighters…but before you guys start asking questions, I'll explain…

This Mai has NO relation to the Mai Shiranui of the KOF series, and her ancestor's former fiancé is NOT Andy Bogard of the said series either. They are not related to the characters they are based on so no bright ideas on what happened four hundred years ago.

Oh and last… I DID NOT copy Mai Shiranui's breast size and gave them to the Mai in this story, you pervs!

(3) Name sounds kind of weird but it works at least

(4) Uniforms based on the one worn by Major Melissa Mao of Full Metal Panic, a symbol of my admiration for the studio GONZO for making it and VanDread.

(5) Just like the quantum computer board in Gundam SEED would be used.

(6) Recall the energy that gathered on both the GunDread Meia in this story and the VanDread Meia in the original? Plus it is similar to the Jet Stream attack used by the DOM Trooper Mobile Suits in the Gundam Universe and in Gundam SEED Destiny…but this one works BOTH as an energy shield and as a weapon. This allows Meia to use her Gundam both in Mobile Suit form and Dread form to act as a high speed battering ram.

--

Okay some clarifications are in order…

First up on Kyo's age…He IS 19 years old and turning twenty, but that's only because he was placed in suspended animation by the Paeksis.

In the prologue in GunDread SEED, Kyo was knocked unconscious while preventing the accident with the Earth's first Paeksis reactor. The Paeksis in his Gundam, which evolved the Freedom into the Infinite-Freedom or the I-Freedom model, saved him and placed him and his Gundam in a crystal cocoon and kept him alive, and his Gundam intact for four hundred years until the early events of the original VanDread time-line, and that was when he was finally released from the cocoon, with his past sealed away, his current age preserved, and his skills intact.

In effect it would mean that Kyo's at least 419 turning 420 years old.

Misty on the other hand as we learned in her introduction to the story was fourteen years old and her home was none other than either Pluto or an outer Terran Solar System colony…naturally the farthest planet in the Earth's Solar System and if a station…from Earth as well….

In this case when the Harvest began, it naturally meant any colony in the Earth's area would be hit first, so Misty's parents may have sent her to warn other worlds of the imminent attack and to save her. But naturally her space pod was set adrift for over 63 years.

So just like Paiway and Duero suggested…Misty is 14 years old, but plus that with the near century she spent adrift in space, she is 77 years old.

I also took the shot at using the idea that the people in Misty's message pod would be either her parents or close friends of her parents.

Hope that clarifies the age thing between the two.

--

I figured a back story for Misty is in order since in VanDread the producers didn't put a lot of character detail on her for some reason and to me that's a bit of a shame…since despite Misty's flaws, I can tell that with good character development she'd be a great addition to the cast of VanDread, and not just as a rival for Dita and a very intimate admirer of Meia.

That part however I'm certainly not doing…

In retrospect the back-story is based on some instances in the anime and I wanted this version of Misty to have a reason and a past so she'd be more solid in the this story…unlike the character she portrayed in the anime, which sometimes made me scratch my head in puzzlement, though her presence certainly allowed Dita to realize just HOW much she cares for Hibiki in the original series.

I also wanted to show a supporting part as to why Misty is trying so hard to get Kyo's affections, and she in this story isn't doing it for fun…but like in the last part before Dita admits her feelings and Hibiki finally wises up, she does want to have somebody to love her, and not be alone…and unlike Hibiki, Kyo does show a caring side when he is with Misty…unlike Hibiki who due to his inexperience seems to be floundering around like a fish out of water.

--

In light of the I-Freedom's appearance I can give you some ideas.

Since my skills at drawing are not that good…it will be easier for me to describe it.

The I-Freedom doesn't deviate too much from the original Strike Freedom Gundam's stock body frame, but it doesn't have some of the features or weapon systems of it's parent Mobile Suit and it's other parent, the Wing ZERO Custom Gundam.

It doesn't have the abdomen cannon, nor are the energy collectors on it's fore-arms like the shields of the Strike Freedom, instead they fire high explosive impact darts composed of condensed solid plasma. Those can destroy weaker units easily and are fired at a rapid pace, or can be used to injure and damage larger and better armoured targets.

Though it has a double beam rifle, it doesn't have the immense destructive potential of the Buster rifle, but it can fire faster, be more energy efficient, and can be more accurate even when combined, and it cannot be combined become a powerful beam cannon like the rifles of the Strike Freedom

It also doesn't have the same wing thrusters of the Strike Freedom, but replaces that with two pairs of wings similar to that of the outer wings of the Wing ZERO Custom, but they are not the same form, since the wings have feathers and those are venier thrusters that give the Wing ZERO Custom it's amazing speed, instead the wings are stripped of the feathers, and those will only appear once the Gundam of Kyo takes to flight. And obviously it isn't armed with a ZERO system.

But here are some of the features you can say are inspired by the parent Mobile Suits.

The Super Dragoon system of the Strike Freedom is present on the I-Freedom giving it a serious punch in offensive power, and the beam cannons can become beam sabers so Kyo has a serious edge. The Wing ZERO Custom's powerful guns on the shoulders are also present in the original version of Kyo's Freedom and are still there in the I-Freedom, plus the Wing ZERO Custom's amazing speed and the ability to defend itself using it's wings are also present, since the I-Freedom's crystal feathers give it immense protection against beam and ballistic based attacks, which is counter balanced by it's weakness to energy weaponry that have the power of the Earth's Paeksis to boost it. Both the speed of both parent Mobile Suits certainly give it a serious edge in manoeuvrability. Plus even with the Prominence Phase Shift system offline, the Gundam of Kyo is a load tougher, though not in the same degree as the Wing ZERO Custom with it's Gundanium armour plating and design frame. The plasma cannons of the original Freedom have been retained and both pairs have fused into one, just like the rail-guns. The cannons are stored in the outer wings and could be placed on the shoulders like the originals, and now that they have been fused, they have twice the power and punch of the originals, the same things can be said with the rail-guns, now they also emit electromagnetic energy so even if they miss they energy they emit will scramble any enemy unit that isn't designed with EM shielding.

One of it's features however wasn't not inspired completely by the parent Mobile Suits. The anti-ship swords are a personal touch, and are based on the swords used by Kira's first Gundam the Strike, when it used it's Sword weapon system and these weapons have at least three forms.

The first is naturally the standard form where one is held by both hands, or both are held in either hand.

The second is the zweihander form where both swords are placed back to back and they form a massive double beam edged sword.

And the last is the staff form based in the Impulse Gundam's own Sword Silhouette weapon, where both handles are connected to form a staff-like weapon.

--

Just completed the story for this chapter, and if you haven't figured it out, Kyo has just been forced to do a few days with the girls who requested him to stay with them until his quarters is given back after repairs. It's not that original but this would avoid too heavy conflict between the girls for Kyo, but the competition won't die down…oh, no…it's just going to get even hotter!

Dita FINALLY gets Kyo into her room...so what kind of crazy happenings will occur with the two while Kyo is with her?

And if you think anything naughty will happen…then that's possible, just see on the next chapter, and we'll see how the others will try to get Kyo while he's with them in their own rooms. Dita hasn't tried anything too naughty yet…but that certainly doesn't mean nothing will happen between her and Kyo for the next few days, until he moves out to stay with another girl…so who will get him after the end of the week?

Find out in Chapter 7-Part 2 Station Party!!


	18. Chapter 18

GunDread SEED The Second Stage

Disclaimer: I hereby state that I have no ownership or affiliation with VanDread, it's creator Gonzo, or Gundam SEED owned by the owners of all Gundam products. You know the drill…

Chapter 7

Part 2

( ): Thoughts

Station Party

--

The Nirvana continued to cruise on towards it's objective while up ahead was the near invisible form of the salvaged Harvester battle-ship that was acquired by the pirates in their last conflict…

The ship was still being totally restored but it was now decked in an orange, red and gold scheme to show that it was different from all Harvester ship forces. The ship was to serve at least several functions, the first was evidence of the existence of the Harvesters to the leadership chain of both Talark and Megele, the second was as a scout to detect and lure out potential Harvester ambush forces, and if needed potential allies from other human inhabited worlds, and the last if needed, as a weapon to battle it's former owners.

For now the crew had been able to avoid most ambush forces and were able to relax a bit, but not too much to be totally caught of guard. Routine patrols of Vanguards, Dreads, the four Gundams and pilots, and re-programmed Cube Fighters were able to act in unison to prevent ambushes by their enemies.

Of course, being on combat alert wasn't the only thing on the crew's minds.

--

Barnette was busy as usual in the galley, she had just kept her skills in Dread combat up to speed with the latest combat programs made by Parfet's engineering crews in the Dread simulators for the Dread pilots, but for her she had two things to worry about…

The first and foremost was the meal she was cooking for her new bunk mate for the next few weeks, and a man no less. Max loved her cooking and she liked his when they were cooking side by side in the kitchen. Max had recently gone to the Vanguard simulator room to keep his skills in check. He did so by being tutored by his former instructor Aleck, both of them were also tutored by resident Gundam pilot and trainer Kyo. The young mad DID pilot a Gundam so who better to learn the tricks and methods? She smiled a bit as she decided to put some time into learning how to pilot the Gundam she had used before. Kyo was willing and downloaded the design specs for her to create her virtual SwitchBlade an train alongside the men. She had now become the only female Gundam pilot apart from Dita, Meia, and Jura.

The second thing was the fact that she would have to sooner change gears with her war machines. She loved her Dread, but she grew more affectionate for her SwitchBlade Gundam. The weapon had a lot of advantages and despite her lack of official Gundam training she had great potential as a Mobile Suit operator, she was told so by all the men, Kyo, Duero, Aleck, Bart, and most of all Max. The younger McFile even said she is one wingman…or wing-woman in her case he would be more than happy to work with. She didn't like leaving her Dread, so she decided to reserve her Gundam for emergencies…though she admitted that flying the Gundam was a new feeling for her no matter how long or short it was for her to pilot the machine.

Barnette then put that aside as she got the food on the tray and placed on a roller for her to take to Max since they had agreed to eat in the Bio-Park, it almost felt like a date! She giggled a bit at the thought and smiled as she pushed the tray to where she would meet up with Max.

Speaking of whom…

Max sighed as he finally got out of the Vanguard simulator, along with Kyo. The two were very busy with their work as the younger McFile patched up the rest of his skills in piloting his Gundam unit. They had passed another level five mission with multiple opponents and various factors that would influence the success or failure of a mission.

"Ahh…that was tough!" The younger man said as he shook hands with Kyo.

"Don't go relaxing yet Max, the fights in real life are much harder than any computer simulation."

"I know…I still need to work on it, using a Gundam was like nothing I ever tried back in the Academy back home…our Vanguards are seriously outmatched by those machines." He said as he thought about the factors that separated the Vanguards of his world to the Gundams.

"Hey…never forget this piece of advice from me. No matter how powerful a Mobile Suit is, it's nothing but a paper-weight without the pilot. I-Freedom is deadly, no doubts there, but you have to be in the cockpit to use your Mobile Suit's power, and so do I when the need comes to it. No matter what, you are the one that brings out the real power of your machine, not the other way around. Okay?" The young Coordinator said as the two walked back to where the evaluation room, the same room used to judge Jura, Meia, Dita, and Barnette when they had to learn how to pilot Vanguards in that mission nearly a year ago.

"So, how did we do Gunny?" Max asked his former instructor.

The elder male merely shrugged. "Not too bad…but to be serious Max, you're zero-gravity combat skills have been rusty as hell. I recommend you get back into gear and back up to speed with your piloting in deep space. Kyo here's got no problems adapting to ground and space operations, so he gets the brownie points from me. First chance we guys get, we're moving out to space for some training exercises. I'm still having rust in my joints for missing space warfare for nearly a year…"

"You and me both." Max said as he checked his skill rank in the evaluation screen, his skills in zero-gravity Vanguard combat were beyond the average as was his sibling's back in Vanguard school, but he had been stuck on planetary surface combat for so long he forgot what it was like to fight in deep space…no wonder he was rusty today.

"You guys can fight with me and the girls when we get back out for another training exercise…we've got one now after lunch, and another at least a day away from today…that might help, I was also planning to ask Barnette and Duero to get involved since they are also piloting Gundams though only as support, knowing the need for you and your brother to be here in Med Bay, and Barnette not quitting from being Dread squadron leader ever since she got the position due to Meia now piloting a Gundam."

Both men nodded in agreement, and Max snapped his fingers and turned to leave. "I got to get going, Barnette's asked to eat outside with her in the Bio-Park. I'll see you guys later."

The two men watched as their comrade left them. Kyo and gave a grin as he looked at Max.

"Never thought I'd see the day Barnette would be smitten with a man. This will probably be one heck of a loop for the other pirates back at their base to see."

"Try imagining the reactions OUR people would have if they saw Max being that close to a woman. Same with Duero, being so close to that female engineer of ours, and even Bart certainly changed from the first time I saw him when he was still the reluctant recruit. I wonder at times what would have been the result of they didn't meet the women!" Aleck chuckled, and then became serious.

"But that's also what worries me a great deal. Duero, Max, Bart, and even I…we are among the only men to know the truth about women you know. The Government back home will do anything to change our views and make us denounce what we've learned to keep the war on between men and women. I won't be surprised if we are taken as prisoners or traitors or both…and..."

"Don't worry…If I have too, I'll break into Talark to rescue you guys." Kyo said with conviction to the elder male…he and Aleck were becoming good friends and it was evident to many that Kyo and Aleck learned a lot from each other, and so did the other men from Kyo.

Aleck smiled. "I wager you would lad…I doubt even the finest pilots and machines of my world could come even a hundred light years to the kind of power that Gundam of yours has…along with those fighting skills you've got. If you were ever born on Talark…you'd have more recognition and respect than the whole Talark military and even might rival the First Generation, and that's a lot coming from a man of Talark."

"But it would be better that you try to find other ways to free us if that ever happens, despite the power you've got with that Gundam, the idea of you risking your neck for us is…taking it way too far. Not to mention it would make convincing the Talark Government even harder if you look like a…'brain-washed' traitor to them."

Both men nodded in agreement with the idea…but for now they decided to talk about other matters.

"Heard you've decided to act as Gasco's escort in her supply runs for the Dreads and Vanguards...How do you find Gascogne, Aleck?"

"Are you implying something I should be aware of?" Aleck asked with a suspicious look at the Gundam pilot, but this look had no malice in it, merely amusement at the question being thrown at him.

"Not really, you two are working like a charm in the Register, I saw that and many of the girls see it too. They're actually rather interested about how you two are getting along."

"Heh…sorry kid, but that's my business and Gascogne's. See you around, got to do some field work with my GUiAZ model."

The elder male then went out to where the rest of the Vanguards were being stored, and naturally left Kyo alone to think about the current situations, for humanity, for the crew, and for himself.

The crew had changed a great deal, he had seen it, they were now more understanding of the men, there were less stories of negative interpretations about the male crew, and they certainly have changed when it came to treating the men with respect.

Bart was acknowledged as the valued part of the crew and the bald navigator reciprocated by improving his experience with the navigation of the Nirvana and becoming the master of using the Nirvana's plasma cannon batteries in every engagement. He still had some of his older nature, but he was more mature and stronger than he was before, and he didn't plan on ever going back to the way he was. His friendship with Shirley made him stronger, and the respect and understanding given to him by the crew certainly had results as he worked hard and did his absolute best when on duty.

Duero had gained more recognition and respect due to his medical skills and doctor's nature when it came to treating patients. Many of the crew wished that the medical officers of Megele were more like Duero. Paiway certainly had improved and had gotten past some of her dislike for the bloodier aspects of medicine since becoming a student to the elder McFile and his younger sibling, also an accomplished medic. The younger nurse was happy for the time and training being given and the way people thanked her for her quickly improving medical treatment certainly helped a great deal to her desire to be a great nurse. Duero also became a close friend to Parfet and Kyo knew for a fact that soon they would be a serious couple…if they learned more about the physical aspects of a relationship.

Aleck certainly got recognized as he became part of the Crusader Squadron and even the Register. His friendship with Gascogne was a welcome sight, and both he, Aleck, and Gascogne would be playing card games with one another like a three-way betting game. Kyo admitted his losing streak with Gasco improved a lot and his losing streak with Aleck was getting longer, but he didn't mind. The two were like siblings to the younger Coordinator. He knew that something was growing between Gascogne and Aleck and he didn't mind it…he found it rather nice actually. Aleck's field experience with Vanguards and Vanguard tactics made it easier for him to work with Mai and Sara, Kyo had thought that there would be friction between the two female leaders and the Vanguard pilot veteran, but Aleck said that the ladies were far better pilots than most men, and he liked that.

Max was welcomed very much as both he and Duero were the best skilled medical personnel on the ship. With them teaching Paiway…it wasn't going to be long before she would be a very talented nurse. Max also was welcomed as a member of the Nirvana for his medical skills, his still growing understanding of women, and his open-mindedness. Plus his relationship with Barnette was something of great discussion and speculation among the crew…just like his elder brother's relationship with the spunky head engineer of the ship.

Speaking of whom, he wondered what Parfet and Duero were up to today…

--

In the Engineering Bay…

Parfet was very busy with her computer, running several more computer models for testing. She had a lot to do and consider…and that included their current situation and the previous ones.

The Dreads of her home-planet were very advanced compared to the Vanguards of the men of Talark, but had several key weaknesses. The first and the most painfully obvious was the fact that once stripped of missiles and depleted of charges for beam weapons they were nothing but high speed hunks of metal and parts. The battles with the Harvesters had been slowly but surely depleted the pirates' supply of munitions for the Dreads, plus they were defenceless when they were out of ammunition and would be easy to attack.

The second was their over-reliance on ranged fire-power. The Harvesters' introduction of the Urchin Ship previously all those months ago had brought to light how the Dreads' vaunted range ability would be defeated. The facts were that now many of the Harvesters' latest Gundam models were armed with Phase Shift Armour, which while vulnerable to beam fire, was unbreakable when missiles were used by the pirates to attack them, and even if they were able to lock onto a Gundam it's abilities in speed, offence and defence made them deadlier than ever. They could also match a Dread in ranged combat and were lethal as any weapon when used properly and effectively.

The third was the fact that they were never designed for close combat OR restricted battle-field situations. Dreads needed room to move and navigate and when hit in their Dead Zone, or the areas where their weapons had little to no effectiveness…they were severely restricted in fighting back and the Harvesters had already proven that with the introduction of their own Gundam series. The Gundams were deadly in all their fields, though the Devastator was designed solely for long range battles, it had far more fire-power than a full Dread Squadron. The Gundams of the Earth were lethal in any battle-field situation, either at long range or close range.

The best strategy was to use the Dreads and Vanguards in conjunction with each other to off-set the weaknesses of the Dreads. But the Vanguards too had their own weak-points.

The first was that they were not designed to fight effectively at ranged warfare. The Vanguards were not well designed for long range combat since they used disposable missile pods and beam weapons that were limited in power and adaptability. The Dreads had several advantages in that regard, and one of that was they could have their power plants as the batteries for their beam weapons so they needed only recharge regularly. Vanguards didn't have the power plant output needed to run both the Vanguard AND any beam based arsenals. The power requirements were too high and power output was not adequate. The Vanguards also relied on missile pods, having no in-built hard points for a stock of their own missiles, though that would be hit and make them vulnerable. The Vanguards were not being labelled as worthless in ranged combat, but were not designed for it and the mechanics involved.

The second was the fact they didn't have the speed of the Dreads, they had to have speed in order to get in and out of the battle-field, and thankfully they were now armed with jet packs to boost their speed and manoeuvrability. But Parfet knew that the jet packs were not permanent solutions to the speed and agility factors of the Vanguards…they would have to be naturally faster and more agile. Dreads have the advantage as a mobile strike unit, though in close quarters they were ill-equipped for such a degree of combat. Vanguards had to move fast in order to mass assault a force, but that would leave them very vulnerable to attacks when out in the field. In the asteroid battle, the vanguards had a higher kill ratio than the Dreads due to their smaller size and ability to move in such a restrictive environment. But in open battle-fields and rapid movements, they needed support and speed.

The third was their weaponry…while armed with deadly default melee tools, they were ill-equipped to handle the battles with opponents who could fight in ranged warfare. The melee weapons were also determined to be worthless against the Earth Gundam series' Phase Shift Armour, making the idea of the Vanguards coming close to matching a Gundam impossible with their current arsenals. They would have to wield weapons that could break through even tougher armour and even defeat or damage Phase Shift Armour. She even thought that the Vanguards would be even more effective if they wielded beam weaponry…namely weapons like beam sabers or energy weapons made for melee combat…the natural specialty of the Vanguards.

To that end Parfet believed that with proper study the Vanguards would be given weaponry that could equal the arsenals of the Harvesters, in that respect, she decided that a complete overhaul of the Vanguard models were in order, the chassis, the armour, the power plant, the electronics…everything.

But the Nirvana didn't have all the resources for that amount and kind of changes. As far as records go…the Nirvana's Ikazuchi section had at least three to four companies worth of Vanguards, and though they were many…a large number were reduced ever since the Harvesters had intensified their attacks and improved their arsenals. She and her engineering crew had been able to replicate the Harvester Seed Ship's ability to create Cube Fighters by the use of nano-machines in colonies known as nano-factories. These colonies of tiny assembly robots could work in unison to create parts and components and for assembly of said components and parts…allowing the creation of many Cube Fighters. But sadly they couldn't retrofit and modify all the Vanguards here, plus they needed some test bed models to have Parfet's ideas come to life.

She already had some ideas on the modification of the Vanguards into more effective combat models apart from better power plants, systems, armour and basic weaponry.

From Barnette's SwitchBlade Gundam she developed an idea on how to make a Vanguard/Dread hybrid capable or rapid deployment and quick assault in both either Vanguard and Dread configuration forms.

The second would incorporate the featured weaponry of both Max's Templar Gundam and Kyo's Infinite-Freedom Gundam. The weapon systems in question would be the HiMAT system and the associated ability to lock on all the weapons at one or multiple targets instantly. This would give the Vanguard models with the feature the needed edge in overcoming the vast fire power and numbers of the Harvesters. Though getting the full functionality of the Infinite-Freedom Gundam's arsenals was not possible due to Kyo's security, she had a good idea how to start and Max's Templar Gundam had the same systems and wasn't as complicated as that of the I-Freedom.

And the third for would allow the Vanguards to carry combat packs similar to Duero's Morpheous Gundam. The Form Packs gave the Morpheous the ability to be able to fight in any combat environment with the proper Form Pack. She had designed several Form pack designs that could equal them, and when used could give the Vanguards a serious tactical edge when utilized properly in the right situation.

Parfet knew that such advancements would take time and the Nirvana didn't have the right equipment and facilities to make all these radical changes so for now these designs were still on the drawing board. But running the test simulations showed that it had some promise and the only way to test them out was to design real test models to see how they would perform in real time combat. But for now she would have to take a break.

She sighed a bit and drank some of her tea, letting the warm liquid make it's way through her system and finishing it. She missed having the chance for some down time…due to her working a lot. But these models were now becoming the best choice in giving the pirates another edge when fighting the Harvesters. If there was one thing the Harvesters were good at…it was making new weapons in a short time…due to plundering material resources from conquered planets after gutting the worlds of human beings.

She pushed the thoughts aside and activated the security lock on her console and went to visit a certain young man who was also working today. She smiled a bit as she un-braided her hair and left Chief in charge of the Engineering Bay for a while. She wanted to see if there was anything Duero needed fixed in the Medical Bay, plus being close to him was something she enjoyed immensely…now that she had him for a room-mate. She blushed a bit at the thoughts she was having.

Speaking of the young man…

Duero sighed as he ran the latest physical check-up data of the whole Nirvana crew. The doctor had to do these periodical checks for all the crews…but as he finished he brought up a set of files that seriously interested him from the others.

And these records belonged to the four Gundam pilots of the Nirvana who piloted the Nirvana's Paeksis enhanced Gundams…Dita Liebely, Meia Gisborn, Jura Basil Elden, and Kyo himself. There was a great mystery in the four that tickled the Talark physician's mind in many ways…

The first was they sudden spikes in physical and mental abilities the girls would release when Kyo was in danger. In the past travels with Kyo, the girls didn't exhibit these reactions…not that they didn't feel concerned when Kyo was in grave danger…this had been proven when they seemed very concerned for Kyo's safety. But in recent months, they underwent powerful leaps in ability whenever they saw Kyo in danger…and even when in the desert world, no matter wherever Kyo was from them…they could somehow have a brief but powerful link with the Nirvana Gundam pilot.

The second was the fact that their genes had undergone certain changes to have the ability to spike up their mental and physical abilities whenever Kyo was in danger. He had run tests and noted that Kyo original DNA sequencing was the template that allowed these changes. The SEED ability that Kyo had was the trigger that allowed Kyo to push his already powerful piloting skills to go over the roof and pull off amazing physical feats that no ordinary pilot could ever accomplish, even with exceptional training and equipment. The genes of the girls had been affected by the Paeksis as well as Kyo's so the doctor theorized that when the event that sent them and the pirates to where they started their journey back home had happened. The girls had been exposed to energy that allowed Kyo's gene information to somehow be grafted into their natural DNA.

Combining those two theories led Duero to believe that as time passed, the three Dread pilots' DNA had been evolving due to the energy emissions when they formed the GunDreads with Kyo's Gundam…this continued until they had reached the point where they too could use SEED mode as Kyo did…this would be the reason that they could fight in the same parameters as Kyo could.

The third and the most puzzling was the question on the second theory. How did Kyo have these abilities? That was the underlying question the Talark medic had ever since meeting the Gundam pilot.

His abilities even when not in SEED mode was astonishing. He could learn faster than any Talark youth, could withstand infections, he had increased memory capacity, had higher physical abilities and skills, had exceptional constitution, and most of all…his SEED mode that made him nearly unstoppable in his Gundam. No one with now existing exception of Dita, Jura, and Meia could come even close to matching him…with the recorded exceptions of Kouji and Maia Asuka from Delta 6. So the doctor went into the Ikazuchi's data-archives and ran some records and found the details surrounding the genetically enhanced race of human beings…the Coordinators.

The doctor began to suspect that Kyo could be…a Coordinator. But such an idea was hard to even piece together. Coordinators only existed during the wars between the space population and the residents of Earth nearly four hundred and twenty years ago. Ever since the signing of a full peace accord after the Second Battle at Jachim Due and the inter-marriages of both Coordinators and Naturals, such individuals had no longer been found, their traits having been re-absorbed into humanity's gene pool. So technically, he and the rest of the male and female crew had the same traits of Coordinators along with Naturals, since both sides were now their collective ancestors, and that would mean that Kouji and Maia had the Coordinator genes in them, which would explain their own abilities. But Kyo's abilities were exactly the same as that of those recorded from Coordinators and then some since these were pure traits, no sign of Natural traits.

But what stumped Duero in this sense was that Kyo in the past records of his check-ups had NO signs of him being born through any cloning process, there were no tell-tale signs of his genes being artificially combined…but they were naturally combined…meaning that Kyo was a Coordinator who was born in the way Naturals did in the past. In the womb of the female parent with his genes being that of his mother and father… In retrospect…that would mean Kyo was a Natural born pure-blood Coordinator…which would explain his amazing gifts if he really was one.

In that sense it was impossible…Coordinators were in danger of becoming sterile in the Third Generation, and that would have meant that if Kyo's parents WERE Coordinators and they didn't find the cure during the end of the War between, then it would have been near impossible for him to be born. The cure had allowed that to happen according to the records after the war…but those marriages and unions were soon to fade to the fact that the Coordinators still used artificial wombs to have Coordinator children and the fact was that the technology faded as both Naturals and Coordinators inter-married to give rise to the ancestors of ALL the current human colonists in space.

This made Duero stumped as his research into the soon to be out of control genetic instability on both Talark and Megele. But this one was a serious matter. He didn't suspect Kyo was a spy…far from it. The young male had been fighting all his life with the Harvesters ever since joining them, and he died once against them. IF Kyo was indeed a spy like Rabat then he was a VERY talented one but he had no memory of his past and he certainly had no love for the former Earth inhabitants. Plus the Harvesters always made a concerted effort to eliminate the young man with the creation of Gundam Units to kill him along with massive assaults of all their forces to wipe him out. So there was more to Kyo than he had thought all those months before, and that made Duero very anxious to learn what he could and help his close friend patch up his past to find the answers to his own mysteries.

Duero decided to put more research on this theory later…for now he had to expect an incoming guest…namely his bunk-mate for the next few weeks. He and Parfet were working more often, side by side and he felt some of his nervousness beginning to fade when in the presence of the spunky head engineer. Kyo had told him many times to relax and take his time to know Parfet more, and not in a professional sense, but in a personal sense and he would be nearby to answer any questions he would have on it…though the Gundam pilot was still adamant on not talking about the rest of the process of natural procreation. He didn't mind Duero thinking about it, but reminded him that such a thing WAS very emotional and until he was ready for it, he should not attempt it.

The door chimed and in walked Parfet, wearing her glasses and had her hair out of her braid once more.

"Hi Duero…" She said in a friendly and demure fashion.

"Hello Parfet."

The two went to work as Duero helped the engineer to fix some bugs in the computers in the Medical Bay.

--

Elsewhere…in the Bio-Park

"Mmm, this is really nice Barnette." Max said as he tasted the fruit salad the green-haired pilot had made. He had also been taking lessons from her about cooking and she admitted that while he wasn't as good as some of the others, he certainly was a fast learner.

"Thanks, by the way…how's your training for zero-gravity combat?" The Dread pilot asked her bunk-mate as the two ate and watched the artificial lake glitter from the lights from outside.

Max sighed a bit. "It's been a while since I got back into space combat so it's not easy right now. But I certainly will get back into it soon. I might work with Kyo and the other Gundam pilots to re-sharpen my skills in space warfare. But I guess I need to get back at it."

Barnette nodded in agreement and wondered about something.

"Does that mean you won't be working in the Medical Bay with your brother?"

"No, I just need to make sure that my skills haven't been lost in zero-gravity warfare when the need comes for me to go into combat. A Talark man, regardless of rank or position has to be able to fight at a moment's notice. The sad thing in that regard is than only our leaders don't fight in the front lines with the exception of field officers."

Max thought about it a bit more and decided to ask. "Tell me something Barnette, why don't you practice your skills with the SwitchBlade Gundam with us the next time? I saw your skills with the Vanguard on records and when you used your Gundam on the desert world…you have some serious abilities with a Gundam…in fact any Mobile Suit."

Barnette blushed a bit and scratched her head a bit. "Well, I wasn't that good when I first piloted a Vanguard, and I didn't like them at all at first. Plus I've been flying my Dread for most of my career so I'm not all that ready to go completely into piloting a Mobile Suit, if it is a Vanguard or a Gundam."

Max nodded. "You weren't the only one. Many of the crew of the Emerald Dawn didn't want to pilot any of them since they thought they were ugly and were made by us men. The others of my group were close to forgetting the whole alliance thing when the women became too stubborn…so I understand the reluctance. I'm not saying you give up being a Dread pilot…"

"…but I believe you'd be even stronger too as a Gundam pilot. When you have the time, then join us, if only to keep those skills you learned back on the desert world up."

Barnette thought about it and nodded.

"It'll be hard since I'm also the leader of the Dread pilots ever since Meia, Dita, and Jura are now working exclusively with Kyo as Gundam pilots…but why not, so long as you're there."

The two close friends continued to eat and speak about things. Max spoke about his life as a youth along with his brother on Talark, while Barnette spoke about her life on Megele and the day she joined the pirates.

--

Elsewhere…

The region of space was silent and still…but that wasn't to last as a band of Harvester ships move through the void of space…apparently on a pursuit course and tracking an unknown signal through the region.

Unknown to them…a stealth drone was watching them all…recording their movements and reporting back to an unknown band of soldiers.

"Lieutenant…we're tracking a Harvester pursuit force through drone 65…there's a large number of them." A female reported to her commanding officer. She was wearing a full combat uniform and helmet showing the fact she was with the military.

"Understood…all right people…we move out and keep those automated bastards from finding the fleets. We're going to give them all one hell of a spanking."

The group moved out and got ready for battle near a small meteor field, which was located in the area of a small group of planetoids. The group were piloting Mobile Suit units that resembled the Morpheous Gundam, but they had set armaments unlike the Gundam piloted by Duero McFile.

The units were sleek and designed to operate in space thanks to special thrusters built for space combat. They were armed with beam rifles, several grenades on an easy to reach storage pack, a beam saber on the right thigh, and a collapsible all purpose shield on the left arm. They all had the same colour scheme of light red, white, and grey…with the exception of their Lieutenant…who's model was decked in deep red, grey and black. All of them had a symbol on their units…a system of planets connected by a glowing thread with a shield on the back with three swords on the shield's own back…one on top and the others on the two diagonal sides. (1)

The large group gets ready to set up the ambush, while some of them monitor the progress of the Harvester forces.

--

Back at the Nirvana…

"Hmmm…so that's how it's done?" Bart Garsus asked some of the cafeteria staff as they cook their food. In his hands was a note-pad with a large amount of written information.

"Yeah…you have make sure the temperature is right so the meat is well cooked and the flavour and juices are heated and retained. The result is the meat dish known as roasted beef and fried chicken." The cook replied as she worked on her new dishes to feed the crew this day.

"Okay…"

Bart went on to write the information and look at the other dishes being made and went to smell the ones that were already done.

"Hey Bart! What are you doing here?" Kyo called out as he came into the kitchen, after taking off his uniform and switched to normal clothes, he then reached into a locker and took out his apron as he approached the young male.

"Hey Kyo, just wondering how food is cooked by the women."

Kyo cocked an eye-brow at this remark. "Why the sudden interest in female cooking methods? It doesn't seem to fit you for some reason."

"Ha ha. It's just an idea I want to try out so I'm gathering information on it." The bald navigator replied as he walked up to the Gundam pilot. "Why are you here?"

"Simple… I'm cooking break-fast for the girls in my Squadron. After the early morning training session with Max I have to be here to cook for them since it's my day to do so anyway."

Bart's face lit up and he checked out his note-pad and showed it to Kyo. "Do you think I got the data right?"

"Let me see…" Kyo said as he looked at the note pad. In it were various recipes he quickly recognized, the list of ingredients were there as well, along with instructions on how to cook them…along with whatever techniques could be used to make the food in question more appealing to the taster. He even saw some of his own and Barnette's recipes in the list.

He smirked a bit and looked at Bart who waited patiently for his approval.

He then handed back the note-pad and gave a curious look at the Talark youth. "Yeah you got all of it right. So care to tell me why the sudden interest in cooking food in the way women do?"

Bart began fidgeting and tried to speak properly, making Kyo began to smirk at the look, but he remained objective and asked once more.

"Easy Bart, I'm not going to laugh at you if you don't want to tell me."

Bart shook his head however and spoke. "No, it's just…well I had this idea a few weeks before on the food pills I have with me…along with the pills we still have in stock on the ship."

"Oh? What about them?"

"Well…I know a lot of the girls here on the ship keep on wondering on how me, Aleck, Max and Duero could survive on them. I never told you about myself that much did I?"

"Yeah, you never did, so what's your deal? I mean the first time I saw you…you certainly didn't look like a soldier. And well…."

"I know…I was a coward, and always being boastful. But I guess being the son of the founders of the only food producing corporation on Talark can do that to anybody."

"You're serious? You're family makes ALL the pills on Talark?" Kyo asked the young man as they sat down in the galley.

"Yeah, you see…Talark's not that abundant in good soil nutrients and water's not easy to have."

"True…go on."

"Well…my family were the ones who came up with the idea of condensed nutrients in pill form. It wasn't all that appealing since nutrients and other essential items for human consumption and health actually don't have taste, but it certainly beat wasting valuable time and energy. I mean on Talark, cooking any of the creatures we could catch was dangerous out in the wilds with predators around and losing too many men. And catching animals for breeding purposes is out of the loop too since they could kill us, plus our technology isn't made for stuff like that. Plus growing any fruits, grains or vegetables certainly isn't possible with limited water so the pill form food idea certainly applies to us. I know they look and taste disgusting to a lot of people, but those saved many lives back home…so no matter what people say about food pills. I'm proud to be part of the family that makes them." Bart said with pride as he held his pill ration case.

Kyo nodded. "Yeah, I can understand that, I was on Talark for a few months and I did eat the pills, being a guy who ate cooked food I can understand why others would look down on them. But it certainly shows results. You guys rank high in work efficiency to me, and those pills have a lot of advantages, they can be carried in larger quantities, easy to store, no need of preparation, and they last for years and don't rot. Plus they certainly came in handy back on Delta 6, before we left that Mission, a lot of Liz's companions didn't mind your pills' taste and welcomed it…they now have enough food for at least nearly twenty or more years. The children can be fed, and so can the adults…regardless of tastes they certainly will be happy with them."

Kyo mused a bit as he recalled Liz at one point before departure wanting to leave a letter to who made the pills they had now. Speaking of which… he picked through his clothes and found the letter…he had been so busy as of late he didn't hand Bart the letter previously.

"They even gave a letter for me to hand to you."

"Really?" Bart said as he looked at the letter, and he began to read:

--

Letter contents:

Hello Sir,

If you are reading this letter, then my name is Elizabeth, and I am the leader of the Delta 6 Mission. As you know from Kyo, many of the residents here in Delta 6 were nearly out of hope before the Nirvana ever came here.

Normally I'm not really a formal person…and I'm not really the official leader of the people, but with things as they are, I can't complain. Lack of water, room, privacy, supplies, medicine, power, lighting, air…and everything else were the least of our worries…everyone here in Delta 6 have lost homes, loved ones, and lives, all because of the Harvesters. We only had the fights to keep us sane and stable until the Nirvana came along. I made a deal with Kyo to the Captain to take as much of the pill rations as we can in exchange for our own rations. We barely have enough food to feed only three hundred people for a few months…and every so often we receive survivors from worlds gutted by the Harvesters…so our situation…for the lack of more civilized words…is like living in hell.

These pills might be disgusting to the women in your ship…but to everyone here in Delta 6, they save lives, with all these rations, we have enough to feed our current residents and those we will be expecting until we can get fresh supplies or when we have the chance…leave and find a new place to call home. They may have no taste…and I can tell you that not everyone was happy…but they all agree that at least with three square meals a day…things are getting better for us.

I want to personally thank you and those who made those pills. They saved many lives here in Delta 6, and with the station's systems being fully repaired and more supplies coming in…we can finally breathe easy for once after months being in the dark, always afraid, and nearly becoming mad with grief. The pills may not be completely enough…but they will be helpful to us all here in Delta 6 for many years to come until we can make new lives in this galaxy again.

Good luck to you and may the Gods bless your journey home…

Elizabeth

--

Bart held the letter and smiled with pride. Kyo noted that and gave Bart a pat on the shoulders.

"I was afraid nobody took me seriously back in the academy back on Talark you know Kyo." He said with a sigh as he looked at his pill case.

"I mean, I wasn't fit as a pilot or ground trooper, didn't have knowledge outside of the techniques of manufacturing pills. And most the guys I know would whisper that I was nothing but some rich kid who's Alpha and Omega had connections. I know that guys with connections had the talent to be soldiers or pilots. But I didn't have those skills or talents. I did it to appease my fathers, and I knew that I'd be nothing more than baggage to people who had to work."

"I can imagine that…"

"But I guess I'm not baggage anymore, am I?" Bart replied as he smiled as he recalled all that he had accomplished for the past many months.

Kyo knew the direction Bart was going and nodded "You see? You did great being who you are. You may not be a real soldier…but you certainly have a place in this world." Kyo replied

"Thanks…so this is the reason I want to record all the kinds of food made by women while I'm here on the ship so when I get back home…I can make an important change to the pills my family make."

"Oh? What kind of change?"

"The most obvious… that being the taste of the pills. I know that a lot of people hate the taste of those pills so why not make them taste like what they are said to taste like?"

"You mean like real food? Meat, fruits, vegetables, grains, the whole thing?"

"Yeah, I know they have different colours, but why not give them different tastes? I mean the red pills that are supposed to be cherries, why not MAKE them taste like REAL cherries? Or pills that are supposed to be like cooked beef be made to TASTE like REAL cooked beef? You get what I mean?"

Kyo thought about it and ran the idea in his head. The pills may not win anything in the taste departments, but they win others in many ways; storage, functionality, preservation and even consumption. But if they tasted like REAL food items combining with their various pluses?

He began to smile at the idea as he ran it over and over again in his head. The food pills could be stored for years, need no preparation, could be carried in large quantities, last for years, their vast nutrient, vitamins, and body mineral amounts made them valuable in practical situations, and then…make them taste like real food…the results WERE interesting!

"I do get it…THAT is a great idea…though it will take time and a lot of work."

Bart nodded as he ran the data on his note-pad once more. "Yeah, no denying the hard work there…but the idea will do wonders for the people back home…and if ever things work out between my world and the women's world…this could make things a load easier."

Kyo nodded in agreement. In that moment a batch of new arrivals came in the cafeteria. They were the girls in Kyo's Crusader Squadron, Sara and Mai were in the lead, talking about the latest combat exercises and new ideas on Vanguard formations. And the group was followed by another smaller trio.

Dita Liebely, Meia Gisborn, and Jura Basil Elden were nearby, talking with one another on many things. Having been regulated by Magno and BC to work directly under him after the debacle with the Harvesters that resulted in their Dreads being converted into Gundams by the Paeksis…Kyo was now responsible for their training, along with their other Gundam pilots, namely Max, Duero, and Barnette. And that naturally meant that he was their new teacher, and commanding officer.

All the incoming girls smiled as they spotted their commander in the kitchen and made their way to him…along with the three female Gundam pilots.

Bart and Kyo looked at them and the Gundam pilot nodded as he got up.

"Well Bart, I guess we can talk later, I've got people to serve break-fast, why don't you talk it over with the other guys? I'm sure they might offer more opinions on it. You've already sold me so try talking to them too and get their opinions?"

Bart nodded with the wisdom of Kyo's suggestion. "Thanks! I'll do that!"

Kyo smirked as the navigator went out of the kitchen with his plans. He then got ready as he and the rest of the cafeteria staff got ready as the Dread squadron pilots, and the rest of the crew came in for break-fast.

--

Later…

Kyo sighed as he wiped his hands and then took out his tray of food. His meal today consisted of scrambled eggs with soft melted cream cheese, bacon, hash browns, and some steamed potato slices with sweet gravy sauce…along with some hot coffee and water. As he moved into the table he was quickly but gently accosted by none other than a certain redhead.

"Please come sit with me Mr. Alien!"

He could do nothing for today as he had to balance his tray without spilling the contents of the tray on the floor. He noted that Dita got some jealous glares from many of the other females in the cafeteria, and that made him very nervous as he sat down with Dita beside him and glomping on tightly to him.

(I may be her bunk mate…but she's walking on thin ice here…more maybe I am since I agreed to be her bunk-mate…or maybe both of us are walking on thin ice?)

As they sat down, several others came over to them with their own trays of food. Namely a certain blonde, blue-haired woman, a deep copper haired one, and a stunning brunette…all of whom were smiling at Kyo, but were not entirely happy with Dita being very close to him.

"Hey Kyo." Jura said as she sat next to him, while Meia sat right in front of him, while Mai and Sara were on either side of Meia.

"Hi….how are you all doing?" Kyo said nervously as he began to eat.

"We've been okay…how about you?" Meia asked as she gazed at the object of her own growing affections. She didn't like the idea that Kyo was still staying with Dita for the next few days, but soon he would have to move. And then…

"I'm fine…just had been in a discussion with Bart before you all arrived."

"So Dita…did ANYTHING happen between you AND Kyo we should know about?"

Jura asked pointedly at Dita. She knew that the redhead was too innocent when something intimate was discussed, but she knew also that the same innocence would have a way of attracting Kyo. That was true since the time he had been in the bathing area of the Nirvana, and on the occasions she had been with Kyo, when he looked at them. She just wanted to know if anything had happened, since she wasn't comfortable with sharing Kyo to anybody.

The same question was in the minds of the other girls, they hoped nothing did happen between the redhead and the young Gundam pilot.

But, the old saying goes: ANYTHING can happen.

"Yeah, I was able to have a good night's sleep with Kyo being very close to me."

Dita replied cheerfully.

"Especially with the new clothes I tried!"

"Really?" All four other girls asked pointedly as they looked at Kyo.

Kyo felt embarrassment and shock run into his system as he suddenly had the urge to wish he was out on patrol with his Gundam.

(Oh no…)

--

Later…

Kyo sighed as he was in the Hanger…working on his I-Freedom Gundam. He was able to get past that stage without too much embarrassment. The incident certainly made things even harder for him in a totally new fashion when dealing with Dita.

Who knew wearing a new set of clothes would be very interesting?!

--

Flashback…

Kyo was busy brushing his teeth in the rest room a few minutes away from Dita's room. He managed to convince the redhead that certain things that men have to do were NOT to be seen by women, having recalled the time she had walked in on him all those months before. Dita wanted to be close to him, but she didn't forget how embarrassed Kyo was back then and agreed.

The one thing that bothered him right now was the fact that Dita had a new package in her hands when he was walking with her on the way to her room this night. Not that he was worried, but for some reason he couldn't help but wonder just what the innocent woman had in mind for the contents of the package since she was rather giddy for some reason, normally such a thing was normal for the young innocent woman, but for tonight she seemed more excited than usual.

He put that aside and placed back in his tooth-brush and decked himself in only a thin but non-see through white night-shirt and shorts. He still wasn't used to the intimate setting between him and Dita, but he reasoned that for now, Dita didn't try anything serious on him.

Boy was he wrong!

As soon as he stepped into the redhead's room he found out just what was in the package Dita was carrying.

"You like it Mr. Alien?" Dita asked demurely as she twiddled her fingers with a light blush on her cheeks.

Kyo on the other hand was struck dumb…as if he had been hit by a two by four on the head.

Dita was wearing not her pyjamas…but a night dress!

It wasn't anything fancy or down-right sexy, but was close enough! The thing was short and covered only the middle portion of Dita's long legs with frilly edges on the lower areas. The night dress was pure white and it also hugged her frame though was a bit loose, allowing it to be easily removed by either the wearer or the one who was going to remove it FOR the wearer as it covered her lithe and slender frame, along with her breasts as the straps were thin allowing Kyo to see her smooth shoulders and the rest of her upper form as the dress hugged her well. (2)

Dita was only one thing tonight….HOT.

"Uh….yeah, you….ah…look…beautiful." Kyo could only stutter as his brain now split into two parts, one was naturally his male hormones and the other was his moral side.

Both were saying two very different things. The hormonal side was saying get it on, while the moral side was saying not to take advantage of Dita in such a state.

Dita walked up to him and gave him a pleading look. "Do I really look beautiful?" The redhead came closer to Kyo who beginning to back away as she came closer. He hit the wall with a soft thud as Dita came closer.

"I'm not lying Dita. You look beautiful."

Dita cheered and hugged Kyo…making him aware through the thin shirt he wore that Dita ONLY wore the night dress. His body began to react even faster than he could imagine…thankfully Dita didn't press any further and released him from her hug and spun slowly around, unaware what this was doing to Kyo's self control.

"Shall we go to sleep now Mr. Alien?"

"Uh…yeah, why not."

He was able to finally control himself, but only barely as seeing Dita in the night-dress certainly was playing merry hell on his composure, though a good portion of his male instincts certainly weren't complaining. But he DID have one burning question in his mind.

"Uh Dita…exactly WHERE did you get that…uh….dress?"

"I got it when I was still on Megele, it was one of the things I got when I was with the pirates for the first time as a gift from my fahma. I thought I could try it out for tonight, but since I never wore them before, I didn't know if anybody liked them. But you like them Mr. Alien, so I'll wear it for you until you move out."

Kyo felt a sweat-drop flow down his head. If Dita considered wearing that night dress….then who knew how long he could restrain himself in the redhead's presence?!

As he lay down, he wished he had some chance to control himself as Dita once more hugged him in her sleep, but this time, he could fell ALL of her curves since the night dress was white silk and allowed him to feel her body when she snuggled closer. Dita sighed happily with an innocent but very sensual tone as she felt the sleekness of the night dress's fabric, along with Kyo's hard and warm male form.

--

End of Flashback…

Thankfully for him, he was able to restrain himself, but there were times that he was close to losing his self control whenever Dita would be in that night dress. He shuddered at how close he came to…well losing himself many times. But he didn't plan on doing anything except controlling himself so as to not frighten the redhead.

Dita was an innocent and he had no idea what would have been the outcome if he did the same things with her that he did with Jura…he didn't even want to know…though considering her innocent nature, Dita might actually like it…

(God…one of these days I seriously have got to do something about my hormones before I regret it!)

He then focused on his work since he had to go out on patrol, and sure enough…

"Hi Mr. Alien!" Dita called out as she arrived in her new uniform and carried her helmet. The redhead walked over to him, hugged naturally kissed him, but not on the cheek like before when he began to stay in her room, but on the lips…

This naturally grated on the nerves of both Meia and Jura and that was evident when they glared at the redhead. But they gave up the glare and made plans of their own involving Kyo once he was with them in their respective rooms.

Kyo saw that and groaned…

--

The ambush forces…

"Ready sir…"

"All right then…wait for them to be in the kill-zone…"

As the Harvesters came ever closer, their ambushers watched through their scanners the exact location to ensure that they could be tracked into the kill-zone, they had to make sure that none of the enemy could escape.

The pilots of the Mobile Suits also downloaded the emergency deletion program into their machines' data-base dealing with coordinates. If they were captured by the Harvesters, they would make sure that the coordinates of their other allies and people would be denied…plus they could activate their self-destruct systems to ensure that the Harvesters would never take them to be harvested like vegetables or live-stock.

"Sir…they are in position!"

"All right! Spring the trap!"

The trap comprised of fake meteors that exploded outwards and fired high explosive impact rounds that tore apart many of the Cube Fighters from the initial blast, which was followed by small EMP bombs that exploded and disabled many of the Harvester forces due to the damage in their systems.

The leader of the ambush forces however knew that they won't be out cold for long and with that, he led his strike team into the fight. One group stuck to beam rifle and expanded shield, while the others used beam saber and expanded shield as the Harvesters recovered from the shock and the battle was underway.

The leader gave only one thought…his world had suffered grievously from the Harvester invasion and though most of his family were safe…he had lost one of his children to these bastards…and when he learned that a trader named Rabat was the one responsible for leading the Harvesters…he made it his personal mission to hunt him down and kill him if he ever caught him.

--

The same sentiment was with all members of the strike team…many of them had lost loved ones in this war with the Harvesters and nothing would make them happier than to find the traitor and put him on trial themselves and then they would kill him. But as they engaged the enemy they were left to wonder why there was no word about the space-faring parasite.

--

In another part of space…

A torn and broken Harvester Seed Ship floated in the vast expanse of space, it appeared to have been struck by a major storm of damage to all of it's outer systems and was now nothing more than a floating hulk in space…the surface was scarred and pitted from extreme damage and yet the ship remained functional.

Inside it was a sole human being…that is if what he suffered would label him AS human.

Rabat floated in a suspension tank filled with preservation liquid. Apparently his luck held and the Seed Ship had been hit by a solar flare from a nearby star and had been too badly damaged to work and it had been bombarded by meteorites. The ship's hull held but most of the systems had been badly damaged and it was too far away to effect repairs.

Rabat wished he was dead…he would not be human now by most standards…what did you expect after he was subjected to what he had subjected nearly millions of men, women, children, young and old to?

He had lost most of his left arm above the elbow, his right leg had been removed…leaving only a stump. Several of his ribs had been surgically removed and he now had one lung…a half of his liver removed, his large and small intestines had been reduced in length, half of his central nervous system had been removed …and even his…well, you guys get the idea. He was now nothing more than a living carcass.

Utan had been lucky in a sense, she wasn't human so she was quickly terminated by the Harvesters and dumped into space…to Rabat who watched his partner killed and dumped into space she was lucky as she died quietly before being sent out into space to implode…for him, the process was worse.

He now had an idea of the kind of pain and torment the people he had sold out to the Harvesters had gone through, he wasn't there before to see the process…and now he had seen and experienced it first hand.

As if to torture him even more he had been logged into the data archives of this Harvester ship…which was also logged into the daily Harvester records of all of their gatherings of human organs…and naturally this included their faces, and their screams of pity, mercy, and fear...and Rabat saw and heard everything…and it kept on since this along with the support systems were still functional and that allowed him to be alive and aware as the videos played.

He heard every scream of agony, and terror as the victims he had sold out to the Harvesters begged for their lives they were being cut apart with no mercy, just like he was being cut up before the storm hit the ship, he heard their screams, the screams of men, women, and children…the same he screamed as he was also being harvested. He saw the pain etched on their faces as the pain was etched on his. They were nearly endless in their torment and it nearly drove the former Harvester mercenary mad as their myriads of voices and faces filled his mind.

How he wanted to scream for them to stop, but he couldn't since if he did he would be mirroring them and he realized that he didn't deserve to even beg for his life now. He had seen them in death and he was the one who condemned ALL of them to this gruesome death.

He also heard the voices of all those who found out he was a Harvester spy…how their words of anger, rage and venom filled his ears…He saw Kyo's face and heard Kyo's voice in his mind only calling him one thing…

"Traitor!!"

As Kyo's face and voice filled his ears and eyes….many others filled the void…Liz, Patch, and the others of Delta 6, they swirled around him in an unending stream. Then Web's face…his former associates…and their voices shouted at him, their faces condemning him.

"You sold us out!!"

"MY FAMILY IS DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU!!"

"MY SON!! GIVE ME BACK MY SON!!"

"MOMMY!! GIVE ME BACK MY MOMMY!!"

"YOU SOLD MY WORLD TO THEM!! YOU BASTARD!!"

"YOU KILLED MY FATHER!! YOUR MASTERS KILLED HIM!! GIVE HIM BACK!!"

"HOW COULD YOU?!"

"MY WORLD'S BLOOD IS ON YOUR HANDS!!"

"YOU FILTHY TRAITOR!!"

"MURDERER!!"

"YOU KILLED MY WHOLE FAMILY!! HOW DARE YOU?!"

All that mingled with the screams and faces of the Harvester victims he saw in the archives, the voices and faces filled his mind…until his own conscience came into his mind, also speaking…and only said one thing.

"Traitor."

His conscience's voice joined those other voices as the faces surrounded him along with their faces. He couldn't shut them out no matter how hard he tried…he couldn't close his eyes and wish them away since if he did they would still haunt his mind, screaming at him in hatred, rage, grief, sorrow, pain…all of it done by him.

Though nobody could hear him and his voice couldn't break through his prison…Rabat gave a mighty scream of agony that filled his cell and even the whole ship as it drifted away…

As the ship floated on…one could swear that inside the hulk came…the sounds of sobbing as inside of his suspension capsule… Rabat began to tremble in pain and…regret.

--

Kyo and the other Gundam pilots were now on routine patrol, with Duero taking his Morpheous Gundam in for a flight using the Aero Form Pack, along with Aleck in his GUiAZ, and Max in his Templar Gundam.

Next to them was a small wing of Dreads led by Barnette who for this mission took out her SwitchBlade Gundam and she was happy that her Gundam in Mobile Armour mode was also designed for this kind of combat environment, though she did have to update the OS to handle the environmental changes as it was still using the desert warfare settings. The Dread pilots were surprised that Barnette was piloting a Gundam and not her Dread, but they had to admit it moved well in space.

Barnette sighed as she put her Gundam through it's paces and smiled as it still responded well to her while she piloted it and didn't mind as she flew in the lead of the Dreads while flying close to the rest of the recon unit. Though they had the Harvester battle-ship with it's Mirage Colloid, they needed to keep it relatively intact in order to be used as evidence of the Harvesters' existence.

Meia, Dita and Jura were all in their Gundams while Kyo's was in the lead with both beam rifles drawn for ready use in combat. They were at least in sight range of the Harvester ship and the Nirvana so they could help both if they encountered a large Harvester force.

Back with the strike team…

"Sir! It's getting out hand!!" One of the pilots reported as they all had to move back. Though their forces had taken the upper hand, the Harvesters had gotten wiser in their tactics and had hidden another force nearby and now they were the ones being ambushed.

The leader saw another one of his soldiers fall to a combined attack as his Mobile Suit was mangled by the Harvesters and was covered by Cube Fighters, but the pilot had self-detonated his Mobile Suit than allow himself to be captured and harvested and the leader picked up from a covert signal that the pilot had activated the auto-deletion program in his OS to ensure that the Harvesters never find the rest of the assembled fleet and the rest of the resistance.

But that certainly didn't mean that he will watch more good people under his command die…even if it meant breaking article 7 of the new combat protocol…he began to type up a message and then sends it through a special old colonization day transponder code and prayed that he made the right decision. The rest of the unit holds on as they begin to retreat and fight back at the same time.

--

Elsewhere…

Belvedere and the rest of the crew were taking some time to stretch a bit when they suddenly picked up a faint signal being transmitted to them via the transmitters of the Harvester battle-ship. The ship had far greater scanner range than they did, explaining how the Harvesters were able to maintain an edge over most of the resistance and to their forces, plus it's archives on the various human worlds certainly helped in identifying any potential allies.

"Captain! I'm picking up a faint but very focused message on the old colony frequency."

Magno and BC were busy talking with each other when they heard that message from Belvedere. They knew that it might be the same as when they found Misty's space capsule a few months before, it could mean more information and potential allies. And this could also be a trap like the Harvesters left from the previous mission and the first Vanguard mission from a few months further back.

They thought over the possibilities and decided to hear it out.

"Play it on audio and video on all comm. frequencies." The older woman ordered.

The monitors showed a man in the pilot's uniform speaking in a slightly accented tongue but spoke old Earth language so the crew had no problem hearing it out.

"This…Lieu…ega…request imme….support….Under…rvester…attack on…these….oordinates….repeat…his…tenant…Osmond…Ve…"

The transmission then changed into an image of the sector of the universe that they were near to. They would take an hour to get to those coordinates, but the pirates had to choose. If it is other humans then an alliance will happen…but if it was a trap then it would be inviting disaster even with their new weapon.

"Run the data-archives of the Nirvana and the Harvester database and see if you can find any bit of information on who this message came from and what planet are they from?" BC asked the bridge crew.

"Roger!"

Celtic, Belvedere, Amarone and Ezra went to work on identifying the people, culture, and the planet where the transmission came from. If they could identify it they would have a chance.

"Found it Captain!" Amarone said as she ran in the data archives from their ship's own colonial records and that of the Harvester ship's own data archives and then came up with a star system similar to Earth's own and there were five habitable planets connected by a glowing thread and on their back was a certain shield with three swords behind them in a pattern.

"I don't recognize that pattern."

The same words were echoed by the rest of the crew, along with the Gundam pilots…all except one.

"I know that symbol…we've got to get over there! I'll go ahead and help while the rest follow my lead…we need to help them!" Kyo said with certainty as he came in contact with the crew.

"Do you know who they are Kyo?" Magno asked along with Buzam.

"They are the ones who built the Morpheous and the SwitchBlade Gundams. They were also from a planetary system I ran into before I came to Talark and Megele. They are people from the Taisian Planetary Alliance."

--

The battle between the Taisian ambush forces and the Harvesters was getting more and more heated as the Harvesters kept on coming. The Taisians were fighting their best and the number of destroyed Harvester units was a testament to that drive…but they had been out numbered and a few of them fell in combat.

Lieutenant Osmond Terrance Vega, leader of the squad knew that they were now not going to survive this encounter and he would never see his family again, he however planned not to die like a coward in the straw as he took out a Cube Fighter with his Mobile Suit and another with his beam saber.

But as more and more Cube Fighters were closing in on the handful of Taisian troops, the automated units suddenly stopped and turned…which cost them their mechanical lives.

As a massive tsunami of beam fire came out of nowhere and destroyed an entire cloud of them.

The Taisians were shocked by this turn of events and more so their leader. It appeared that they were going to be saved after all. The Lieutenant zoomed in with his scanners and tried to locate the source of the beam fire as the Cube Fighters suddenly streaked away from them all.

"Where did those blasts come from?!"

"Sir! I'm picking up a transponder signal coming from where the blasts came from…it's a Mobile Suit…but the power ratings are enormous!" A pilot reported as she scanned the incoming Mobile Suit.

"Any idea what kind of Mobile Suit it is?"

"No sir…"

"Sir! It's coming into visual…my God! Sir you are not going to believe this!!" Another pilot reported as he was in the front and his Mobile Suit had better scanners, being a scout model.

Osmond looked at the incoming feed and gasped in awe and wonder as the Mobile Suit came into view…

The Mobile Suit was red, white, and blue. It was armed with beam sabers, a pair of beam rifles, four crystal feathered wings and looked so familiar to all of them. They all had heard of only one Mobile Suit that matched the description…a Gundam and more than that…the Gundam that scored near to impossible victories with just as powerful allies against the Harvester menace…

"The Infinite-Freedom Gundam!!"

The tide just turned in favour of the resistance…

--

The Gundam drew both beam rifles as it was surrounded by many Cube Fighters and blasted even more of the fighters into nothing but burning wreckage. The Mobile Suit then locked back it's rifles and took out one of it's anti-ship swords and dodged several salvos from more Cube Fighters and with a few passes, left behind burning hulks of the Earth built machines and with one blow after dodging a spear thrust of metallic explosive tendrils from on e Seed Ship, slashed the machine into nothing but an exploding hulk of metal as the Gundam took out it's other anti-ship sword and combined them into single sword form and cut down even more Cube Fighters.

Kyo then activated his Gundam's HiMAT systems, reformed his anti-ship swords and then took out both beam rifles and made high speed passes at the Harvesters and reduced even more to scrap, doing aerial maneuvers that would have been only possible in a superior pilot of talent, experience, and skill…and Kyo was gifted in all three categories.

The Gundam flipped upside down extending both beam rifles, along with plasma and rail-gun cannons and blasted a squadron of incoming Cube Fighters, it then jetted around more Cube Fighters and placed aside it's rifles and took out it's beam sabers. It streaked into several groups of Cube Fighters and when it flew out more enemy units were destroyed and it jetted back as more Cube Fighters attacked.

Kyo summoned his SEED mode and with a quick command from him, the crystal feathers broke free and then they became metallic and then in a second the beam cannons fired a massive barrage of light along with the plasma cannons, beam rifles and rail-guns.

The result was that hordes of Cube Fighters and some Seed Ships were totally blown to bits. In just a few seconds, the once over-whelming numbers of Cube Fighters were now reduced to small pockets of fighters.

--

The Taisians were in awe…one Mobile Suit was able to do all that in a few seconds…

Lieutenant Osmond Vega was the most awed of all. He had heard stories about how this lone Gundam had scored many victories alongside a band of female pirates and male allies. They had destroyed a battle-ship, and ever more forces…and if he heard it right, that Gundam took on more of the Harvesters' forces and even took out a battle-ship!

The soldiers immediately rallied alongside the Gundam along with their leader.

--

Kyo got into contact with the leader of the Taisian forces via comm.-link and he still recalled the codes used by this group of people in his last travels before arriving in Talark and Megele space nearly a year ago…thank god the codes still worked.

"This is Kyo, pilot of the Infinite-Freedom Gundam and of the pirate ship Nirvana…Identify yourselves!"

He then got a call from the lead pilot.

"This is Lieutenant Osmond Terrance Vega, call-sign 'War Chief' of the Taisian Planetary Alliance Military…Identify yourself!"

"I'll be a blind man…is that you Osso?"

Osmond only knew of one guy he met a year before who called him that, and it was a voice he though he would never hear from again. And it sounded like a god-send…

"Kyo… you high flying wild card! It is you!!"

Both friends finally saw each other on data-feed on video. And Osmond was awed and amazed to see an old friend. So was Kyo… who had a smile on his face.

"Osso, you crazy devil of a maniac!! What the heck are you doing all the way out here?!"

"No time to explain good buddy, we've got work to do…incoming Harvester units on five!!"

Kyo nodded. "Get your people ready to move on me…we're heading for the Nirvana ASAP!!"

The Taisian Mobile Suits followed their commander in a formation beside the I-Freedom and began to fight their way past the net of Harvester units. The Cube Fighters were now getting larger and they had to move fast before they were boxed in…

Help however arrived as several more members of the Nirvana crew came into the fight.

"Come on you Harvesters! Here I come!"

Jura said as her Crimson Edge Gundam came into the fight with both anti-ship swords crashing into the mess of Cube Fighters. The Harvesters had banded together to try and cut off all the escape routes that Jura's swings and slashes hit many targets without the need for fineness and accuracy from the blonde Gundam pilot.

Several groups of Cube Fighters were cut apart by the anti-ship swords as the crimson Gundam streaked into the battle with blades drawn, the enemy fighters fired back but their weapons were worthless as the shields of the blonde's Gundam sent them back with interest. And when they were able to evade her blows, the Gundam used it's ranged guns to shred them to bits.

The Cube Fighters came in to attack her from behind but were blasted by a salvo of beam blots and they looked up to suddenly being annihilated by one massive beam that melted them to slag and ripped them apart.

"Take that you bad aliens!"

Dita called out as she came in and moved her Gundam to defend Jura from behind with her combined beam rifles in their beam cannon formation. The redhead had been taking her lessons to heart as several groups of Cube Fighters were blown to bits by her shots, though she hadn't totally improved her accuracy, the real life battle-field training was giving her a chance to test her skills to the fullest.

She then switched her beam cannon back to beam rifle mode and she used both and her energy shields to defend herself and Jura from retaliation strikes. They were doing all right for now. She took her time and used her weapons well and effectively.

The Cube Fighters were about to break away from their attack formations to lessen the risk of being shot by the slowly but surely advancing redhead markswoman but they were about to find out that they were far from safe as several more Gundams came into the scene.

Meia was in the lead as she locked in her Gundam and in a moment activated the beam energy field generators that coated her Gundam and boosted it's speed as she slammed into the Cube Fighters like a meteor. More were wrecked by the streaking Gundam and those that were able to escape barely were badly damaged by the energy waves that followed the Gundam.

Meia then moved out and brought her Gundam into a dive as she drew out her beam katanas in each hand and slashed several more Cube Fighters. Her Gundam was designed for speed combat, just like her Dread was before being reformatted into what it was now so she took advantage of that fact and the results were better, due to her attendance to Kyo's lessons.

Her Gundam jetted about and slashed even more Cube Fighters until she sheathed one of the beam weapons and activated her left fore-arm collapsible shield as she defended herself from retaliatory strikes.

All three girls and their Paeksis powered Gundams made a bee-line to Kyo's Gundam and now all three were protecting the Taisian military commando unit…and the sight of these four war machines made the Harvesters pause and the human pilots cheer.

--

Osmond T, Vega was in awe as he gazed at his old friend's Gundam, though it looked far more powerful than the last time they had seen it under Kyo's command, a year ago it wasn't like an angel, now it looked like it's angel mode was the symbol of salvation for the resistance once he told his old friend of the situation.

"Captain…those are Gundams…"

"No kidding there son…hey Kyo, those are friends of yours?" The squadron leader asked Kyo.

Kyo merely replied via audio. "Yeah, but the rest are coming now."

Osmond watched as a new Gundam…similar to Kyo's Gundam appeared and was followed by several fast moving fighters, and two others…both he had some trouble recognizing at first until one came closer to his visual scanners.

"The SwitchBlade?!" And he was even more surprised to spot another Gundam appear that was very familiar to him. "The Morpheous?!"

--

The Harvesters realized that they were now stuck between the Nirvana's Gundam units, several Dreads, more Vanguards that were coming and the Taisians…and since they were filled with various combat protocols…they had no choice but to follow only one course of action.

Retreat…

But they didn't get far as another beam storm came after them…actually three beam storms. One from Kyo's Gundam, the other from the three former Dread pilots…and the last from the now approaching Nirvana.

The fight was over…

--

The crew of the Nirvana gathered and waited for their crew members to arrive along with the new human arrivals. The new Mobile Suits were placed in spare paddocks and the pilots all began to filter out. The Taisians came out in pairs, both men and women…all of them looked tired from the mission and most of all came their leader.

Osmond Terrance Vega had tanned skin, similar to that of Duero, Max, and Aleck and had brown hair in braids, almost looking similar to Amarone Slatheav, and he looked older, much around the age line between Aleck and Duero. Kyo had no problem with that and reached his friend.

Both pilots shook hands and greeted each other with a hug and then a pat to the shoulder.

"Of all the places I thought I would run into you again…this is the least of all." Kyo said as he smiled.

Osmond nodded in agreement. "The last time I saw you was when you were having a fare-well duel with Admiral Halverson in his SF-75 Ghost Hawk. You were amazing then, and you certainly haven't lost your edge old friend."

"How is the Admiral?" Kyo asked.

Osmond sighed. "He's been fighting to keep the whole TPA from cracking like an egg, ever since being promoted to Grand Admiral and De facto president of the TPA. Ever since that Harvester invasion, we've all been trying to get a lot done but still no luck."

They stopped their conversation as the Captain and the Commander came in. Magno greeted Osmond and his team of pilots.

"Hello there…I am Captain Magno Vivian of the Nirvana."

Buzam also took over after the Captain gave her name. "I am Buzam A Calessa, Commander of the Nirvana."

Osmond nodded and he and the rest of his squad all saluted the two senior female officers.

"I am Lieutenant Osmond Terrance Vega of the Taisian Planetary Alliance Special Warfare Division 34th Platoon. Pleasure to meet you all ma'am!"

The two older women smiled at the crisp military precision of the Taisian soldiers. Magno sighed a bit and spoke. "It's been a while since I saw any new faces on this ship and from the way you and Kyo greeted each other take it you've already met before Kyo became part of the crew. Am I right?"

"Yes Captain Magno. I met Kyo when he was still drifting through the cosmos nearly a year ago. We've been friends while he was a guest in my home system before he left and apparently found his way here with you and your crew."

"Please young one…call me Magno, I have never been part of a formal military structure in my home-planet, so there's no need to be so formal with me…plus I think you can relax here."

Osmond grinned a bit. "Very well Miss Magno. If that is okay with you, you can call me Osmond, or Osso, All my friends do…"

"Very well Osso…you've dealt with the Harvesters?" Magno asked, though she knew that they did, judging by the fighting, she had to be sure for the sake of natural protection.

"Yes Magno, we have been at war for nearly a year ago with them ever since they invaded our sector and our solar system. And we aren't the only ones either." Osmond replied with a fierce tone, and the Nirvana crew saw the same reaction of anger and disgust from the rest of Osso's team-mates. They knew and understood the anger there and had no problem connecting with the Taisian pilots.

Kyo then looked at his old friend and gave a suggestion. "You've been the first human being we've encountered who dealt with the Harvesters…what's the situation so far with the rest of the Human worlds?"

The others realized that this would be a very important meeting concerning the Harvester threat and the current standing of the human colonial worlds from the Harvester Armada's assaults.

Osso nodded. "I'll tell you all I can friend, the Resistance has been looking for you all for some time now."

--

In the Conference room…

Osmond was the only Taisian there while the rest were with the crew, namely with the engineers of Parfet's group to effect repairs on their machines after the brutal fighting and rescue of the group by the Nirvana pirates.

Buzam offered Osmond a data disk which contained all the relevant data regarding current Harvester operations from the salvaged ship that Kyo had disabled and they ha taken as evidence. When the Taisians learned that the Nirvana pirate group had battled with a large combined Harvester Fleet and won, they were further in awe of the small but resourceful band of pirates and their male allies.

Osmond read the data and nodded grimly.

"This is the very same situation we are in right now." Osso said as he pointed out several worlds and sectors in red and blue.

"The Harvesters have been fighting all the harder to get to the other sectors where human worlds are located, but we've made contingency plans and protocols to make sure our allied worlds don't fall…not like ours did."

He began to tell them about what happened to the Taisian people when they were attacked by the Harvesters and their people being massacred and used as parts by the former humans from Earth.

"They took out several outer-lying colonies first. They gutted those worlds and did it so silently that when we found out about them, they had already secured an outer foot-hold on our system. It was nearly a few months after you left Kyo that we were hit. We fought with all we had, but we were not able to beat them since we had no early warning and we were too complacent in out duties and we paid dearly for it. All my people paid dearly for it. The first planet to fall was Taisia 7, and the whole planet where many of my people go for vacations and a good source of food was wiped out in less than three days. That was when we fought back…but that came to nothing…by the time we could mount a full offensive, they had gutted Taisia 6, Taisia 3, and Taisia 5…and they glassed the rest of the planets that were not inhabited and stripped them of all our natural resources…and we had no choice but to use our world cruisers and ships left to go into space as wanderers. Our whole civilization was rendered homeless and weakened."

"A…at first we all thought you led them, but when we gained the data concerning that bastard trader Rabat, we ran our data files and found out that he had visited every planet in our system, he had bought, stolen, and black-mailed a lot of our businessmen and various companies for food, fuel, parts, and munitions. A few days after he left…the Harvester invasion began. Out of the military leadership only Admiral Halverson who was promoted Grand Admiral, Rear Admiral Felix, and a few others were the ones who led our people. "

"We began to make it our life's work to warn others and form a resistance to the Harvesters…we didn't have much luck until Rabat was discovered and his identity as a Harvester spy was revealed. Combining that with our data of the Harvesters…we got aid immediately and formed the force we naturally called the Resistance. We've formed this force to combat and suppress the Harvesters' advance to other solar systems for nearly a year now, and so far we've done well with many plans and patterns."

He then outlined what methods the Resistance had used to disrupt and fool the Harvester Armada for the past months and the outcomes of each engagement.

"But we don't have the kind of numbers they have, if we have good pilots and we lose them, we have to rely on cadets who we will lose many before we find better ones, the Harvesters can just program their Cube Fighters with new and deadlier abilities and better weapons…it's a losing battle in that regard. But we're not giving up."

The pirates nodded, they too wouldn't give up even if the Harvesters had numbers and weapons on their sides. Magno then recalled that the Taisians were the ones who developed two of their new Gundams that didn't run with Paeksis energy…and those were piloted by Barnette, and Duero.

"Tell me something Osso…did your people build the Morpheous and the SwitchBlade Gundams?"

"Yes."

"Why? According to what Kyo told us about your people, you never designed Mobile Suits…let alone G-Weapons. Why the sudden change and the creation of those Mobile Suits of yours, they are very impressive, in ways better than the Vanguards we have here."

Aleck nodded. He was a Vanguard pilot, but had studied the Mobile Suits piloted by Max, Duero, Barnette, and Kyo's…along with Dita, Meia, and Jura's Gundams. He had recorded them in their entirety and admitted that compared to them and the new Mobile Suits he had seen…Talark would need to over-haul all their weapons to be far more effective against the weaponry of the Harvesters should they be attacked by the former human beings and their auto-mated fleets.

Osmond then gave a sheepish look.

"Well…our people had records and data schematics of various Mobile Suits, but some were out-dated and many of us believed that Mobile Suits were a thing of the past so we kept them in data storage. That is until Kyo came to our world and proved us wrong…he took on our entire Elite Divisions and even took on a few of our Admirals to prove that Mobile Suits were more than a match for interceptors or Mobile Armour. And he won…" Osmond laughed at the memories.

Kyo nodded as he recalled his time among the Taisian military. Many of the Taisians laughed at him the first time he had come there a year ago. They thought that the Freedom Gundam would not be a good match against the newest weapons and machines of the future so when he was there he had to deal with many of the military looking at him in jeering looks and amusement. He had gotten annoyed and then laid out a challenge to their best pilots to have a non-lethal match with him in their best fighters and him in the Freedom Gundam.

Magno and Buzam looked at Kyo with raised eye-brows at the thought of him taking on an entire system's military. That made Kyo look very sheepish as well as he nodded, showing that what Osso was saying was true.

"I was still very much, ah…on my own then so I wasn't keen on being laughed at." Kyo offered lamely.

"I think I don't need to ask that."

Magno replied with a smile.

"So in short you had Mobile Suit design plans but it took Kyo and his Gundam challenging your best pilots and officers to prove the effectiveness of Mobile Suits in warfare?"

Osmond nodded.

"We decided to incorporate Mobile Suits a few days after Kyo left our system. We uncovered the old plans which included the creation of our own version of the Freedom Gundam's Phase Shift Armour System, not the Prominence Version, so we created the Polaris Phase Shift Armour System and the two Gundams a few months later…but they were lost when the Harvesters came and invaded our system, the R&D ship where they were stored in was sent through a random hyper-jump coordinate sector…we didn't have time to download their design specifications so if we lost the newly made prototypes and their weaponry specifications so we had no chance to make new ones if they were destroyed. We then stuck to creating Mobile Suits from what we have left from the design networks…how did you all get them?"

"That is a very long story."

Kyo said as he spoke about the time when the Nirvana had been caught in a Harvester trap and their escape. Duero and Aleck then spoke about the fate of the R&D ship's crew who died to prevent anyone to find the two Gundams which were fully built.

Osmond nodded grimly as he heard about the deaths of the R&D crew that died to ensure that the Gundams didn't fall in the hands of the Harvesters. He didn't even want to fathom what would have been the result if they did. He was happy that the Gundams found their way into more than capable and welcome hands. He then noted that the young engineer named Parfet was raising her hand.

"Yes?"

Parfet then asked if they had manufacturing facilities to make their Mobile Suits. The Taisian nodded and explained that every world cruiser had fully maintained operational manufacturing plants with assembly yards. He also explained that the plants and yards were very efficient in producing both Mobile Armour and Mobile Suits so they had weapons and supplies at the ready.

"Why do you ask?"

Parfet then spoke. "I've been gathering a lot of combat data from all the battles we've been in for nearly a year and I've made some design blue-prints based on the SwitchBlade, Morpheous, and Templar Gundams. I was hoping to upgrade and modify the Vanguards we have here and make them more effective in combat using some of the blue-prints. Unfortunately we don't have the facilities to make such changes so the plans are still in storage."

Osmond thought about it and agreed.

"I think we can do that, once we meet up with one of our world cruisers, I can speak to the commanding officer and get permission from the Grand Admiral to effect the upgrades and use of our facilities. There happens to be an abandoned Mission nearby where we can gain supplies and gear if we need it. The place was left behind when the people who lived there moved. The place will also allow me and the rest of my crew to try and locate the rest of the fleet that we came from and is part of the Resistance."

Magno and the others nodded. They will need the extra supplies in order to keep the ship in working order. And contacting other humans to forge more alliances would be more than needed in this war of such importance.

--

They were not the only ones however who were busy…

The weapons analysts of the Harvesters watched the 3D model of their latest weapon move well and respond well to the handed commands by their maker as it went into combat in a virtual environment. The new model was similar to the Cube Fighter in many ways, but was naturally different due to it taking a less compartmentalized look to a more humanoid form.

The facts were that they relied on the Cube Fighters' ability to overwhelm their enemies through sheer numbers, and their upgrades gave them all a serious advantage when in their formations. The next was the fact that they had a basic frame-work design and were meant to easy to replace should loses be incurred in combat. But now things were different…

The Cube Fighters relied on their inhuman shapes and forms to first intimidate their foes and that had worked in the initial stages of the Harvest operation. Their method of deployment was also intentionally made to give the impression of an alien horde…and that worked perfectly. But not with the Nirvana, they had expected the defeat of the Nirvana in the gas giant nearly a year ago with their fleet and their first Dominion Gundam model.

They were wrong…they had expected a resolution, but they lost an entire fleet and their first Gundam model to the Freedom Gundam and the pirates. They had made a fatal flaw that had now come back to haunt them.

The failed mission of capturing Misty Cornwell, the survivor who later revealed all their true natures was another fatal flaw, along with the arrival of the Infinite Freedom Gundam, it nearly seemed that no matter what they had done in order to resolve this war, it had come to nothing.

The human worlds had now formed a powerful resistance to their plans, their fleets, were being wasted dry by false coordinates, ambushes, viral programs, and battles that resulted on more and more losses, the humans were now more tightly organized and they also no longer had data coming from Rabat as the traitor had made the mistake of exposing himself and allowing the Nirvana to disseminate the information out to the human public about the true face of their supposed alien enemy.

The Cube Fighters were not to totally phased out to their cheapness and quick to be rebuilt ability in the past, but in order to finally stand toe to toe with the forces of the now rebuilding resistance, new machines were to be produced.

And two new models seemed to show considerable promise.

The technicians also studied the design specs of three other Gundam units, the Devastator, Hell-Fire, and Wyvern Gundams. All three proved the value of the Mobile Suit when they faced off with the Paeksis enhanced Dreads and disabled them and took on the Infinite Freedom Gundam and gave the pilot a serious work-out before being out-classed by the newly build and made Paeksis enhanced Gundams of the Nirvana that were born amazingly enough for the very Dreads the new Gundams had disabled.

They then ran the data profiles of the recovered machine and gathered the combat data in order to make modifications and adjustments to any core systems that needed a boost in all systems. Plus they decided to make some experiments on the Gundams models in order to make more powerful weapons…and they were the most successful test subjects the Harvesters had on hand.

The Devastator was naturally in it's element in extreme range fire-power battles and could spell doom to those foolish enough to engage it in ranged combat, though it had been equalized by the blue and green Paeksis Gundam of the Nirvana. The Devastator's only weakness was it's lack of close combat ability, relying on it's fellow Gundams the Wyvern and the Hell-Fire for close range defence, that combination had been deadly with the Infinite-Freedom due to the three Gundams complementing one another with their weaponry. But with the creation of three new Paeksis powered Gundams, that had to change when it faced off with the Gundam from the blue and green Dread that formed the heavy gunner/sword fighter GunDread in the past. They now planned to create a variant of the Devastator to even up in the close combat and defensive ability of the original model.

The Wyvern proved it's value as a weapon in many ways, it was by far the fastest of the trio and in either form was light, but deadly, its weapons in either form were designed to combine both beam and ballistic weaponry effectively as a mobile platform. Working in conjunction with the other Gundams proved the skill of the machine, but it lacked an even larger array of weaponry that would equalize against better armed opponents, but the designers did not want it to lose the speed advantage in both modes. The Gundam itself had done well against the Infinite-Freedom, but not against the speed of the silver and grey Gundam that came from one of the Dreads that formed the GunDreads that had been a bane for a long time since the contact with the Nirvana…namely the silver dragon variant.

The Hell-Fire was born for close to medium range combat and proved it in battle with the enemy, and namely with the Infinite Freedom. The Gundam's deadly ability in close combat was boosted that it could fight at ranged warfare and can deflect the beam arsenals using the newly developed beam deflectors of the shield arms on the weapons pack. But when it fought with the Gundam made from the red Paeksis powered Dread, there were some key weak points, it's weapon had great reach, but was very vulnerable in point blank and the weapon was at times too heavy and unwieldy for that kind of close range combat so a new weapon system had to be made for that kind of close combat fighting…and they were now developing some newer ideas.

But the weapon that would truly be the defining weapon of their forces was now being given it's needed combat data and systems. Hydraulics, navigation systems, targeting sensors, weapon relays, and more were now being made to be installed into the systems as it's Paeksis power plant was nearly finished with the integration process. Once that was done, the Paeksis, totally unlike the one wielded by the Nirvana since it was blood red and emitted a negative wave pulse, began to integrate the rest of the installed systems and the process went off without any difficulty whatsoever.

--

In the Council Chambers…

"How is the situation of the Fleets?" The Council Leader spoke to the head technician as he and the rest of the Harvester Council deliberated on their next course of action in the ongoing Harvester operations. They still had to lead their primary forces out in the vast areas of space to gain more and more organs for their people.

"The situation is somewhat stable, our fleets have begun to use covert raids to catch planets unaware and they have gained enough…organs to keep the quotas at acceptable levels." Reported one Council members as she read the data coming in from the Fleets"

last reports back to them.

"Acceptable levels?! We've gotten at least 40 percent less than the normal quotas we had in the past! The citizenry are getting more and more restless…If they had an idea on HOW bad things are now…then we'll not have a citizenry to start with in the next few years. No…the situation IS not acceptable in the very least."

The rest of the Council were silent…even their leader knew the gravity of the statement their colleague had pointed out to them in a civil manner.

The situation has been getting worse for the Harvesters as more and more riots began to take place in their cities. Many of the lower classes, and the middle classes have been getting more and more unsatisfied with the fact that organ supplies were beginning to dwindle. The situation with the Nirvana's interference and the mounting resistance forces made their collecting quotas lower than what was optimally needed to keep their citizenry alive. The lower classes began to rise up in rebellion, and even if they were too weak, they were now being driven by desperation to attack even the higher classes for their organs…resulting in frequent and bloody riots in the streets, murders and organ thefts were becoming even more common, organ facilities were being attacked by raiders and deaths were becoming more frequent along with thefts of both organs and property.

Their droid guards had been resorting to more extreme measures, resulting in more deaths in the lower wretches, but the deaths placed a great strain in morale and confidence in the citizenry. Unless they found a way to stop the riots…then it would hardly matter if they got more organs soon, the few people that survived the Days of Despair would be wiping themselves out.

The leader nodded. "We must consider how we will be dealing with this situation. Project Re-Genesis has now reached it's final stages and will be operational in the coming weeks…a month or two at best. Until then we must make sure that our forces gain whatever organs they can as covertly as possible."

The head technician then smiled a bit. "We have deployed 'Marauder' stealth ships for that operation Master."

The Council members and the leader listened as the head technician began to explain.

"The Marauders were special recon and covert attack ships developed to take advantage of the creation of the Mirage Colloid systems we used in some of our Fleets. They will be able to sneak up on ship radar and track their whereabouts; we can't attack a fleet so we use the Marauders to isolate manageable numbers such as pairs or in most cases, single ships. Once they have been isolated, the Marauders can systematically disable weapon networks, communication systems, and engines, that's how we have been able to keep in pace with the needed organ quotas."

The leader then thought it over and asked. "Can the Marauders track the Nirvana?"

"Yes, but we will have to be VERY careful, somehow to the pirates found a way to track a ship even if it had been using Mirage Colloid systems, so the Marauders will have to be far away from the sensor range and net area of the ship. However, they will be able to maintain the tracking of the Nirvana, and if possible the tracking of the lost ship from the massive battle fleet we lost in trying to finally eliminate it and the Gundams."

"The progress of my personal Gundam?" The leader asked.

"The Gundam's construction is complete and the acceptance of the Paeksis Core to the power plant, OS CPU, data links, drivers, chips, processors, neural command links and parts are going at an amazing pace. The Paeksis will complete the procedure in less than a week from, far quicker than what we had estimated possible. The next phase is to install the outer armour skin, sensors, armour for the joints, and then we need to install the weapon systems. Then the test phase will begin once the cockpit and control interface network is installed into the frame and linked with the OS and CPU…then finally we begin testing the new version of the Phase Shift system, with the Paeksis providing the changes…then we will be able to create the system to match up to the defensive power of the Prominence Phase Shift Armour System of the Infinite Freedom."

The leader nodded as he read the data regarding his Gundam's creation. The Gundam would take more time to complete…but for now…things were getting to be ready for the final retaliation of the Harvesters.

--

Back at the Nirvana…

The crew of the Nirvana were now getting to know the strike team from the Taisian Planetary Alliance. The group were composed of men and women so seeing men and women who were very comfortable with one another made the crew even more convinced that the plan of men and women living together was very possible, for the Taisians, it was a bit harder having sent hat the vast majority of the crew were women, though the men in the strike team were not complaining.

Many of the crew were naturally asking questions about how it was like living with men for almost all of their lives to the female members of Osmond's strike team.

Osmond himself was with Kyo as they were catching up on old times since they had last seen one another.

They talked about the happenings in the Taisian forces after he had left them and what had they been doing ever since he left the system and came to Talark…and his adventures.

"So you've been stuck with those beautiful women for nearly a year now my friend? Did you manage to finally get one of them?" Osmond asked with a smirk as Kyo blushed. He was older than Kyo biologically, being around twenty-five when thy first met.

"You are getting into something….I'd rather not talk about right now Osso." Kyo said as he sighed a bit, the only thing he didn't like about his Taisian friend was that he was and incredible snoop on his romantic situations.

"Really? I suppose the five I see hanging around you are just friends then?"

Kyo gave a glare that made Osmond smirk with raised eye-brows. "You…managed to snare five…FIVE girls…you lucky devil you!!"

Osmond began to laugh like hell and patted Kyo on the back, not making the Gundam pilot any more comfortable with his mature friend making fun of him.

"How did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"You know what I'm talking about…how did you get them to fall for you?"

"You make it sound like I should be happy." Kyo frowned.

"You kidding? Most if not ALL guys I know your age would cheerfully commit murder to be in that kind of situation, the blonde babe, that buxom redhead, the stunning copper haired one, the aqua-haired lady, and that brunette…damn had I known you'd be such a babe magnet…I don't even want to know what the others would do."

Osmond then laughed a bit more and then so did Kyo, but he then stopped and sighed. "I wish it was that easy Osso, but I'm in a serious bind now."

He then began talking to Osmond about his situations involving Meia, Dita, Jura, Sara, and Mai. The near death of Jura, and them nearly getting killed a few times trying to save him, his feelings for them, the embarrassing situations, the near elopement between him and Jura, and other situations.

Osmond smiled a bit but understood his younger friend's hesitation on the matter, this was naturally a very unique situation, though most guys the Taisian soldier knew would love to use this situation to their best advantage…Kyo wasn't like them, he didn't brag about things such as this and was too nice a guy for that, plus he knew that the women cared for him very much and he would NEVER break their trust, that was the reason he was so hesitant in taking a relationship with any of them to next level, in fear of betraying their trust, though the Captain had allowed him…he was still unsure about how he would approach the situation.

Osmond then gave him a look of understanding.

"I guess those are good reasons, but they genuinely care about you, even more so with the three Gundam pilots, you are in command of. I don't have to look over my shoulder to see that they care more about you than they let on…or know about, though that blonde named Jura would certainly know about it since she's the closest to you right now. And yeah, it is hard when you feel like you're a trophy, but I doubt they look at you like that."

"Yeah…I know. But still…"

"Listen Kyo…relationships are not meant to be easy, when I was newly married to Fiona, she was not very happy that I still did my duties as a soldier and pilot, she even thought I might have had an affair outside of our marriage so a small part of my time was to assure her that I never did, and I don't, she is my wife after all, not to mention that she wants me to never take dangerous missions if I might get killed, I know I put her through a lot, but she understands it, though that hardly stops her from worrying. In your case, I can see how this is troubling you, if it was only one woman, then that's okay, but more than one…well, that's not easy. But I know that sooner or later you will have to tell them how you feel. The Captain is right you know, you can't keep the feelings bottled up forever, or else they will just get even harder to bear with in later times."

Kyo nodded. "Thanks…by the way…where's your son Francis…I hardly saw him."

Osmond gave a sad look. "He was killed on Taisia Prime when the Harvesters invaded our system."

Kyo gave a look of sorrow and pity. "I'm sorry Osso."

"I know…Lena, and Darrel are fine though, and they are with Fiona to help her. Fiona's tougher than she looks, but even she was saddened by Francis' death. She's in the world cruiser 'Sun fire' along with the rest of the escort forces. I will do my best to make it back and avenge our eldest son's death."

Osmond then gave a dark glare as he looked out into space. "I'm going to make that Rabat bastard pay for his callous betrayal of all the people on this universe someday…I know that killing him will never bring my son and all the others he helped be destroyed by the Harvesters…but it certainly will make us feel better that he's no longer able to betray other worlds."

Kyo nodded in agreement.

For now they talked even more concerning the plan to reach the nearby Mission to get extra supplies and equipment, not to mention take a break from all the constant fighting. Fighting for a long time tended to drain the spirits of soldiers and that was the last thing any soldier needed. That along with other factors would be a hazard that any seasoned officer wanted to avoid if at all possible.

--

In space…

Harvester Marauder ship XCSS-14 was busy in it's current mission of tracking the Nirvana through space. It had been assigned to keep track of the Nirvana, it normally would have already struck the ship, but due to the pirates being now able to track ships even with Mirage Colloid systems so the ship stayed out of the ship's sensor range and in the back-ground as to use the full effect of the Mirage Colloid systems without tripping the sensor grids of the pirates.

The Marauder would only attack if given the order, but one ship was hardly enough to equalize against the Nirvana's fire-power and weaponry, not mention it's Dreads, Vanguards and Gundams.

--

The Mission station looked to be in a far better state than Mission Delta 6, so it was a bit of a worry as to why it was abandoned, until the Taisians explained that the people left it after they had been evacuated due to an incoming solar storm, thus all of the key systems had to be shut down and the station was left adrift and eventually forgotten by it's former inhabitants. They had found it that way and left it alone since they had a mission to do.

Osmond and Kyo went ahead in their respective Mobile Suits to scout ahead while the rest were nearby, Kyo knew enough about the Harvesters that they'd jump at the chance to ambush and take him out so he placed himself in the firing line.

After a few minutes of recon, the two determined that they were no Harvester units in the area, and gave the go ahead. Parfet who was in Gascogne's shuttle along with a small but effective security detail, including the Taisians and a part of the Nirvana's security unit boarded the station after transmitting an override code made by the head engineer herself for situations such as this one. The code was made after they had traded information with Delta 6 and found the standard override codes for each Mission, but the code Parfet made also had the program to reactivate the main power and operational systems of the station.

As soon as the shuttle docked, being escorted by several Vanguards, the team made their way through facility, Aleck and Gascogne along with them, when they reached one of the command centres of the station, the head engineer locked her laptop into a nearby access port and typed in the code. In a few minutes, the station came online as power was restored to all systems.

Parfet then took a scanner and tested the atmosphere of the station and found it to be now breathable and motioned for them all to do the same.

The mission was like a small to medium sized city in space and the supplies here would be helpful.

Parfet got into contact with the Nirvana and began to power up the docking systems. Bart replied an affirmative, and began the docking procedure, having trained for this sort of thing after being able to dock the Nirvana with Delta 6 previously.

They were now in the business of salvaging what they could and moving on, while the Taisians began to locate their mother fleets, but had to be VERY careful not to flash the location of the rest of the Taisian fleets from being found by the Harvesters.

Their captured Harvester ship had also released more Cube Fighters that were now flying the colours and signals of the pirates and the ship stayed out of sight through it's own Mirage Colloid systems and acted as rear guard of the pirate forces. The converted Harvester forces were more numerous and were easy enough to replace like they were in the time they flew the colours of their Harvester creators so they now gave the pirates a serious numbers advantage for now as Cube Fighters flew with both Vanguards and Dreads.

--

Kyo and the others watched as the Taisians made several intricate corrections and began to use the Tachyon transmitter to scan the sector that they could reach to locate the rest of their fleet. The Taisians explained that the fleet would remain in the last area for only three days and then would leave, it was cruel but to preserve their homeless people, they had to do so in order to avoid sending the location of the world fleets from the marauding Harvesters. He pirates understood that and hoped that soon, such tactics would no longer be needed by humanity to survive in this war once the Harvesters were finally beaten.

As they finished with the other parts of the message, the pirates made modifications to the station's sensor networks so they won't be caught off guard like last time they did a salvage operation on a station nearly a year ago. They got the station's defensive networks back online and made the sensors capable of detecting the hidden key signatures of ships armed with Mirage Colloid.

"Any luck?"

"No sir…we've picked up faint ion energy emissions only where the fleet used to be. Apparently they have left the area Lieutenant and are now leaving for the rest of the remaining rallying points."

Osmond nodded as they sent nearly completed the scanning and left the systems console. He then looked at Kyo and Magno and spoke.

"The Fleet's left already so that means that until we meet up with them along the way, my squadron and I will be working with your pirates. We'll try and do our best to ensure that nothing happens to your ship and crew."

Magno thought about it and agreed with the idea. They all then checked in with Parfet and the rest of her crew.

"How are those defences going Parfet?" BC asked as she called the engineer, who was on the upper command bridge and was busy making the needed adjustments top the station's scanners.

"Nearly finished Commander…we're nearly done making the needed changes to the station's scanners to detect Harvester signatures and to bypass Mirage Colloid systems…the data concerning the use of the systems from that salvaged Harvester battle-ship was worth all the effort….there, now to turn the systems on!" The head engineer nodded with happiness as the systems of the mission station were able to adapt to the requirements she inputted and were now able to scan much further to ensure that they would not be caught off guard.

--

The Marauder ship was able to scan the incoming sensors of the station and had to retreat a VERY long distance away from the station as to avoid premature detection by the crew of the Nirvana, under no circumstances was it to engage the Nirvana and it's forces. It had recently located the converted battle-ship captured by the Nirvana and realized that they had become even more dangerous to the Harvesters now that they possessed one of their battle-ships, namely one armed with Mirage Colloid systems, it then sent the data to the Harvester Council and waited for the new incoming orders from Earth, in the mean time it merely observed the situation.

--

The Mission…

"Wow…this place is just like the city we stayed in!" Several of the crew said as they explored the area, along with them were the members of the bridge crew, namely Belvedere, Amarone, Celtic, and Misty. Misty had been able to adjust to the situation well and was now a bit more comfortable with the rest of the female crew. Though she longed for male companionship, she wanted even more not to be lonely so she worked hard to live with the rest of the crew. And it seemed to be working as she had made some friendships with the bridge crew, and even more so with Ezra as she also took time in taking car of Lacus, recalling the times she would play with her younger brother when he was still in his diapers.

Misty also helped in explaining some of the things that they found that she knew belonged to men…though she was blushing furiously when they began to ask questions concerning certain articles of clothing that men wore when they went to swimming. Things got even more complicated when the girls spotted a picture of a male model in only his…ah…under-garments

"Uh Misty, do men REALLY look like that?" Belvedere asked as she and Amarone looked at the male statue with curious eyes…as the artist apparently had an eye to perfection in the male form…and only covered the essentials.

"Yeah…a lot of guys…back on Pluto were like that in track and field meets and Physical Education time, though they wore track suits and uniforms." Misty said with a slight blush, having recalled being with the other girls cheering on the boys in her school when they had track and field meets, along with basket-ball and soccer games.

"Did you ever meet any of them when they were…not in those suits, like the statue…there?" Celtic asked, as she was dressed in her normal bridge uniform while trying not to blush, ever since seeing the video of Kyo and the men bathing, the women were now taking a more candid interest in studying the male form.

Naturally, Celtic's question made Misty blush bright red. "No way! It was too embarrassing to even try!! But…there were…some girls…who…uh…managed to take pictures….but those were…ah, confiscated."

"Really…so you've never seen any of those pictures?" Amarone asked politely…again making Misty blush.

"Well…yeah, I've seen them actually."

The bridge girls immediately began asking Misty if she had some of those so that when they got home to their base, they could make comparisons. Misty nearly fainted at the shock of the situation. Back then, guys would always be trading game or sports cards once in a while in school time…regular stuff…but asking for pictures of guys in their…unmentionables…

She didn't even want to guess what would happen if the main population of Megele ever saw men like the statue or some of the pictures she had seen.

Elsewhere…

"Wow…this place is stocked…Oh…I don't have this in my collection!"

Guess what Barnette Orangello was doing in the Mission?

Max was with her as the pair looked in a nearby gun shop…apparently this shop belonged to the more hidden side of the population of the Mission Station. Apparently the shop owner had an even older antique gun collection and had been collecting many older models than even her Ohma did. She was going gaga over some of the items.

"A set of MP5 sub-machine guns…how did they remain so well maintained?"

Barnette asked herself as she checked the guns and found them to be almost brand new…as if they had just been newly manufactured and were fresh. The green-haired girl was in awe as she kept on looking. Max, being a soldier had to admire the weapons as well, due to these weapons being the ancestors of all known weapons in his world. The guns may be old, but they were a sight nevertheless.

Barnette then spotted more items, one got her attention quickly. "An M14 sniper rifle with sound suppressor?! Wow…the person who owns this place HAS taste!" She sighed as she checked the rifle…feeling the still fresh wooden covering.

Max also smiled as he picked up his own toy…"This is my type."

Barnette looked at what Max had in his hands and smiled as she gazed at the weapon and nodded as he hefted the weapon. "That's a Barrett 82A1 Sniper Rifle…that's rather rare back on Megele, with al lot of women taking to laser or energy weapons and all. Is that common in your world Max?"

The Talark youth nodded a bit. "Yes, the Barrett Sniper rifle serves us on Talark very well…we made several versions of it too to suit our world. One is the basic version, which we use to deal with creatures and other human sized targets for our sniper teams…the other is the Anti-Amour version."

"Anti Armour?"

"Yes…we modified the barrels to include high-grade electro-magnets that replace the normal gun-powder mix used to propel bullets, with the magnets, the acceleration of the bullet is higher and stronger…and the penetration power is higher as well, the bullets can now punch through two and half feet of reinforced armour plating with little difficulty. We also replace the normal .50 calibre rounds with aerodynamically smooth fin assisted armour piercing sabots with a heavy core of chemically treated and forged steel. Plus the tips are laser sharpened so they can easily pierce most if not all tested armour types…in the back of the main penetration round are high grade explosives that are detonated three seconds after impact…the result is that after the bullet cuts through the plating…the explosives are triggered, and due to them being made to be three to four times stronger than normal explosives…well, you can imagine the damage. We could fire one round like that into a chink in the joints of a Vanguard and the explosion following penetration can rip off a large chunk of the mecha, or if done right, could rip off an arm."

Barnette nodded as her gun enthusiast's mind worked on the idea and found it to be rather lethal. "You guys use it a lot?"

"Not really, the weapon is hard to make and only a few men ever get to be able to use those rifles as weapons on the field…we call them as Steel Hunter teams, since they are tasked to disable and damage machines that might make it on Talark's surface."

Barnette sighed a bit and smiled. "You guys certainly know you're way around guns like these…back on Megele, we never even have sniper rifles that use energy yet."

"We have to due what we can on our world." Max replied as he helped Barnette pack those items she had collected along with other weapon sin a hover cart that she only uses, along with the ammunition for each weapon. As he helped, Barnette watched him and smiled at him as he worked so hard to help her. She then wondered if she should… she decided to go for it and walked up to Max and then hugged him a bit. Since he was taller than her despite her being slightly taller since their journey began.

Max stopped and looked at Barnette in slight confusion. "Is something wrong?"

Barnette sighed as she hugged him and then broke the contact and smiled a bit. "Nothing, just wanted to do it…is that wrong?" She asked nervously.

Max shook his head. "No…but to be fair, can I do the same?"

Since Duero and Max were tall people, it was hardly surprising that both towered a foot over their respective female counter-parts. Parfet was only up to the bottom of Duero's neck, while Max, though a bit shorter by two inches than his elder brother was taller than Barnette, so she was only up to half his neck, but Barnette didn't care about height right now as Max hugged her a bit. She liked the warmth that he was radiating and revelled in it as it made certain feelings run up her spine.

Is this how Jura felt when she hugs Kyo? Wow… Back then, a part of her wondered what was it about Kyo that made Jura hug him when she had the chance…and now she found out.

Max in the meantime was also asking questions. The only time he did something close to this was with Clare, but this felt different…maybe he was moving on, and though he knew it would still be hard on him, he wasn't going to forget it. The warmth coming from Barnette began to do things to him as well.

As the two broke apart from the embrace, they suddenly found themselves drawing closer to one another, Max merely looked down and was reaching for Barnette, though why he was doing so was unknown to him…but something….

Barnette was also moving forward, standing on her toes as she came closer to Max's face. She had kissed him before, but this time it was different…probably due to the fact that they were getting closer to one another…

As they were merely centimetres away…they could feel the warmth from each other's breath and the heat between them grow…

"Barnette? Max? Where are you two?" A voice came over the Dread pilot's communicator….breaking the moment between the two.

Barnette nearly swore and got the communicator and called in. "Yes, I'm here."

"Did I catch you at a bad time?" The voice asked with mischief, which Barnette recognized as that belonging to none other than Jura.

Barnette sighed. "You could say that. What is it Jura?"

The blonde's voice merely got more teasing. "If you two don't mind, we've got some items to pick out here, there's lots of things we can use on the ship…especially since five days from now is…you know who's birthday…" She said in a conspiracy style of voice.

Barnette was curious for only a second but quickly smiled as she knew also who's birthday it was going to be in the next few days. "Oh! I nearly forgot…I'll be right there."

She then walked over to Max and held his arm. 'I've got some things to do later with Jura…so do you mind if I ask you to…"

"You want me to take these and store them in the Nirvana for you?" Max asked, very much knowing just what Barnette was about to ask him. He merely smiled and nodded.

"Sure, I'll need to meet up with the guys on patrol today." He then did something very interesting, since she had done it to him before…he kissed Barnette on the cheek lightly, making the green haired girl blush profusely and when he was done., she did the same thing, though with a bit more intensity on his cheek too. As they left and went their separate ways…both were blushing at the results of their brief but interesting encounter.

--

Elsewhere in the station…

"Wow, there's so many things here we can use!" Parfet said with glee as she began rummaging through a nearby storage centre of tools and spare parts for engineering teams. Apparently the inhabitants were forced to leave quickly and didn't bother to take the supplies with them, and for this case, it was a boon to Parfet and her crew as the rest of the engineering personnel worked into getting what they had. Their previous supplies of tools were already over used so having some spares would help. The crew had taken into account the rest of the rooms unused on the colony ship sections and now used them as spare storage rooms, supply areas and quarters as well.

"Let's take only what we use Parfet…the rooms on the Nirvana can only handle so much, we might need the rooms soon." Duero said as he ran through the checklist of the storage.

"Right…" The head engineer smiled as she looked at what she needed. She looked at Duero as he methodically searched for tools that she can use in her work…she was happy that when the Nirvana docked, Duero was free from his medical duties and therefore she asked him to help her in looking for any spare tools and supplies she can use in her line of work…plus, this was the only time she could be with him without any of her fellow engineers being nosy in their relationship…ever since they began to be more open about their friendship, Chief and the others were egging her own to finally admit her feelings to the doctor.

Being always busy in work had mad it somewhat hard for her to socialize, with the exceptions of her fellow pirates, her friends Dita, Ezra, the Captain, and Chief, along with the rest of the engineers. But when she made friends with Duero, it made things even more unique…and for the long passing months, her feelings for Duero were maturing, so she decided to make her moves soon…though she still had to wonder if she could do more…

Her line of thought had made her somewhat careless, and since she had unzipped her jumpsuit and tied it in her normal fashion… that had some results.

"Oww!" The head engineer was moving some tools, namely a small screw driver that used some parts that were sharp and that had cut her hand a bit and made her drop the tool. She sighed as she looked at the cut.

"Are you all right?" Duero asked as he walked up to her as she was still stinging from the wound.

"Yeah, just got a slight cut from the tool I was holding." Parfet said, her voice slightly hurt from the cut. The wound wasn't very painful, but stung the engineer who winced a bit.

"Let me take a look." The doctor said as he looked at the cut on her arm. The doctor could see that it wasn't a serious cut, but would need to be disinfected since this place was filled with dirt that could lead to infections. He checked the wound and moved carefully and precisely to avoid irritating the wound and causing Parfet more pain.

"Hmmm…it's not a deep cut, but we'll need to patch it up to cut the risk of dirt getting in and making the wound infected."

"Uh…sure."

Parfet was led out by Duero from the storage house and allowed to step outside. The head engineer then wondered how Duero would treat her if his medical gear was back on the ship. She was then surprised as he took out a small roll of gauze cloth, a small bottle of antiseptic fluid, a small cleaning swab, and some light plaster…as if it had appeared from out of nowhere…even if they came from his pocket.

"Why do you have those with you?"

Duero looked a little…uncertain and somewhat…sheepish as he went about in treating Parfet.

"When I was still younger, Max and I always got into little accidents, either with tools, since we were not very proficient with engineering equipment when were young…and on occasion, when playing with the other kids our age. Those got so frequent that our Alpha made us learn how to treat our own wounds whenever we had the chance, so he made us always carry basic first aid gear that we could always have to treat light wounds…either from our games or with tool accidents. We got very good at that, we decided to treat some of our friends when they got cut. We did that for many months before being admitted into the Talark military…and we learned a valuable lesson."

"And that was?"

Parfet couldn't picture Duero as being a klutz with tools, but then that was what made him unique, sure his engineering skills were not top notch, but he certainly had the potential to be a great engineer, she however liked him the way he was, a healer.

"It's easy to injure or wound…it's a whole different matter to heal those same injuries. I guess that's why I became a medic apart from a soldier and pilot. But in my mind I was always meant to be a medic…and old habits die hard." Duero chuckled at that bit of humour as he recalled the times he had learned some fundamental skills in medicine.

Parfet couldn't help but chuckle along with Duero and sighed as she got to know the man more and part of her, a large growing part of her began to thank fate that Duero came onboard…and into her life.

Duero likewise felt the same as he finished his treatment of Parfet and smiled. He had not talked too much about himself, but for the past weeks, he felt more comfortable talking to Parfet, than most, with the exceptions of Kyo, BC, Magno, Max, and naturally Aleck, but with Parfet…well, he couldn't completely understand his willingness to be this frank, but it felt nice.

"There…that should take care of it." The Talark male replied as he finished the dressing.

Parfet smiled at the effective and perfectly painless treatment that Duero gave her, there WAS a slight sting when he placed the medicine…but she hardly noticed as he treated her well that she hardly noted the pain.

"Thank you." And before Parfet could know what she was doing, she reached for Duero and kissed him on the cheek, naturally this went against her slightly shy nature when it involved other people…namely those she had affections with. The fact that she was getting more and more open about her feelings made her feel more alive…even when she was blushing to the roots of her hair.

Duero was in the same boat as he blushed hard. Parfet had been open to him before…but even if this was another kiss from her, the feelings didn't weaken, but grew more intense between them. As Parfet broke away…before he could stop himself…he did the same and kissed her…lightly on the head.

Both blushed wildly at the respective contact, and voices in their minds seemed to urge them on to try something more…risqué, so to speak as they broke from the two kisses and were now coming closer…for full lip to lip contact.

"Parfet? Are you there?"

In that instant…the tender moment between head engineer and head medical officer was broken…much to their disappointment and inner frustration as they felt cheated a bit.

"Yes?" The head engineer called into her communicator to take the incoming message from whoever was calling her. She didn't want to break the moment between her and Duero…but duty called.

"It's me, I need to talk to you about something." Chief said as she managed to locate Parfet.

"I'm on my way." Parfet answered reluctantly as she put down her communicator and faced Duero with a sad smile.

"They need my help on something Duero…I'll come back and have those tools taken to be with the rest of the…"

Duero smiled a bit. "No need to bother Parfet, just hand me a list of what you need from the storage shop and I'll bring them along with my own gear to the Nirvana."

Parfet smiled. "Thank you!"

--

Some time later…

The Nirvana's crew decided that for the time being they could relax for once as they took the chance to wind down their routine and get back to being normal people. The Harvester units they had converted acted as scouts and security detail around the station and for now even BC wanted the pirates to take a break from their fighting times, she knew that battles wore down the crew and having a break was needed.

They had taken what they needed and finally activated the park's amusement systems and allowed them all a clear view of the void of space and the stars. This would be a chance also for them to recall what life was like for them all before they had become caught in this war for survival. For this night, they could be just young people having some time for themselves.

Magno and BC were there to watch the transformation of the massive park to suit all of their crew, including the newly inducted Taisian soldiers and their commander, who was more than willing to help in the festivities.

BC was still slightly unsure and voiced it out. "I think we would still have to be cautious Captain, the Harvesters will not be idle forever."

Magno nodded at the wisdom in her second in command's words. "I know BC, but for today, I think in my heart they won't be after us for a while."

Buzam was not sure, but hoped that her commander was right in saying that. The crew's morale was high, and allowing them all the chance to let loose their stress would help them be better prepared for the soon to come battles that the Harvesters and they would be involved in soon.

"I hope so too." She then gave a curious look, she did recall that Dita, Jura, Barnette, and Kyo had gone to one of the larger storage hangers along with the rest of the ship's cooking staff.

"Is Kyo going to help cook the food today?"

"Yes, he is busy, but he finds the time to help out and give cheer to everyone he works with on the ship. I think that had things been different and we never met him…I shudder at the thought." Magno thought as they thought about the most hard-working man on the ship.

BC nodded. "Someday I think that the time will come that we all can pay Kyo back for all the good things he has done for all of us, Captain."

"Yes…and if things go according to how I see them…it will not be long before Kyo gets to show us a more…parental side of himself."

BC was confused and Magno noticed that and decided that while the festivities were being prepared she would explain what Kyo had been involved in with certain members of the crew. Though before that, she made it clear to BC that it would remain strictly between the senior members of the pirate officers.

--

In the nearby section of the park dedicated to the cooking of the buffet meals…

"Needs a bit more sauce." One of the cooks said she checked a nearby roasted turkey. The galley staff went to work to prepare a feats for the crew and they were all here, including the only male cook in the Nirvana, along with even his two companions who took to cooking, Duero McFile and Max McFile.

Kyo was currently making new batter for several new loaves of bread. The plan was to have a small party, considering that they were still on a mission, but he agreed that for now, they all needed something to cheer themselves up from the long cycle of combat they had been in for the past few months…and he was more than happy to give some time to offer cheer for the crew, and he had some good help…Duero and Max were nearby and the two intelligent men were now getting a crash course on cooking from the Gundam pilot.

Barnette, Dita, and Jura were also at their own posts, Jura knew how to cook as well, but she loved cooking low fat meals, which naturally explained her luscious figure, and she loved to try cooking in her spare time, and when she knew Kyo would be present, she jumped at the chance. Barnette, naturally being a great cook was busy making her own dishes, and she also knew Max would be learning from Kyo, so why not learn and watch Max as the young man learned the art. Dita also was there, naturally to offer some of her own work to cheer on her friends and beg close to Mr. Alien.

They got all the needed ingredients and made sure that the rest were to be placed in the Nirvana's own stores for the journey…for now it was time to relax and loosen up. The rest of the crew were all busy with their own duties for the small party to happen, even Meia helped a bit by helping Parfet set up some new lights for the light show systems in the park…showing her more happy side.

Sara and Mai were also helping out be helping to make adjustments to the amusement park systems and make some rides and stalls work. Most of the gear was already present and all they had to do was activate them. Misty and the others were there…picking the right music to add atmosphere to the celebration. Osmond and the Taisians were helping as well, providing some changes to the decorations and also helping when they could be free from their recon duties on the station to avoid the possibility of being caught off-guard by the Harvesters…even with the security boost they all had from the newly converted Harvester battle-ship, with it's Cube Fighters and Mirage Colloid systems.

--

The Marauder ship merely stayed out of radar range while making sure that it's own scanner frequencies were not picked up by the security forces of the Nirvana and the Mission's newly modified sensor systems. The Marauder had to move a fair distance but close enough to still track the Nirvana.

Normally this would have been a golden chance to catch the hated pirates and the Gundams totally off guard and finish them all finally…but their added fire-power made the idea too risky and expensive for the Harvesters. Not to mention that it was the only Harvester unit in the area and was not able to get close enough due to the use of the Nirvana's sensors that were now modified to bypass the effectiveness of Mirage Colloid. For now it would observe and wait for the order to strike. It then received word that several more Marauders were on their way to it to help trail the Nirvana, and when the order would come, try and defeat the Nirvana and disable the converted ship. The Council knew that the ship was now a total loss and was the enemy now and had to be eliminated.

The Marauder maintained safe scanning distance and now awaited the rest of it's reinforcements…and apparently the Masters had come up with some upgrades that could tip the scales to their favour a bit more. They wasted a lot to defeat the Nirvana many times…but those had failed miserably as well. They could only hope to cause as much damage as they could to the pirates and when the pirates were weakened…then it would be their end…

--

Later…

"CHEERS!"

The crew of the Nirvana were very busy as they watched the lights and saw the colours filled the park. They were busy eating and relaxing as they finally let the stress and difficulties in them bleed out.

And as time passed, they all felt the need to relax and feel free for a time. And many of them began to explore and play with some of the amusement systems of the park and those set up by Parfet and the engineering crew. There was some pie eating contests, hitting the target boards with balls, knocking down stacked plastic bottles with small rubber balls…just regular stuff that people did to have fun.

And certain groups of people were taking advantage of the games to have fun, while others took the other approach and went for some privacy.

Barnette and Max had a match in the air-gun tournament and both were having a great time shooting their targets. There was no heated rivalry, just the chance to have fun and get closer to one another. The green haired girl knew that Max was talented, and he likewise thought the same thing as they each worked hard to hit their respective targets in their booths and displayed their skills to one another. Once they were done, they went to a nearby bench and took some food and ate while taking about their own lives. Just getting closer to one another and learning even more…in total contrast to their old selves.

Duero and Parfet were busy looking at the pattern of lights that Parfet had fashioned with Duero's help. She wanted to create the illusion of the valley on Megele, where the grass and leaves would move when the wind blew in from the mountains…and despite not knowing what that looked like, the Talark man helped the engineer do just that, and both were happy about their combined efforts. And so were the rest of the crew as they recalled the valleys in their home planet.

Gascogne and Aleck were busy as well, using their respective skills in tossing several rubber balls to hit the stacked bottles. The tough Register head had to give the tough Vanguard instructor credit, he was strong and very sharp when it came to hitting certain targets, namely the ones he was aiming at with a swift military precision. However, she too responded in kind as she slugged more stacks of plastic bottles with her own set of rubber balls. Both strong individuals were then ready to play a game of cards, like she and Kyo did on their free time, but unlike Kyo, Aleck was a bit more seasoned and was ready to give Gascogne a challenge.

While the others celebrated, a certain redhead was now able to finally have some time to herself with a certain young man.

On the other side of the Park…

Kyo hoped he wasn't going to get into any trouble since he had left the party and was with none other than Dita. The redhead had managed to get his attention from the party and wanted to ask him to come with her to the other side of the park. He wanted to argue a bit, but Dita once more did the dreaded sad puppy dog eyes bit on him and pouted, breaking down his resistance and he went along with her.

Now they were near a larger lake and Dita had gone to one side and left Kyo to wonder what Dita had in mind.

He didn't have to wait long…

He looked and spotted Dita as she came out, and not his normal outfit either. It was a deep blue Chinese dress that had various flower patterns of different forms sewn into it. Not to mention it was…well rather nice as it had a small triangle that did much to reveal some of Dita's breasts, namely the upper cleavage, not mention the slits on the side had done up beyond her hips…this naturally had made the buxom redhead a serious stunner with the dress, her figure, her natural beauty and her innocence.

"You like it Mr. Alien?"

"Uh…yeah." Kyo's hormones were on full riot mode once more as he looked at her. Dita then asked Kyo if he could walk to the lake with her. They did so and Dita decided to ask Kyo more questions, namely whether he recalled other parts of his past.

Kyo began to talk about remembering…having a large number of friends, both male and female in his younger years, how he had fun playing baseball with them, how he walked around the oceans and collected sea-shells with them and his parents, though he sadly stated that the faces of his parents were still too hazy for him to make out.

Dita nodded sadly and then smiled and asked on her questions, but only did so if he was comfortable with it. Kyo nodded, liking the more mature attitude that Dita had now. As they stopped near the lake, they were near some rocks and since they were a good distance away from the others, they sat around the rocks and looked at the stars.

Kyo was rather uncomfortable as he looked from the stars from the observation roof and to Dita, the lights playing well to show her beautiful features. Dita then spoke to Kyo, though he could tell that she was...somewhat shy about what she wanted to say.

"What is it Dita?"

"Do you…like me Mr. Alien?"

"What do you mean? Of course I like you."

Dita blushed and spoke. "I mean…do you REALLY like me?"

Kyo was confused and quickly realized that this was what he should have expected, Dita wanted to know how he really felt about her…and this was not going to be easy.

"Dita…"

"I know I don't call you by name, and I can be really annoying at times, but I really, REALLY like you Mr. Alien. If I don't see you or hear you…I feel so alone and afraid. I don't know…but I also hurt a lot…I feel pain if I don't see you smile and laugh, and it hurts me when I can't be with you." Dita sobbed a bit.

"Dita…" Kyo said as Dita sobbed a bit and he held her arms and tried to calm the redhead. Dita however had other plans as she grabbed his hand and placed it on her chest…above her breasts...making Kyo blush hard, and then she looked at him with watery eyes.

"I hurt here…and it only feels cured when I am with you. I KNOW that I LIKE you…REALLY like you, that's why I ache this way here…but do you LIKE me?" Dita asked nervously as she blushed.

Kyo was at a loss, and knew that if he did something wrong, he would hurt Dita, she had gone through a lot to do this and he knew that she deserved an answer. He steeled himself and replied with as much honesty as he could.

"You are the kindest, most innocent, and sincere woman I have met in all my years. You always tried to cheer me up. At times you can be annoying and a bit of a pain, but you are the only one who accepted me when I came in this ship so long ago, and you were the first to make me become one with others again for so long."

He then finished his action by taking Dita's face in his hands and gently pulled her to him, making Dita blush harder, and add to her beauty.

"I have others who care for me too, deeply if I might add, but I DO like you Dita." Kyo said honestly, hoping that he would have enough time to explain his situation with the others to Dita, it would be hard but it was time he was honest with her, she had done a lot for him, and it was time he told her how much her efforts meant to him in total…

He wasn't going to get that chance however as Dita did something unexpected for someone who was innocent and young.

"Thank you Mr. Alien!" She yelped and then hugged Kyo…and before Kyo could respond to her enthusiasm…she reaches his face and then…kisses him, while looking at him with her eyes open. Her lush figure, in the dress also was able to snuggle very close to Kyo's own muscled form, due to him wearing thin clothes for this night…that and her closeness made him VERY aware of just how sexy Dita Liebely really was.

Kyo was shocked, but he let it be for now, hoping that this would not get too far...and thankfully it didn't.

Dita smiled and hugged Kyo and whispered. "Thank you Mr. Alien…I like you more now. I won't lose you to the bad aliens."

Kyo was stock still and merely decided to hug her back after a second. In that sense he felt relieved that he finally admitted that he did care and…love her, she was still young and so, he hoped that someday, she might say it.

That would make things complicated in some ways, but for now…being able to talk to Dita in this way was enough for him. It may not be easier with the other women, but it was a push in the right direction for now…but that still made it hard for him in some ways too.

He hoped that soon, things would work out for all of them as he and Dita went back to the party, to be with their friends.

The crew celebrated the one night that they could be themselves…for the next day…they were back into the battle soon. For now, they were going to be normal people having a party with all of their close friends in this journey home.

However, the crew had a plan…for a certain member of their crew. And so did she as she would be next to take care of having Kyo stay in her quarters for the next week since he was moving from Dita's room…and into hers for the coming week.

She blushed a bit and hoped that she was going to be all right with this arrangement and so would Kyo…since this would be the VERY first time another person had been in her company…even more so a man.

--

To be continued…

Finished! As you can see, this new chapter focuses on many changes, both with people and with sides. The Harvesters are now keen on replacing their Cube Fighters with newer weapons of war. They might even create variants of the Gundam series, with the exception of the Gundam their leader intends to use to deal with Kyo. Plus Parfet is now intent on retro-fitting and redesigning the Vanguards. Kyo will be along for the ride and will help in making the models with Parfet.

The Dreads won't be replaced since they do have some abilities not possessed by the Vanguards and they work their best together to off-set each other's weak-points. So the Dreads won't fade away. Besides…Parfet will come up with even more ideas as to how to make them more effective in the coming battles with the Harvesters.

Plus the new allies of the Nirvana pirates will certainly help in the process…after all…they had a hand in MAKING the Morpheous, and the SwitchBlade Gundams!

(1) The Mobile Suit in question is designed after the MBF-M1 Astray Mobile Suit model.

(2) Found a picture of Dita in a night-dress and decided to write about it!

That wraps up the situation with Kyo and Dita for this part anyways…

Most guys would love this kind of situation right now. A buxom redhead in a sheer white silk night-dress being with them in bed! God I must be out of my gourd for ever writing this!! Anyway, I did say in the last chapter that some naughty things WILL happen between Kyo and Dita while he stays with her in her room and this is one of them.

If the situation is any indication…then imagine what would happen if the other girls after his affections get him to stay in THEIR rooms?

If this is in bad taste to some, then drop a review, email, constructive critique or suggestion to me and help me fix any mistakes. NO FLAMES policy is still on people.

--

Hope you like the situation with Bart, a lot more good things are now happening for him and I think he deserves it. There are some fanfics I'm familiar with that seriously makes way too much fun of him and makes him look kind of pathetic, too much so by my standards, so this will be a real eye-opener to those who kept track of his maturity.

Plus the idea of the Talark food pills tasting like REAL food will certainly catch attention, won't it? They have more practical and utilitarian uses, and now what would be the results if the pills tasted like real food items eh?

--

Well…Rabat had that coming…though I think I kind of overdid it, what do you think?

--

Okay, updates on the relationships of Kyo with the girls in question.

Look, I know that some would LOVE to see Kyo finally get laid, I know I would too…but I can't just let him get laid like that instantly, where would be the closeness and affection there? Kyo's done a lot for each of the girls and I want them to finally admit that they love him and then we get down to it, okay?

They each have relationships with Kyo and vice versa and just getting him laid for the sake of it will be asking for trouble. No woman wants to be a one night stand and Kyo's WAY too kind for that kind of thing, but he will get there eventually, and once it's all organized, things will work out for all parties involved. Plus the other plans will be worth it in the end to make this story worth it.

The definite plan is that Kyo will get to it at around Chapter 10 or Chapter 11. I have too many ideas and coming up with a great love scene or whatever you guys want to call it, is not something you just snap up with your fingers here. It's even more complicated with a harem ending you know…

Besides that, I can't be on this PC writing on it 24/7 you know…I have a lot of things to do too in my free time and I know that I will leave you hanging, but believe me when I say this…once I get the scenes in my mind, it will be worth the wait since I've got some work to do, and I do have responsibilities too.

It's a promise, the lemons will be on at Chapter 10 or 11, and onwards if you'd like.

Kyo isn't the only one by the way, Max and Barnette will get to that level soon, and so will Duero and Parfet…so we can have a collection of that very soon, so relax and let me worry about it. And if you have suggestions then send them to me…but make sure it's workable, all right?

I hope that straightens things out, if not, give me an email, comment, or review.

--

The Harvesters are now developing their new weapons, so what new machines will they be using? And they also have now developed variations of the Devastator, Hell-Fire, and Wyvern Gundams, what will be the new variations be capable of?

And what are the abilities of the now Paeksis-enhanced Gundam of the Harvesters that will be piloted by their leader, who is apparently planning to lead their forces into battle?

Work is finished, though if you all have complaints in the story, then email me or send me a comment if you want changes, okay? I do apologize…my life's been hectic lately and I haven't gotten much complete rest you know.

With this part of the GunDread SEED series complete I would like to announce that we are nearing the end of the series and as such, I won't be able to update due to the need to do extensive research on aspects of the story I need to flesh out in order to make the story attractive. Be assured that I will be present to make the story more effective.

In the next chapter…we now deal with another relationship on the Nirvana…and it involves a certain girl who has a certain dislike for a certain part of life…but with Kyo involved…

If you are avid VanDread fans, then I don't need to leave any clues…

See you all at Chapter 8!!


	19. Chapter 19

GunDread SEED- The Second Stage

GunDread SEED- The Second Stage

Disclaimer: VanDread is not mine, neither is Gundam SEED.

Chapter 8

: Thoughts

Birthday Girl Blues

The Nirvana…

The crew were busy with their normal duties, but for some reason, there was far more activity in certain members of the crew. They had left the mission station a day or two after their celebrations with the Taisians who were now part of the crew. Kyo was busy out there on routine patrol with Max and Aleck, along with Osmond and his crew; Dita and Jura were also doing their normal chores while they were in the Nirvana. The converted Harvester battle-ship was currently not using its Mirage Colloid systems to minimize the consumption of power and to allow the Engineers the chance to upgrade some systems while being escorted by the Dreads and Vanguards.

However, for the rest of the crew still on the Nirvana, they had other plans as they moved about from one sector of the ship to another, carrying supplies, either of food, drink, or decorations. And it seemed that the preparations had something to do with a certain girl.

She came out and got on her normal gear and had just begun walking on the corridors…then she spotted several crew members who were talking but the minute they spotted her, they slightly panicked and spoke out.

"Hey, nice day today isn't it?"

She didn't mind that as she went on with her duties on the ship. But the very same thing kept on happening; she would run into crew members that gave strange greetings.

"Doing well today?"

"Nice time for a walk isn't it?"

More and more female crew members some that she knew for a long time continued to greet her in this fashion as she walked the corridors of the ship, As time passed she also began to wonder just what the rest of the crew were doing as she met more crews from every department, and even ran into those from the security, Register and engineering who all were acting somewhat strange around her when they saw her.

This kept on for a good while and that didn't bother her all that much, until she recalled that they already had a celebration two days before and were now heading back to their worlds…what would be so important to the crew to celebrate now…and why were they acting so different around her lately?

She then stopped to think it over and then gave a sign of recognition and looked at her chronometer and read the date…

Meia Gisborn sighed and looked a bit dejected…

I should have known…it's going to be my birthday soon.

Kyo was busy in Infinite-Freedom doing his recon duties and was busy getting used to another change in his life…and that was being Meia's only male bunk mate. He had to admit that Meia's room was spacious the first time he had gone into the room, and naturally he understood that since she was claustrophobic she would want a spacious room. Naturally he decided to pack a bed roll and though Meia' didn't show it as openly as Jura or Dita, she was a bit disappointed that he chose to not be closer. But she didn't mind.

Kyo had to admit that he partially expected Meia to change into sleeping clothes, just Jura would wear a night dress, or Dita wearing her pyjamas, but she stuck to her Dread flight suit, and Kyo realized why it looked that way and why Meia seemed to wear it a great deal before and after they met.

The Dread pilot uniform was smooth and well fashioned to work as normal clothes apart from a flight suit and that was why Meia favoured wearing that in all of her times in the ship…but since it was a form fitting suit, it allowed him to see all her natural curves and…

Arrghh. Best not to think about those things out on patrol! Makes things worse. Kyo said to himself with a shake of his head. He then felt his stomach growl a bit and realized that since he left in the early morning to be on patrol, therefore he hadn't eaten break-fast yet.

He contacted Aleck and Max, along with Osmond.

"I'll go back to the ship and grab a bit, you guys want to come along?"

The guys decided not to since they would have some time to still be on patrol and would eat later when they were done with their time on the patrol mission. Kyo agreed and made his way back to the Nirvana, while contacting the bridge about his return back to the Nirvana.

Magno and BC answered the call and allowed him to land back, Kyo was curious as why the rest of the bridge crew seemed to be absent from the bridge stations, even Ezra was not present.

The two telling him that that they had to plan a special event still didn't answer his question either.

In the galley…

A certain blonde and redhead were deep in discussion with the rest of the bridge crew. Dita, Paiway, and Jura, who had taken a candid interest, were busy speaking to Belvedere, Celtic, and Amarone, along with some others about celebrating the birthday of their comrade Meia. Now normally, people would love the chance to celebrate their birthday and Meia's birthday and going into the age of 20 years old was cause to celebrate…

However Meia had the habit of running away from any and all attempts of the crew to prepare a party for her. And every time she was able to hide and run away, frustrating their attempts to let her enjoy another year in her life.

Meia may have mellowed out in the past few months, but there was no telling if she was still unwilling to have a birthday party prepared for her. She had done so and the crew were always trying their best and every time they were down cast and disappointed, but they had gained a lot of knowledge on Meia's routines on this particular day of the year for the longest time she had been part of their crew.

"Maybe we can have it in the planning hall?"

"No way…she'll know that quickly, don't forget the last time we tried to surprise her, she stayed in the planning room for the Dreads, making all those strategies."

"The main thing is that she knows already that we're planning something and she knows how to avoid it."

Dita sighed a bit, along with Jura, the blonde knew enough about Meia's life to know a bit on why she acted the way she did, but she didn't think that anything would change if she ran from her own birthday. Normally she didn't bother, but she and Meia had worked together for a long time, and though she at times teased Meia about being a sour pus, she was happy that the softer side of Meia was coming out due to Kyo, just like her and Dita…though she doubted that she was going to change over-night…

Just then Kyo came in, while in his flight suit…and so was Meia in her normal Dread flight-suit.

Dita panicked and so did the rest of the bridge crew when they realized that Meia had just come into the galley. They hid their plans of the Nirvana's various routes and tried to look normal.

However, Meia wasn't fooled and merely asked the question. "What are you all doing there?"

As if I didn't know already…

"Uh…nothing…nothing at all." Dita said lamely with a smile, while sweat-dropping at the way Meia was looking at them all. Belvedere and the others were also trying to look normal, but in effect were failing badly.

"Dita, how much sugar and cream do I need in the cake anyway?" Barnette asked as she came out in her baking apron from the galley, holding a mixing large bowl and a whisk. The green haired girl was busy making a cake and apparently was curious so why the rest of the birthday planning committee were making strange faces and gestures at her all of a sudden. They were supposed to tell her what Meia's birthday cake needed.

"What's going on with you all…I want to know how much sugar and cream the…"

The green haired girl finally realized what was going on when she looked to the side and panicked a bit as she spotted Meia…who greeted her with a simple look of neutrality.

"Hello Barnette…"

"Uh…u…Hi, Meia!" Barnette then realized she had been caught out in the open and quickly managed to hide the bowl of batter and the whisk while sweat-dropping.

"Are you making a cake today Barnette?" Meia asked.

"I was just…I was just having the time to cook again…being busy and all, I just wanted to take a break." Barnette said lamely while moving back into the kitchen, once she was close enough, she opened the door and replied.

"I'll be back...I've got a lot of work do in here… so…I'll see you later okay Meia?" The green haired girl said as she darted back into the kitchen.

"We've got to go too." The bridge girls all said as they took the plans with them and they were followed by Dita, Jura, and Paiway.

After all that, Meia sighed and turned to get a cup of coffee, and was able to stop before ramming into Kyo's chest. She looked up and saw the confusion in his handsome face and felt a bit warm as she looked at him. But she knew that he was going to ask her something.

Kyo was getting more and more curious concerning what had just happened in the galley right in front of him, all he knew is that involved Meia for some reason or another and now that she was here, he might as well find out just what was going on with the rest of the crew all of a sudden and why they acted like they were walking on egg-shells around Meia.

"I know I just got in here to eat, and it's not totally my business…but what exactly is going on here Meia?"

"They're planning a party tomorrow for me." Meia said with a bit of a sad tone.

"We just had a party on the mission station a few days ago, so why have another one? And why does it involve you?" Kyo asked, still not getting the hidden message.

"It's my birthday tomorrow Kyo." Meia said as she walked aside, no matter how much she wanted to tell Kyo…there were still some things she didn't plan on talking about her past…even with him, the object of her growing affections.

Later…

Kyo was now in his civilian clothes and was now heading off to the Register to change into his working clothes, but his mind was too preoccupied with what he had just found out.

It was Meia's birthday tomorrow and that was a reason to celebrate all right, but it certainly would be no fun if the one who's birthday it was won't celebrate it at all, even if they had the decorations, the food, the gifts, the games, the party, the friends, and most certainly the cake and the gifts…the whole thing would be for nothing if the celebrant wasn't there to join the festivities in the first place.

But his discussion with Meia previously had told him more of the reason why she was sad instead of happy that it was her birthday.

Flashback…

"You're birthday?" Kyo asked, rather stumped as that bit of information came into mind.

"Yes."

"Wow, hey that is cause for celebration Meia, would you like me to help cook some food for you? Or I can make some…"

"No…Kyo, I would like nothing more…than to… but I…oh forget it, just don't talk about it anymore! I don't want to celebrate it and that's final." Meia said with a huff and she took some coffee and sat on a table.

Kyo wondered what was going on, he might not recall his own birthday, but he knew that having a birthday was a celebration of life spent in this world, and is a cause to celebrate indeed. During his travels, there had been more than one occasion of him being present in a birthday party, and at times, he not only celebrated it with others, but he also contributed to them. So it was not very surprising that he was very interested in the idea of celebrating a birthday, even more so it was the birthday of someone he held close to him.

But he then reminded himself of what Meia told him about her life, namely before and after the death of his Fahma, and her life being a street punk and getting into fights, along with her fear of closed spaces, which although had been lessening, it was still present in her even all the way up to now.

If that was the case, then he could understand just why Meia was not in favour of a party in her birthday. But he was not content with that, seeing this version of Meia who had grown a good deal out of her shell and her going back into it was one thing Kyo was not keen on seeing anytime soon.

As she sat down and took her coffee, he got only some cereal and bread with some juice and sat next to her. They didn't say anything for the first few minutes. Meia drank her coffee in a way that told Kyo that this was a sore subject for her, and likewise, he didn't want to do anything to break their friendship. But as she finished some of her coffee he decided to speak.

"Care to talk about it?"

"What's there to talk about?"

Kyo shook his head. "Meia, please don't do that, it makes me recall how things were like before you learned to…ah, lighten up. Now I know that is a sore subject for you, from the way you're drinking the coffee…but I think you should try and move on with your life. I'm not saying that you forget the good things you had…but."

Meia sighed and looked at Kyo. "Look, I…I know you mean well, and I'm sorry if I act like a proverbial storm-cloud but it's not easy, every time I think about the birthdays I missed…I think about what happened to my family and me when the disaster happened that took my Fahma from me…and my Ohma shortly after, and then I think about the times I've been on my own, fighting to survive, hang out with the wrong crowd, get into fights, and naturally…my wish that I could just…"

"Die?"

Meia nodded sadly and she looked at her coffee, trying not to dwell on things in the past, but one of those methods was to forget having a birthday. She saw Kyo's hands on hers and he held her calmly.

"Don't think that, not everything in your life was…"

Meia then felt a surge of anger as her memories come back…she gritted her teeth and looked away while moving her hands away from Kyo.

"How could you know? How could you know how my life was like?! You were not there to see what happened on how my Fahma died! Or how many times she and my Ohma argued! Or the times I did have a happy life, how I ran on the green fields in Megele, or how they would fuse over me, and when they gave me this circlet?! You can't even recall your own parents or your memories! So don't lecture me about…"

Meia's eyes widened as she realized that she had pushed her anger too far and struck Kyo hard on the face. She recalled how he had told them of how lost and alone he was and how much he wanted to recall his past, all that he could never recall…and how much it hurt him never to remember the past, his family, friends, home…all of it. She knew that…and she had tried in her own way to make Kyo feel better, and he was recovering his memories…

And she was getting closer to him and showing more of her affections for all he had done and how much she cared for him…and now she might have done too much damage to make Kyo hate her…she didn't want that…after all they had been through as friends and maybe something more…

She looked at Kyo and saw his face was like stone, his eyes bore into her like beam bolts, and she knew that she had really gone too far. He meant well and she slapped him in the face…

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to…" Meia began to say, but Kyo didn't say a word and stood up. As he started to walk away from the table, Meia knew that she had gone too far this time.

She stood up and stepped in front of Kyo and pleaded a bit more. "Kyo, I'm sorry, please…it's just…"

Kyo sighed a bit and made Meia look at him. His face lost it's hardness but his eyes still had their edge. "I know…what you said hurt Meia, it did, but I know why you did it. And I understand."

"I'm sorry." Meia said. "I just can't let go of it so quickly, no matter how much I wish that I could." The blue haired girl sighed as she looked at Kyo, seeing that his eyes lost the hardness and edge it had.

"Not everything is easy to let go. Meia, I'm not asking you to change in one day, but try instead to recall the good and bad things and make peace with them, I know that no matter what anyone does, they can't change everything…but they can live here and now…you have a family and friends here too, and they are with you, just as your Ohma and Fahma are with you."

Kyo then held Meia's hands. "I know that things are somewhat hard, but this life is yours, no matter how bad things are, and what no matter what the outcome, your parents love you…even though they had different ways of doing things and ways to show it to you…never forget them…and look to the future that they saw, and the one that is here for you with us all on this ship, and we'll be right there for you."

Meia nodded. "Thanks…"

Kyo smiled a bit and hoped that Meia would decide to celebrate her birthday, and walk into the future that she had before her.

End of Flashback…

Kyo decided to see what he could do to help Meia move out of her fear of the past and embrace the future, and be with her family and friends on the Nirvana…but he had to do it in a way that didn't make Meia angry and retreat back into her desire not to celebrate her new life. Besides that, he had every intention to give Meia a good birthday, having known that since Meia had not been celebrating birthdays when she was supposedly fifteen since becoming a street thug, then she would not have celebrated her time as a debutante…she was a year over the time…but that certainly didn't mean she shouldn't have it.

As he got into the Register, he went on to talk to Gascogne about what she could tell him about Meia's actions when they all would try to celebrate her birthday ever since joining the pirates. Plus he did plan to have time to spend so no sense not making time for this one occasion…Meia had a tough life, and he hoped that soon, she would move on and embrace the future without losing the past.

As Meia went on her own way to the Simulation Room to bleed out some of the stress, practice more with her Gundam, and relieve some of her frustration, she also began to wonder about the past she had and thought about all the things she had gone through ever since joining the pirates when she was younger.

She knew that Kyo truly meant well, but even then, she was not all that keen to leave things in the past and move on, and for now she decided to let it be and take the time whenever it would be allowed soon, besides, it was still one more day before her birthday. But she still felt her fears and decided to at the moment try to sort out what to do with her life the way it was before and is now.

She still saw the not so well hidden attempts by her crew-mates to hide their preparations for tomorrow, and their attempts to try and make it seem that everything was as normal as they could be for today, but soon Meia steeled herself for the soon to come memories of the past, even after finally moving on a few months before after being badly wounded, there WERE still obstacles in her path to finally make peace with herself.

In the Register…

In the Register, activity was going on as usual, but even here, the crew were talking about Meia's soon to come birthday tomorrow. Two of the crew working were very much in deep discussion on that particular matter at this very moment.

"She always does that?" Kyo asked Gascogne as he wrote in an order and made the needed clearance for the shipment to the appropriate section as he chatted with the Head of the Nirvana's supply centre.

"Yeah, Meia's been like that throughout the time she had joined us, never celebrate a single birthday at all and ran away, using whatever trick she can to leave the party hanging, frankly it was getting very tiresome and some of the veterans back in the base thought that Meia would never be a fun person…though you seem to be doing much to get her out of that shell of hers."

Gascogne commented, she was a bit surprised that Kyo had taken an interest on helping Meia celebrate her birthday.

Out of all the people in her mind, Kyo was the first to crack the shell that Meia surrounded herself in to hide from the past, she knew some of Meia's past history when she had been in the military before…so she had an understanding of how Meia felt…having lost a loved one in the past, that was why she didn't comment or help on the celebration bits too much, since she knew that until Meia moved on, there would be no way that she would just celebrate without making peace with the past along time ago.

Kyo nodded. "Yeah, I didn't PLAN on that before, but I guess a part of me wants Meia to smile and be happy more often."

"That must mean you like her…don't you?" Gascogne said with a grin as she looked at Kyo, who naturally blushed a bit…making her grin and chuckle a bit more as she was aware of the affections Meia was now showing to Kyo, granted she wasn't as open about it as Dita, or as physically showing as Jura, not to mention she didn't spend that much time with the Gundam pilot…but there was no denying the facts that she had feelings for Kyo.

Gascogne was happy for that and knew also that Kyo likewise had affections for Meia, due to them being more and more friendly with one another…which was a totally contrast to their past time together all those months before.

"Yeah, I do like her, why, you find that odd?"

Gascogne merely grinned and replied. "Nope, not in the very least, since I can tell she likes you, but from what I've learned about Meia, it's not going to be easy for her to look back and move on."

"Tell me about it. But I feel that in time…she will do alright."

"Maybe…just out of curiosity…how DO you plan to help out in this celebration anyway Kyo? I know you can cook alongside Barnette when it comes to the preparation for the party, but it's making Meia stay and not run and hide that's the real trick here, no matter how much food you put on the table along with the gifts, it's not going to taste any better if you're guest of honour in there in the party to celebrate alongside you, you know?"

Kyo nodded in agreement as he thought about it more. "Hmm…I thought of that actually, though I am still trying to think up of a plan, I just hope that Meia isn't going to see through it, I'm not that sure my ability to hide a plan is up to date anyway."

Probably…but what I'm curious about is HOW Meia's going to react. Gascogne thought to herself as she and Kyo went to work on the Register.

Naturally, it didn't take long for him to come up with some ideas, all he had to do now was talk to their rest of the gang and see if this can be done without breaking the secret, in the sense that would run away, the first however that he had to worry about were the routes Meia would take in order to escape the crew when they began to celebrate her birthday for her. Since the crew had been on this for quite a while now, he had to ask them what methods Meia had used to escape from the party for the past years before he came along…

The only thing that bothered him was the fact that he MIGHT be getting into more than he bargained for.

In the other section of the Nirvana…later…

Kyo decided to look for Dita and see if he could get some information concerning Meia's normal actions whenever it was her day to celebrate her birthday each year, since it seemed that Dita, being the one who was so cheerful would keep track of such things, it made sense for the Gundam pilot to ask her.

He then spotted Dita and Paiway looking through a doorway which he knew led to the simulation room for both the Vanguard pilots and the Gundam pilots, including himself. That meant that Meia was in there training and also hoping to have some peace for herself, as he got as close as he can without being caught through his stealth training he was now able to get close enough to overhear the two girls.

"I wish there was some way we CAN surprise her Pai." Dita said sadly as she pouted.

"Well…we can't do much, we've been at it for the past years and we STILL haven't stopped her from running Kero!" Paiway said in agreement to her redhead friend for many years.

"Does this little brain-storming session between the two of you involve Meia's birthday or something?" Kyo as soon as he was there to get their attention.

Both girls were surprised but relaxed when they recognized the voice that they heard. Paiway however gave a pout and used her frog puppet to talk to Kyo and in her favorite cartoon voice.

"Don't you know it's absolutely impolite to sneak up on a lady when she's talking Kero?!" Paiway then glared a bit at Kyo, making Kyo laugh a bit along with Paiway and Dita.

As soon a she stopped laughing he apologized to the young nurse. "Sorry Pai, couldn't resist the idea. So, how is your training with Duero and Max going?" Kyo was curious on Paiway's progress and wanted to hear how the young girl was doing for himself. Duero and Max said that despite some of her squeamishness she was doing well enough.

Paiway sighed. "It's hard, but when I see all the healthy people here. I think it's very much worth it all."

Kyo nodded. "Okay…now on the topic of what you two were planning, how is it going on keeping Meia here long enough to celebrate her birthday?"

Dita and Paiway looked surprised. "You're going to help us Mr. Alien?" The redhead asked in curiosity and wonder. Maybe Kyo would be the one to finally keep Leader here long enough for a proper celebration to be held for her birthday.

"Yeah….but we have to do this celebration in a way that not even Meia will suspect it."

As they decided to brain-storm as to what they could do in order to prepare Meia's birthday celebration, the Gundam pilot wondered what the rest of the galaxy was doing as they moved on in the cosmos, he thought about all their comrades and friends that they had met in the past few months and hoped that they would remain safe from the Harvesters as they would have to be rallied soon.

Kyo had the right idea…for back on the Harvester Home-world…

"So tell me, what is the current status of the new machines we have made to support our Cube Fighters?" The Harvester Council leader asked he waited for the head technician to report their latest findings and the results of their latest creations.

The chosen female technician then gave her report. "Nearly fifty percent o0f the new machines' and their blue-prints have been installed into the CPUs all our Seed Ships here in dry dock and those Seed Ships are now ready to produce these new units, they however are still new so we might expect a bit of a time delay for their deployment…but considering their arsenals, they will prove useful to support our Cube Fighters."

Images of newly upgraded Seed Ships were seen, though physically they were still the same as before, they were far larger and resembled large seed shaped like a fang and according to the test data, they were now able to release their new weapons. The best way to test these new units was to deploy them against live targets…and the Harvester leader already knew just where to deploy them.

"How many of these ships be fielded at the current time-frame?"

"At least a dozen at the most, the newly modified Seed Ships will need to be mass produced and changes have to be made for the rest of out still dry-docked fleet to include them in the force, for now, most of our forces are still the standard Cube Fighters. But the dozen already mentioned can be deployed immediately Master."

The Harvester leader nodded. "Very well, I have a task for you all and those new weapons you have developed."

"Name it, Master."

"I need to test our newly born machines in a field deployment, to see if any upgrades will be needed on them. Therefore I want a deployment of half a dozen to the sector where our forces are stationed, I don't want our forces to engage the Nirvana at this time since we would be risking the exposure of the rest of our Mobile Suit development projects, once we have gained enough data from the field tests, then we can send more units to face off with the Nirvana, they will no doubt expect only Cube Fighters, and we cannot disappoint them. And also send the other half to defeat the Mission Station Delta 6…that station was where Rabat was exposed and the inhabitants were the ones who exposed the worthless traitor and his ties to us…they will be the first to suffer our wrath, and they will remind the galaxy that while we may have been recovering, we have not given up yet in our plan to collect what is ours by right."

"It shall be done, Master."

"By the way…what are the new units designated as?"

The female technician smiled and replied. "They are the Overlords, Master, a fitting name for what their arsenals are composed of. They will be ready within the day."

The Harvester leader nodded and spoke to the head of their Council's Armada operations division.

"Contact the Marauders and tell them to wait for the signal to engage the Nirvana…, they may not destroy the Nirvana no matter how much we wish it, but we merely wish to remind them that we have not been sleeping on the job."

A Council member raised his hand, catching the leader's attention. "Requesting permission to speak Master?"

"Go ahead."

"Won't exposing the Marauders allow the Nirvana to know how we also keep track of the fleets of the other human worlds? We run the risk of exposing the other portion of our spy network."

The leader nodded in agreement, but also replied with a smile. "True, but only if they recover the CPU drives of the Marauders…knowing that the Marauders were never mentioned in the archives of the battle-ships, we can assume that they are NOT aware of the existence of the Marauders, even more so if we send the command for the Marauders to purge all their protocols with the exception of their protocols to engage and destroy. The data concerning the other Marauders' locations will be purged as well, that will make the Nirvana guess that the ships are merely stealth attack craft. We begin now…"

Later…

The leader was now facing the monitor…looking at the soon to be completed frame of his own Gundam…the same one he himself will pilot to destroy the both the Nirvana and Kyo…for the Harvesters, the survival of his followers on Earth…and the completion of a nearly four centuries old vendetta…with a certain Gundam pilot.

"I had thought that I would be denied this chance to meet you Kyo…to end the blood-line that you and you're kin were born from. I nearly had that chance so long ago…but fate smiled upon you and your family, and I was too weak to finish you off…and I had to be trapped in a cell to live."

The leader of the Harvesters then took off his upper uniform and there on his chest was a long, thin but jagged scar. He then traced it slowly.

"I have this…as a gift from you…for you're…" He then gave a smile of disgust as he looked at the holo-image of Kyo. "valiant defense of your father. I wanted to end his life…to crush the 'successful' Ultimate…but you came to stop me."

He then looked at Kyo's family portrait…the very same one Kyo had with his family before he was ironically presumed dead in the reactor explosion involving the Paeksis reactor. The leader and smirked at both Kira and Lacus Yamato and their children.

"I may not have been able to end you're life Kira…and you and your family died before I could get the chance…but if I am forever denied the chance to kill you…the father…and I fail to 'reason' with him now after all these…then I will KILL the son!"

He then traced his scar…"I will relish the chance to slay you Kyo…only when you and you're 'pure blood lineage' is wiped clean from this galaxy will the pain of this wound you gave me ever end. The pain I had to live with for four hundred years."

The leader laughed with a disgusting warmth…and even with the distance between Council Halls and assembly plant, the Paeksis core of the Harvester Leader's Gundam hummed…as if it too was laughing and waiting for the right time to strike and slay the last of the Ultimate Coordinators…and the son of both Kira and Lacus.

The rest of the galaxy had much to do. The Resistance was now getting stronger, and would be strong enough to repel the Harvesters…but lately there had been a decrease in the activity of the Harvester Armadas.

Many would make the foolish assumption that the Harvesters of earth had finally given up their insane desire to use the organs of people. But that was not what the military specialists believed, not in the very least. They knew that something big would happen for the Harvesters to lessen their attacks and organ harvesting missions all of the sudden.

They were planning something…something big.

The people of the human colonies had no idea what was happening…

The Nirvana…a day before Meia's birthday…

Kyo woke up early as he managed to tip-toe quietly out of the room he stayed in with Meia…just before turning in for the night, the day before, he had gone into the kitchen, cooking food and supplies, along with coordinating the surprise party for Meia. Apparently, the other members of the crew also got involved, even the men.

Bart agreed to help keep a private comm. channel online for them to coordinate their efforts to keep Meia from attempting to escape. Though he doubted that part from happening, he never knew with Meia, long before she told him about her past, and before they got along, he used to think that she had a chip on her shoulder the size of a boulder. But like any good planner, he always made sure that he had a back-up plan for possible contingencies.

Aleck decided to help appear as if he was giving the Vanguard pilots new tips on piloting their Vanguards, despite them being highly proficient, there was no doubt that Aleck was by far the most technically sound user of Vanguards in the entire ship, plus he WAS one of the test pilots that helped create the mecha in the first place, so there would be no doubt of his skills and presence. Meia knew that too since she had seen Aleck perform s well…so she could not doubt his involvement…at least too much that is.

Duero also helped in the process, by helping maintain the illusion of being engrossed in his studies on the past alongside his brother…which was very much half the truth anyway. He had been familiar with the concept of birthdays, just like anyone, else, but his knowledge was only limited the to scope of the celebrations of his worlds' leaders…and they were already too common in the eyes of the medic.

The same thing could be said for his younger brother Max, who however had been in a similar situation with various members of the female crew of the Emerald Dawn. He had been stunned before, but when he figured out that it was to celebrate the years people had lived ever since they were born…naturally his ways of celebrating and that of his world clashed with that of the women so he had to learn. Though this was the first time he would have to KEEP a celebration a secret from the celebrant.

Many women were more than willing to help in the efforts to celebrate their most respected and trusted member, they were hoping that this time, this time, they could show just how much they appreciated Meia's efforts for so many years, and make her feel happy once more.

Kyo had to take care of other details…but he hoped on one thing however…that the Harvesters would not suddenly show up and mess up all the carefully made plans, he had a chance to make Meia feel whole and with the crew…and part of him hoped that he was doing the right thing.

All he had to do was find a certain young mother AND her baby and ask permission.

Back on Delta Six…

Kouji, his sister Maia, and the rest of the Delta 6 defense crew were getting strange feelings as they lead their squadron of scout ships out on patrol around the sector with their Gundams in the lead. Ever since their meeting with Jin, Tanaki, and Kazuki and the rest of the Nirvana's crew, the inhabitants of Mission Delta Six had been guarding themselves against any further Harvester attacks. So far there had been occasional encounters with raiding Cube Fighters and perhaps a Seed Ship or two. But they were able to hold the line and exterminate them with their upgraded Shinobi and Kunoichi Gundams and the newly formed defense forces had been able to beat them back, thanks to some amounts of technology given to them by the Megele pirates and their Talark allies. In addition to the tachyon transmitter/communicators and the piles of Talark pill rations, the Mission had undergone massive upgrades and received many essential components and weaponry, and the two Yurenians were more capable with their new skills, thanks to the training they received from the Gundam pilot of Infinite Freedom. With all that, the inhabitants were more capable in battle now against the Harvesters.

Recently however, the attacks began to die down in intensity, and raiding parties of Harvester units were less frequent and patrols would rarely come across a single Cube Fighter or any kind of Earth vessel. It was as if the Harvesters became either extinct or had given up in their raids.

The Asuka siblings and their comrades were getting worried about this lull in action from their enemies. It was way too easy to let one's guard down. As they flew in each of their Gundams, they each talked with one another, and wondered if the Earth was purposely halting their attacks in order to fool them into lowering their guard, and they were planning something big. It wasn't like the Harvesters to be inactive for this long. Everyone knew how desperate they were for new organs and stop at nothing to get them…So where were they?

Just then, their long-range sensors began picking up something on the edge of the sector's territory. They signalled each other and their wingmen to follow them as they came closer to contact with the unknown object, they each readied their power discus, just in case…

When they all came close enough for theirs sensors to give them a visual identification of the object, their eyes widened in surprise as they looked at the new arrival.

The thing…resembled a Harvester Seed Ship, but it appeared more massive and like a fang or a spear tip. It seemed to have been heavily modified and could carry even larger numbers of Cube Fighters…but that was when they noted that out of nowhere, more of the strange ships came out from hiding…along with 'normal' Seed Ships, which at least half a dozen and so were the strange fang-like Seed Ships.

Something was wrong…seriously wrong…

It was then that the new Seed Ships' maws began to open and out came a spiked cylindrical mass and in a second the object broke apart and out came massive combat units, their way of being deployed was similar to the Cube Fighters…but that was where the similarities ended as the new weapons of the Harvesters attacked.

That was when the battle began…

Later, back at the Nirvana…

Meia woke up and knew the day she knew and still dreaded as her birthday had just arrived. As she got up she still thought about Kyo's words to her the previous day and began to wonder what could she do to move on with her life after all that she had endured after the event that damaged Megele, made her an outcast, a punk, and many more. It hurt a great deal to recall those events and how much they affected her.

Try as she might, she still felt uneasy about the whole thing as memories of the past came back to her, most of them however were not of the happy times, but of the sad and worst times of her life. Those were reminding her in a way of the bad things that made her move on to being what she had gone through before ever joining the pirates. This made her hope that for today…she could have time for herself and sort out the mess.

She knew that Kyo would be having a hand in the celebrations, and she didn't want to disappoint Kyo who asked her to join in her birthday celebration, and even more so if Kyo actually cooked the food for her party…she wanted to try more of his cooking since she had a taste back on the Christmas celebration many months before, but she still felt ill-prepared to completely face the past.

As she got into her normal routine, she decided to put on her normal chest padding, she had kept her Gundam piloting uniform in a separate locker and would wear it when she would be training in her Gundam or going out in a mission with her Gundam.

She then made her way to the Dread planning room, merely to see if the room was available for use, she may no longer be the Dread squadron leader due to her Dread being morphed by the Paeksis into a Gundam unit, she had more experience with Dread operations and decided to make some needed adjustments to the combat formations of the Dreads with the Vanguards. It would be a sound strategy and would be helpful.

However, another voice…namely the one that told her that she was still too chicken to show her feelings for Kyo was now asking her if she was still too chicken to finally move on and even spend time with her friends on the pirates, and most all with Kyo. She was able to quiet the voice for a moment and focused on her plan to be in the room to help the Dread pilots with their strategies.

That WAS a legitimate reason to miss out, right?

Unfortunately for her, it appeared that her previous plans had been thoroughly scouted out as Jura was there tapping her foot on the door and giving a sigh of disappointment.

"Jura, what's up?"

The blonde looked at the door and sighed. "The Dread teams are busy in there, Barnette's taking in her new job as the Dread squadrons' seriously today. She had them assemble for a meeting just this morning."

"Hmmm…I see." Meia thought to herself, while she was proud in the sense that Barnette was taking her duties seriously, she couldn't help but feel that something was a bit off.

"You want to take a look?" Jura asked warmly as she reached for the door. "I can call in and say you've got a good deal to teach them and Barnette, since she is still kind of new to the whole thing as the Dreads' commander. Both you and I are now Gundam pilots, but I…"

Meia shook her head. "No need Jura, I think they can handle things on their own. All right, if there isn't anything, I'll be in the Hanger Bay, I'll check on the Silver Lightning to see if I've got the time to take my Gundam out on a field test run."

"All right, see you Meia."

As soon as Meia was out of sight, Jura reached and grabbed her communicator. "Kyo, it's me, Jura."

"Did she suspect anything?" Kyo asked as he spoke to the blonde using the private comm. frequency Bart had selected for them to use to coordinate the entire celebration without alerting Meia. Bart had found a frequency that worked fine and used that to their advantage while running through the comm. database on routine training.

"No, but she's heading for the Hanger to where our Gundams are, I think she's trying to leave and go out on patrol."

"Thanks for the heads up Jura, you'd better hurry to the party, I'm going to need your help on something there for Meia, hope she likes it too."

"Okay…by the way Kyo, I hope that when it's my birthday, we don't do any cloak and dagger stuff…THAT I would rather do when we're in PRIVATE, okay?" Jura said in a seductive but teasing tone…

On the other line, Kyo blushed and gulped a bit, he had a very accurate idea that the blonde will be the next person he'd be with for the next week.

"I'll keep that in mind."

Elsewhere…things were NOT going well…

The Delta 6 mission was in now for the fight of their lives…

"DAMN!! THESE NEW HARVESTERS ARE TOUGH!! HOW IN THE HELL DID THE HARVESTERS MAKE THEM?!" A pilot screamed as he and his fellow pilots broke away in quick acceleration as they were being shot at and pursued by the new Harvester units, while some their comrades were not so fortunate as the new horrors came at their ships and tore them apart. This was further compounded with the involvement of the newly released Cube Fighters.

The Overlords came in two forms, the first was humanoid with curving spikes on both shoulders and carried a spiked shield connected to the left arm. The mecha would draw out an axe-like weapon and that would reveal a deadly beam edge that would slice through alloy plate like a heated knife through butter. They also were armed with high explosive grenades, with different functions. Pilots on the side of the Mission were either blown down by explosive ones, other pilots would have their scanners and communications gummed up by the jamming clouds released by another type of grenade, while the others were barely able to escape being incinerated by a incendiary grenade. They also carried other attached weapons, beam rifles, a bazooka, and a massive recoilless rifle. ()

The second was the same form but far larger and better armed, though it did not have the grenades, in replacement for the explosive charges, they were armed with what appeared to highly charged electrical discharge whips that was used to wrap around the fighters and destroy them, it was also armed with a rapid firing four barrelled beam cannon attachment to the left arm. And to replace it's other form's melee weapon, it was armed with an extending sword that had beam emitters on the edges. It may not have any other ranged weapons, but in conjunction with it's other Overlord form, this version was a deadly threat. ()

The Overlords were armed with powerful propulsion units and were quite nimble despite being heavy in appearance and design. They unleashed a wave of energy blasts, melee strikes and solid projectiles, which tore into the hulls of the Mission's defensive fighters. Bands of the new Harvester machines continued to attack as they slammed into the defensive ranks of the Mission and made their way to the Station itself, though many of them were destroyed by combined assaults by the Mission's defensive forces, more were still coming.

However, a vast majority of them along with the Cube Fighters would never make to the Mission as both the Shinobi and Kunoichi Gundams darted into their ranks like enraged fireflies and decimated them while using stealth mode and appearing in other areas to bombard the enemy with their beam arsenals. The two Gundam pilots and their machines wasted no time, pushing themselves to the utmost to prevent the deaths of many innocent people on the station. As they fought in tandem, they realized that this must have explained the lull in Harvester activity in their sector for some time, no doubt the Harvesters had decided to re-vamp their entire fleet and include new weapons…namely the Overlords

Kouji and Maia became more concerned as the new Harvester war-machines began to break through their line of defense to attack the station. The Mission's defense systems came online as a defensive barrier was activated and shielded the Station. Defensive turrets came online and moved into firing position. Laser blasts and cannon bolts were fired at the Harvester Overlord Mobile Suits as the people tried in desperation to force back this new and deadlier foe from their old enemies.

The new weapons of the Harvesters were like that of their brethren the Cube Fighters, well versed in swarm tactics and would never stop attacking, those of the first form in the rear unleashed a barrage of their ranged weapons at the shield, while those that came close enough began slashing at the shield with their beam melee weapons and heat whips with unstoppable force. There were a good number that were destroyed by the turrets, but it took less than thirty seconds for the new Harvester horde to bust their way through the shield, allowing more of their brethren to pass through. Once those that landed on the surface of the station began attacking the Mission's hulls with their beam claws and sword blades, tearing past the metals like they were tissue paper.

The defenders of the Mission were now caught between a rock and a hard place as they tried desperately to fight back. The new weapons of the Harvesters were all Mobile Suits, and when working in tandem with Cube Fighters…they proved to be a serious threat indeed. They had seen the Harvesters unleash their small retriever drones into stations to butcher the people inside. The areas of the mission that were attacked and infiltrated were quickly evacuated and sealed to prevent the machines from spreading, but time was against them all.

Both siblings now went to defend the Mission in their own locations, as they both went into SEED mode.

Kouji began to use his Gundam's anti-ship sword to slash past the enemy Overlords, several of them tried to use their beam tomahawks but those were either dodged by the Gundam or blocked by the shield emitters built into both hands, along with the effective molecular shield. Kouji also managed to fight them off and when they got off the station, the Yurenian took out his Gundam's beam cannon and fired at them, reducing more into scrap in flight.

He spotted another batch of Cube Fighters and took out both beam boomerangs and launched the weapons at the Harvester units, shredding several and when the others dodged, they charged to finish off the brother, and were cut down when the beam edged weapons came back to their owner, resulting in them being shredded by the weapons. Kouji recovered the boomerangs and flew to the next side while avoiding incoming beam fire and blocked that with his Gundam's beam shields and responded in kind, while dodging more missile fire.

As soon as he arrived several more Overlords, this time the bigger variety came at him with their heat whips, and Kouji had to dodge several of them and retaliated with his anti-ship sword, slicing off a few and before his enemies could recover, the Gundam activated it's Mirage Colloid systems and vanished before then could strike back with their beam swords. The Overlords barely had tem to recover when their weapons were suddenly blown apart by beam bolts and they were suddenly slashed and torn apart by several attacks that their sensors didn't pick up.

Kouji however knew that despite the defeat of the attackers on the surface of the Mission, the attacks won't ever end if they didn't take out the Seed Ships.

"Maia! I'm heading there to back you up!"

"Thanks, bro! The enemy is really persistent up here!"

The Shinobi then went to back up it's sister Gundam using it's 'Wings of Light' system to arrive beside it's sister Gundam and now both went into the fight as they worked in tandem with the Mission Defense Force as more Overlords and Cube Fighters were jumping into the fray.

Kouji used the hologram system of his Gundam and the Mirage Colloid to confuse them first while Maia converted her Gundam into quadruped mode and began to bombard the enemy and rush into them and slice them down before they can recover.

Casualties had been considerable, but the Mission was fighting back.

In the Mission's Command Centre…

"Patch, how bad is it?"

Liz asked as Patch and the rest of the inner Mission defensive force were ordered to contain some or all of the Harvester drones in the sections they had infested in keep them there if possible, the women knew that their weaponry had been boosted, in terms of numbers and uses, the Station's weapons had been badly damaged but were still functioning. Their stores of personal weaponry was also boosted with additions of newly upgraded Talark assault rifles with supplies of ammunition and maintenance kits from the Nirvana, along with spare Megele laser rifles and power packs for them to defend themselves.

"The drones have infested at least Decks 9 to 11, the good news is that we've managed to keep them away from the civilian blocks, but they're also sabotaging the systems and trying to escape."

The woman growled at the attackers as she saw them through the Station's cameras.

"Patch, I want you and the others to keep them busy as long as you can, Kouji and the others will take out the Seed Ships to stop them…until we do, we can only hold them off for as long as we can!"

"Got it Liz!"

Liz then contacted all the defensive gunner personnel. "Maintain fire and keep those Harvesters off our home, and loan as much support fire to the defensive forces, watch out for friendly fire and take your best shots! WE won't lose our home to them ever again!!"

"You heard the leader…let's do this!"

Patch and the rest of the security forces of Delta 6, comprised of surviving military, and security personnel along with volunteers armed up their weapons and their set barricades to hold off the Harvester drones and keep them from harming the station's inhabitants, they all had sent he handiwork of the monsters in their worlds, and they were not going to let it happen again.

Patch also went on to coordinate the rest of the defensive forces and their officers via COM links that were not affected by the attacks of the Harvesters on the Station's systems.

Back at the Nirvana…

Meia arrived at the Hanger and was quite surprised to see Parfet and her engineering crew working on the Gundams, along with Kyo's own Gundam, which was a bit odd since Kyo was normally the one who did all the work on his Gundam since he knew the Paeksis enhanced systems better than anyone else on the ship, and the fact that it responded to him alone was another reason as well.

"Hi Meia!" Parfet waved at her comrade as she was busy running a diagnostic tool over a nearby access panel on her Silver Lightning Gundam.

"What's going on Parfet?"

"I've decided to get some data and maintenance work done on your Gundam units and see if I can tweak the performance a bit."

"How do you plan to do that?" Meia was curious as to how Parfet would accomplish this since most of their Gundams' core systems were using Paeksis enhancements, the original Paeksis enhanced Gundam was Kyo's Gundam and it was the hardest to understand by Parfet and her crew.

"The plans used by the Paeksis to reformat your Dreads were from plans I got from Freedom before it evolved into the I-Freedom…so I do have the ideas on some of the systems that can be updated, but this will be for a day so I can't let any of the Gundams be taken out on patrol right now, sorry."

"But…"

Meia realized that this might be the planning done by the girls, they had finally figured out how to stop her from escaping the birthday celebrations and to keep her here on the ship. And she started to have a sneaky suspicion about Kyo's possible involvement.

She sighed and decided to head off in the direction of the Command Bridge…it was high time she put a stop to this and let them know that she needed some time for herself to sort out her situation…plus it was time she spoke to Kyo anyway.

As soon as she walked out of sight, Parfet grabbed her communicator and reported to the others.

"Parfet here…we've managed to keep Meia from using her Gundam to escape from the ship."

"Thanks a lot Parfet! We'll keep in touch!" Dita called out as the head engineer looked forlornly and sighed.

"Oh…I just hope I don't in trouble for this!" the bespectacled engineer moaned a bit as she went back to her 'work' in order to keep up the appearance.

In the Medical Bay…

"Okay, at least we've sealed those two parts of Meia's escape routes." Max said as he checked the data checklist.

"Hmmm…knowing Meia, she's not giving up easy, any other possible things she can try Dita?" Kyo asked as he began to think about the possibilities of what Meia might try to get out of the party.

Dita then gave a worried look as she realized something. "She might go over and complain to either the Commander or the Captain!"

Aleck nodded in agreement as he guessed the effects of that happening. "Yep, that could be bad, all it takes is a word from the higher ups and all our plans go up in smoke."

"Yeah, all it takes is a word from the Boss or Commander and all our efforts go out the pipes, Kero!" Paiway sighed as she also knew that that would mean.

"Then the best chance we have is to dictate Meia's movements on the ship from now on, unfortunately we need something to distract her long enough for the party planning to be completed or we'll never get things done quickly." Duero replied as he also thought it over, not planning to have all the efforts they had put into this chance to help Meia celebrate her birthday go to waste.

Kyo thought it over and decided to make a call. "I know just what to do; you guys will need to do this without me."

"What do you have in mind?"

Kyo merely smiled a bit. "I was going to take care of Lacus today since Ezra's got work to do. All I need to do is ask Ezra if things will be fine if I can take care of Lacus for today, plus it'll keep Pyoro from trying anymore of that weird Pyoro 2 stuff on Lacus, and this will help, I don't think Ezra will mind. I'll see you later guys, meet me there and we can get things underway so we can finally have that party for Meia."

"Okay!"

Later… At the bridge section

"You want to ask if Meia can baby-sit Lacus with you?" Ezra asked with some surprise, as she looked over to her sleeping baby who snuggled into her pillows warmly and merely snored gently away.

She had been asked by Kyo if she would mind if he would be taking care of Lacus for today, if she would be okay with it. She agreed since Lacus knew who Kyo was, having delivered her into the world, and saved her life along with hers, back then the idea of a man taking care of a female baby would have been unthinkable on Megele, but Ezra knew that she could really trust Kyo to take care of Lacus and Lacus treated Kyo like a surrogate parent and was cheerful of his presence, but with Meia, well this could be interesting.

"Yeah, I'll take care of Lacus with Meia, this will help keep her from running away and I do want to have time with Lacus, and this seems to work out fine to me, plus it'll keep a certain robot from bothering Lacus when she goes to sleep. But I need to know if, you're okay with it?"

Ezra thought about the merits of the idea. Pyoro had good intentions and had on occasion, been Lacus's caretaker, but Kyo had made it clear that Lacus would be better growing up with her birth mother, and not with the robot, and despite Pyoro's attempts to subvert the idea, he never got any headway with Kyo, who naturally threatened to either throw him out into the airlock, or re-program him into thinking he was a dog or a living vegetable. Ezra also agreed with the idea, Kyo had helped her deal with being a mother when some things were bit hard on her and she knew how to take care of her baby, just like her mothers raised her when she was like her daughter.

"Go ahead, I'll have Pyoro bring Lacus and her baby care supplies to you."

"Thanks, Ezra. I'll see you later. Tell Pyoro to be here in twenty minutes in the medical bay…or I'll be really angry at him."

"Okay Kyo, good luck."

The gentle woman then called Pyoro over. "Pyoro, I want you to take Lacus to the Medical Bay."

"All right, Pyoro will get to watch over Pyoro 2 again!"

Ezra shook her head gently with a smile. "Sorry, but Kyo is watching over Lacus tonight, that's why I want you to take her to him, he's in the medical bay."

Pyoro was indignant as he looked at the gentle bridge officer. "I can take good care of Pyoro 2!"

Ezra sighed. "Must I remind you that Lacus is MY daughter and not yours Pyoro-chan? And I did have a discussion about that name…now please hurry up, Kyo is expecting Lacus in the Medical Bay in twenty minutes."

Pyoro tried to argue, but a warning glare from Ezra and the other women, namely Celtic, Amarone, Belvedere, and Misty made the robot go silent. Misty was also in on the plan since she had a great deal of respect for Meia, and to see Meia happy was one thing the girl liked to see. Just as the robot pushed Lacus's hover cradle out, Ezra called out.

"And Pyoro-chan, please don't try and sneak away with my daughter, if you don't arrive in twenty minutes at the Medical Bay…Kyo will KNOW you have her and you KNOW how protective he is about Lacus." The gentle bridge officer said with a smile as she went back to work.

Recalling the treatments it got from Kyo when it tried to get involved with Lacus, made the robot shudder a bit and decided that for today, it would just have to help out, and hope that sooner or later, it too would take care of Pyoro 2.

As the robot left the room, it got a call from Kyo.

"I'm waiting Pyoro, and just so you know I installed a tracking module on you last night when you were being repaired, so don't even TRY and get lost with Lacus. I know you want to take care of her, but now is not the time. Hurry up to the Medical Bay, or I WILL re-program you when I find you."

"I'm coming!"

Back at the Home-world of the Harvesters…

The Harvester Fleet Operations officer smiled a bit as he had gotten word of a portion of their unaltered forces were now ready to pounce on the Nirvana…just to cause enough of a ruckus to wake up the pirates remind them that they may be quiet, but they were not gone from the scene.

He then went and left a message for the Supreme leader to be informed of his intentions and await further orders. The forces in front of the Nirvana were the standard Cube Fighters and they would work their best if they melded with the rest of the assembled Marauder Ships.

The leader however decided to wait until he had gotten word about his deployed Overlords and gauge the performance of the new Harvester units.

The Mission Forces were fighting hard for their lives as Liz sends a Re-charge beam to both the Kunoichi and Shinobi Gundams when their power cells needed a boost, both Gundams were now at the forefront of the attack and had to be in order to take out the Harvesters' new Overlord units that had decimated a good portion of the Mission's defensive garrison. Kouji had been going at it with his SEED mode and so has his sister, but they knew that they need to take out the Seed Ships to halt the attack.

Maia then focused on the standard Cube Fighter Seed Ships so that the Overlords would be denied reinforcements as she led her strike team into the fight. Several Cube Fighters were shredded apart by the Kunoichi's beam sabers and their weapons were blocked by it's shield as they tried to bushwhack the Gundam in a three way ambush that the former Yurenian soldier fights through with skill. She then blasts away with her beam rifle at several moiré before they can open fire at her.

The fighters of the Mission forces supported Maia as she began to leap using her Gundam's thrusters and then convert into quadruped mode and used her Gundam's beam blades to slice through the enemy formations and even slice past the armour of a Seed Ship, as the Seed Ship used it's tendrils, Maia leaps aside, reverts her Gundam back to human form and introduces her beam saber's blade into the open maw of the Seed Ship, skewering it and then leaping back to blast at it and watch as it fell. She then deals with another batch of Cube Fighters as she targets yet another Seed Ship to lighten the load as the Cube Fighters of the Seed Ship she had previously destroyed were now inactive.

As his sister dealt with her enemies, Kouji was also busy on his won, using his Gundam's beam shields to block more weapons fire for the Overlords and block their respective attacks, he retaliated by firing his palm beam cannon once he was able to get close enough and grab the faces of two Overlords, the close range blasts ripped off the heads of the Overlords and sent them to the scrap heap. Several Overlord Mark 2 units then tried to catch him with their heat whips to slice him apart.

He dodges the attempts, but blocks a beam sword attack that tries to take off the head of his Gundam with his beam shield and strikes with a kick to side and slams his Gundam's left hand into the mid-section and fires his palm cannon, ripping the Overlord into two with one shot. He then manages to do the same with another Overlord as the Shinobi dodged the whip and was able to fire the beam cannon in the palm to severe the arm from the elbow, and introducing the Shinobi Gundam's anti-ship sword with an upward slash that tore the Overlord into two.

Kouji then used the 'Wings of Light' and the Mirage Colloid system to confuse more of his enemies and he tossed his beam boomerangs, ripping off arms and legs with the weaponry and then took out his beam cannon after retrieving the returning weapons and blasted down a Seed Ship in the mouth as it was about to unleash more Overlords. There were five more and Kouji knew that he would have to ration his power levels until they could win the fight.

Maia thought the same as she still went on to eliminate the Cube Fighters that still were present. While still in quadruped mode, the Kunoichi then lashed out with both beam blades and beam cannons to destroy the targets with brutal passes and long range shots. She reconverted back to Gundam mode and attacked with both beam sabers, slicing off the barrels of the two Overlords' guns and then introduced both her beam sabers into their heads. As she pulled them out she barely blocked a barrage of beam canon rounds and had to jet away and fight alongside her brother as he too moved away from a concerted beam barrage.

Both Gundams then moved aside from another barrage and went into Mirage Colloid mode and then appeared to rain combined destruction on their foes as they were able o avoid retaliation, but they knew that their power supplies were nearly empty and they had to move fast.

Kouji then contacted the Mission.

"Liz! My sister and I need another Power beam charge! We've got them on the run, but the Seed Ships HAVE to go!"

In the control room…

Liz nodded as she tracked the transmissions from the Asuka siblings. She ordered the rest of the battery forces to maintain fire and support the defense forces and to support the Gundams, who were fighting with all their might and they could never afford to lose Kouji and Maia, they were not just defenders of the station, but their family…they had lost too much to lose this fight now!

"Understood! All batteries, prepare to fire the recharge beams to both the Shinobi and Kunoichi Gundams. Batteries, maintain covering fire to all forces until the battle is over."

"Understood Liz!" The officers of the said departments said as they began to re-double their efforts.

The techs manning the recharge station for both the Shinobi and Kunoichi Gundams were now gathering more power from the reactor of the Mission station and other reserve power systems to boost the range of the beams and give the Gundams the needed charge to remain in combat until the battle was over. It was their best weapon, allowing the Gundams to remain hidden for some time in the defense of the station…until today. The techs however worked on as they were able to create enough energy to send a beam transfer.

Outside of the station…

A pair of beams was fired from the station, both were already directed to lock into the Shinobi and the Kunoichi Gundams, and they themselves homed in on where they would be siphoned in to recharge the power reactors of the Gundams along with their power batteries.

The Gundams of the Asuka siblings were now able to absorb the beams and they were ready to fight as the Shinobi used it's Wings of Light and the Mirage Colloid hologram system to confuse more Overlord units and slashed them apart, any that tried to escape were torn down by the Gundam's other weapons, including beam cannons and beam boomerangs, Kouji then used the beam boomerangs like beam sabers as he slashed past a pair of Overlords and caught up with a Seed Ship and fired his palm cannons on it's closing maw and then flew aside and jammed his Gundam's anti-ship sword into the side of the Seed Ship which it was still reeling from the first attacks of the Gundam so it was destroyed quickly, Kouji then flew past a pair of the Seed Ships that open fired at the wrong time and hit each other.

The pair were reeling and about let loose more of their Overlord units, but Maia came at them with her Gundam in it's quad mode and used her beam cannons and beam blades to rip into all of them. The Gundam first smashed the leftmost Seed Ship from behind, ripped through it and blasted apart it's mass of nearly released Overlords and they too were destroyed, along with the other mass and then she smashed through the other Seed Ship, who's maw was open.

The Asuka sibling then fired her Gundam's ranged weapons to imbalance another Seed Ship and as the ship reeled she reverted her Gundam back to main form and blocked it's attacking tendrils with her shield, side-stepping and then jamming her beam saber into the side and then she took out her beam rifle and blasted into the opening after putting back her beam saber and made a mess of the insides of the Seed Ship, melting it's internal systems with beam fire.

Both siblings were tired, but they would not give up…neither would the defenders of Delta 6 as they were inspired by the spirited resistance of the siblings and pressed the assault on the Harvesters and they ere doing fine as a pair of Seed Ships were overwhelmed by the combined assault..

Inside the Mission, the defense forces were still able to hold the line despite more losses. Patch and the officers rallied their squadrons while the reserve troopers moved out the residents and reinforced weaken areas with their weapons and their lives in order to contain the Harvesters and prevent them from winning and taking over the station.

All the forces of the Mission would not stop until they won and showed the Harvesters that no matter what, their time of pushing mankind around and treating them like cattle and spare parts was OVER!

Back at the Nirvana…

Meia finally arrived to the corridors that would lead her to where the Captain and the Commander were, namely this was the path to the bridge, but to her surprise, there was Kyo, Dita, Paiway, Aleck Koubayashi and the McFile siblings. All of them were discussing things with one another…with Kyo being in the lead of the discussion.

"I know you guys are busy…but I can't do everything you know…no matter how knowledgeable I am about this."

Dita then turned and smiled as she greeted Meia.

"Oh…hello Leader, I though you were on patrol today…something came up?" The redhead asked innocently.

"I was…I was also trying to come up with some new plans for the battles we'll be in using the Super GunDread alongside the Dreads the next time we would fight the Harvesters. But the Dread squadrons were very busy for some reason." She suspected something was also being hatched in front of her, but what she had no idea or clue whatsoever.

Kyo sighed while apparently keeping himself hidden by the others as he spoke once more to the assembled group, he sounded as if whatever he had to do was very important and he needed help to do this. The only part of him she could see was his face.

She was curious now on what was going on here, and what was she missing, Kyo would ask for help, but when it came to something he was very knowledgeable about, he didn't ask for too much help, not that he was being stubborn, but he wanted to handle it himself and not trouble the others…for him to be asking for assistance was a bit out of the ordinary to her.

"Well?"

Duero, and Max shook their heads.

"As much as I'd love to help you Kyo, my hands are tied, Parfet asked me to help her with the repairs to the Gundams."

The elder sibling said as she looked at Kyo, who then asked the same question to the younger brother, who also shook his head.

"Sorry, I've got a ton of things to do in the Medical Bay so I can't exactly be available all the time."

Aleck also shook his head. Dita was then nudged by her friend Paiway and she seemed to get into the swing of things, by sighing sadly and speaking in a sad tone to even it up.

"Oh, what are we going to do now? I can't help Mr. Alien since I have some things to do with Belvedere and the others."

Meia was getting rather confused, along with annoyed and wondered just what was going on in front of her.

"Can you all please tell me what is going on?!"

Kyo sighed and looked at Meia. "I need someone to help me watch over someone." He was silently hoping that Meia would take the bait and then their plan would work…hopefully.

"Well…if they are all so busy, I guess I can help out, just who are you supposed to watch over anyway Kyo?" Meia decided that she might as well find out what was going on...plus it would be the best chance to get closer with Kyo, a part of her reasoned slyly to her...even if she would have to be stuck on the ship…awaiting the arrival of her birthday celebration…plus maybe she can finally put the past behind her for good this time.

Kyo smiled and so did the others and to Meia's surprise and shock. He was carrying none other than Ezra's daughter Lacus in a harness on his chest, and a bag which she knew held her baby supplies.

"I was asked by Ezra to baby-sit her daughter for today, and I was hoping to have some help about this situation, since even though I know some things about taking care of a baby, but I don't know everything about the whole procedure. Thanks for coming in to help me, Lacus needs to have a female companion apart from just me anyway."

Meia looked a bit stunned as she realized that she had just volunteered herself for something she was NOT qualified to ever do…she tried to reason and talk her way out of this, but before she could say anything, she, Kyo, and Lacus were wished well by the others and she was handed Lacus's baby supplies by Dita who smiled and asked her to help out Mr. Alien.

The only thought in Meia's brain was…Damn! They got me good today!

She then looked at Kyo who looked at her with a simple smile and he then turned his attention to Lacus who smiled at him and even played with some of his brown hair, making the Gundam pilot laugh a bit, and so did Lacus…the scene made Meia stop thinking about her problems as it seemed that Kyo certainly had a way with children as the female baby was quite taken by her male baby-sitter.

Kyo then spoke to Lacus. "Lacus, we're going to have a friend to help me take care of you today, can you say hello to Auntie Meia?"

Auntie?! Meia was shocked and was about to retort but stopped that as Lacus was handed to her, and she knew that since she knew nothing about taking care of babies, the baby would not feel comfortable with her. And sure enough…

"WWWWAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!"

Lacus bawled her tears out and struggled while in Meia's hands, but the presence of the male Gundam pilot seemed to calm her down as he spoke softly to her and Meia was then asked to just slowly hold the baby by Kyo. The baby stiffened a bit, but seemed to calm down and snuggle into Meia's arms.

"Come on, we'll take her to your room, it'll take Ezra a few hours to finish all her work so we're stuck with taking care of Lacus for the time being. By the way…when you hold her, both of you look like you will get along very well." Kyo said in reassurance to Meia, who blushed and sighed a bit as she held the calm and apparently sleeping baby.

Looks like she wasn't leaving anytime soon… though being in Kyo's company certainly didn't make that fact a bad thing in her mind. As she followed the Gundam pilot to the direction of her room for both of them to watch over Ezra's daughter.

The Harvester Leader just decided to allow the strike as long as a band of Cube Fighters were along to support the Marauders in their surprise attacks. The Fleet Officer nodded with relish as he and the rest of his staff began sending the orders for the attack to be initiated.

The rest of the Harvesters waited for news of the outcome between their new Overlords and the Delta 6 Mission.

Back at Delta 6…

The Harvesters had downed more of the defense forces, both in the station and outside of it as they pressed the attack, but so did the Delta 6 defenders both in and out of the station as the Gundams went on the offensive, their batteries fully charged as they attacked at full throttle, using their Mirage Colloid to confuse the Harvester units' sensors and shred them to bits.

But both Kouji and Maia knew that the best way to win this battle was to take out the Harvester Seed Ships and they did so, moving past the Overlords and Cube Fighters while leaving massive wrecks behind them as they jetted past the defences of the Harvesters, and when the Harvesters had heir back turned, the Mission defenders and the turrets from the station made them pay for the sudden lack of focus as more were shot down. But they were still attacking and damaging both the station and the defensive force.

Kouji and Maia went on the offensive as they split up to deal with the last batch of Seed Ships, both the normal ones and the ones unleashing the Overlord units.

Kouji took out a pair of Overlords with a dual swing of both beam boomerangs that became beam sabers, he then retracted the beam blades back to normal and tossed them at the nearest Seed Ship and the Overlords guarding it, the Overlords lost their left arms and the Seed Ships had a pair of gashes on the sides, but they were hit from behind the as boomerangs came back to their owner, hitting the Harvesters before they even knew it was happening.. The Overlords were beheaded by the returning weapons and were cut down by the Shinobi Gundam's anti-ship sword. The Gundam then charged at the Seed Ship and then introduced it's beam cannon right into the maw of the Harvester ship and open fired, levelling the internal systems of the Seed Ship before it could recover and fight back against the Gundam. The Seed Ship shuddered and exploded as the blast tore it apart.

Kouji then took out another pair of Overlords attempting to blond side him with their beam tomahawks, which he blocked using his beam shield generators and then when he ducked from a slash from one, he slammed his Gundam's left hand outward and grabbed the wrist of one Overlord and fired the palm beam cannon, ripping off the arm, he then had to move fast as the next Overlord tried to sever his Gundam's outstretched arm and he took out his beam boomerang and jammed it right into the eye and then took out the throwing weapon and jammed his beam rifle into the chest and fired, ripping apart the Overlord.

His Gundam however was also hit by the enemy as several beam blasts struck and caused some damage to the Gundam, however the beam shields blocked off the rest while the Phase Shift system blocked the projectile blasts from grenades and the rifles. Kouji was shook up a bit but focused all his efforts to survive as he went after another Seed Ship. The elder Asuka sibling then used his Gundam beam rifle and extended beam cannon to fire a concerted barrage the slammed hard on the ranks of the enemy and destroyed several of them while the others escaped with their shield protecting them. But before they could recover, Kouji took out his Gundam's beam boomerangs and fire them, taking down another pair by beheading them, while the others blocked using their shields, but this allowed Kouji to use the Wings of Light and rush them while getting his boomerangs and then used them in beam saber setting to attack at close range, and with a quickness due to his Coordinator heritage, sheathed his beam boomerangs and then took out his anti ship sword and fired it like a javelin into the opening maw of the Seed Ship that was about to release more Cube Fighters. The Seed Ship reeled as the weapon impaled it and before it could do anything, The Gundam rushed up to it and twisted the sword so the beam edge was aimed upwards. The Gundam pulled upward and slashed the Seed Ship upward and then when the sword was free, the Gundam then dove downward with blade at the ready…cutting the Seed Ship into two.

The Seed Ship was quickly cut in half as the Gundam jetted away as it exploded, and it was the last of the Overlord producing Seed Ships as well as the other one hat should have been the last was torn apart by the advancing defence fighters of the Mission Station and the turrets from the station itself.

Inside the station, the defenders cheered as they realized that since most of the retrieval and collection drones in the Mission were from the Overlords, they too would be deactivated. The situation was the same as a few surviving Overlords were now offline with the destruction of their production ships and their only link to new combat directives.

Maia wasted no time herself as her Kunoichi Gundam streaked past the opposition and slashed a pair of the Cube Fighters into two, but as the pair she passed tried to fight back, she responded by blasting them into nothing with her Gundam's beam rifle and head guns. She then did a strafing run with her Gundam's beam rifle as more and more fell to her accurate shots as she moved from place to place to avoid retaliatory fire from her targets.

A pair of partially functioning Overlords attacked with their beam swords, and that made Maia move back and fire her Gundam's head mounted guns, aiming them all over he arms and chest of the Overlords and though the bullets only slowed the Harvester Units down, they however hit the beam swords making them explode…and just as the Overlords were about to use their heat whips, both were stabbed by the Gundam's beam sabers. The wrecks fell and were destroyed by a few beam rifle shots from the Gundam and the explosions also took out a squad on Cube Fighters. Maia then took a few smoke grenades from several non-functional Overlords and then jetted about, releasing her newly acquired weapons around the Cube Fighters that tried to keep up with the nimble Gundam.

Maia then took to the chase and attacked several formations of the Cube Fighters in her Gundam's quadruped mode…and retreated, with them following her to finish her off. They however were not prepared as the grenades Maia had taken were the smoke based ones, that she fired at with her beam rifle, the salvos hit the grenades dead on and released more of the sensor scrambling smoke.

The Cube Fighters were confounded by the cover and were forced to fire at random targets as it would take a while for their combat sensors to compensate for the sudden damage to the systems. But since they were in a tight formation, they ended up blasting each other instead!

Once the smoke cleared the Cube Fighters found themselves with hulks surrounding them and the Mission's defenders in their fighters right on top of them. The pilots grinned as they were now looking at sitting ducks as they unleashed a massive barrage that reduced the Cube Fighters into scrap, and they watched as the Kunoichi Gundam suddenly attacked the soon to be released mass. Maia's Gundam with it's beam blades slashed into the morass of the Seed Ship, destroying many in the first pass, while the newly released ones were destroyed by the resulting explosions. The Seed ship barely had time to recover as Maia attacked, with her beam rifle/cannon and managed to hit specific parts of it before it could seal itself, the young Asuka sibling then reverted her Gundam back to normal mode and used her shield to keep the thing from closing and fired several more salvos of beam fire into the still open maw of the Harvester unit and then fired one of her beam sabers right into the maw of the machine, scrambling it's internal systems with both the beam saber and the CIWS guns while the beam weapon tore past the Harvester ship and passed outward…allowing Maia to retrieve her weapon quickly and effectively.

The two Gundams then went on to take on the last of the normal Seed Ships with the rest of the Mission's Defense forces…and they won the fight, but at a staggering cost.

Later…

Liz listened to the reports and knew that things were bad for her and the rest of the inhabitants of Delta 6. There were losses in their defence pilots and many of the inhabitants and the security forces were also wounded by the attacks. They lost a good number of their pilots but they were happy that the losses were lessened to some degree by the intervention and aid of the Asuka siblings and their Gundams.

Apart from human losses, there were also losses in terms of equipment and supplies, the munitions they had gained from the Nirvana had been strained in keeping the Harvester drones from killing and infesting the station. They had lost sections of the mission to the attacks and many of their defences had been badly hit, their shield generator also held off most of the attack but a good portion of the shield systems had been hit by the Harvesters. The power reactor had also been hit and the damage may have been reparable, but it would take time and Liz knew that this would be the time frame needed by the Harvesters to launch another attack. They had survived, but the new weapons of the Harvesters proved to be too much for their forces to handle alone…and even if the Asuka siblings assured them and her most of all, they would still fight, she knew that they would not survive another assault.

She then knew that the only chance they had before another strike was launched was to initiate a full evacuation. They however were lucky in the sense that they had kept a considerable number of transport ships apart from fighter craft. Mist were left in the Mission and had fallen in dis5repair, but the crew of the Nirvana got them back online with fully updated weapons, shields, sensors, hard-ware, fuel, and supplies. It would take them at least three to five hours to get the evacuation underway, but it had to be done. They also made sure to bring the supplies they had with them, along with the precious food pills.

Liz also made an important decision, and that meant that they would have to join up with the Resistance that formed to stop the Harvesters, and she wanted them informed of the latest weapons of the Earth Forces. So despite the dangers, she ordered the defense forces to gather whatever data they could gain from the data records of the Harvesters' new weapons so that the human race would not be caught off guard…

She had a lot of work to do…

Back at the Nirvana…

Meia and Kyo were busy taking care of Lacus, Kyo was busy checking her supply of diapers while Meia held Lacus carefully as she was shown by the Gundam pilot while she gave Lacus her water bottle. The baby drank enough and began to cry, making the female Gundam pilot nervous as she had no idea how to take care of a baby before.

"What is she crying about now?" She asked in trepidation as she tried to recall what to do.

Kyo walked up to her and helped her by taking Lacus in his embrace and the baby calmed down a bit. "She might want to sleep soon, so we had better take turns holding her until she sleeps."

He handed Lacus the Meia while showing her how to rock the baby girl to sleep. She did so and it was touch and go as Lacus would suddenly whimper and cry just as she was about to fall asleep. Meia wondered just how would she be able to be a good mother should she ever decide to have children.

She then wondered just where did THAT thought come from?! She wasn't ready yet, though…she looked at Kyo when she thought about that situation. This naturally had results as Lacus cried once more, since babies could sense emotions being put forward by those near them…and Meia's sudden confusion and anxiety had an effect on the little bundle.

Kyo then would take his turn and rock the baby to sleep carefully and the emotions of calm and humour made Lacus smile and giggle while he held her and she slowly went to sleep in his arms.

The picture of Kyo holding Lacus as if he knew how to handle a baby had an effect on Meia as she looked in awe at how peacefully Lacus snuggled up to Kyo. She couldn't help but smile as the baby played with a few of Kyo's long brown strands, and the Gundam pilot seemed content to let her play with his hair.

She had to admit that for some reason, she began seeing herself holding a baby…with Kyo's hair and her eyes…with her feeding the baby while Kyo teased the little bundle of joy and the image made her feel…happy.

She was so busy thinking about it, she didn't notice Kyo looking at her.

"Meia? Hey Meia are you all right?"

Meia shook her head as she realized that she was staring at Kyo rather intently for the past few minutes, and she couldn't help but feel somewhat embarrassed by her shameless actions.

"Oh…sorry." She then looked out into the rest of her room and looked at the up-turned picture of her fahma and Ohma. She had recently brought back that picture remind herself more of her past and how live with it though she was still somewhat uneasy about facing it.

She looked at Kyo who seemed very content to take care of Lacus and the baby was also snuggling very close to the warmth of the Gundam pilot as if she knew she would be safe in his embrace. In a way…Meia felt a bit envious that Lacus was so close to Kyo, and even though she was a baby she seemed so at peace with Kyo as he put her in her cradle.

"You certainly know how to take care of children Kyo, is that why Ezra asks you to baby-sit Lacus a lot?"

"Yeah…I honestly don't recall how I know how to take care of children but the knowledge certainly helps when it counts." Kyo replied sheepishly as he sat next to Meia who blushed a bit at his closeness.

"You seem to be really pre-occupied, can I ask why?" Kyo asked as he gazed at Meia…part of him hoped that she didn't figure out his involvement or him being the one who planned out the whole celebration and naturally the control of all her escape routes on and off of the Nirvana. Another part of him wondered if she had finally began to look back and try to make peace with her past and reach out for the future that he knew she had waiting for her.

Meia wondered a bit as she looked at the picture of her with her fahma and ohma. Back then looking at the picture brought her only pain and loathing due to the events that led her to being a street thug after the disaster that ruined her ohma's work and made life miserable for her when she became an orphan. But now she looked at the picture and also saw the moments when things were not so complicated in life, she saw the happy times she had with her parents and how much they meant to her before.

Kyo saw the inner turmoil on Meia's face and let her be, it was her personal situation and he would only be interfering if he came into it, but if she ever needed help he was more than ready to help her if she ever asked for such aid from him, and he knew that the others on the ship were more than ready to do the same thing.

It was then at that Lacus awoke and began to whimper and cry, no doubt sensing the emotions going through Meia and she didn't want to feel that, so she naturally did what most babies did in those situations. Naturally that startled the two Gundam pilots as Kyo looked at her and Meia somewhat sheepishly.

"I guess being in a room isn't all that comfortable, so I guess we go for a walk, care to carry Lacus this time, Meia?"

Meia looked surprised as Kyo took out the whimpering baby and handed Lacus carefully into her hands.

This was going to be a challenge again as the baby didn't entirely like being held by Meia.

Back at Delta 6…

"Have all the supplies been transferred Patch?"

Liz contacted her second in command as they were ready to evacuate from the mission. This was important as there was a great chance that the Harvesters would come back to finish the job and they would include more of their new units in the attack force. Kouji and Maia knew that this was a move in he right direction, even if they won, they doubted that they could battle more of the Overlords…considering how much energy they wasted and some of the damage they had suffered in battle with the units…not to mention the large number of casualties suffered by the defence force of Delta 6. Plus the damage was extensive and the time and energy they would use up in getting the systems online would leave them vulnerable to counter attack from the Harvesters.

"We've gotten all the supplies in the shuttles and we've also gotten all the food pills we got from the Nirvana onboard. It's still going to take us a few more hours to get what we can salvage Liz, but all the civilians have been able to board the shuttles with all their basic supplies and needs."

"Good. Kouji, Maia…any sign of the Harvesters?"

Out in space, the newly repaired and fully charged Gundams and their pilots were on covert recon and security as they scanned out fringes of the Mission's sensor net range to give early warning of the Harvesters' possible counter attack.

"Nothing yet." Kouji reported as he and his sister scanned the area to see if the Harvesters would come back.

"No sign here either, but we have to hurry Liz, how long will that new message take?"

"At least twenty minutes…and Patch said that they are nearly completed with the evacuation. We're nearly done uploading the recharge system for your Gundams into the ships along with the rest of the defense force…once we're clear, we need you on escort duty."

"Understood!"

Later…after a few hours…

The last of the Delta 6 inhabitants gazed at the station that had been their home for so long and now they had no choice but to leave it behind, making them homeless once more. They felt anger and despair once more after months of finally getting back on their feet…anger in the sense that the Harvesters had come back to ruin their lives once more, and they wanted revenge. Despair in the fact that with them being homeless once more they were in danger of being attacked, and that they no longer had a place to call home again.

But they made a promise that when they finally made the Harvesters pay for their crimes and someday, they would find a world to call their own, hey may have come from different worlds before the Harvesters took everything from them…but they were now a family and they would find a new home for their own.

For now, they were escaping once more into the void of stars. Liz however had made the transmission of the message she had made to warn the human race about the new Harvester weapons was left to function with the tachyon transmitter until they were clear. She hoped that this last parting gift from Delta 6 and it's people would be enough to warn the human race about the dangers of the new arsenals of the Harvesters.

She only hoped that they would be safe and she wondered how the Nirvana was doing as she thought of the pirates and Kyo who were now heading back to warn Talark and Megele and she silently promised that when the time came for the human race to fight back…she and her people would not be denied the chance to make the Harvesters pay dearly for their crimes.

The very same sentiment was with the Asuka siblings as they escorted the refugees of Delta 6 to a safer location. The Harvesters will PAY dearly for this act!

In the base of the Harvest Fleet, the Fleet Officer smiled as the signal for the attack had been given. The man then sent the signal to the Marauders and the Seed Ships to begin their strike on the Nirvana…it was time to remind the pirates that just because they were not being attacked didn't mean the Harvesters had forgotten them.

The Marauders and the other units might not be able to really take out the Nirvana or the converted Harvester ship, but they will remind the Nirvana and the pirates that the war was still on…plus it would keep their new Mobile Suit series hidden until they were ready to strike fast and hard on the Nirvana.

The Nirvana…

The girls who were in on the whole plan to help celebrate Meia's birthday were busy tracking her, Lacus, and Kyo as the three moved about on the ship. Meia was currently holding the crying baby while Kyo stood nearby and spoke kind words to the child making it calm down a bit but she was restless. Kyo wondered if it was due to Meia's still lingering doubts about her making up with her past that was making Lacus so sensitive all of a sudden.

He knew that babies had the ability to sense the moods of their care-takers and naturally act accordingly to what they felt from the person next to them. If the baby felt that they were relaxed and happy, so was the baby, but when they were tense and very excitable, the baby was the same, and when they were sad and in doubt, the same thing could happen when the baby was near.

He hoped that he made the right decision once more as some doubts filled his mind. He could tell that the other girls were monitoring them all, since he had been getting more capable of using his heightened senses and awareness. He heard them talking to each other, while being hidden and monitoring the movements. He however focused on taking care of both Meia and Lacus in order to calm the child and help Meia in doing the very same thing, along with making sure that she didn't find out as they had nearly finished all the preparations of her birthday celebration.

However, they were not the only ones in the corridors as Dita, Barnette, Jura, Paiway, Gascogne, Max, Aleck…and naturally Pyoro. They all watched the progress between Lacus, Meia, and Kyo, the baby began to lessen her whimpers. But a certain Navi-robot was NOT getting the picture that this was the chance for Meia to open up and he only had one thought in mind.

"Pyoro-2….I can't take it anymore! I want to take care of Pyoro-2!!"

Before the Navi-robot could get anywhere, Max, Alec, Jura, Gascogne and Barnette were in front of it. Before he could try and escape, Max grabbed his arm and both men held him tight. The others then glared at him while Dita and Paiway were still keeping an eye on the two Gundam pilots and the baby they were taking care of.

Pyoro tried to struggle free, but the two men had serious grips and then it looked at Barnette and Jura took out their weapons, Barnette took out her Beretta pistol, while Jura had her sword drawn. Both women looked very angry at Pyoro as they came closer, both had worked hard in getting to the point to finally throw Meia's long overdue birthday party, and no way would the irritating robot mess it up…plus they were not liking the idea of the robot always trying to take away Lacus and her right to be with her mother. Gascogne had the same thoughts as she had grown tired when the robot was making itself a very strong annoyance when it concerned the young baby. She had some time to see the baby and loved the way the baby had taken to the crew and Kyo most of all…plus she was hoping to finally see Meia have fun for once in her life and she was in no mood for any interruptions on the plans and hard made preparations.

"Let me go! I must help Pyoro-2!" But the Navi-robot went silent when the green haired Dread/Gundam pilot placed her pistol.

"Pyoro…how many times does it have to be drilled into you that Lacus is a human baby and NOT your child? You certainly have no way to have Lacus and most of all, she belongs to Ezra and her Ohma back on Megele."

The robot was then glared at by both Gascogne and Jura. "The fact that we are coming to Megele soon, means that sooner or later…Lacus will be with her Ohma and knowing her Ohma…you are just getting the light treatment from us. Ezra's mate is a kind woman, but she's strong and won't let anyone near enough to harm Ezra…and the same will be true for Lacus. We are already warning you to leave Lacus be and don't try to act as if you are her parent."

The Navi-robot continued to buckle and move…but before anything else can happen….the combat alarms sounded…making all realize that they were now under Harvester attack!!

The Marauders and the rest of the covert strike team moved out to engage the Nirvana and give it a serious wake-up call…the Marauders however made their way to the converted battle-ship…that weapon loaned way too much firepower to the Nirvana and had to be disabled before they could launch a serious attack on the Nirvana itself. They had been now armed with a new but temporary weapon system to disable the Harvester ship but for a far longer period and as long as they were still present, the ship would be worthless to the pirates.

Hey all moved in combat formation and moved out, the Cube Fighters and Seed Ships taking point to attack and act as expendable shields, the first would attack the Nirvana and give it a seriously hard time, while the ones in the back would use their Mirage Colloid systems to get closer and aim for the converted ship, they were the ones armed with the special weapon designed to halt and cripple the Harvester battleship.

Due to extensive programming done by the pirates on the CPU of the converted ship…they were now ordered to damage or cripple it as much as they could…their new weapon would do that and since they had independent CPUS and not linked to the Seed Ships, they could operate even if the rest of the strike fleet were taken out.

As Bart and the rest of the pirates rallied to defend that ship, Meia and Kyo had to rush back to the Hanger to get to their respective Gundams. But they had to hurry and place Lacus back with Ezra in the command bridge in order for the baby to be safe while they went back to fight with the Harvesters…

"Damn! Why do they always show up when we don't need them to?!" Meia said in anger as Lacus began to cry louder.

"Good sense of timing! They did this too when I was helping in the delivery of Lacus when Ezra was about to give birth!"

But as they were moving through the place, they had to go near the old section of large escape boats, and that was when the salvos from the Cube Fighters and their forces managed to hit the Nirvana and bypass the shields…just enough to knock all three of them into a nearby escape pod and the pod's door opened and in they went, and before they could do anything…the pod's firing charges went off and they were launched into space!!

Kyo managed to position himself behind both Meia and Lacus to as to cushion the two women from harm. Once the rockets went offline, the pod now drifted in space and that was when Kyo checked on both Meia and Lacus…both seemed fine though Lacus was still crying. He put aside his personal fears for the moment and checked on them.

"Are you all right Meia?"

Meia groaned a bit and was surprised to find her on top of Kyo in a very undignified position and tried to get up while holding Lacus and trying not to blush.

"I'm fine…what happened?"

"We got knocked into one of the Nirvana's escape pods…damn! We've to find a way to contact the Nirvana and tell them our location and situation."

"I'll help! I just need to take off my chest padding!" The young woman did just that as she took off the pads and used them to help keep Lacus safe and warm as both of them worked hard to try and warn their comrades of their current situation.

The two worked hard and for the first time, Lacus didn't cry as she didn't sense too much tension in the air and seemed to have calmed down.

The two were somewhat relieved of that situation as they tried to get into contact with the Nirvana…along with them trying to find out if the pod was still serviceable, namely with it's signal beacon which they needed in order for the Nirvana locate them.

The Nirvana…

As the pirates scrambled into the fight, they wondered where had Meia and Kyo had gone…

Dita and Jura had already gotten into their Gundams and so had Max in his Templar Gundam, while Barnette had taken to her Dread and lead the Dread squadrons into the fight, while Sara and Mai went on to lead the Vanguards in the attack. The Taisians had declined earlier to aid in the festivities due to them being tied in with defense duty, and they were currently fighting to keep the enemy off balance under the command of Osmond. The battle hardened warriors held their own, but due to their small numbers, they didn't have the means to take out that many of the attacking Harvester units and waited for support from their new allies.

Their perseverance was rewarded as the Dreads and Vanguards came into the scene, but they were a bit troubled when there was no sign of the other Gundams on the scene, they knew Duero was first and foremost the head physician so his absence was understood, and Barnette loved her Dread more than the Gundam she had acquired, but the real puzzling thing was that the Gundams that were missing were that of Meia Gisborn, the former leader of the Dreads, and the other was that of the best Gundam pilot of the pirates, Kyo.

Osmond noted that as well and got into contact with both Jura and Dita.

"Where's Kyo and Meia? How come they're not with you ladies?"

"We don't know…but we can worry about them later…we have to defend the ship. They would have asked that of us…and I know that Meia will be fine with Kyo beside her" Jura said as she guided her Gundam to the fight and took out her Gundam's beam sabers.

Dita was about to disagree, but knew through her personal experience that Kyo would always watch out for those he worked with and cared deeply about. He had done the same for her and Jura when they were on that desert world many weeks before and she knew that Kyo would never abandon Meia…or Lacus. Despite her misgivings, she followed Jura as she and the blonde led the attack.

Dita went first and combined her beam rifles and turned them into the beam cannon formation and took out a small number of Cube Fighters, her training paying off as she then turned her Gundam to the other side and took out another batch of the Cube Fighters.

The Cube Fighters went in with their standard formation, they were ahead while they were supported and replenished by the Seed Ships from the rear, plus they would have to defend the Marauders until the stealth ships had completed their part in the attack by disabling the Harvester battle-ship the pirates had taken.

But they were in for a good scrapping session as both Gundams struck ahead, Jura blocked their weapons-fire and closed the gap and went into the use of her fencing moves and training as several Cube Fighters were trashed by the blond when they either didn't flee from her charge, or were dumb enough to engage her.

Jura was also supported by Dita as the blond activated her Gundam's own beam sabers, along with her beam shield and engaged the Cube Fighters to try and prevent them from blind-siding her blond comrade. Once she took out a few and fended off the rest, she managed to herd them and fired her Gundam's abdomen cannon, reducing many of them into scrap.

The Taisians came in and provided support while the rest of the pirates came in to help. Barnette was ordering the Dreads to change their weapons' energy settings so they would not damage each other in the event of friendly fire. The Dread pilots agreed with the move and did just that. The Vanguards did the same with their new pulse rifles and some of the Vanguards were now packing more advanced weaponry, namely rifles of the same calibre of the rifles used by both Meia's Gundam and that of Dita and Kyo's own Gundams.

The new weapons were formed by Parfet, but they lacked the power of the originals and could not become the beam cannon that Dita's could form into. But they were power efficient and had greater energy capacity and could even go into full auto, when rapid suppression fire was needed.

As the pirates attacked, Bart began to track the Harvesters and aim to take them out before their swarm tactics went into effect.

True enough to Jura and Dita's beliefs, Kyo was busy helping out Meia and keeping Lacus safe. The Gundam pilot had disliked himself for getting into this kind of mess…let alone involving both Meia and the innocent baby Lacus. But he kept a level head and so did Meia. They were both happy that they had found a set of still functional spaces suits, all within good working condition and had full tanks of oxygen in their supply systems, along with fuel for their thrusters.

The rest of the pod however not as helpful as they hoped it would or should have been however. Both pilots sighed as they realized that since the pod was to be scrapped soon, it would have low supplies for it's own life support systems and the comm. systems were too old and badly damaged to be of much help. The best they could do was to get the beacon operational so their location was marked…hopefully enough for the Nirvana to pick them up. Both had seen the incoming hordes of Cube Fighters coming for the Nirvana and they knew that all three of them would be very easy prey for the Harvesters if they were tracked by the forces of the sadistic bastards.

No way would they surrender and most of all, they swore no harm would befall Lacus who managed to sleep while still wearing Meia's chest and shoulder padding unit.

They worked as best they could and managed to get the beacon working…and now only hoped that the others would find them before the Harvesters did. All they could do was wait, so they sat down and huddled closer to one another and watch over Lacus, the rest was up to their comrades…and faith.

Bart had now been able to lock in on all the Seed Ships and gave the order for the rest of the pirates to brace themselves…and with lethal precision, the navigator and gunner open-fired at the collected bands of Seed Ships to destroy them and lessen the chance of the Dreads, Vanguards, Gundams, and the Taisian Mobile Suits would be overwhelmed by the Cube Fighters the ships would no doubt unleash.

"I'll take them out, you guys can handle the rest!" The gunner said as he unleashed the Nirvana's plasma cannons and then the beams blasted down a massive number of the Seed Ships, and the navigator tried to lock in on the incoming Marauders, but the navigator was surprised when the ships suddenly vanished before he could lock on. That was when he realized that the ships were armed with Mirage Colloid systems and his weapon systems were NOT designed to lock in on the ships due to the Mirage Colloid systems even if the sensors could track them due to the changes done to the systems when they face off with the Harvester Fleet a few weeks before.

"Captain! I can track the ships but I can't fire at them, the targeting systems can't track and lock in on the new Harvester ships, they have Mirage Colloid and are too fast for me to get a good lock! The best we can do is to locate them so the rest of the Dreads, Vanguards, Gundams, and the Taisians can deal with them."

"Understood." Magno had seen the results when she had seen that Bart's targeting systems were unable to lock on the new Harvester units due to them not being designed to track units armed with Mirage Colloid systems. The next problem was that unlike the slow and prodding Harvester battle-ships that were armed with Mirage Colloid, these ships were faster and nimble and that made locking in on them too difficult for Bart to do.

"Have all scanners conditioned to track those new Harvester units and coordinate the attacks of the Vanguards, Dreads, Gundams, and that of the Taisian Mobile Suits in order to take them out."

Buzam followed the order as the crew on the bridge followed the orders and made the needed changes to the Nirvana's scanners as they also began to coordinate their forces with the assistance of the Gundam pilots. But with the still working Cube Fighters in the area, it certainly made things harder for them to operate. The Seed Ships may be gone, but that didn't mean a thing to the Harvesters as they continued with their relentless assault.

In the pod…

Kyo and Meia were deep in thought as they looked at each other and Lacus. They knew that since they could do nothing…all they could do now was wait and pray that they would be rescued by their comrades before the pod was located by the Cube Fighters. They had looked through the pod's view hole and saw the attacks were well underway, but for now they had to concern themselves with their current situation and to take care of Lacus.

As Kyo held Lacus for a while he began having flashback memories that seemed to be part of him growing up as a normal child and it seemed rather…peaceful. The voices of the woman he now knew to be his mother was there…her face was still vague in the sense that her face was still hidden, but he could tell from her soft and melodious voice that while she holding him as he was sleeping in her arms, she was telling him something…

Flashback 1…

The woman was holding him as he slept and she was stroking his hair gently and singing a soothing lullaby as he dozed. It made Kyo feel safe and whole as she continued to sing and when she stopped she spoke to him.

"_The world is such a new and dangerous place Kyo…That is why I work hard to make sure that when you are older you are ready to enter that world…and someday make it safe for those who will follow you someday."_

He heard that and felt that she would do that well…and then he saw his father…the man he saw in his dreams reach him and his mother, sat down on the floor and stroke her hair and his as well.

End of Flashback 1…

Flashback 2…

He then saw him speaking with his dad as they looked out towards the setting sun in the beach; he looked and saw his home and saw his mother taking care of who he knew was his baby sister. He then felt his attention return to his father who smiled at him and began to speak while looking at the sun.

"_When you were born Kyo, I and your mother made the choice to do all that we were capable of making the world a safer place, not just for you, but for those who were born in the end of war. Never forget that war does not really end the world's problems but leaves them festering in the end. That is why we have to stop those who start war, and give a chance for those who will be born after us to seek out the future and shape it for themselves."_

End of Flashback 2…

Flashback 3…

He then saw his parents and his sister sitting in the sands of the beach near their home…he saw the fireworks and looked at the number of people there was well. He saw the people who he felt and knew that were Sara's ancestors, and he saw the blonde woman and the blue haired man who he felt were his relatives and he saw their daughter, his cousin.

His sister was sleeping and then he looked at both his parents and for the first time…their faces were clear and he saw how beautiful his mother was when she smiled and when she spoke, he saw her courage and inner will. Her saw how kind and gentle his father looked…and how much strength he had as he protected his family and taught him how to do the same.

"_The future is always difficult to make, there will always be the fact that the mistakes of the past will come back…and people will make the same mistakes despite all the lessons, sometimes we can't avoid that, but as long as you are willing to fight for the chance to give a safe and bright future to those of you who will be the new generation...then use all of your talents and skills to achieve that. For the children born tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, and the future for all…you must never give up."_

End of Flashback 3…

Kyo then looked at the baby in his hands who reached out to him and also to Meia. He wanted to make sure than not harm would come to them both as long as he was alive, and the same with those he cared about. He wanted to follow that which his parents taught him and no matter how long it would be he will make it.

In the Nirvana…

Kyo's determination had a powerful effect as his Infinite Freedom Gundam Suddenly began to power up it's main systems. Just like it did in the desert planet when he and the others were trapped in it by the Harvesters' AI agent and the AI's powerful army. The Gundam's systems came to life as it began setting itself up for launch and activated it's P. Phase Shift Armour System.

This got the attention of the pirates, namely those in the bridge who were still looking for him, Meia and Lacus after determining that one of the escape pods were missing in the berthing bays on the Nirvana. Along with Parfet and her crew of engineers as the Paeksis also began to react and activate certain systems

"Captain! The I-Freedom is activating itself once more! The systems are powering up on it's own!" The head engineer reported to the command bridge as they too were detecting the Launch ramp activating alongside the Gundam as it was brought on for deployment.

Magno knew that this was similar to the time when Kyo had been in danger in the desert planet, had it not been for the three former Dread pilots, their link to Kyo, and the link between the pilot and his Paeksis enhanced Gundam, they would have lost him to the enemy forces long ago. This meant that only the I-Freedom could now locate Kyo, Meia, and Lacus.

"I want Gasco to get her shuttle ready to follow the Gundam as soon as it launches!"

The Gundam activated it's wings and the crystal feathers the very second it was launched from the Nirvana. It then began to track down the location of it's pilot while the rest of the pirates concentrated on the Harvesters, taking out Cube Fighters and keeping the stealth ships from attacking the Nirvana, but since the ships were nimble in their own right, unlike the slow and prodding Harvester battle-ship, it was not all that easy for them to try and get a hit on the target.

Behind the Paeksis powered Gundam flew the Dreki as Gascogne and several others followed the Gundam in hopes of locating Kyo and the others.

In the pod…

Meia looked at the way Kyo was still playing with Lacus, making the baby smile and keeping both her and her own spirits up as she smiled at how much Lacus enjoyed being teased by Kyo, and the baby also smiled at her and that made Meia smile back. She then began having flashbacks to the time she had seen her fahma before and after the incident that took her and her ohma from her. And this time she heard more from both of them.

Flashback 1…

She was in an argument with her Ohma, a strong and firm minded woman. As she lay on her home's floor with her knees on her head while she cried. Her fahma came up to her and spoke calmly.

"_Meia, you're ohma does not hate you…she just wants you to understand that some things in the world are hard and sometimes you can't change them. But you can change things for those who you care about and give them a chance for the future."_

The image shifted to when she was still a child and during the evacuation, time stood still here as her fahma spoke to her.

"_That is why I stayed here…I wanted to give you the chance to make the future for yourself and to do the same thing for those next to you…because I love and I want to make sure you had a chance in this life…the life your ohma and I struggled to make while we were alive."_

End of Flashback 1….

Flashback 2…

She saw her fahma when she handed her the circlet she wore then as a child and now. She saw herself running to both her parents dressed in her school attire as she went to grade school. Then she saw her Ohma who stood in front of the fields where the project was being done. Meia recalled this as the time she had been with her Ohma to watch the project herself…but she had forgotten…

"_I want to do the absolute best that I can Meia to make our world grow and our people to be strong, but to also give you and your fahma the security and chance to make a great future, I know that I might not live long enough to see the results, but knowing that you will live on and grow up, I will know that all my work has been meaningful. I love you and your fahma, that is why no matter what happens I will do my absolute best to give you and those who are born with you in this generation that very same chance…since you carry not just my hopes, or that of your fahma…but the hopes of the human race."_

End of Flashback 2…

Flashback 3…

Meia then saw both her fahma and ohma together, talking and smiling as she saw them fusing over her when she was a baby…much like Lacus was now. They were dotting on her and taking good care to give her the best that they could earn…even if they were not high in the social ladder on Megele, they really loved her and did all that they could to give her a bright future. She saw herself sleeping comfortably in her fahma's lap while both her parents smiled warmly at her and each other

"_As our own parents loved each of us with all their heart…so do we love you Meia, you carry the future and all our hopes and dreams are with you along with your own hopes and dreams as well. Carry that love to the ones you will meet and care for with all your heart, and give them that same love…and the love you yourself feel for that person, or people you are with now if we are no longer with you. We love you now and always Meia."_

End of Flashback 3…

Meia thought on all those images and felt that finally, after so many years she can look back at her past and see the truth behind all the pain and feel that her family was always with her…she was just too afraid of all that had happened to show that same love again. She thought about her new family, her friends…and Kyo…who still cared for her and Lacus despite the situation they were all in.

She nodded mentally and decided that she would now live not in the past…but live in the future with all of her friends and loved ones…that was what her parents wanted of her above all else…and now she was ready to do that.

The two Gundam pilots looked up and gave looks of anger disbelief when they saw that they were surrounded.

By Cube Fighters…Harvester Cube Fighters!

The Harvester battle-ship that the pirates had captured had previously attempted to release it's own Cube Fighter Forces but the Marauders had fired the weapons they carried and had caused a massive burst of concentrated disruptive energy into the battle-ship and the energy had short-circuited the ship's CPU and that had also adversely affected the ship's power-plant…leaving the ship very much dead in space. The Marauders however maintained the attack to keep the ship pinned from supporting it's new masters, by constantly bombarding it with the crippling blasts.

The rest attacked the Nirvana and though two had been taken out it was still hard for the pirates due to their Dreads, Vanguards, and the Gundams since they had not yet been able to reconfigure their sensors to detect units with Mirage Colloid systems.

Dita, Jura, and Max remained on the defensive and so were the rest of the pirates, relying on Bart's sensors to locate the vanishing ships before they inflicted more and more damage to the ship. Due to Bart's sensors, they had taken out the two mentioned, but there were still plenty of them out there for the pirates to fight. And due to their strike and fade moves, it was still tough for the girls.

Kyo and Meia were also trying to come up with a solution as Cube Fighters approached and surrounded them. But they didn't have to wait long…

As some Cube Fighters came in for the kill, several of them were struck from behind by beam bolts. Several of them turned and were destroyed as well either by bullets of energy dart needles as the I-Freedom streaked into the morass, firing all the while, without hitting the escape pod with amazing accuracy. The Cube Fighters broke into two groups, one to intercept the Gundam, while the other got away with the prize.

But before the Cube Fighters who tried to take away the pod, which would have spelled disaster if the occupants were caught, our of nowhere came Aleck GUiAZ Mobile Suit with assault rifle scattering them, the wily Talark pilot had snuck in the same way the Cube Fighters had snuck on Gascogne the first time they were seen in the battle-zone. The Mobile Suit came to block their escape route and take out several more Cube Fighters as the pilot then took out his Mobile Suit's blade…at the very same time the Gundam takes out it's beam sabers after placing it's rifles away.

Kyo and the others cheered as the Dreki came into view and they were taken into the shuttle's storage bays. Once inside they got the all clear to blow the hatch of the pod and when they did, there was Ezra and several security personnel, and a certain floating robot.

"Pyoro 2!! You're safe!! I should have taken care of Pyoro 2!!"

Kyo and Meia however didn't mind as they still managed to make Lacus smile and Meia was also smiling as she looked at Lacus and Kyo, they were alive and safe, that was al that mattered to her.

Ezra noted the change in Meia who seemed more carefree and happy than she recalled seeing the normally quiet and taciturn female. Naturally she wondered what had caused Meia to change, but was even more surprised to see that instead of crying like before, Lacus was smiling and reaching out to Meia, like she would to Kyo. And the picture of both of them smiling and Lacus being happy in their presence made Ezra smile as well. She then spoke to Pyoro.

"Leave them alone Pyoro-chan, please, they look fine together."

The robot was about to argue…but also noted the change in Meia and Lacus's reaction to the former Dread pilot…and backed off as the two looked almost like a family with them playing with Lacus.

"Kyo…"

The male Gundam pilot looked up as Lacus giggled and reached out to both him and Meia.

"Yes?"

"Do you remember when I said you would make a wonderful ohma…or father when the time comes?"

Kyo blushed a bit at that and scratched his head.

"Yeah I did, why?"

"You two look just like two parents taking care of your own baby." Ezra teased both of them, making Meia and Kyo blush horribly, much to Ezra's laughter and Lacus's giggles. The reunion however was broken as the sound of weapons-fire and the shaking of the vessel.

Gascogne then called in. "Kyo, your pilot uniform is here with me, get into I-Freedom and help the others, I'll take the others back to the ship and then Meia can join you."

Kyo nodded and went to the cockpit to get his uniform, but not before bidding Meia, Lacus, Ezra, and the others good-bye.

Later…

Kyo strapped on his uniform and helmet and then opens a nearby door, allowing the vacuum of space to take him out of the Dreki. The suit he wore also was designed to function in zero-g environments and had a small but functional oxygen pack. As he flew out he was picked up by his Gundam while being protected by Aleck in his GUiAZ Mobile Suit as the Dreki made it's way back to the Nirvana.

As soon as he was in his Gundam, he took over the systems and went on the offensive, he guided his Gundam to slash down more of the Cube Fighters with several passes of his beam sabers. Several more were also slashed to bits when he took out his anti-ship swords and used them zweihander form and slashed from side to side, slicing apart more of the fighters.

The I-Freedom then jetted into the front and focused it's attacks on dealing with the Marauders, much to the cheer of the pirates and naturally Jura, and Dita, who were still having a hard time dealing with the enemy.

"Kyo!"

"Mr. Alien!!"

Kyo greeted them and was given a report on the situation by Sara and Mai, the Crusaders had suffered more losses of machines, but thankfully no casualties since they fiercely defended the damaged Vanguards until they were out of the battle-zone. Osmond does the same and keeps his crew safe and alive by moving in quick dodging patterns to minimize detection by the enemy. Kyo nodded in agreement on the situation and decided to order all the pilots to begin changing the settings of their machines' sensors, just in time with Meia's appearance in her Silver Lightning Gundam. As the changes were complete…they were now ready to take out the enemy forces…with Kyo in the lead followed by Meia, Dita, and Jura.

It wasn't going to take too long…

Later…

Meia was quite surprised when she came into the Bio-Garden where the party held for her birthday was being held and saw that all the crew were present, even Osso and his crew were there. They had helped set up the decorations an the rest of the crew had been working non-stop to make this party a memorable one for their leader and friend.

Looking at all their hard-work and recalling the times she had missed out on her birthday and wasting their efforts many times made Meia feel guilty and with her new sense of attitude about her past resolves never to run from the past and live in the future. Magno and BC noted the change in her and while the old captain smiled. Buzam nodded, seeing that the new Meia was stronger now than the original, now that she learned to open up to others and gain strength from her team-mates and fellow crew. Meia had even decided to come in a normal dress, the white sundress with straps suited her and for the first time, she came without her circlet on her face and had a warm smile, thanking her crewmates and finally apologizing for all the efforts she had wasted when they made the celebrations years before.

As the party went underway, Meia was then in front of the cake that had twenty candles in front of her and she blew them. As the party went underway and they were all eating…Meia suddenly noticed that Kyo was not in the group, she was surprised and a bit saddened, since he too had contributed to her birthday celebrations…and was about to ask where Kyo was until he came…dressed in a tuxedo, and appeared very handsome, making Meia's heart skip a few beats until beating wildly once more.

Kyo smiled at her and when he got closer to her he spoke. "Do you what a début is?"

When Meia didn't answer, he answered for her. "That is when a woman gets to the age of eighteen and on her birthday gets to be greeted and honoured by her friends and family. I know it's already two years past. But I think it's time people get to say how much you mean to them."

In that time frame…Meia was happy beyond words as each member of the crew from the Dread pilots, engineering, security, to her fellow Gundam pilots Dita, and Jura, to all of those she worked with for years in the pirates showed their thanks and appreciation for all she had done. Her greatest moment in the speeches was when Magno talked about how much Meia had changed for the better and how much Magno treated her as her own daughter.

But Meia's greatest moment…was when Kyo stepped forward and asked if she would like to dance with him. Despite her feeble protests on her not being a good dancer, she was cheered on by the crew as Kyo began leading her through the steps in the dance with ease. Meia blushed heavily when she held Kyo in the prescribed manner and so did Kyo as he held her hand and her waist, but he focused on his task and danced beautifully with Meia, who knew that Kyo was a good dancer, but not this good…she felt warm and happy at that and in that moment treasured it for all time as she was dancing with the object of her affections under the stars and light of the universe.

The other girls, namely Dita, Jura, Sara, and Mai were green with envy as they saw how much Meia was enjoying being with Kyo but they were also happy that now Meia was happy and celebrating life and the future.

Magno merely smiled as the couple danced on…the affections she saw between them made her smile warmly. It seemed that it was like watching a couple in a date for the first time…and in this case…it was.

Enjoy it while it lasts…things are getting more complicated soon people!

Back at Earth…

The leader and the rest of the Harvester Council smiled as they looked at the newly completed Gundam that now had a core of pure Paeksis as the final touches were completed a few days earlier than what was estimated and scheduled. The new Gundam was finished along with more copies and the new versions of the Hell-Fire, Devastator, and Wyvern Gundams…The newly created Gundam models were certainly new and better armed in their new combat roles, and the copies of the new Gundam models certainly complemented the still present assortment of the Harvesters' arsenal including more new and improved Dominion Gundam models. Even the Behemoth series were rebuilt and were now more than ready to devastate the resistance the Nirvana like the enemies that they were.

The Harvester Council were not entirely happy with the performance of the new Overlords when the new units were deployed by them against the Mission Delta 6 and they had learned that the inhabitants had fled after the station was attacked, further denting the happy atmosphere due to the lack of new organs. But that was off set by the performance of the units when they ravaged the defenders of Delta 6 and even posed a serious challenge to the station's Gundam defenders, though they had suffered grievous loses in units, the Harvesters paid that no mind since they could rebuilt their loses, but the loses of human lives on the side of the Mission were certainly interesting as the Mobile Armour units of the Mission were badly beaten by the Overlords. Despite the two sided battle the Harvester Council were impressed with the performance of the units and the leader ordered more of the new units and the modified Seed Ships to be added to their growing arsenals.

The results from the other Overlords' deployment were far more promising as the results were total tactical surprise when the Resistance were caught off-guard with the introduction of the new weapons and the casualties were high for the Resistance…and they had gained new organ supplies, though not enough to satisfy the quotas they normally needed. The humans who were able to outwit the Harvesters were now finding themselves suddenly caught off-guard with the new forces of the Earth and paid dearly for it, though they had escaped. Overall, the success of the Overlords in battle in different fields meant that they were now officially part of the Harvester Armada and were to support the Cube Fighters in all their combat operations.

But their greatest weapons were now ready for battle. The new Gundams were more than capable and now they would crush the Nirvana and the rest of those who dared to oppose them and deny them the right to live as the true living vestiges of the human race.

The leader smiled at he and the Council came close to the Paeksis Gundam and stared at it's immense power and weaponry.

It was a true weapon of death and ironically it relied on the blue prints of a new Gundam model and used features from the other Mobile Suits that the Harvesters had previous developed…but it was also a technological mockery and more than equal to the hated Infinite Freedom Gundam…in fact they were very much the same.

The new Harvester Gundam had the same weapons of the Nirvana Gundam. It had the same anti-ship swords and the energy dart launchers, the same shoulder and head mounted assault guns, the same plasma and rail-gun cannons on the wings and hips, it had beam sabers and a pair of beam rifles as well. It was like looking at the Infinite Freedom itself…but a darker and no doubt evil version of the Gundam.

Having recorded the functions of all the weapons of the Infinite-Freedom in many battles with it, the Harvester Armada's technical divisions had found more ways to upgrade their newest most powerful creation to surpass it's Nirvana counter-part. To that end, several features had been updated by the Harvesters to the new Gundam to enhance and upgrade it's performance in combat.

They added a set of new features and made changes to at least a few of the weapon systems of the new Paeksis powered Gundam to help it in battles. With those changes, the Harvesters felt that their time for victory was coming for them in this time not even the Nirvana would stop them from their goal of harvesting the organs they needed to survive

The leader smiled as he looked at the Gundam as it was till in it's un-powered state and the new Prominence Phase Shift Armour had not yet been activated. He had made it clear that since he was the pilot and not an AI system, he would be leading the Harvester Armada this time.

"The Gundam is impressive Master…it is already prepared to wage war with the Nirvana and all who stand against us and our fleets." The head technician reported as he ran the data in front of the leader.

"Good. I will take it out for a test flight today…but I will be the one to give it it's combat name and have it uploaded into the OS of the Gundam."

"As you command my lord!"

Later…

The Harvester leader was now dressed in what appeared to a combat pilot uniform totally the same as that of Kyo's own. It too had ballistic armour weave and armour plating, along with protective reinforced joints. As he locked in the helmet and locked in his pilot visor he began to program the OS of his Mobile Suit and made the needed settings and upgrades to his Mobile Suit and the way he did it was with so much skill that it seemed that he too had the same level of computer talents as Kyo himself. It took the Harvester leader a few minutes to make the needed adjustments to his Gundam's OS and get it ready for combat.

"Gundam…Endless Vendetta…ready to be deployed."

In a second the Gundam was launched from the assembly plant and went into action. It's wings unleashed blood red crystal feathers that radiated massive amounts of Paeksis energy, but in a wavelength that was the polar opposite of that of the energy emitted by the Infinite Freedom Gundam itself. The Gundam's eyes flashed a deep purple and the signs of it's own P. Phase Shift Armour system was now coming to life as the normally grey Mobile Suit was covered in it's colour scheme showing the activation of it's own Phase Shift Armour.

The Gundam was now deep black with gold and red. The joints were deep red with the rest of the body in black with golden lining. The look was a dark cybernetic angel with wings that had blood red feathers as the Endless Vendetta went on a speed and flight run, the speed of the Gundam equalling that of the Infinite Freedom Gundam as it moved with amazing speed and it's wings and thrusters providing it immense thrust and manoeuvrability as it flew in the confines of the gears that covered the Earth.

The Gundam also had the newly upgraded Neutron Jammer canceller made to provide the same level of protection given by the older version of the Neutron Jammer Canceller that was also present in the Dominion series that was just newly made and with the Canceller using the energy wavelengths of the Paeksis, it gave immense protection from Ion storms, radiation, and energy waves that covered the surface of the planet ever since the Days of Despair that haunted the Earth.

As the Gundam was nearing it's combat status as an operational Mobile Suit, the leader decided that it was time for it to be tested in real combat to see just how much power his Gundam had when facing enemies. He already had several human planets to target and for them all to Harvest as the Gundam dodged several massive bolts of lightning and ion energy with ease…showing the level of piloting skill of the Harvester Leader.

The war between the Nirvana and the Harvesters had just taken a new twisted turn.

To be continued…

Hello, new chapter in and still being fleshed out…did I get the scene right? It's been a while since I saw VanDread, The Second Stage so I might be a bit off on the scene.

If I am, send me a comment or review all right? Back to work on this soon!

Care to guess just how the Harvester leader KNOWS both Kira and Kyo, just what is the history between the Harvester leader and Kyo's now departed family that he is willing to resurrect a four century old vendetta with them?

() The ZAKU makes it's first combat debut.

() And so does the GOUF Ignited model.

Now that the latest weapons of the Harvesters have made their appearance…what would be the outcome that the Harvesters have introduced their new weapons…and will they soon be deploying the variants of their Gundams, the Wyvern, the Devastator, and the Hell-Fire?

The power system for the Shinobi and Kunoichi Gundams is the same as the Deuterion Beam Energy Transfer System. Designed to function the same way and that is to provide power to both Gundams and their battery reactors and their power packs. In the later chapters, that can be changed, but for now, the Gundams will still rely on this system until it will be replaced in the series, but not yet.

I have been suffering from not just writer's block, but exhaustion, flu, and bouts of fever, along with pains to the eyes and head. The relatives I have in the medical profession said that I was merely mentally exhausted and I agree with them, since I do get better, it's due to this situation that I can't update as frequently as I like to.

I'll be back soon, but please send me your comments and reviews so I know how it's progressing and what areas I need to fix. Thanks for all your continued reading and hope to hear from you all soon.

Due to a lack of complete data, my work's been somewhat sporadic so if anybody has suggestions to help me…then please do not hesitate and send me those ideas you have in mind so I can finally add them to make the story more and more interesting for not just myself, but everyone else who is reading this.

New notes!

The chapter is finally finished…sorry for the delays, but I had a ton of things to do and time wasn't on my side, but it is now finished and I hope it was worth it to all readers!

Now that the Paeksis Gundam of the Harvesters is complete, and the leader has taken it out for a test drive and his happy with the flight performance and it's speed, he now wants to see it operate in real time combat conditions and naturally he is going to the pilot of the Gundam instead of the AI system present in the original Gundam units used by his forces.

Just how talented is the Harvester Leader? And is the E-Vendetta Gundam as powerful or more than the I-Freedom Gundam?

Find out in the next Chapter series!

More comments reviews please.


	20. Chapter 20

GunDread SEED The Second Stage

GunDread SEED The Second Stage

Disclaimer: VanDread is the property of Gonzo, while Gundam SEED is the property of Sunrise. Inc. I have no ownership of both or the companies. So lawyers…please leave me in peace.

Chapter 9 Part 1

( ): Thoughts

New Forms

--

The Conference Room of the Nirvana…

"How long till we reach the debris belt that hides Talark and Megele BC?" Magno asked she and the senior officers were busy discussing matter while the rest of the crew were on combat patrol, routine maintenance, an regular duties. Kyo was still busy on combat patrol with Osso and his crew of Taisian pilots along with Meia, Dita, Jura, Max in their Gundams, while they were routinely supported by the Dread Squadrons who were now under Barnette's command.

"At least three to four more weeks Captain, we have still been encountering Harvester resistance, but the sensors of the Harvester battle-ship we have captured have been picking up strange Harvester ID tags recently. We haven't fully isolated the signals yet, but it seems that the Harvesters may be planning something. Their attacks seem to have lost some sort of edge that they normally have."

"Buzam's got a point Captain." Aleck Koubayashi said. "They may have developed new maneuvers and tactics, but they no longer seem to have the ferocity and numbers that they normally do. They know we are a big threat to their plans and yet they keep sending light forces to attack us. One thing I've learned in my days as a soldier AND on my exile…the only time the enemy is this lenient is when they plan to stab you in the back with a new weapon. Something stinks…"

The elder Talark soldier had been integrated into the pirates' senior officers due to his being the smartest in terms of leading Vanguard operations and training the girls in terrestrial combat maneuvers. Plus he was the only one in the group not to call Buzam by her name tag of BC.

"You do have a point Aleck…what do you suggest they are up to?" The elder captain asked the grizzled veteran.

"They know we can beat their Cube Fighters now…and in all the histories of warfare…when old weapons prove unable to catch up with the new world…you need to develop new ones to even the odds. Those Cube Fighters are tough, no doubts there, plus they are easy to replace, they can be programmed and don't need to be piloted by human pilots, being AI piloted, and lastly…they have the numbers advantage…but when you take out the Seed Ships, they don't get reinforced and they are on their own., then we can take them out. I won't be surprised if they are coming up with new weapons, like what we did back home after the Ikazuchi incident. When we lost the first expeditionary fleet nearly a year ago, the Talark weapons divisions devised faster moving turrets, improved Vanguard weaponry, speed energy usage, and armour, and improved targeting sensors to take out your Dreads, plus we have been digging deep in our bag of knowledge on other workable technologies…the warp-gate being one of the plans made…had that been perfected, the Talark military could drop strike teams right into the territory of Megele and hit the place with little to no warning. Plus, since our Vanguards were built for terrestrial combat, you can guess what would have been the outcome. I have no doubt captain that this decrease in intensity is meant to hide something. I can feel it…" The older male nodded sagely, he had been a student of war for many years, which was why he was the most respected Vanguard instructor in Talark's military.

The women nodded in agreement, this dulling of ferocity was certainly troubling since the fact was that since they knew who the Harvester truly were and had caused significant losses to the Earth Forces, then it would be no surprise that the Harvesters would intensify their efforts to wipe them out…but it seems that the Harvester were merely sending out skirmishers at them. There seemed to be a decrease in the elaborate plots the Earth had used in the past. The fake message on the desert world was one…plus the use of an entire fleet of Mirage Colloid equipped battle-ships was a certain sign of the desire of the enemy to wipe them out. But this sudden change was worrying.

Gascogne had also spent time in the Megele military and also agreed with Aleck's statement.

"The Harvesters have been acting weird lately, they are acting like before when they didn't take us seriously. I suggest we be cautious going to Megele and Talark. For all we know…we might walk into another ambush."

That was when Misty came on the comm. screen. Magno pressed the receive button as the girl appeared on the screen.

"Go ahead Misty."

"Captain, I have just received a coded record message from a tachyon signal. It seems to be having the same code signature as that of the Delta 6 Mission's transmitter and communication codes. It seems to be very urgent."

"Understood, have it decrypted and we'll see it on the command bridge."

"Roger captain! Leave that to me!"

They had seen Misty work communications before and since she knew a good deal about the science she helped in the communications and data-management section of the Nirvana's bridge when it came to certain codes and frequencies, being a quick study, her skills as a communication student certainly helped her in this case so the pirates had little to worry about for now.

--

In Earth…

The newly assembled fleet was now ready to move at full speed to where the Nirvana would be heading…the two single gender worlds which would have the numbers and power to stand against the Harvest. The new Overlords were now integrated into the Armada…and their new Gundam series and rebuilt ones were now armed to fight their targets.

The leader of the new fleet smirked in his own command ship as he looked at the images of his fleet being rallied as they left port and were now reaching jump point for their assault on the universe. The Harvest will NOT be stopped and soon…the Resistance and even the Nirvana would fall!!

But first…his new toy needed to be tested along with the other Gundams…and he knew of one world that would certainly qualify…

He looked at his computer screen and typed in the coordinates for the Fleet's first target.

Melanos…

In a heartbeat, the new fleet with Battle-cruisers, support ships, Cube Fighters, Urchin ships, Overlords, the Earth Gundams…and the most powerful battle-cruiser in the Harvester arsenal made the jump to their new target's location. Melanos was a key supporter of the Resistance that the Harvesters faced…and would now be the first to be struck by the new fleet…once it was wipe clean of all harvestable skins…

It would be rendered into nothing but debris.

The Harvester counter attack…and invasion of the human worlds had begun…

--

In space…in what appeared to be an abandoned asteroid base…

A figure walked into a what appeared to be an abandoned hanger in what appeared to a base of some sort. The figure was human…but appeared to have replaced certain parts of his body with cybernetic replacements. He was dressed in strange clothes and seemed to be looking at a massive figure in the paddock. He then walked to a nearby data-console and nodded in satisfaction as he finished his downloads and encryption of a data-cube.

The man looked at the screen and gave a sigh…the sound however wasn't human even if he was flesh and blood…it sounded like his voice box had been broken and replaced. The man then nodded as he looked at all the data he had gathered and encrypted.

It was time for his atonement to begin. He owed them that much…those who showed him that this was his chance to make the right decisions for once…the universe had to know what was truly about to happen now. He had learned all that he needed to learn and what he had found made him realize how truly serious this was.

--

Out in patrol…

Kyo scanned the rest of the sector of space in front of him with his Gundam's sensors, he had gone through this route nearly two years ago when he was still on his own and not with the crew of the pirates. He had gained some data pertaining Megele and Talark's location, and since he had managed to get to the planets, he had been able to study enough to choose landing on Talark. In some ways, the planet of Megele had more resources, but he had known enough of their standing with men to back away and Talark was a twisted but logical choice. He thought about that decision and was happy for it since this allowed him to meet the people who became his family and friends.

"Mr. Alien? Are you all right?"

"Huh?" Kyo looked up and saw Dita's face in his communication system, her face was showing concern…apparently he was so engrossed in his thoughts of the past that he had totally ignored her when he was being hailed by the redhead in her Azure Angel Gundam.

"Are you all right? You've been so silent I was worried there for a moment."

Kyo smiled. "I'm fine Dita…just a little nostalgic; I took this route when I was still on my own. This was the same route I took to get to Talark. I actually considered going to Megele at first but went to Talark after getting enough information about your home planet and it's policies involving men when I hacked into the data transmissions. Not to mention the kind of chaos I would start if I landed there in the first place."

"So you decided to head to Talark to avoid getting into a situation that would have made things worse?" Meia asked as she also got into contact with Kyo from her Silver Lightning Gundam. The former Dread Leader was interested with speaking to Kyo, she now took an even higher interest in getting to know him, much to the chagrin of Dita and Jura.

"Yeah, at first I thought that Talark was a mistake…but considering all that happened after the Ikazuchi incident, I guess it wasn't the wrong one."

"So Kyo…any plans when this war is all over? I mean…you do have plans after all this right?" Jura asked calmly as she too got into the act.

Kyo thought hard about that. His relationships with the crew…and most all to the three in front of him now had helped him move on and find a goal in life. But the question still remained on what he would do once the war with the Harvesters would be over. There was a chance that he would join the pirates…but he didn't know how the other women in the pirates would handle his presence in their crew. Plus, the women of Megele would hunt him constantly. He didn't feel very much at home on Talark and there was also the current war between the men of Talark and the women of Megele. If by some miracle they could make some form of peace occur…and negotiations would take place between both worlds…then he would stay. Though what he would do when not fighting in his Gundam was beyond him.

The crew meant so much to him that the thought of leaving was still painful. And living with the girls, wasn't a bad idea in the least…but he still wanted to know more about his past. That part of him was still missing in him and he knew that until he found that lost part of him, he would not find complete peace in himself.

"Honestly…I don't know yet. Unlike you all, I don't…well have a place to go back to anywhere, and well…no one waiting for me…except all of you back at the Nirvana."

All the girls nodded solemnly at the truth in the statement. But they certainly had no intention of letting Kyo walk away…not after all they had been through. Plus they had very strong feelings for Kyo and they had yet to express them to him in some way.

"You can stay with us…most of the other pirates don't believe everything our world says about men you know Kyo…plus you DON'T fit the mould of men the way the Megele government show men." Meia offered, she knew that many pirates had severed ties with Megele, though there would be some who clung to the belief of what men were like in the eyes of their old government.

"I thought about that…but…well, are you sure about that?"

"I agree with Meia…many of the veterans don't believe all the things our home-world say about men, though there ARE some who believe it. But Kyo, it's up to you actually…you can choose to stay with us, as long as you need to."

Jura said solemnly, she knew that since he had no home or family, at least none that he could clearly recall as of yet, Kyo had no place to go and she wanted him to stay, with them, plus she still wanted him to be her children's ohma. The others had the same sentiment as they waited for Kyo to decide.

"I'll think about it. I know that it will take me a while, but I'll think about that."

Though that wasn't what the girls wanted to hear, they were happy at least that Kyo was not planning on leaving them behind, and even if he did, they would go with him and be there to help him.

Kyo wondered about how the situation was with the rest of the galaxy and all the human worlds. He had hoped that they would get word on the current situations on Megele and Talark, along with the other human colonial worlds.

That was when BC called them in, along with the rest of the combat forces of the Nirvana…Misty was nearly finished in decrypting the message coming from Elizabeth and the people of Delta 6.

--

In one section of space…

The galaxy was far from fine as the many human worlds found themselves totally caught off guard by the incoming invasion. Defensive networks were barely able to contain the incoming flood of Harvester units. One fleet that had attempted to halt the advance…were terminated as the rest managed to flee, following their combat protocols.

All over the section space were the wreckages of ships, fighter, and little remains of human bodies still decked in their flight suits. There still some sporadic fighting, but the human forces were done for. The Overlords were not the only new units to take to the battle-field as the three Gundams flew around the battle-zone…with their variants flying beside them in combat formation. The rest of the place was surrounded by the debris of human fighters, cruisers, and battle-ships, behind the Gundams, Cube Fighters, and Overlords were the massive shapes of Harvester ships and most all…the mega battle-cruiser of the Harvesters.

The fleet of human fighters were part of a covert combat force meant to act as an early warning unit for new Harvester incursion, but they themselves were caught off guard when the Harvester Fleet made their attack on their position. At first it had been with regular Cube Fighters, then the new Overlords took to the field, startling the human forces, then the Gundams took centre stage, and when the numbers of Harvester units swelled to the size of a massive fleet forced the humans retreat from the battle zone…but not without losing many of their fellow soldiers, pilots, and crew as the ruined hulks of cruisers, fighters, and ships decorated the place, their fires still burning.

At the middle of the Harvester's largest armada to date was the main battle-ship…easily dwarfing the rest of the assembled Harvester battle-ships, not just be sheer size, but by fire-power, armour, systems, and support units as it had literally hordes of fighters ready to defend it and banks of weapon system ready to lay waste to any who would be foolish enough to launch a direct attack on it. But it's true power as a weapon would be revealed soon to the rest of the human worlds, and the first to suffer the wrath of the battle-fleet was Melanos.

In front of the ship was E-Vendetta, flying in the lead and waiting to strike. The Harvester leader smiled as he checked his combat fleet. There were losses, but those would be easy to replace, and in less then a month…the fleet would strike at Talark and Megele. Both worlds would be prime targets due to not just their numbers of viable subjects, but they would no doubt serve as a staging point for a full resistance, even if the two worlds were at war, the possibility of the Nirvana coming there and forging an alliance was too dangerous to ignore. Thus both worlds would have to be destroyed. The Gundam pilot smiled in the prospect as his Gundam flew around the numbers of the fleet and took part in the front while his forces were on combat assignment to wipe out all signs of resistance to the Harvest.

He then ordered a small regiment of Seed Ships, both the normal ones that unleashed Cube Fighters, and the others that unleashed the Overlords. And the leader ordered them ahead to locate the Nirvana…it was time to unveil their new power and the Nirvana was now on the target board. The Seed Ships followed their master's orders and then made the move to go into jump mode and their group were now unleashed to attack the Nirvana which had been determined to be still on direct course to Talark and Megele's main system.

The leader wished to take the fight to Kyo directly, but he did have a mission to do, a test, and…a demonstration to complete as his forces continued to where Melanos was.

Meanwhile, the remains of the covert human fleet had no choice but to run away and try to warn the Resistance of the new power of the Harvester Armada. After what they had seen, they realized that the only chance for humanity to survive was to assemble a fleet big enough to equal the Harvesters…or else, they would lose forever and humanity would be harvested to extinction.

--

Back at the Nirvana…

Kyo and the others had gone back to the ship to listen to the data transmission from Delta 6. The Gundam pilot wondered how the rest of the refugees of the space station were doing since the last time he had seen them. He also wondered how both Asuka siblings were doing ever since he had met them and hoped that whatever news they had sent was good news. But something in his gut seemed to tell him otherwise.

The rest of the crew were also busy, namely Parfet and the engineering crew as they were naturally busy with ship maintenance and repairs, plus they had a hard time in dealing with clearing out the damage done to the converted battle-ship that thy had acquired in the last battle. The engineers were also busy keeping an eye on their chief due to her still growing romance to the doctor and they were wondering just when will Duero and Parfet go out on a date. Parfet blushed a lot more whenever Duero would give her a compliment every now and then and when he worked with her in the Engineering Bay she was more happy with him around. And even if her cooking skills were not as perfected as some of the girls, she worked hard on that part and Duero was okay with it.

Duero was not exempted either. He liked working with Parfet, both when he needed help in fixing the systems in the Medical Bay, and when she called him to the Engineering Bay to help her with her latest project. There were other times outside of the work-place, such s Parfet cooking food for both of them and he doing the same. He was now getting the hang of having a relationship with a woman, but he still wasn't sure about the whole physical intimacy bit. Parfet was certainly changing day by day…though not by very large margins, though when they were alone she certainly was more…open than most of the times he had known her.

As the data was finally decrypted, they listened in as the information was now transmitted on all comm. systems.

The images then showed what they didn't expect to see…Liz was there while many of the inhabitants of the station appeared to be milling around, working feverishly to accomplish something.

"This is Elizabeth Renard, leader of the Delta 6 Mission. If you are listening to this broadcast…we have been able to repel an attack by the Harvester Forces of Earth. But they have changed dramatically. On a routine defense patrol our forces were faced with not just Cube Fighters this time…the Harvesters have developed newer weapons. We lost a good number…of our pilots in the battle, except our Gundam pilots. The new weapons of the Harvesters…were called Overlords."

Images then appeared before the pirates and their Taisian allies. The images high-lighted the performance of the Overlords in combat, how they had totally caught the Mission's defense forces totally off guard and how they had caused considerable losses to the squadrons and damage to the station itself with their attacks. The two variants were highlighted as well. The 'normal' Overlords were in blue high-light, and the 'advanced' Overlord was in red. That was when the technical data of the two Overlord models came on screen…which was from what the Delta 6 crew could salvage from the totalled wrecks.

"They came out like Cube Fighters from their own Seed Ships…but when they struck we were hit hard, not just by them, but by their Cube Fighter support, we found ourselves totally surprised and they came close to unleashing their harvester drones in Delta 6 when they got close enough and bypassed our defences. We were able to beat them back and destroy them. But not without costs."

"Over half of our home's systems have been damaged and the station's defensive systems and capabilities have been reduced by half. We lost good fighters and pilots…along with several groups of our fellow refugees when we were finally able to tally our losses. The station's reactor has been damaged and thus we have to repair it as best we could. Though we were able to destroy the strike team…the station and our forces are too badly damaged and out numbered to be able to mount an effective defense. As of now we…we are abandoning this station and making our way to where the Resistance to the Harvester invasion. If you are reading this…we have already abandoned the station and have left to find other human worlds and warn them of this new threat. Please…for the sake of all human life…please send this transmission to other human worlds and warn them of what new weaponry the Harvesters have developed."

The transmission ended and the crew of the Nirvana were all silent as they thought about the ramifications of what they had learned. The crew were busy discussing this shocking turn of events as Magno, BC, Gascogne and Aleck mused over the new data. Aleck's suspicions were right on the target, the Harvesters had indeed been up to something major, and now the introduction their new weapons was a sign that things had just become even worse.

The situation however was about to hit them in full force as the pirates detected signals from the Harvesters…a regiment of Seed Ships were detected in tracking them. And in less than five minutes, they would meet head-on...the very same regiment that the Harvester Leader had just deployed to slow them down.

The crew rushed to their stations as they were now about to fight with the Harvesters and their latest toys. As the pirates got into their machines, both Vanguards and Dreads, Kyo gathered all the data he managed to get on the Overlords as he moved to the Hanger.

Magno began getting reports and BC went on to gain the information from the rest of the bridge crew.

"Captain, Harvester signals are now three hundred miles, twenty minutes to visual contact." Belvedere reported as Amarone also reported in as she tracked and determined the number of the incoming forces.

"There appears to be thirty Cube Fighters that are already deployed, along with ten of those Overlords, since I pick up several signatures that are Harvester signatures but are in Mobile Suits. We have at least twelve Seed Ships, half are the size that release Cube Fighters, and the larger ones…must be the ones designed to unleash the Overlords."

BC then got into contact with all of their forces, the serious woman _had_ loosened a bit, but for this battle with the new weapons of the Harvesters, she was back to being a serious text-book commander.

"Make sure not to get bogged down and avoid needless engagements. These are new weapons so don't think that they will be the same as the Cube Fighters we have been fighting with before."

"Roger!"

The crew knew what that meant. The previous ambush was still fresh on their minds, the Nirvana clone, the Behemoth, Hell-Fire, Wyvern, and the Devastator Gundams were the show of just how far the Harvesters had gone to create new weaponry to conquer and harvest humanity. They had nearly lost in the ambush and they were now once more under attack and this time, they may not be fighting Gundam units, but they knew better than to look down on the brutal skill of the Harvesters.

Just as they all went into formation to engage the enemy, they were going to learn more as the Harvesters made their attack, Cube Fighters forming the spear tip, while the new Overlords formed the shaft of the attacking forces, the two Seed Ship types were now flying in the rear, ready to bolster the ranks if they incurred losses.

The result was explosive as the Dreads and Vanguards unleashed their payloads of missiles first and hen their beam fire, along with the Cube Fighters unleashing their laser cannons and the Overlords unleashed their own attacks. The entire region of space was now filled with missile trails, explosions, beam fire as the forces once more collided, but with the advent of the new Harvester Overlords the situation was different now. The Dread pilots were about to face for the first time in their lives, Mobile Suits.

--

On Melanos…

"Admiral…are you sure we can do anything this time?"

An aide spoke to her commander as the elderly man looked at the tactical map in his battle-cruiser's command room. The Melanos fleet gathered all of it's ships, fighters and personnel in order to combat the incoming Harvester menace. The people of the planet had placed a valiant resistance to the Harvesters, in the past they had not been totally inspired by Kyo in their first encounter, many of the fleet were new, but the core command fleet were composed of the same number of surviving Melanos ships that Kyo had met when he was wandering after leaving the Nirvana from Barnette's mutiny.

The fleet had been part of the Resistance for nearly the whole year and had helped lead the defence force for their planet and also helped in supporting their fellow Resistance allies in destroying as many of the Harvest Armada as they could, while making sure that under no circumstances would they be attacking their home-planets. The tactics have worked so far and the Resistance has been able to keep a balance with the Harvester forcers. But this time the tables were turned…

They were now facing a massive assault fleet unlike the whole military ladder had ever seen in their life-times. The number of battle ships was not the only thing that was impossible to grasp…but the presence of Gundams, and the newly deployed Harvester Mobile Suits were very troubling…but two rumours were the most terrifying of all.

A battle-ship that had the power and the size that rivalled ALL the battle-ships of the Harvester Armada…and it had more fire-power, armour, and support units than any other battle-ship the Resistance had ever seen. The ship may be slow and had to be escorted…but such a battle-ship would never be seen if something not major was set in motion by the Harvesters.

And a Gundam that was the leader of the ENTIRE fleet! It resembled the Gundam piloted by Kyo when they first encountered the Gundam pilot when the first defense fleet had been sent out to stop the Harvesting operation on Melanos…but they could tell that this one was far advanced, and could be a new prototype. They had seen no record of the Gundam fighting when they had encountered the fleet where a part of their people had been assigned to. The Gundam was mid-night black, red, and golden, and had crimson glowing feathers on it's wings. They had seen Gundams that followed the design of Kyo's Gundam flying alongside it and several other models as well that they had not seen before. The Gundam in question did not participate in the battle and seemed to be content to merely coordinate and direct the Harvester forces and their new weapons on the fleet. In less than thirty minutes, the fleet which their brethren had been part of had to retreat or face total destruction by the forces of the Harvesters.

The size of the fleet heading their way and the new weapons had forced the Melanos people to make the ultimate choice…and that was to prepare a planetary evacuation. They had also received the dire warning of the people from the Delta 6 station and knew that if what they had been told was accurate and authentic…then there would be now way they could muster a force strong enough to fight back against the incoming Harvester hordes. Though the idea of leaving their home-planet was appalling to the people of the fertile planet, it was far better for their people to survive than to be wiped out. They had less than twelve hours left as every non-military ship they had was being filled with supplies and reconfigured for the massive exodus of their people, half of their fully assembled fleet from their colonies who also were in the stages of evacuation, were to act as the first rear guard to slow the Harvesters down and buy time for the evacuation to occur. The other half would serve as the escort force for the massive exodus fleet. They had to hurry as delaying would spell their doom.

The older soldier sighed as he faced his subordinate.

"I do not know…such a fleet can only mean that the Harvesters now intend to wipe us all out…no doubt after they had stripped us of every organ we have."

The aide trembled at the thought, but then wondered just why the Harvesters' sudden change of tactics.

"But why? Why did the Harvester Forces go from wanting to harvest us…to wiping us into oblivion? It hardly makes sense to me…and to everyone else. Such a fleet of that size… and then all those weapons…it feels like it is not a harvesting operation…but an extermination fleet. Why Admiral, would they decide to do this?"

"I wish I knew…I truly pray to all the gods that I knew the answer to that question…but I can't help but feel that such an answer would be too horrible for any of us to imagine."

--

Back to the Harvester invasion fleet…in the massive ship…

The leader was now facing the command centre he had personally supervised to be built in the ship. The massive room was the size of a large social dinning hall, where there were some beautiful stone pillars and amazingly enough…running water and plants growing. The place had been personally made by him when the massive battle-ship had been reactivated for the retaliatory invasion of all the human worlds, their final harvest…and their final destruction from this world, they had served their purpose after all…and it was time for the half-breeds to be finally wiped out from this galaxy…so only the true human race would take over and rule over all the universe.

As he entered the room, he went to a nearby command centre, where droid guards and human clones were manning the stations. The humans there were not living in the truest sense and were nothing more than biological androids that were made for menial labour and were very much expendable, since they would not live long, due to organ instability. But they were useful in some ways to the leader since they were nothing more than genetic constructs and were not born with any trace of humanity, namely personality, a sense of free will, dreams…and all the other terms that defined humans. They were very few in number, but were not used much. They had no 'life' in them and would be easy to replace, but they could not be used to clone perfect organs and such were not useful to the Harvest. By all definitions, they were rejects and should have been wiped out long after the Days of Despair as they were now nothing but dying clones, stripped of any human traits.

They however were easy to program like the droids and thus found their uses…the leader had seen to that during his rise to power after the Days of Despair had ruined the planet. He had used them as copies of himself and others to foil assassination attempts by his rivals, and he set his rivals against one another by using clones of them as well…using the clones he had as the templates…namely their ability to be genetically programmed with ease.

Due to the effectiveness of using the clone DNA to merely take the full biological traits of the chosen template…the leader would send a clone into the mist of one rival who would welcome the clone, thinking of gaining an alliance…or an edge in combat, but then the clone would attack and kill the target and then the faction would target the other in retaliation for the supposed hit…while the leader had sent another to do the same attack on his other rival, framing his first victim for the attack. When the fighting was over, he would salvage the situation, and gain more allies into his fold.

These tactics, plus his own deadly skills had been all he needed to take the chair of Supreme Leader of the Harvester Council. By most standards, the clones would have been wiped out after serving their purpose…but he liked keeping keepsakes to remind him of his goals and achievements.

"My Lord…" One clone reported.

"Yes?"

"We have received a report from the science division…it appears that the Genesis serum as proven effective on several test subjects. It will take many years, but the science teams have determined that with the new supplies we can gain…the serum will be ready to be mass produced."

The leader nodded in satisfaction as he knew what the ramifications of the report meant. The serum would then be used to repair all the damage to the DNA structure of those who lived on Earth…naturally, the first were those who were important, and then it would be distributed to the masses. The serum had many uses and thus would be researched even further until they had exhausted every resource. Until then…they had to use it well.

The leader then thought back on the report he had gained from the research team concerning the sample that he had introduced…taken from the blood of the Harvester's worst enemy.

--

Flashback…

"The Project is successful?" The leader asked as he faced the head scientist in the lab. Inside the room was filled with cheers from the handful of scientists that were assigned to the project.

"Yes Leader…the serum as been completed and initial tests have shown that it is 100 compatible with human DNA, we have tested a highly saturated DNA sample with the serum…and in a span of three days, the DNA sample showed 100 viability. And when introduced into the organs that we still have on-hand, the organs are now fully operational and show no signs of genetic instability. However we still need to improve the test parameters to test live subjects to ensure that we can see if we can use the serum to synchronize the organs and the human body to repair the DNA damage in the subject, if the process succeeds, then not only will the organs be fully integrated into the subject with no danger of rejection…but the subject will no longer need to have replacement organs…however…with the decrease in organ supplies we don't have enough viable material to make the tests possible."

"I see…the fleet I will be leading will be dealing with that aspect. Once the invasion is complete, you will have all the organs you need to complete the project and allow the human race to be reborn into the state it needs to be in the evolutionary ladder."

"At once my lord, but what off the human colonists? Once we have gained the organs we need…and the serum is successful in the restoration of our people on Earth…what should we do with them?"

The leader nodded as that question was also on his mind…but he already had an answer to that question.

"They all have served their purpose well…they are nothing more than supplies for our survival and have done so well. They however have resisted this honour of giving their lives back to resurrect humanity and as such have caused us all much inconvenience. Plus with the serum and the organs we will collect to test resurrect our people…then they have served their purpose."

"Then what will we do with them? Leave them be?"

The leader laughed a bit at the idea as he faced the head scientist.

"No…this fleet I am commanding has another purpose, once we have gathered all we need from them, we will hunt them all down and crush their resistance to our will…in lay man's terms…"

"I will wipe them out…ALL of them!"

--

End of Flashback…

The leader nodded at the recollection of his memories on the plan to finally wipe out the Resistance. Normally most people would have considered leaving them all alone. But he knew better, the humans in the colonial worlds will never forget the assaults of his forces on their worlds, and like most people would be looking for revenge…once they got it into their systems to rally together and launch a retaliatory assault on the Earth. And that was one thing he could not allow. So while the Resistance was still expecting the same tactics, he had taken a fleet to finally crush them before they could rally, the numbers of human worlds were large and if they were united, then they would pose a serious threat to the Earth…better they were wiped out before that happened.

The Nirvana was also their symbol and had to destroyed before the worlds of Talark and Megele would somehow be united, their forces could be a deadly combination, along with those of other worlds. With them wiped out…then the human Resistance would be broken in will and morale…plus the final destruction of the Nirvana would be the death blow.

But for now…the pirates would have to wait their turn…

"My lord…we are approaching the outer fringes of Melanos." One clone reported to it's master as the sight of the planet came into view…along with the gathered fleet as the Harvester sensors were able to locate the united fleets from the people of Melanos' colonies.

The leader smiled as he took his helmet and personal weapons.

"Then I guess it is show time…ready the Endless Vendetta for launch…deploy all our units to follow my lead."

"At once my lord." The clone reported as it and it's companions went to work to accomplish their master's orders.

The hammer was about to fall hard on Melanos…this world would be the first to feel the wrath of the Harvester Armada, along with it's Alpha Battle-ship…and the E. Vendetta Gundam.

--

The people of Melanos were not the only ones who were about to fight the Harvesters however…

"Dread Team A! Move in formation pattern Alpha! Maintain speed and distance!"

Barnette ordered as the Dreads and Vanguards were deep in the fight. The pirates realized that they were no longer fighting the same Harvester forces as Cube Fighters were supported by Overlords and vice versa. As the battle intensified, the losses of the Harvesters were growing as the Gundams and their pilots supported the Dreads and Vanguards…but that certainly didn't mean that the pirates got away scot-free.

Several Dreads were badly demolished and the pilots had no choice but to ditch their Dreads and escape from them as they were torn apart. The pilots were also badly injured from the impact of the weapons fire they had been caught in. Thankfully Kyo's assignment of Vanguards, a pair for each Dread proved useful as he Vanguards would retrieve the escape pod of their comrade's Dread and protect it until they could evac them to the safety of the Nirvana.

The Vanguards too had suffered, the Vanguards by nature were deadly fighting machines, an with Parfet's upgrades were now more effective war-machines, but the machines were nearly a year old and were not meant to stand up to newer and deadlier models…and that was proven true as the Vanguards were still able to survive though barely as either arms, or legs were blasted or ripped off. The Overlords who were armed with heat whips did most of the damage as they attacked with not just their heat whips but their beam weapons and their beam swords. The other Overlords attacked as well, their beam tomahawk, beam rifles, and weapons were giving the pirates a seriously hard time.

The Harvesters also had learned enough on how the pirates operated, they had enough of losing too many forces. Thus this time the Cube Fighters would prey on the ranged weakness of the Vanguards, and stay a good distance from the Vanguard to minimize the risks of them being attacked in melee range where the Vanguards were at their best. The Overlords targeted the Dreads, since the Dreads were vulnerable to close combat attacks so the Cube Fighters kept the Dreads occupied while the Overlords closed in for the kill. The strategy was getting more and more effective as the numbers of Dreads and Vanguards hit and damaged were growing, though they have not taken any pirate prisoners.

Even the battle hardened Taisians were also being pushed back as they fought against the new forces of the Harvesters.

The Harvester battleship that was converted by the pirates also suffered losses in it's Cube Fighter ranks as it unleashed more Seed Ships, it's numbers however were not hat many so the losses were considerable for the converted Harvester units. The units had adopted a golden sheen with blue and red to differentiate them further from the original Cube Fighters. They acts as security for both their main ship and the Nirvana, and came to the defense of the Nirvana, but they too were being massacred.

But the Gundams of the Nirvana were able to hold the line and so were the Vanguards and Dreads, having to rely on previous experience on the desert world when facing the multitudes of Desert Fangs, Ogres, and the Dominion Gundams, however they had to be careful since they were now in the front lines this time.

One Dread had been hit was about to be chopped in half by an Overlord's beam tomahawk, but the weapon was blocked by Jura's beam saber, forcing the Overlord away and the two Mobile Suits, duelled as the Overlord tried to hack Jura to bits while the blonde pilot blocked with her Gundam's beam sabers, she quickly dodged and incoming chop and then used her left beam saber which was in it's short setting and ripped into the elbow joint of the Overlord, severing the limb, and then she slashed off the head of the Overlord, allowing the Dread to retreat from the battle and gain repairs.

Jura then clashed with several more Overlords and with several precise strikes was able to take them down before using her shields deflect the beam fire coming from the ones that used their long range beam weapons, sending the shots back to the shooters, and when the Overlords dodged, they were attacked by the beam sabers, which were in the beam whip form as the energy blades ripped them into two. The Gundam then blocked an incoming beam sword strike with her retracted short beam saber and before the Overlord could use it's shield, Jura leaped back and fired her beam weapons and shredded the Overlord's arm and before the Mobile Suit could recover. Jura jammed her Gundam's beam sabers into the Mobile Suit's shoulders and then she took out the weapons and slashed the Mobile Suit in half.

"Man…these things are faster than any Cube Fighter!" The blonde said as she used her Gundam's shield to block even more beam fire from a pair of Overlords and Cube Fighters.

Both types of Harvester units however were not able to attack Jura any further as they were blasted apart by Dita' Azure Angel Gundam with all of it's beam cannons in HiMAT mode. The Gundam then blocked several beam salvos from the Overlords with it's beam shield generators. Dita then used her beam sabers and her Gundam's speed and manoeuvrability to close in while trying to dodge the beam fire and she attacked both Overlords. One had it's legs torn off by the redhead's attack and the other was able to escape, but Dita then fired her Gundam's abdomen cannon catching the Mobile Suit off-guard as it was trying to escape…it was torn in half by the attack. Dita then combined both beam rifles to the beam cannon form and blasted several Cube Fighters into scrap and she then released her Gundam's DRAGOON weapons and took out more of the Cube Fighters and disabled several more or Overlords. But another Overlord was able to evade the barrage and attack the redhead with it's beam sword, forcing Dita to place aside her Gundam's beam rifles and use her beam sabers to block the attack, and then there were two more coming to attack Dita from behind, armed with their beam swords. But Jura returned the favour from Dita previously by slashing both Mobile Suits with her Gundam's anti-ship swords, cutting both into two as she flew parallel with Dita as they continued to fight.

Meia took out more Cube Fighters with her beam rifle and then used her Gundam's beam aura emitters on her Gundam and streak into the masses of the Harvester units, taking out Cube Fighters and severely damaging Overlords. Once she deactivated the system, she took out her beam katana and began fighting with a pair of Overlords, one armed with a beam tomahawk, the other armed with a beam sword. She blocked the attacks with her shield and after dodging an overhead chop from the tomahawk wielder, she dodged in the strike arc, flipping her Gundam while in flight and struck diagonally at the Mobile Suit, managing to avoid the block from the Overlord's shield. The beam katana sliced off the left arm long with the shield. Meia then jammed her Gundam's beam katana in the head and defeat the Mobile Suit. The other Mobile Suit attacked with it's beam guns, making Meia move out of the way. The Overlord stabbed at Meia as she jetted back, but she was able to dodge the attack though barely and she was able to block the attack with her shield and then she took out her other beam katana and used the new one to slash off the arms of the Overlord and then she jammed her other beam katana into the back of the Overlord.

The former Dread leader then used her beam rifle to take out more Cube Fighters while closing the distance and taking out more with her beam katana while the shield was expanded to defend her from beam rifle strikes and beam swords as eh held her own until Dita and Jura came to her side as the three fought on.

Kyo was also busy as he took out his Gundam's beam sabers and began to slice through enemy opposition as he fought in what appeared to be through instinct. The Gundam was slicing through the enemy, and when facing long range enemies, the Gundam pilot switched to the use of beam rifles, his plasma cannons, and the rail guns, those that came too close were also treated to high energy darts from the collectors on the fore-arms of the Gundam and the CIWS guns installed on both shoulders and the head section. In a second, Kyo unleashed his Gundam's full beam barrage as the crystal feathers solidified and broke free in their metallic form and Kyo locked on all the targets he could spot.

"TAKE THIS!!"

The beam storm totalled Cube Fighters and Overlords, leaving massive amounts of wrecks on the side of the Harvesters. Kyo then took out his Gundam's anti-ship swords and slashed in half diagonally a bunch of charging Overlords. Kyo then combined both in zweihander form and began to hack and rip through the enemy.

Osso and his Taisian comrades were very much still in the fight, but they held on and maintained their focus as best they could…holding off the enemy and helping in rescue and recovery.

"Damn! My systems are getting clogged up!" Barnette shouted as sparks flew in front of her and her Dread's HUDS flickered a bit. Her Dread had been damaged considerably since the fighting had reached this stage and she could tell that she would have to retreat, but she would not leave her comrades alone to fight.

"Hang on Barnette!" max said as he flew his Templar Gundam close to her Dread, both worked side by side together well as the Gundam flew alongside her Dread to support it.

Barnette and Max were going at it too and at full tilt, but the Dread pilot's machine was badly hit and the damage was strong and inhibiting the Dread's performance, as Max was able to fend off most the attackers aiming to take out the new Dread squadron leader. The damage had also decreased the Dread's striking power and Barnette decided that she had no choice in the matter. She got into contact with Gascogne and made a new order.

--

Register…

"Go ahead Barnette!" Gascogne said as she got the incoming order from Barnette. The Register were working at full tilt as they brought in fresh supplies, missiles and power pack, along with whatever the Dreads and Vanguards needed to keep up the fight.

"My Dread's getting hit hard! I need a new weapon."

"What?! What new weapon are you talking about?"

"Load the Switchblade Gundam in the Dreki, I'll use it."

Gascogne nodded and contacted the personnel in the Hanger to begin loading the Gundam in question into her shuttle for on the spot delivery. The Gundam was still in it's normal Mobile Suit mode so it would take time. However with the light of the current battle, even replacement Vanguards were in her Dreki to replace the ones that got damaged during the fighting.

--

The battle continued to unfold as the pirates' Dreads were being rearmed by Gascogne as her shuttle was being defended by some members of the Crusader Squadron, along with Aleck's GUiAZ as the Mobile Suit was blasting away at the incoming Cube Fighters, he also had to be careful as the enemy were now armed with melee beam weapons. That was proven true as he dodged and weaved from the beam swords and beam tomahawks being used against him at every regular interval by the Overlords.

The grizzled Talark veteran dodged one attack, but had to sacrifice his Mobile Suit's assault rifle as a beam sword slash was aiming at his Mobile Suit's head. The Talark solder however retaliated with his own assault sword and quickly smashed his weapon right into the chest of his attacker and moved away before things could get too complicated.

Sara then contacted the Talark veteran and tossed him her beam rifle. The Talark male thanked her for the assist as she jetted off with the others to the Dreki and get her vanguard, which had lost both legs in a fight, along with several still hot welts from barely dodged beam weapons strikes. As soon as the Vanguards were picked up, the Templar Gundam appeared with Barnette's Dread near it. The two men then covered Barnette as she guided her damaged Dread into one of the cargo bays of the Dreki, under the guidance of Gascogne who told her of the location of her newly ordered war machine.

As soon as Barnette go into the Dreki, she got out of the Dread she had piloted and saw the extensive damage. The Overlords used their melee weapons when they got close enough to her and if it hadn't been for her training in the use of the Vanguard and the Switchblade Gundam in evading she would have been totally destroyed, though her Dread was seriously hampered in close quarters…as the welts, slashes, and exposed circuitry were showing on her Dread. Plus the fact that max was supporting her showed that she was still alive anyway. But her Dread was not meant to take on Cube Fighters and close combat units at the same time as she saw from her Dread's diagnostics that it was badly hit and some systems were in need of serious repairs. The Dread was locked for transport back to the Nirvana as Gascogne directed her to her Gundam.

She then got into the cockpit of the Switchblade and began to access the OS and make some changes that would help her performance. She had been training with the Gundam for a few weeks before so as to have some back-up options when in the fight and from the looks of the situation the training was paying off as she finished her work and then activated her Gundam. The systems came online and on the outside, the normally dull grey Mobile Suit went back to it's chosen colour scheme.

"Gascogne! I am ready to move out!" Barnette said as she got Gascogne on the communication systems of the Switchblade Gundam.

"Okay, get ready to be deployed!"

--

Aleck and Max fought side by side as both GUiAZ and Templar Gundam in tandem as the two protected the Dreki from incoming attack. The Gundam's beam sabers were a better choice and thus Max handed one his Gundam's beam sabers to Aleck's Mobile Suit to use. As he blocked another attack, he was suddenly aware of an incoming Cube Fighter trying to blast at him, and he blocked them, the Cube Fighter was blown out of space by several beam shots, and sure enough, coming from the Dreki was the Switchblade Gundam armed with it's beam rifle and that was going all out as it took out more Cube Fighters with it and the rest of it's guns as it jetted beside them as he finished off his Overlord opponent by slamming his shield into the chest and then beheading the Overlord with his still present beam saber.

"You all right?" Barnette asked her partner and object of affections.

Max was about to reply when he spotted a squadron of Cube Fighters attempting to ambush Barnette from behind. He jetted quickly to her side and blocked their attacks with his Gundam's shield and then activated her HiMAT system and used is plasma cannons and rail-guns to turn them into scrap. He then turned his Gundam to face Barnette's own.

"Are you all right?" He said with a smile, asking the same question to the one he had just saved.

Barnette smiled. "Just fine, we've got to go help the others!"

Both Gundams jetted into action as Barnette got into contact with the Dreads and lead them once more while using her Gundam's Mobile Armour form. The Gundams worked in tandem once more, as Barnette engaged the Cube Fighters and Overlords while Max did the same and supported her with long range support bombardment.

They had to hold the line and fight off the Harvesters, as the surviving Taisians came to their aid along with their fellow Gundam pilots. Dita, Jura, and Meia were there, along with Sara and Mai, who were now riding new and freshly rearmed Vanguards, the Dread pilots who were taken out, began to reappear in newly rebuilt Dreads, though some were accordingly in the Medical Bay for injuries suffered in the fighting.

--

Kyo had enough of this nonsense as he powered up his HiMAT once more and unleashed his SUPER DRAGOON cannons and then when they were unleashed, he fired a massive barrage of beams into the cloud of Cube Fighters and Overlords. The older fighters of the Harvesters were blown into scrap, while Overlords were being dissected, their heads blown off, arms blasted off, or their legs, chunks of their frames ripped out, being blasted into two pieces, and more by the beams from the interdependent cannons, the survivors tried to go on the defensive from the beam barrage, but Kyo charged into their ranks with beam sabers in the hands of his Gundam and sliced into them before they could be prepared, the ones who tried to escape were blasted by the beam cannons that flew in at different angles to take them out in various angles of attack with the beam fire coming from them. The Harvesters tried to branch outward, but that was when the beam cannons became beam sabers and slashed through their ranks, creating even more confusion as Kyo then took out his anti-ship swords once more than combined them into staff form and began to hack and slash apart Cube Fighters and Overlords, even if the Overlords tried to block the combined weapon, the impact was enough to smash through their shields with no effort as more were being reduced into scrap. The attacks from Kyo's Gundam with the beam saber/cannons blasting and slashing, along with all fifty cannons firing at once with the fused plasma cannons and rail-guns, reducing even further the numbers as Bart came into the fray with his own attacks of plasma.

The Seed Ships were getting ready to unleash more of their Cube Fighters and Overlords but Kyo and the pirates were certainly not going to let then get away with the idea.

The Gundams lead the counter attack, with the Dreads, Vanguards, Taisian Mobile Suits, and converted Cube Fighters next to them, with Bart providing salvo after salvo of suppression fire to lessen the numbers even further.

The Gundams went after the Seed Ships producing the Overlords to lessen the dangers the Mobile Suits of the Harvesters presented since they were a threat of they bypassed their defensive lines and headed for the Nirvana itself.

Kyo dodged the tendrils of one Seed Ship and introduced his beam sabers into the open maw, ripping into the insides of the Seed Ship and preventing it from closing it's maw in defense. He then fired his rail-guns into the mouth and then jetted away as the rounds exited the back of the Seed Ship and the ship exploded. He then took out his anti-ship swords and combined them once more into zweihander form and slashed downward on the head of the Seed Ship and then swung the blade on the other edge to slash to the side in half the Seed Ship.

Jura blocked incoming barrages and took a glancing hit from the tendrils of another Seed Ship, her Gundam's P. Phase Shift Armour more than equalized in terms of defense. She then slashed off the tendrils with her anti-ship swords and then placed back the weapons and then slashed the Seed Ship's armour with her beam saber. As it tried to retreat, Jura used both beam sabers which ad become beam whips to slash and whip the Seed Ship into oblivion. The Seed Ship sported a barrage of scars all over itself until the armour gave way and was melted like butter, along with the rest of the Seed Ship and it's insides was melted as Jura lashed out both beam whips for the last time on the Seed Ship, reducing it into four dissected pieces as she looked at her take down.

Dita slashed her beam sabers at the Seed Ship and blocked several retaliatory attacks with her beam shields. She then blasted at the Seed Ship with her beam rifles. She also unleashed her Gundam's own DRAGOON weapon system, along with the rail-guns and the abdomen cannon and unleashed a mess of beam fire that hit the Seed Ship repeatedly as explosions covered it and rendered it unable to effectively counter attack…and before the Seed Ship could escape, Dita fired her combined beam rifles and blasted through the Seed Ship's weakened armour in one hit, destroying her foe.

Meia used her beam rifle, plasma cannons and rail-guns to even up the odds, she then flew around the Seed Ship, using her Gundam's superior speed to out-flank and out wit her larger foe, while slashing away with both her beam katanas, leaving massive slashes and damage on the vessel. She then jammed both beam katanas into the front of the Seed Ship and then fired all her weapons on the now forced open maw of the Seed Ship, severely damaging the ship as she got her beam katanas and jetted away from the destroyed ship.

Max did the same thing, blasting at the Seed Ship to weaken it further, but instead of slashing repeatedly he slashed the ship's side wide open and took a few fragmentation grenades from a demolished Overlord and stuffed the weapons into the ripped open armour of the Seed Ship and then jetted back and fired his Gundam's weapons as the grenades, ripping off massive chunks of the Seed Ship's armour and insides. It tried to fight back with whatever energy it had, but Max then tossed both beam sabers like javelins at the exposed Seed Ship and when the weapons passed through he fired his weapons once more, ripping to bits the Seed Ship as he got his beam sabers back.

Barnette also took out her target as she dodged and weaved through the Seed Ship's attempts to stop her from attacking it. Her Gundam was still in Mobile Armour mode and that allowed her to keep in pace much better with dodging the incoming fire. She then got closer and like she did before on the desert world, used her Gundam's wing like a blade and slashed the Seed Ship, and that caused the Seed Ship to move away. Barnette however wasn't done as she flew upwards and blasted at the Seed Ship, namely where she had slashed it before, casing the Seed Ship to suffer more damage until she converts her Gundam from Mobile Armour mode to Mobile Suit mode, taking out her beam rifle and blasting away and then placed her weapon aside and drew her Gundam's beam sabers and slashed right at the Seed Ship in a series quick passes that destroyed the remaining armour skin and then Barnette fired her beam rifles, beam cannons and other weapons in Mobile Suit mode to finally finish off the target.

The pirates then overwhelmed the last of the Seed Ships and the ships were reduced into burning rubble by the combined strike of the pirates.

The battle ended with victory for the pirates, but they had suffered losses, many vanguards were either de-limbed, over-used and suffered system crashes, and had to be recycled. Dreads suffered significant damages from combat engagements not meant for normal Dread design and thus they all had been severely tested. The converted Cube Fighters were lost by the hundred as they were seen floating about, even some of their own Seed Ships were totalled.

The only good news was that none of the pilots were lost, many however were injured in the battle and they Nirvana could ill afford to engage in another battle until they recovered, plus there was the need to effect full repairs for all the Dreads, Vanguards, and the Taisian Mobile Suits, along with the Nirvana. They had to stop, rest, repair and rebuild their forces.

As they all made it back to the Nirvana under BC's orders…Kyo wondered how the rest of the galaxy and the Resistance were doing.

--

Back at Melanos… a few hours after the Harvester Fleet arrived…

The admiral and his staff were in shock, despair and anger at what had happened in the battle of their home-world as they were now at least a few hundred light years away, near their surviving fleet were the cruisers, transports, destroyers and other ships from their main home-planet and other colonies. The fleet that had stayed to defend Melanos and it's people during the evacuation were lucky to have walked away, but had lost nearly two thirds of it's current forces to the Harvesters…but they had no choice as they had also lost another precious part of their civilization.

Their home-planet, the one they had all been born on, where all their friends, loved ones, family, and their deceased had been on…had been completely obliterated. The planet was no longer habitable and was now nothing more than a barren, fire consumed mockery of it's former verdant and lush glory as they could do nothing but watch in horror, grief, and rage. Their scientists had determined that the massive damage to their world now made it a wasteland unable to support even the most basic life forms…for all intents and purposes…the planet Melanos was no more.

And it's people were now rendered homeless like the Taisians as they grieved for their now dead world and all they had lost due to the Harvester invasion of their home-system…

The fleet had barely got out in time…the Harvesters were letting them escape, as if they were showing mercy for once…but the admiral and his staff knew better. The leader of the Harvesters wanted them to leave and go to the Resistance and tell them of the fate that awaited their worlds when the Harvesters came and crushed their forces…

The people of Melanos had no choice, but they would never forget this day…and they will never give up until they had their chance at revenge.

--

The Nirvana…

"Report BC, what was the outcome of the battle?" Magno asked as she and the rest of the senior officers were present, naturally this time, it included Kyo and the three former Dread pilots who now piloted Gundams, along with Osso Vega for their Taisian allies.

Buzam began to report as she indicated the images in the view screen. The first set of images were that of injured personnel and recovering members both their Dread and Vanguard squadrons who were being tended to by Duero, Max, Paiway, and even some security personnel, along with some of the Register girls who had been given some first aid and EMT training by both medics in case that they were short handed on medical personnel.

"Most of the pilots have been injured and are in recovery, many of them have sustain considerable injures from the engagement and it will take several days or to a week for half of them to recover, longer for the others who have more serious injuries, leaving us understaffed for a while. The only good news is that we have suffered no fatalities or deaths in the two squadrons and that we should be thankful for. There have been injuries also to our ship's crew when the Harvesters were able to come close and engage us. This means that until the rest of the Dread and Vanguard pilots recover, we have to rely on those that are still able to fight and pilot. Our Taisian allies have also suffered injuries but no loss of life, thank Grandma….despite this Captain…we have an even greater lack of personnel and that is a great danger in the situation we are in right now."

BC continued at her report.

"Furthermore, the converted Harvester battle-ship's Cube Fighter numbers have been reduced considerably and it will take time to replace the lost units, which will make things bit harder, they are effective against Cube Fighters on the side of the Harvesters, but stand no chance with the Overlords."

"What about our Dreads and Vanguards?"

The images changed to the Register, and the Engineering Bay. In the said locations were the bodies of badly mauled Dreads and Vanguards, all over them were Parfet's Engineering crew and the Register girls. They all were busy shouting orders and making needed repairs along with getting replacement parts and fuel cells for all the machines. Gascogne was the one who headed this section of the report as she took the floor.

"Most if not all the Dreads have been badly damaged, many of their power plants were over-heated and their systems are in need of overhauls and maintenance. Our Dread's shields were made to deflect beam fire, such as when we had been ambushed in that asteroid field nearly a year ago. But they were never designed to handle solid projectiles like the Urchin ships, and now even more so with solid energy blade weapons like those beam tomahawks and beam swords. To add to that, the inability of the Dreads' shields to block solid weapon attacks is evident with their heat whips since the Dreads have taken considerable damage, thankfully their heavier armour came in handy in that regard. The Dreads' also were at a severe disadvantage when they were engaged at close range. The weakness hat Parfet pointed out is even more evident now after this battle."

"The Vanguards were not at all safe either. Many of the Vanguards had been severely damaged that most of them are only useful now as spare parts and junk. They have been pushed to their limits. Many of them have lost limbs and their systems have nearly been pushed beyond their design limits, even with some of Parfet's new instalment of better armour, power systems, and weapons. The Vanguards may be more numerous than the Dreads, but they suffered a larger amount of damages due to them not being able to hold their own with the Harvesters' new units. We may have a serious disadvantage of those Mobile Suits are now part of the Harvesters' forces. Until we can upgrade all our forces to even up the odds, we'll need to rely on half of the standing forces, the Cube Fighters we have under our control, and the Gundams."

The pirates began to consider their current options, and saw that they had some serious things to consider. One was the need to fully overhaul all of their standing forces in order to defeat this new threat. The second was to forge even more alliances as they now saw that if the Harvesters had indeed made newer and far deadlier weapons. And the last was to rally and stop whatever dark and insidious plans the Harvesters had in mind for the rest of the human worlds.

As the others continued to discuss various options, Kyo hoped that the people of Delta 6 were safe, he prayed that they were alive and were not victims of the Harvesters' forces as he also listened to the possible solutions being placed forward.

The first thing he agreed on was the massive overhaul for all the war machines of the pirates, both Dreads and Gundams. Plus he agreed with the need to establish an interval system of the Gundams boosting the security of the ship with the support of both the converted Cube Fighters and the still operational Dreads, and Vanguards with the pilots still able to fight. He hoped that they had time for their fellow crewmembers to recover as the meeting went on.

It was going to be a long trip…

--

Kyo's fear and worry was well placed as the Harvester Fleet, having devastated and rendered Melanos worthless, were on their way to continue their bloody and brutal assault on the rest of the galaxy. The human worlds have no idea what was happening, but there were some who were ready to fight…no matter what.

The people of Delta 6 however had little to fear as they were now joining up with the rest of the Resistance. Liz, Patch, Kouji, and Maia were happy beyond words to finally find other humans dedicated to stopping the Harvesters. The fleet of Delta 6 refugees had been adrift for nearly several days to near two weeks. And they had been doing their absolute best in the circumstances to avoid being ambushed by the Harvester forces that were now prowling the galaxy.

The Resistance were happy to finally gain the aid of more who wished to do battle with the Harvesters, and from the people who had warned them of the Harvesters in the past, the Resistance owed both them and the Nirvana and now it was time to repay that debt…they were able to share new data concerning the activities of their hated enemies and were also informed of the movements of the Harvest. They however began to feel fear and confusion when they began to hear rumours of the massive planetary exodus of the Melanos people since they had heard the communiqué from the people of the planet that a massive Harvester fleet was on their way to their world, prompting them to leave their world.

They had heard that the Melanos people were already on their way...but they had suffered very high losses. All the Resistance Council could do was hope that they would make it to the location of the designated meeting place so they can be given aid by the rest of the Resistance.

--

As the Harvester Fleet left the battle-zone surrounded by the ruined hulks of ships and fighters from the fleet of Melanos, the leader was busy in the main battle-ship's hanger…overlooking the repairs and refuelling of his Gundam with a smile.

The planet was now nothing more than an inferno covered ball of fire as the fleet salvaged what they could and checked the number of organs they had been able to receive. Plus the message they had sent to the other Resistance worlds through the exodus of the people of Melanos would certainly have been received.

The leader then began to recall the reason for the project known as the Re-Genesis Project. When the event known as the Days of Despair happened, and the loss of life on Earth had occurred, it had caused a massive wound on the human race left on the once verdant planet…and after. The gene pool had been devastated by radiation storms, the lack of space, and the lack of variety, that naturally lead to a full gene break-down leaving no children to take over for future generations…and as such, the people relied on organs from other humans to survive. But like a good leader, he knew that such a plan would lead to the death of the people on Earth eventually due to the limited amounts of habitable worlds in the universe and wiping out the colonists was a serious flaw in thinking.

The Re-Genesis project relied on the DNA sequences they had gained from the Harvested humans to create a special DNA serum strand that when introduced into the human bodies would initiate a full stabilization of the human genome to allow humans on Earth to live again with the use of advanced technology, namely nano-machines. The DNA in the past had been so irradiated, broken, and unstable that they would not attempt to alter and repair the DNA sequence since so many attempts had ended in the deaths of a few of the survivors when the procedure was done…and thus would be a death sentence to them all, regardless if they were of the higher ranks or that of the lower ranks. The Harvester Council had known this and thus the attempt to find a more permanent solution was needed than just harvesting organs since the organs WERE limited after all.

Thus the Re-Genesis Project was born and he was the official leader of the project. It was started to create a special gene serum that could be also given nano-machines to support it and then when introduced could make the DNA structure more stable and more capable of replicating itself. The scientist were also told to find the needed 'dominant trait' genes to ensure that the people on Earth would gain all the important advantages to survive, while the 'recessive ones' were discarded. They needed it all, the physical and mental traits that would give them the advantage to allow the pure human race on Earth to claim the galaxy for it's own. However, they had to use the DNA of the colonists who had adapted and survived outside of Earth's now corrupted atmosphere, and had been able to procreate well to produce their populations.

The Re-Genesis Project, was naturally similar to the Harvest in objectives, gaining the needed materials to ensure the survival of humanity on Earth…but their resource targets were very different. While the Harvest targeted organs, the Re-Genesis Project targeted the blue-print of life.

However…unlike organs, the DNA was more plentiful and could be manipulated more effectively. However, due to the facts that such dominant traits are hard to locate and effectively cultivate, and due to large attempts that ended in failure for the past few months to near a year to create the perfect strain of the proposed DNA serum, and then to create the needed nano-machines to begin the reconstruction and integration process in a living test subject…which they had in very few numbers as well. For the past months before the arrival of the Nirvana, the Re-Genesis Project had hit a near deadly snag due to the pirates, and their resistance. That became more evident when their supplies for workable DNA samples had decreased. They had to rely on all that they could get. It was ironic in a sense that they now had in their possession the DNA of their greatest threat…

And through genes…Kyo Yamato became the saviour of the Harvesters in an ironic twist of fate. Now the leader knew that it was time to pay him back…

The leader then smiled and laughed a bit more…none of the drones acknowledged his terrifying laugh…except the Gundam he piloted as parts of the red Paeksis core that was revealed in strategic points all over the armour glowed in unison.

--

Two days later…

Kyo was busy getting out of bed and eating his quick break-fast, consisting of dried meat, mashed potatoes, a few small pan-cakes, and some toast, along with some hot coffee. The Gundam pilot had been busy and had not slept well in the past two days since the incident with the new Harvester forces. The Gundam pilot was working since the crack of early morning to help with the repairs of the Vanguards and the Dreads alongside the rest of the Engineering crew and Parfet, though they had manage to get half of the numbers back on their operational status as weapons for the pirates, their pilots would need to have better time to rest and recover, thus they were still understaffed. The Nirvana now had to rely on the Taisians, their Mobile Suits, the Gundam pilots, their Gundams, the converted Cube Fighters along with the Harvester Battle-ship, and the still active and capable Vanguard and Dread pilots, with the machines that could still fight in a combat situation.

Despite the numbers advantage going to them for once, they had learned to be careful. The Harvesters had sent those units to merely test them, just like they did in the first encounter nearly a year before. The results of the test encounters were obvious, with the creation of Urchin Ships to counter the Dreads, the fast fighter units, the Dominion Gundam series, the Nirvana clone, the GunDread clones, and the Behemoth, Hell-Fire, Wyvern, Devastator Gundams. The Harvesters had used the battles to test and gauge them all more than once, and so it was natural for them all to assume that the Harvesters would soon come up with more powerful weapons and deadlier tactics. Thus the Gundam pilot and the rest of his comrades were on near 24 hour alert…changing on regular intervals to ensure that they were ready for anything.

In then came Dita, Jura, Meia, Barnette, and Max. All of them were still the same but they looked a bit more care-worn than most due to the increase of the patrols they had to do in their Mobile Suits. The reason was that although the Cube Fighters they had in their arsenal were far more numerous, the Cube Fighters were not very effective when it came to attacking the new generation Harvester units, the Overlords, thus they all would have to be in the battle-zone at a certain time frame when it comes to dealing with possible Harvester threats.

Dita took a break-fast of waffles, corned beef, vegetables, and cold lemon juice and naturally sat close to Kyo. Not to be outdone by the redhead, Jura also sat close to Kyo, with her was some chopped vegetables, fried lamb meat, warm rice, and some cool melon juice, Also not to be outdone, the aqua blue-haired girl also sat in close proximity to Kyo, her plate having some scrambled eggs, carrots, some fried ham slices, and some cold grape juice. Sara and Mai also came in and sat next to Kyo, Sara had warm spiced bread loaves, pan-cakes, hot beef, with coleslaw and warm tea. And Mai had garlic rice, with hotdogs, mashed potatoes with gravy, and hot tea. Both girls were not outdone by the three female Gundam pilots as they too sat close to the male Gundam pilot.

The three Gundam pilots had gotten closer to Kyo for the past few weeks and the two days they all had been doing non-stop operations for the past two days…naturally making Kyo all the more nervous around them when it came to his blasted hormones. The difference was, two days before he was now bunking down with non other than Jura basil Elden!

Having recalled the last time he had been in the room of the gorgeous blonde woman, he was VERY nervous at being so close to the blonde pilot, still a bit wary of any possible seduction tricks she was going to pull. And she didn't disappoint him, having came out of her room in her red sheer velvet nightdress, which was VERY seductive, while giving Kyo VERY ample opportunities to see her curves and swells in all the right places. The blonde was more than willing to let Kyo stay with her. And like any normal man, Kyo's mind was cooking in his increasing body heat when he saw her.

--

Flashback…

(God…how am I going to survive this new week?!)

Kyo thought to himself as he hauled his personal gear to Jura's location. When he discovered that he was now assigned to bunk down with Jura, he realized that he was in SERIOUS trouble. The blonde was grinning like mad and sending Kyo VERY happy looks, which made Kyo nervous as hell, and the rest of the girls in a fit. They could do nothing however as Magno had made it clear that he was going to be staying with the blonde Gundam pilot.

He was finally before the door and waited. At that exact moment the door opened and out came Jura who had her hair well done as always, and was also in a ponytail beside her left shoulder and with a warm smile on her.

"Hello Kyo! Nice to see you've made it!"

"Uh…hi Jura."

Kyo was trying his best not to look at Jura's figure and remained on her face…though that was a hell of a challenge, considering what the blonde had on her this time, it had been bad enough to see her in her normal garb, but apparently this one was for sleeping purposes.

The red velvet dress had thin straps, and that allowed Kyo to see the cream like skin Jura had and the top was doing a slightly fair job of keeping Jura's bust contained, though the shape certainly showed the fullness of her breasts, though the dress was a bit loose for added room and comfort to the wearer, and the dress also hugged her frame rather well, just like her dress, the only think Kyo was thankful though barely for was the fact that Jura's new garb wasn't as revealing as her normal one, but having seen Jura naked MORE once, he had NO trouble knowing what she looked like. The dress also had the same slits on the side of the hips, showing the womanly curves of her hips, and the sleekness of her legs. How he managed to not drool like a moron at the sight was beyond his understanding.

Jura smiled even more as Kyo was studying her VERY carefully, even though he didn't want to. She saw the effects she had on him and then for his benefit turned around a bit, allowing her to move her hair aside and show that the dress was backless allowing him to roam his eyes on her back. The blonde them smirked as she leaned and stood of her toes a bit and whispered seductively on Kyo's ears, with a warm husky tone.

"Like what you see?"

"Huh?! Yeah…I do."

"Good…now I want to welcome you to MY room."

"How?" Kyo asked, even more nervous than he thought possible.

"Like this."

Jura smiled and then kissed him before he could do anything, a deep, hot and moist kiss on the lips, Kyo's mouth was open for a moment and Jura then slid her tongue into his mouth further startling the already aroused Gundam pilot. She held him in place with her arms and then, like before when they nearly had sex, Kyo responded and they began to have another deep kiss. And though it was brief, both were enjoying it immensely. Jura smiled and broke the kiss rather reluctantly and made Kyo wonder why as well.

She smiled at his totally stunned expression. "Come on in Kyo, I need same help in making the place comfy for you. I won't want you to have a TROUBLED week in my room you know."

As he walked into the room, Kyo felt like he had been the dumb idiot who walked right into the lioness's den.

He once more asked himself the question that was plaguing his brain.

(How in the hell am I going to survive this?!)

--

End of Flashback…

Thankfully, Kyo had managed, though barely to survive the few nights he had been with Jura, but the blonde apparently was taking her time and getting Kyo to lower his defences and she was doing well. Kyo's earlier thoughts that Jura would have made a great fashion designer was proven true when he learned that she liked to learn how to make her own line of dresses, along with her other good traits.

However, Kyo was always tempted by Jura and he was always on red alert when in bed with her. But she assured him that she would not try anything unless he was okay with it, and true to her word, she was. Even if she didn't stop teasing him every chance she got, she wasn't making any serious moves on him, though her sensual rubbing actions made him stay awake for a while, and showed that she was serious as hell on the plan of having a child with him.

Kyo put that out of his mind and focused on his break-fast, when he was done, he would go and visit Duero for normal medical check-up, and then to Parfet since the bespectacled head engineer had asked him if he could help in designing the new Vanguard combat models she was planning to creating when they got the chance. His insight on Mobile Suit operations made him the best source of information, along with Aleck, so he was more than willing to help the head engineer in such matters. They may not have the facilities as of yet to make the changes, but that certainly didn't mean that the project won't work. Kyo and the others knew that they would soon have to make changes in order to grow and adapt to the Harvesters' latest toys of war.

The designs that Parfet had would be very helpful indeed, but the need to reconfigure the whole design of the Vanguards would be too much for all the engineering staff of the pirates, and it would consume too much time for them to spare

As he finished his meal, he looked at his comrades and drank his coffee. Jura and the others were also drinking their drinks and relaxing a bit. Jura then ran a hand on Kyo's arm, getting Kyo's attention, along with the others who glare at her.

"Yes Jura?"

"You look like you need to sleep more Kyo." Jura said with concern. Kyo's activities had been taxing to him since he was the foremost on the front lines. The others also nodded in agreement, though they didn't like Jura's closeness to Kyo in the very least.

"Yeah…but I can't right now…there's a lot of work to be done, and we all can't afford to be relaxing you know."

Kyo said with a sigh as he downed his coffee, unmindful of the slight migraine he had been getting due to the near constant physical and mental activity.

The girls noticed that and gave looks of sympathy to the object of their collective affections. They didn't mind too much the changes in their work loads, but Kyo was always in the combat formation, regardless of who flew with him. He also was busy checking on the condition of all the girls under his command, including the three former Dread pilots, but he also at times, neglected his own condition, though he was far more physically and mentally fit than they were, even he got tired, and they knew it.

"You really should rest Mr. Alien, you look like you will collapse." Dita said with worry evident in her voice as she looked at him. She had grown closer each day and now the strange, but warm and wonderful feelings were stronger in the young and still very much innocent girl.

"I have to agree with Dita, it would be too unhealthy for you to tire yourself like this Kyo." Meia likewise spoke her concern for Kyo, she had very much grown out of her shell, being near the Gundam pilot for such a long time could be a factor. She had become more open to the others as well, but her more intimate thoughts and emotions were focused on her fellow Gundam pilot, and that sense her commanding officer…though she still didn't like the idea of being more open about it since this was the first time she was this close to a person, namely a man.

"I can tell you are tired Ky…I mean Commander. Both Mai and I can handle most of the jobs until you're better." Sara said, and while Mai didn't say anything, it was clear enough to Kyo that she too had the same sentiment as the others with him. He wondered about that since he knew that as a soldier he would have to rest at least once in a while or else he would burn himself out.

Kyo thought about it and nodded as he finished his coffee.

"All right, I'll take a break and rest, but make sure to call me if anything dangerous occurs, okay?" Kyo then took his tray and dishes as he got out of the table. As he left the tray and dishes to be dealt with by the kitchen staff…he unlocked the neck latches of his pilot uniform and unzipped it a bit and headed for the locker room to change into some clean clothes for a change.

The Gundam pilots, along with the leaders of the Crusader squadron were happy to know that Kyo would finally take a break and recover his strength. They wanted him to be strong and healthy, not only because they needed him to help them beat the Harvesters and win the war, but they cared deeply for him and didn't want any harm to befall him.

Later…

Kyo was now wearing a thin cloth long sleeved shirt, comfortable blue jean-style pants, and soft shoes as he rested on a blanket in the Bio-Park of the Nirvana, closing his eyes as he lay there, listening only to the sounds of the water in the artificial lake. It was a bit nice to take a break from all the hassles just for once. He however knew that the only time he could truly relax was when the Harvester forces were finally defeated and their plans to conquer and harvest all the human worlds. Then maybe there would be peace in the universe…

He then began to think about that part, once peace was restored, and his memories would finally come back…where would he go? The idea of leaving the Nirvana behind was not appealing, the people he worked with were now everything to him…but he knew he would not fit in either world, his knowledge of women and their true ties to men would have made him look clinically insane to the men of Talark, while him being a man in all senses would get him killed on Megele. But he wondered what it would be like to finally settle in and take root in one place…and not wander anymore.

And maybe even…start a family.

Kyo blushed a bit mentally at the thought, but he began to consider that idea someday as he took the chance to relax for once. Though who he would settle don with was one situation he was still not prepared for

In the Hanger…

Jura and the others were all getting rested as they were now checking their Mobile Suits as they got ready to fly in for their turn at security detail at least two and a half hours from now, Max however was not among them as he was back in the Medical Bay to help deal with their still recovering wounded and injured. Barnette 's Dread was also fully refuelled and ready as she used the Dread for now, but decided to keep the SwitchBlade Gundam ready for deployment should the need come to it. The Dread pilots who were still able to pilot were also a bit tired but they knew that they had to do…same was with the members of the Crusader Squadrons.

As they all ran routine checks on their machines, they began to think on what to do once they had returned home…and if they could try and get their world to work with that of the men to deal with the deadly threat the Harvesters represented to the human universe.

They also took the time to rest themselves, and wait for the rest of their teams to assemble. In the mean time, five certain girls began to wonder what they could do with a certain young man who was taking a break.

--

In space… near a large asteroid belt…an hour later…

The Cube Fighters were deployed in small cloud formations while being supported by Seed Ships in a small unit, they were tasked by the pirates to act as early warning scout parties in order to avoid a serious overwhelming confrontation with the Harvesters. Many of them were still the same and thus used the same tactics, but they had to avoid acting LIKE Harvesters so the pirates had installed certain combat protocols to deal with unique situations the scouts might encounter.

And that certain unique situation had just arrived…

The Cube Fighter scouts in Recon team 7 of the pirates were suddenly attacked by unknown forces. Several were blasted to bits by missile fire and beam bolts…forcing the others to fall back and retreat. They then began to record and transmit the situation to the main Harvester battle-ship, which naturally relayed the information to the pirates as it ordered the Cube Fighters to maintain organized formations and retreat orders.

Several more Cube Fighters were destroyed as the others moved back…as out of nowhere came several Mobile Suits that were not Overlords…but appeared to be similar to another brand of Mobile Suit which appeared to have Mirage Colloid.

--

In the Nirvana's command bridge…

"What's going on?!" Celtic asked herself as she began to receive coded transmissions from on their Cube Fighter recon units. She was now dressed in a nun's outfit, as she had decided to ditch her bear suit, having gotten used to being with men for nearly a year now, and learning more about them. She focused and read the reports, though they seemed to make no sense.

"What is it?" Buzam asked as she went over to Celtic's station. The silver-haired woman was still as serious as ever, but she also felt a bit of fatigue ever since the battle two days before.

"I'm not so sure Commander, Recon team 7 seems to be under attack and are retreating…but the scanners on them can't seem to pick the attackers up."

"Could it be those stealth ships from the last time we fought the Harvesters?"

"I'm not sure Commander, I can't get a visual since the Cube Fighters were not armed with the programming to detect any unit with Mirage Colloid.…"

Buzam nodded as she studied Recon team 7's location, it was at the far path to the left, near an asteroid belt, at least an hour away from them…something was lurking there…but what? She knew that this was a seriously dangerous situation and then relayed the information to the Captain.

Magno nodded as she also studied the situation, this meant that they would have be ready in case of another ambush, and then gave the ship's crew to be on yellow alert and maintain defensive modes to avoid being surprised again.

However…they didn't have to wait long for them all to get into a fight.

--

The recon unit was able to pull back, but the new Mobile Suits were not going to leave them alone, however the Mobile Suits suddenly stopped as they spotted the Harvester battle-ship that was in front of the Nirvana, the Mobile Suits however ere not retreating…and the reason came as several cruisers began making their way to where they were though the ships kept their distance, apparently they were NOT Harvesters as their ship designs were not the same and appeared more human.

They resembled battle-ships in the strictest sense, but were armed with side-built launch ramps which were also releasing several more Mobile Suits of the same design as that of the ones that were already out there that were keeping a silent watch on the spotted Harvester battle-ship, unlike the stealth mode Mobile Suits however, these were not armed with Mirage Colloid. The ships also bared resemblance to an ancient ship class once used in the Earth Alliance military, and was actually somewhat familiar in some ways to those who knew history.

Inside one of the ships' main command bridge…

"Ma'am…we have tracked one Harvester battle-ship…but there's something wrong with it."

"What do you mean?" the commanding officer asked her subordinate as she stood near him.

"I'm picking up no sign of the massive support fleet that normally escorts one of them, and according to the scanners, they also are transmitting the wrong ID transponder signal, there's a massive amount of programming that seems to show that there's something wrong with it, plus…the ship seems to be using only it's own array of Cube Fighters and Seed Ships, there are no other units with it. There are massive inconsistencies with what is normally recorded and detected from a Harvester battle-ship. This doesn't feel right Captain."

"Possibly, but this whole thing could rapidly become a trap so we'll have to keep watch. Keep track of the Harvester units and inform us of anything else you have detected"

"Yes Ma'am."

The female officer then spoke on the comm. frequencies to her officers on the ship, her crew, pilots, and to the rest of her strike team.

"All crews and officers, attention. The Harvester ship we are tracking seems to have become different from the ones we have normally encountered and as such is unknown in nature, fire-power, and support at this time. Until we are able to fully identify this ship and learn if this is a trap set by the Harvesters, all forces are to maintain stand-off positions and await orders, remember, do not fire until fired upon."

She then ordered her ship's crew to maintain a safe distance while the helmsman and his group were to be ready for any change in course and also to prepare for manoeuvring from enemy fire. All the officers, namely the CIC unit were ready for the possibility of attack, and the captain knew that the situation would in her ship would be the very same on the other ships under her command.

--

The crew of the pirates were now getting ready to support the Cube Fighters when yellow alert was declared by Magno and the rest of the officers. Kyo had been relaxing well enough and now was in his pilot uniform and was now on his way to the Hanger, next to him was his Taisian friend Osmond Vega as he and his own unit of pilots were moving in to pilot their Mobile Suits. The girls had launched ahead of him and he was ordered by Magno and Buzam to be on stand-by. Kyo then faced Osso and nodded.

"I can't believe that it's only been two days, but now we have to fight once more."

"I know, but the Harvesters are cruel sadists and they would love nothing more to clobber us and harvest us all anyway. However, that's not what I heard, the units attacking us appear to be using Mirage Colloid." Osmond reported back as he reached his Mobile Suit along with the rest of his crew.

"What? Great, this'll make things even more interesting. See you outside." Kyo answered as he got into his Gundam and began to power up the systems. As soon as his Gundam was on full operational stand-by he activated the Prominence Phase Shift Armour and launched out of the ship with his Gundam's feathers unleashed and he flew in the direction of the girls, while Barnette was in her Dread leading the Dread Squadrons, while Sara and Mai led the Vanguard pilots. Osmond and his team also were now in position as their own Mobile Suits came into the group, behind them was Gascogne's shuttle the Dreki, while Aleck's GUiAZ acting as escort for the supply shuttle.

He then greeted the girls and assured them that he was feeling fine now and ready for any possible attack from the unknown force that may OR may not be the Harvesters. Kyo did however wonder on how they had managed to design Mobile Suits in their fleet with Mirage Colloid so soon.

--

The unknown Fleet…

The rest of the fleet were now in combat position, if the Harvester battle-ship forced an engagement, they would do heir best to divert and keep the ship from finding them and then heavily damage the vessel, however, they were curious of one thing, what would a lone battle-ship, with no support fleet, and a strange transponder signal be doing out here. The pilots however were more concerned with the coming fight than the niches of the commanding officers. As the bridge crew tracked the Cube Fighters, they were suddenly surprised when several unknown signatures came into the scanners. Some came from Mobile Suits, others from Mobile Armour. At first they suspected the arrival of the Harvesters' new toys, the Overlords, but the data didn't match the data they had gained from the people of Delta 6, and the Mobile Armour were certainly not showing the profiles of the Cube Fighters. This meant that this was not a Harvester fleet, but what it was still under debate as the captain began talking to the rest of her officers in charge.

Some said they should investigate more, others said they should just attack and fade away, as was their normal combat doctrine. The Captain saw both the pros and cons of each decision and decided to maintain a close eye on this strange fleet.

However they got the surprise of their lives when their respective CIC officers when they all began detecting transponder signals that were VERY familiar to them from a band of Mobile Suit units that were now part of the force that they were tracking.

"Those are transponder signals from…"

The fleet now decided to make their move…though this could very well be a trap they recognized just who those Mobile Suits belonged to. The Captain then ran through the ship's database and scanned what appeared to be a lit of transponder signals and codes as if they were looking for a specific code. The captain, after a few minutes located a certain code and then ran a comparison check for the one they were picking up.

"I don't believe it…" the female officer muttered with surprise as the stored transponder codes was the same as that of the Mobile Suits' own transponder codes.

She then turned to some of her fellow officers and bridge personnel and began giving some orders, one of which was to scan the Mobile Suits with their long range sensors and determine of there were any signs of human life. It didn't take long for them to determine that there was human life onboard those Mobile Suits. It was also when they detected another ship near the Harvesters, but it sent a very different transponder signal

The Captain then made a decision as she called in all the Mobile Suits, Mobile Armour to drop defensive status and approach the Harvester Ship and the new ship with caution and open communications with the new ship. The Captain had a sneaking suspicion and the only way for her to be sure was to go forward and speak to the new ship.

"Captain, are you sure that is a wise move? This could still be an elaborate Harvester trap!" One of her aides said as he looked suspiciously at the view screen of the force arrayed against them.

"Only way to know is to move forward, if I am right, then we may just have found some new allies…along with some of our lost soldiers."

"And if you are wrong?"

"If I am…then you know what we have to do."

Following the captain's orders, all ships left the asteroid field and so had their forces, all Mobile Suits and Mobile Armour were now aside their ships on escort in order to meet up with the unknown forces. The Captain then ordered the officers to raise the assembled fleet before them and finally confirm the questions that she had in her mind since the first encounter.

--

The Nirvana…

"Captain…I'm picking up signals from several unknown ships and a mixture of Mobile Suits and Mobile Armour. They don't have the signatures of the Harvesters and seem to be hailing us." Ezra reported as she intercepted the communications coming from the unknown vessels.

"I see…they seem to be humans judging by the way the ships were designed."

Magno said as she gazed at the images of the newly approaching fleet. It was the first time, with the exception of the people on Delta 6 that the Megele pirates and their Talark and Taisian comrades had seen other human beings, but they were still a bit cautious. She then got into contact with both Kyo and Osso as to ask both if they knew the ships and who they belonged to.

The two already had the answer.

"Those are Taisian Planetary Alliance ships, Captain, I'd recognize them anywhere!" Kyo replied and before Osso could provide further proof the communications came in as the Captain of the new fleet appeared.

She was a tall woman, nearly the same height as Osmond himself or Buzam, and had a serene look which was surprising since the others could tell that she had been in combat for a while, considering some lines on her face. Her eyes were deep violet and her hair was black as night, all in a long tail behind her, she appeared to be around Buzam's age as well, and seemed to have the same aura of skill, talent, and intelligence. She wore an officer's uniform and when she spoke to the Nirvana and it's crew, she spoke with clear military skill and authority.

"This is Captain Maria Trance of the Taisian Planetary Alliance 31st Mobile Recon unit, identify yourself."

Magno replied. "This is Captain Magno Vivian of the pirate ship, the Nirvana."

The reaction of the other female captain was shock and awe. Like all members of the Resistance, she had heard about Magno's crew and their successful battles with the Harvesters for quite a while now. She too had hoped to meet the crew of the lone thorn in the side of the Harvesters to fight for them…but she never thought that she would be the first of the Resistance to meet the famed leader of the pirates.

She also got a surprise when she recognized two more men who smiled and greeted her.

"Hello Maria…been a while."

Both Gundam pilot and Taisian officer greeted the young female Captain. Kyo had met Maria since before being assigned as Captain nearly a year before, she had been one of the Mobile Armour pilots Kyo had to fight with when he had been on Taisia Prime. Osmond knew her as a fellow cadet in school back home and had been a friendly colleague when they went to fight in the war with the Harvesters…and she was his wife's cousin.

"Osso?! Kyo?!"

Maria could not believe the sight she had just witnessed, the Gundam pilot who had been their best guest had come back to them, a close friend and relative by marriage who had been thought lost was back…and the leader of the most famed anti-Harvest group were now in front of her.

They had a LOT to talk about!

Later…

The Nirvana and it's Harvester battle-ship were now on their way escorted by not just converted Cube Fighters, the Gundams, Dreads, and the Taisian Mobile Suits…but this time was flanked by several Taisian battle-cruisers, and medium class ships, complete with other Taisian Mobile Suits and Mobile Armours. The two Captains had been discussing several important matters and it didn't take long for both parties to come to decision.

The Taisians would escort the Nirvana to their World Cruiser that was not far and there, the crew could replenish their supplies, rest and recover a bit and help out with the Resistance. The rest of Maria's crew were shocked and in awe and respect to finally meet the pirates they had heard so much about. They were also inspired by the reports of the Harvesters' plans being thwarted by the Nirvana's crew and one would say that they dreamed of finally meeting the pirates in person and it seemed that now they got their chance as the combined fleet made it's way to the location of the World Cruisers and the support fleets.

As the fleets travelled a bit further away from the path, they were now able to catch sight of the rest of the Resistance forces. The Resistance had made plenty of changes in their war with the Harvesters. If their worlds were under threat despite their best efforts, all the fleets of the planets with the Resistance would leave their worlds and start moving to fall-back spots to allow then regroup and fight back when the time came. It was not just the Taisians who made the fleets, but the rest of the fleets were also in different locations as to insure that they would not be suddenly attacked and wiped out in one single Harvester assault.

All over the sector in different areas were Taisian battle ships of different makes and sizes, there were also large numbers of Mobile Suits flying about alongside Mobile Armour units. The Mobile Suits were very much the same make and design as that of Osmond's own Mobile Suit and that of his fellow soldiers…meaning that these were the basic armies of the Taisian people alongside their standard Mobile Armours.

The Mobile Armours of the Taisians known as the Aethers were large arrow shaped units that appeared to combine both beam cannons, gatling weapons, and several missile hard-points, and it seemed that this time, unlike his last visit, they were armed with some smaller beam cannons on the sides in strategic areas…and from the design, was installed to keep a Mobile Suit from getting too close to it. ()

He had fought them before and they were tough, but like the Dreads before were never meant to be able to defend themselves at point blank range and would not be able to match up to well armed and piloted Mobile Suits. Apparently with their Mobile Suit comrades, the Aethers were not easy to mess with.

The World Cruisers however were a different story…

The ships were massive…nearly the size of the Nirvana…but larger and longer, like a massive shard of crystal. The ship was named World Cruiser in the sense that it was designed as a Mobile Home for many of the Taisian refugees. It was able to support almost three to nine hundred thousand people, both civilian and military in good comfort in the same way the Mission Stations acted as shelters for space travellers in the days that they were widely used. That meant it had all the people needed to be able to feel back at home. However, the ship was not just a floating city…but a floating fortress.

From what he had learned from Maria and Osso who were part of the fleet….the World Cruiser was armed, armoured, and shielded to the highest levels needed for survival in combat. It had complements of Aethers and the Mobile Suits now known as Zealots to act as it's defensive force outside in space. Inside the ship itself were several companies of Space-born Marines, SpecOps troopers, and security personnel dedicated to the defense of the World Cruiser's civilian inhabitants, all of them were armed for combat and would rather be dead than allow any threat to attack their fellow people. Thus a World Cruiser was a deadly force to be reckoned with but like all ships that carried civilians, was not meant to be totally for combat, despite the massive amounts of shielding, weaponry, forces, and whatnot.

First and foremost, it was a city ship and there were few of them…granted that combined together, they would become a massive wall of destruction against any foe foolish enough to attack them, but the civilians were the primary concern and the loss of even one World Cruiser would have dire repercussions to the Taisian people. He knew that they were by heart, warriors, and to be forced to abandon the world their ancestors had built, and to be reduced to wandering the universe with no planet to call home…was in a way worse than being killed. The World Cruisers were all they had and he hoped fervently that the presence of him and the pirates would not further endanger the people here…their lives were hard enough without them being suddenly attacked by the Harvesters, all because of taking them in.

The Gundam pilot however had little time to consider it as he and the others were now in the main meeting hanger of the World Cruiser, the 'Verdant Soul'. The Nirvana was docked with the World Cruiser and was under heavy guard from the Taisian soldiers, both Osso and Maria assured them that due to their reputation as stalwart allies of humanity's defiance to the Harvesters, they were under the full protection of not just the Taisians, but of the Resistance as well.

As soon as they arrived, their Taisian comrades were greeted by couples of either women, or men with children, and some men or women who were alone and had no children, but were very much relieved. Due to their Taisian allies being men and women, the new arrivals were their wives/husbands and children, or girl-friends/boy-friends. Osmond smiled as one woman with her hair in dreadlocks, same as her husband and light tanned skin and emerald eyes, which were brimming with tears as she held their children…his wife Fiona.

Lena was a slender but strong young girl who always had her hair in a long straight fashion though she had a strand into a braided pigtail, her eyes, the same as her father's own were also brimming with tears…as were the emerald eyes of Osmond and Fiona's son Darrell, who was a slim and tough youth and his short, normal messy hair was still the same.

"Father!!"

"Osmond!!"

The wife and children ran up to their lost family member as he too greeted them with warmth and happiness, his wife hugged him tight, her grip was unrelenting as she cried holding her husband, only relenting in her embrace to allow their children to also tearfully welcome him home. Fiona then spotted Kyo and her eyes widened in recognition, she then walked over to Kyo and hugged him…surprising many of Kyo Megele comrades, Kyo however was not surprised and even more so when Fiona released him and bowed with tears in her eyes.

"Thank you Kyo…thank you for bringing my husband back alive and safe."

"It was my pleasure Fiona." Kyo replied with a warm nod and bow of his own.

Fiona could say no more as Osmond with their kids in tow held her and she bit back with some effort her tears. This was a happy reunion, though some of the couples or loved ones cried when they didn't see any familiar faces. It was sad to many of the Nirvana crew to see that those families or loved ones would not see their dears ones again. The five girls after Kyo's heart were saddened by the tears they saw and vowed not to let any harm come to Kyo, while the other couples, Duero and Parfet, and finally Max, and Barnette hoped that neither of them would experience that kind of pain. Gascogne and Aleck also felt sorrow for the sad families and dear ones as well.

It was then that a group of people came into the hanger and they were military soldiers, fully armed, and armoured and in the lead was a tall man in a uniform that was the symbol of a Vice or a Grand Admiral. The man appeared to be middle age and kept his hair in a short military style cut, and so was the beard and moustache in the same cut fashion. His steel grey eyes showed a strong sense of duty and honour, along with an open mind when finding solutions to problems. The man showed that he WAS NOT someone to either take lightly or insult…due to his experience on the field, years of service…and more.

However that face turned into a warm, but stern smile as he faced the Gundam pilot, who despite being towered over by the middle aged man's 6 foot 5 inch height and muscled build also smiled back…, both greeted one another with crisp military salutes, then both men exchanged more open and friendly greetings with hand-shakes.

"I see that time has been kind to you Kyo, only wish I could be young again. I trust you have been well?"

"I have no complaints Admiral Jerald Halverson…or should I call you Grand Admiral now?"

"Well, you can call me the latter officially. Come…the rest of the Council wants to speak to all of you…we've got a lot to talk about old friend."

"I have no doubt of that fact." Kyo replied as he and the others were escorted by the Taisian soldiers to meet with the Council.

--

Later…

The Council meeting chamber was the size of a massive meeting room, with a hologram projector and several extra monitors in the walls. The hologram projector was surrounded by two tables, on facing the hologram projector on one side, and another table on the other side. The upper side was decked with the officials from the TPA and the Nirvana crew was on the other. They were busy discussing the situation as it stands as new reports came in from the Taisian scouts and the rest of the Resistance.

Kyo listened in and they all stopped when the doors opened and in came Patch, Kouji, and Maia Asuka, and Liz…all were surprised to see Kyo and the pirates again, and the feeling was mutual as they greeted one another. The council then began to fill in the pirates of the current situation.

"The Harvesters have been using a vast and powerful fleet unlike anything we've ever seen before, they seem to be recalling half of their currently deployed fleets and they are making a full scale assault in the sector where we believe the worlds of Talark and Megele are located…due to the interference of the debris belt and storms of gases and radiation on the outer fringes of the belt, we have not been able to establish communications with them to warn them of the impending Harvester Invasion fleet. We have managed to finally make an estimate of at least twenty to forty Harvester battle-ships along with other weapons as well. They appear to have new Gundam models with them…along with those new Overlords. We had encountered those Gundams only rarely since they were assigned to battle the Nirvana…but now it seems like the Harvesters have called them all for this invasion of theirs."

Their fleet is massive and would take at least 30 to 60 days to arrive on Talark and Megele Kyo….we've decided to send out drone units to try and inflict as much damage as we can…but the fleet of the Harvesters are going around the universe attacking planet after planet, stripping the people of their organs…and then wiping it out. We've just received the report that the people of Melanos will be arriving…their world was the first to be attacked by the Harvesters."

"No…"

Kyo said in shock, recalling the people of Melanos who had been his benefactors all those months ago when Barnette started that mutiny, he recalled Seran and how she and many others had died. Now they were homeless.

"I'm afraid so…they were able to get all their people out of the grasp of the Harvesters, but they sent us some very troubling information, apart from the Harvester invasion fleet. They will be here within the hour once they have passed through our defensive barrier at Gamma sector, they said that their world had been completely incinerated by the Harvesters and thus, they had no place left to go."

"I'll go out and meet them."

Kyo said as he got out of his chair and took his helmet. None of the others stopped him since they trusted Kyo to be able to handle himself, after all, Kyo had been the one who inspired the people of Melanos to fight when they were nearly wiped out.

The rest of the pirates were allowed to take a bit of a break from all the fighting, Duero and Max were assisted by the medics on the ship in treating many of the injured pirates and from the looks of the advanced medical technology and supplies the Taisians had on hand, it would not be long before the crew of the pirates would make a full recovery.

Osmond also asked permission for Parfet and her crew to propose her use of the World Cruiser's mobile factories and R&D facilities to begin construction of the proposed new weapons the pirates would need. The Council was amazed at the return of their two lost Gundams, the SwitchBlade and the Morpheous and asked if they could gain something in return. The deal was that with the data from the Gundams' OS, they would be able to upgrade most of their forces and design newer versions of the two Gundams for their forces. In exchange, they would help the head engineer to build the new Vanguards she had envisioned, and would also allow the two Gundams to remain in the use of the pirates as they trusted Magno and her crew with them, along with giving some new tools that were also meant for the Gundams as well...but were developed too late to be in the arsenals of both Gundams.

Magno and the others considered that a fair trade and an alliance that was very important was made as the Taisians also offered to help repair the ship, and replenish their supplies of food, fuel, munitions, medical supplies, clothes, and all the other necessities. They were the guests and allies of the Resistance and the Taisians were generous people after all.

--

An hour later…

Kyo flew in his Gundam and waited on the outer fringes of the defensive perimeter of the Taisians' rally location and the drone defensive perimeter, he had been able to enter his ID code so the drone fighters and combat stations would not open fire on him suddenly. He hoped that his fears were not allowed to come true, the people of Melanos apparently from what he had learned before leaving had been the most fervent allies of the Resistance and he prayed that they didn't pay too high a price for this alliance.

At that moment, out from space appeared several fighters that Kyo recognized as that of the Melanos Space Fleet, he was about to hail them when his military side noted that the fighters had accelerated at an attack speed. He didn't know what was going on but quickly went on the defensive, and his actions saved his life when several missiles were fired at him along with beam bolts. He dodged them and tried to figure out why the heck he was being shot at.

"What's going on?!" Kyo said as he dodged more and more attacks from the Melanos fighters. He then tried to get into contact with the fighters but was denied that when several Melanos cruisers appeared and like the fighters began to bombard at him!!

He tolerated it a bit more, and had enough and sent out a communiqué to the Melanos Fleet.

"What are you doing?!"

"You won't take us so easily you sadistic bastard! You may have wiped out our home but now that you are alone we will have our revenge!!"

Was the only reply he got as the ships continued to fire, as he also continued to dodge the attacks, normally he would have fought back, but these were people he knew and he was not going to attack them even if they were attacking him.

"Revenge?! Look, I came out here to see you all and escort you to the rest of the Resistance, if you don't who I am, then the name's Kyo, I'm sure you guys must know THAT name! I fought with your fleet nearly a year ago!!"

The ships suddenly halted their weapons fire and then on Kyo's communicator, came in the face of the leader of the fleet, a face Kyo quickly recognized.

"Captain?! Is that you?!" Kyo asked in shock as he recognized the fleet leader of the Melanos Anti-Earth Defense Fleet. The face was a bit older and care worn, a new tiara was there, but there was no doubt in Kyo's mind that the man in front of him was the same leader he had been with in the fleet.

"Kyo?! By the Gods…you are alive!!" The leader of the Melanos Fleet was in awe as he recognized the same Gundam pilot who had been pronounced dead by his officers when they had fought with the Harvesters once, he had been the one ho repelled the Harvesters from their home-world…and inspired his people to resist to the bitter end. To see that he was alive was a shock to him and those around him.

--

Later…

"I am sorry…I guess we once more owe you an apology for acting so rashly when we first met each other and now."

The leader of the Melanos Fleet, named Vaan Renard, said as he walked with Kyo to the Council chamber, where the Taisian Council was still in session, along with the pirates of the Nirvana. He had much to share with them with the state of the Harvester invasion force.

"It's all right Admiral, at least nothing worse happened. I still need to know what happened to Melanos…how did the Harvesters…?"

Kyo was surprised to learn that the captain he met was now an Admiral and the reactions of the Melanos people were of respect and awe. Apparently his supposed martyrdom had inspired the survivors and the new soldiers and pilots of the pale humans of Melanos to fight all the more fiercely, he had even seen a mural of him and Freedom fighting the Harvester battle-ship to the death in the ship when he was allowed to board the ship to meet him. For them…to meet the man who defied the Harvesters to the death…and live to fight again was an honour.

There were some who even asked if they could become his support pilots in the war they were fighting. He respectfully declined, saying that their people needed them here, and he asked politely to meet the Admiral…who greeted him with a sad smile and an apology for their rash actions.

He then directed the people of Melanos and their fleet to where the Taisians were and now the people of Melanos were allowed a reprieve from all they had endured since the fall and decimation of their home planet. They needed that as they mingled with the Taisians, who despite being taken a bit back by the pale skinned humans of Melanos, welcomed them as fellow humans on their World Cruiser. Vaan and Kyo were busy with other matters and left the people to relax and settle down a bit.

"I will tell you…and I have to tell you why we attacked you suddenly…it was because of what he had seen…or rather who we had seen to have lead the Harvesters when they came and decimated our world."

As soon as the leader of the Melanos entered the Council chamber he went to the rest of the Taisians and greeted them, along with the rest of the Megele pirates. He then gave his report and inserted a recording disc into the hologram display and began to recall the evacuation events that led to them leaving the planet of their birth.

"Our part of the covert defense fleet what was the first to reach us and we were informed of the incoming Harvester force…we were shocked to hear such a massive fleet was heading in our direction. We knew quickly that we didn't have the numbers of firepower to stop them, so we ordered a system wide evacuation of Melanos, from all the planets that had our people…we moved as fast as we could since they could be on us in mere hours. We had managed to nearly evacuate our main planet…when they came right on us."

The images showed to everyone in the Council room a massive fleet, the image was nearly filled by large numbers of Harvester battle-ships, and hordes upon hordes of Cube Fighters, Overlords, Seed Ships, Urchin Ships…and more…namely when the Gundams were seen…

There were Dominion Gundams, still armed in the setup that they were seen when the Nirvana had been caught in the desert planet nearly two months before. The introduction of the newly restored and limited in number production of the Devastator, Hell-fire, and Wyvern Gundams were disheartening…along with the presence of the Behemoth Gundams. The crew also were now greeted by the sight of the latest combat Gundams of the Harvesters, all of them were based on the three Gundams that were developed by the Harvesters…the Neo-Gundam series.

The new variant of the Devastator Gundam resembled it's stock model, the Devastator, but where the Devastator was made for long range bombardment, the Devastator Edge was apparently built for close range combat. There was now in place more close combat weapons than there were long range ones, the Gundam had two massive anti-ship swords trapped to it's back, on the forearms appeared to be shields and what appeared to be beam blade emitters, a length of power cable showed that the shields may be used as throwing weapons as well. On the hips were also beam sabers, and on the shoulders appeared to be two extra beam boomerangs along with the ones that were already present. The Gundam also had no hard-point for a beam rifle and the only beam weapon it had for long range was located on the abdomen. This Gundam appeared to have been made to support it's companions in close range slaughters and from the arsenals it carried, it meant to do it' job VERY well.

The next Gundam was similar to the Hell-Fire Gundam, but was all black and silver, and was armed with what appeared to be a solid plasma energy scythe, which while intimidating was further enhanced with the discovery of it having TWO solid plasma blades. The machine appeared to have a different weapons pack than the original, the weapons pack gave the look of demonic wings. On the forearms appeared to be collapsible general purpose shields. And on the sides of the weapons packs' wing like appendages were massive hook shaped claws. There were signs that it carried beam weapons made for ranged combat but most were hidden in it's weapons pack All in all…it looked like a demon from the darkest pits of hell.

The last Gundam resembled the Wyvern…but appeared to be totally different…in the fact that this time it was armed with double beam glaive and what appeared to be dragon-like heads on the forearms, replacing the original weapons of the first Wyvern Gundam. The Gundam also appeared to have rows of energy emitters on the fore arms. It still had the wings of the Wyvern and those also had the beam blade emitters. This meant that the new Gundam could still act like a battering ram in combat when in it's beast like Mobile Armour Mode. It was decked in green and brown armour as it and it's fellow Gundams all had Phase Shift systems.

The new Gundams were formidable and were certain worth paying attention to. But the sight of the main battle-ship and it's lead Gundam were the most shocking of to everyone within the Council chamber…even to the battle hardened Gundam pilot.

If they thought a single Harvester battle-ship was massive…the Main battle-ship of the Harvesters was a behemoth!!

The ship was huge in every sense of the word…all over it were nearly hundreds to thousands of Seed Ships and Urchin Ships were everywhere… coming from it. It had massive gun ports and the front resembled some sort of tripod that in Kyo's mind must be where the main weapon of the battle-ship. Whatever weapon it was, from just the look and sheer size of the battle-ship. Kyo knew that the weapon on first battle-ship faced must be nothing but a toy pop-gun compared to what behemoth was carrying.

His eyes however was riveted on the Gundam that was totally different from the ones he had already seen…this was the first time the E. Vendetta Gundam came into view for Kyo and he could tell that this one was NOT a mass production model or another clone of his Gundam…but one of a kind. The Gundam appeared to be black, red and golden in colour scheme, but there was nothing gaudy in the looks, he knew Gundams and very much a lot of war machines, this was no toy.

Vaan confirmed Kyo's suspicions as he began to outline the events that transpired over their home-world as they watched the battle between the valiant defenders of Melanos and the now oncoming Harvester horde. But in the lead wasn't their full force, but the dark looking Gundam itself.

"We were caught off guard when the Gundam suddenly attacked us all…we thought this one had suffered a fault in it's programming…and we assumed that it was not as powerful as it appeared at first. That was our first and last mistake…my people paid for that dearly as the Gundam without any warning, attacked our interceptors…and decimated them."

--

To be continued...

--

This will be continued in the next chapter...


	21. Chapter 21

GunDread SEED The Second Stage

Disclaimer: VanDread belongs to GONZO, Gundam SEED belongs to Sunrise, I don't own either.

Chapter 9

Part 1B

New Forms

--

(Continuation)

Flashback…

"Sir…what is that…thing?!" One aide said as they all gazed at the massive Harvester Fleet. However they couldn't help but feel their gazes drawn to the demonic angel-like Gundam…something about sent chills down their spines as they gazed at it…it appeared merely content to gaze at them as if assessing their numbers, combat strength, battle-experience, and whatnot. The officers thought that the Gundam would do nothing and allow it's forces to attack, since the records they had gained showed that it took on a commander role for some reason.

The admiral however had doubts in his mind that the Gundam they were looking at was going to stand still for long. The whole situation was very troubling since this was the first time the Harvesters had not merely and ruthlessly attacked them, in all battles, the Harvesters would not hesitate to use their superior numbers to their advantage, and not care for how many they would lose…considering the facts that they could merely replace their loses, unlike his fellow humans. This was also the first time he had seen a Gundam act as a commander unit. All the time his people had fought with the Harvesters, they had not fought with the Gundam units, but had heard about them and now had seen records of how they fought, and they were deadly units. But the leader of practically ALL of the Harvester fleets' movements were the CPUs inside their main battle-ships. This was the first time the Harvesters were under the command of ONE unit, let alone a machine that was far smaller than the battle-ship.

Something wasn't right…

"I don't know…keep an eye on it…"

The warning came too late as they saw the Gundam's wings open up and blood red crystal feathers appeared, and before they could do anything…the Gundam streaked at them and attacked. The admiral wasted no time as he ordered all front line fighters to begin the counter attack. He noted however that the black Gundam was not being followed by the rest of the Harvesters, he wondered if the Gundam was a suicidal unit sent to goad his forces…

"ALL FIGHTERS!! WEAPONS FREE!! ENGAGE!!"

The lead fighters fired their payloads of missiles, but were shocked as the Gundam took out a pair of beam rifles and quickly began shooting down the weapons with amazing precision, others were dodged as they exploded behind the fast moving Gundam. The Gundam then attacked as it fired beam bolt after beam bolt…hitting Melanos fighters head on…destroying them quickly and effectively…their pilots barely having enough time to finish their screams as their fighters were destroyed. Several fighters tried to fire their energy weapons, but they too were dodged as the Gundam moved in and out like a dancer through the barrages and fired back…one pilot had fired all he could but had no time to escape as her fighter was shredded by blaster fire. The debris barely scattered as three more interceptors were shot down as the Gundam moved out from the explosion and fired it's beam rifles.

The Gundam didn't relent and chased several more interceptors that tried to break away, two were shot down as they tried to make an escape. The pilots hadn't even known they were dead and only saw their cockpits explode. Three fighters open fired as they tried to both take out the Harvester Gundam and avenge their comrades…but their attempts failed as the Gundam's wings blocked their barrage and the Gundam retaliated…it fired it's beam rifles and destroyed one and before the others could break away, the Gundam jetted at them and replaced it's beam rifles and took out it's beam sabers, and slashed the interceptors into two… it pressed the attack into more and more of the Melanos interceptors and the pilots that tried their best to hold on and fight back, their missiles were unable to take the Gundam out and their beam fire was deflected by the Gundam's beam sabers that moved too fluidly for a computer to do at the speed of both the beam and the pace it as moving in. The Gundam slashed off the wings of several interceptors it passed, and then fired it's folded rail-guns at the helpless interceptors, reducing them and their pilots into rubble. The other fighters were then reinforced by more of their fellow pilots, but it would mean nothing as more and more fell to the weapons of the nimble Gundam.

Several pilots could only scream in fear as the Gundam slashed the cockpits of their interceptors, killing them instantly. While their comrades tried in desperation to open fire, their missiles were then shot down by the assault guns on the head and shoulders of the Gundam. They were then hit by the Gundam as it placed away it's beam sabers and took out both it's anti-ship swords and dashed into their ranks, cutting interceptor after interceptor to pieces. One pilot tried to ram his interceptor on the Gundam, but was dodged and then Gundam struck, giving the pilot no time to defend himself as the blade sliced through his cockpit killing him instantly. The Gundam continued to rip apart more of the Melanos interceptors, forcing them to keep their distance, but even then, the Gundam would not let them leave so quickly as it's ranged weapons, including a pair of powerful plasma cannons as more fighters were ruthlessly wiped out, their comrades both in the coming interceptors and the ships could do nothing but see their fighters exploded into debris and hear their screams as they were destroyed.

The Gundam didn't care as it placed away it's anti-ship swords and took out both beam rifles once more. Around it was the debris of more six to ten dozen Melanos fighter squadrons.

The admiral and the rest of his fleet could no longer stand back and watch good pilots being massacred and ordered their gunnery crews to open fire on the Gundam using all their missile arsenals to finally defeat the Gundam that had decimated their fellow comrades. Several cruisers lined up and opened fire, along with the surviving interceptors. The missiles were flying in like a wave of death, in normal circumstances most if not all enemy units would have retreated, but not the Harvesters, and certainly not this new weapon of theirs…it had it's own counter to the attack.

The Gundam's feathers suddenly shattered and the exposed parts were now solid metal and then flew away from the Gundam totally numbered at fifty in all. The new feathers then fired out powerful beams of pure red energy…showing that it too had the same SUPER DRAGOON weapon system as that of the Kyo's own I-Freedom Gundam. The weapons flew around and in different paths but did the very same thing as they began to fire beam after beam of intense Paeksis boosted energy. The network of energy weapons fire decimated the incoming missiles as they were destroyed before they could lock onto their target. The entire battle field was covered in a wave of missile explosions and bright light as the missiles from interceptors and cruisers were wiped out.

The crew of all the ships in the forward forces were lucky to have spotted the Gundam as it came out after them. That was when they all gave the full order to use their ships' cannons and so did the interceptors as beams of destruction were fired from both ship types, hoping to over-power the Gundam with sheer volume of weapons-fire. The Gundam however didn't move away but charged, making them think it had gone nuts, but the feathers suddenly opened to reveal powerful emitters that created diamond like fields of energy that began to fly in a set defensive pattern and blocked their shots…event hose from the cruisers…much to the shock and horror of all those present…

"MAINTAIN FIRE!!"

The Melanos forces fired their beam weapons to the point of overheating, but were barely able to score any hits that broke through the light red glowing shields that protected the attacking Gundam. The Gundam speeded up as the shields moved away and reverted to the beam cannon modes, hiding the shield emitters and the feather cannons fired their own barrage catching the Melanos people off guard once more as interceptors were either ripped to shreds or blown apart before they could react properly to the sudden reprisal. The cruisers fared little better as weak point areas of the ships were hit by the beam fire, causing massive as explosion rocked the ships hit by the barrage, crew members, both male and female tried desperately to escape and seal off damaged areas, those who were not lucky were only able to shield their eyes or scream out in fear as they were swiftly or brutally killed by the explosions and shrapnel. The others tried desperately to rescue those still alive, but had to hurry and sometimes had no choice as the too critically wounded died before they could be helped…or were dragged into the merciless grip of the zero-gravity environment of deep space.

"Damn it! Take that thing down!!"

The crews of the other ships tried to fight back, but the Gundam proved to be hard to kill, as it put aside it's beam rifles and took out it's anti-ship swords and began attacking the cruisers once the feather cannons had returned back to the wings and had also returned to crystal mode allowing the Gundam to defend itself from beam and ballistic attacks more effectively. The anti-ship swords ripped through the armour of the cruiser the Gundam was currently attacking…the weapon ripped apart the ship as if it was like a piece of bread as the beam edge sliced through the ship…inside crew members were only able to scream as the weapon destroyed them and without pause. The Gundam then took away it's anti-ship swords as it diced apart the ship while streaking past it and flying around it…turning it into a burning wreck…the Gundam left the cruiser as explosions occurred and the ship fell like a desiccated carcass as the crew tried desperately to escape in shuttles and escape pods.

"TAKE IT OUT!!"

Several interceptors tried to block the attacking Gundam but the Gundam merely dodged their attacks and in mid flight flipped upside down and fired it's plasma cannons, destroying the interceptors and before the Captain of the cruiser could do anything, the Gundam combined both anti-ship swords into one doubled edged version and sliced the ship's bridge…instantly killing him and his officers before they could even scream in fear. The crew were also not spared as the Gundam fired it's assault cannons into the gaping hole where the bridge used to be, shredding the ship, before destroying it with a massive beam barrage from it's weapons.

Two cruisers tired to gang up on the Gundam but it moved too quickly for them to lock on and the Gundam slammed it's combined anti-ship sword on the upper section of the bow and began to drag the weapon over the Melanos cruiser…literally gutting the ship from top to bottom as the Gundam sliced all the way to the rear of the ship, right past the bridge…killing many with one pass. The other ship was just as doomed as the Gundam was now behind it and then did the same move…but on the bottom of the ship…gutting the ship one more from the engines to the bow of the ship…it then attacked with more powerful slashes and thrusts until the ships couldn't take anymore. The Gundam flew away as both ships were destroyed as it's crew tried to flee in the life pods.

The Gundam then broke the swords from the current twin blade formation and converted them into a staff style weapon which it used to slice into more interceptor formations and then without warning, the Gundam tossed it's twin bladed staff at a Melanos cruiser…the weapon slammed into the bridge of the ship…killing it's crew as the Gundam arrived and then ripped out the weapon and then went with a downward slash that cut the ship lethally. It then slashed the rear of another ship…fatally damaging the engines, rendering the ship dead in space. The Harvester Gundam then took out it's beam sabers and began to attack two more cruisers. One was slashed in various areas resulting in critical damage and the last was hit hard when the Gundam tossed one of it's beam sabers right into the face of the bridge…killing the crew as the Gundam took back it's weapon and sliced into the ship….literally gutting from the inside out as the ship exploded and the Gundam jetted out of the wreckage. It suddenly jetted back to the fleet as if in retreat…but the admiral and his crew knew that this was only a bad sign for them…

"Admiral! Planetary evacuation is complete! Retreat at once!" Came the call from high command as he looked and saw that his people had now been able to leave the planet and all the civilian ships with all their people had been able to leave their world…it galled him to leave everything behind…but he had a job to do.

"Understood…all fleets, prepare to retreat!"

The front line officers and their pilots bravely volunteered to remain behind and hold the Harvesters off as best they can until the rest of their comrades could leave and escort the refugees…the admiral had no choice but to allow them that task and watched in growing anger and frustration as the Harvester fleet…under the command of the E-Vendetta Gundam attacked in full force to overwhelm the fleet before them…which had been brutally tested by the dark angel Gundam. Vaan could only pray that the soldiers, pilots, officers, technicians, mechanics, and engineers on those ships and fighters that stayed behind would not be forgotten as they clashed with the Harvester fleet.

--

End of Flashback…

The holo-record then showed the last finale of the whole massacre of the rear guard of the Melanos forces… as the Harvesters main battle-cruiser opened it's tripod like front and fired a colossal beam of pure destructive energy that ripped past the wreck hulls of the defense fleet that were defeated adding more mockery to the Melanos people as the remains of their fleet and military were incinerated in a moment before their eyes and they saw the horror of their world put to the flames as the beam rendered their world into a flaming and volcanic mockery of it's former glory…oceans were destroyed, plains, grass-lands, forests…all of it were wiped out…along with their homes, cities, lives…everything…

In less than a heart beat after the assault of the demon/angel Gundam of the Harvesters…and the attack of the Harvester fleet, the Resistance was treated to a view of what would be the fate of their worlds should they stand and fight them…this had rendered the Council of the Taisians…and the crew of the Nirvana, including Kyo totally silent as Vaan finished his report…they saw that the man was on the verge of tears as he recalled the brutal loss of life on his side of the battle…the lives of all those under his command who were slain by the new Gundam of the Harvesters, and the forces of the Earth based tyrants…and the death of the only home he and his family…his whole civilization knew was their own.

They had a LOT to talk about…and to plan if they hoped to stand a chance…now matter how slim or remote it may be, against such a powerful force.

--

The Leader of the Harvester forces merely sat back on his command chair and drank some wine with a smile as he watched the crews of clone slaves and droids gather the combat data gained from his attack on the Melanos fleet and begin compiling it with the data gathered from the battle that followed his attack on the fleet, he was a bit disappointed that he couldn't stay in the fight and push the full limits of the Endless Vendetta Gundam…but he had work to do…all he hoped now was that the rest of the Resistance could be more…entertaining than the weak Melanos forces, though he had to give them credit for resisting the way they did.

Now…which planetary system was next on the hit list?

--

Later…back with the rest of the Taisian forces…

The people of the Resistance were busy as can be…they had some new devices and weapons to develop, and plans to make, they knew that a head-on attack on the massive Harvest fleet would be suicide…so they had to rely on strike and fade attacks, not to mention that even if it would be heart rending for them all, they sent out messages to all the worlds of the Resistance members to…abandon their worlds should the world be attacked by the Harvester fleet. Though it would be hard for the people to bare…it would be far better than to lose so many lives. The strategy was to deny the Harvesters the chance to inflict horrendous damage to their people, and to get their civilians to a safer place…away from the fighting, while the Resistance would gather and strike at the fleet while ensuring that if the time would come…they could gather and strike down the Harvesters…it was a desperate and slim gamble…since even it if worked, it would limit them in terms of locations for gaining supplies, munitions, rest places, and more, and the loss of worlds would be a serious blow to the courage and spirit of the people. But that would be far better than enduring the sight of their world being reduced into nothing but a burning, irradiated, ruined ball of stone.

It was a tough decision…but when considering the danger of standing in front of the massive Harvester fleet and being wiped out…it was the best decision to be made…if it worked, gather all their might, and if they did do enough damage to the fleet, then they would gather to the best site to launch a counter-offensive on the fleet…they had to…or else all humankind would be wiped out for all eternity. But they had the time to make new weapons…they were going to need every advantage they could get their hands on if they were to win this war. And with the weapons they had gathered, the Nirvana's Paeksis powered Gundams, along with the Templar, Morpheous, SwitchBlade Gundams, and the Gundams of the Yurenian siblings…they had a chance to win this battle if they could make weapons that could equalize against the new weapons and numbers advantages of the Harvester Forces.

--

In one of the Verdant Soul's manufacturing plant's…

Parfet and her fellow engineers were busy working side by side with the combat engineers and technicians of the Taisians, and the Melanos survivors to create new weapons and technology, their main projects however were focused on the creation of the series of Mobile Suits that Parfet would be developing, using the data and plans of the three Gundams in the possession of the Nirvana…both the Morpheous and the SwitchBlade stayed with the pirates, and the same could be said with the Shinobi and Kunoichi Gundams of the Asuka siblings, both of whom agreed to aid in the creation of the new Mobile Suit series to help supplement the power of the Resistance.

Along with them was Kyo, who being the most experienced with the creation of custom OS systems helped in the design process. He was to aid in constructing the OS of the Mobile Suits which would be using the old Vanguard frame design and would be used by the pilots of the Crusader squadron. He also would help the others, by helping create parts of the OS for the rest of the Mobile Suit series that would be developed for not just the Melanos people, but also for the Delta 6 defense pilots, and the Taisians. The council decided that in order to make their forces more effective, they traded Mobile Suit designs…and also improved the designs of their current forces, namely their fighters and interceptor units to give their pilots who flew them, a fighting chance against the growing threat of the Harvesters and the massive invasion fleet.

It normally would take a long time to create a new Mobile Suit series even for just one faction…but with all of the Resistance giving all their manpower, resources, time, equipment, machines, materials, and facilities, it would take at least a week tops, in the mean-time the whole fleet would move soon out of the area, once the Nirvana's own Mobile Suit series was completed and the supplies, plans, equipment, and more which could help in the construction of spare units would be possible

The first part was experiment with the Mobile Suit version that copied the flexibility of the Morpheous Gundam with it's Form Packs. The Form packs would also be reversed engineered to create slightly simpler but no less lethal and effective versions for this version of the Morpheous Gundam. Once all the needed combat data was gathered from the OS and the recorders of the original Gundam, the data would serve as the plan basis and test bed of the new Mobile Suit series. It would still have some basic weapons when not using the Form Packs so it wasn't helpless in combat. The new Form Packs were already finished in design all they had to do now was to create and program them since they too would have basic CPUs and systems to use the 'smart-magnets' plug system as the Morpheous.

The first Form Pack design was made for close combat, armed with a pair of beam boomerangs on either side of the shoulder guards, both which could be modified via OS to become spare beam sabers, and a pair of anti-ship swords which could connect to create a zwei-hander style weapon, along with it would be a special shield that could fire a pincer claw with a high tensile cable, and that could be used to catch a target to either drag it to the Mobile Suit or take the Mobile Suit to the target, or to act as a battering ram to knock away a target from the Mobile Suit, along with that, was the shield was armed with a small shield generator to deflect both beam, ballistic and explosive weapons.

The second Form Pack design favoured long range combat and was armed with a high powered pair of heavy beam cannons that were attached to the back and could be slung under the arms for use, the next was a weapons combination pod on both shoulders, each pod housed a pair of heavy assault beam chain-guns and an anti-ship torpedo pods and another weapon combination set attached to the lower legs, the pods were able to fire smaller but more numerous missiles and could fire grenades that fired small high impact explosive tipped anti-armour darts

The third Form Pack design favoured manoeuvrability and speed, the Pack would allow great speed in the realm of space and also flight on ground operations. It was armed with not just thrusters and flight wings, but also a pair of reachable anti-armour knives hidden near the shoulders, and also a pair or retractable plasma cannons located on the Form Pack which could be used when slung to the hips, along with that were a hidden set of weapons, including several heavy machine cannons, and a pair of advanced versions of the beam sabers

The fourth Form Pack design incorporated both the hologram system of the Koenig Form Pack and the Mirage Colloid system of the two Yurenian Gundams. The result was a sniper pack that could create illusions of the Mobile Suit which would act as bait while the Mirage Colloid system would mask the real Gundam. Due to the Morpheous Gundam's powerful energy supply, both systems could be used along with the Polaris Phase Shift Armour system. This gave the Gundam a useful edge in keeping hidden and fooling the enemy.

The fifth Form Pack copied the features of the Raiha Form pack, but they had to remove the use of the spears due to the weight and replaced them with a standard assault sword, but with what appeared to lamination liquid coating to lessen the danger of the weapon being broken by beam sabers or heavy beam blades. The weapon system was given another addition with an upgraded rail-gun cannon rifle that fired not just standard high armour piercing rounds, but also small EMP grenades from a lower launcher system, the grenades would hamper enemy systems and help the Mobile Suit unit using the Form pack in finishing off a massive target or multiple targets.

The sixth and last Form Pack relied on the Galahad Form Pack and focused to combine elements from the first three Form Packs. Namely were the additions of twin rail-guns, a pair of anti-ship swords which were easy to reach from the hips, a set of heavy assault beam cannons and finally a special defensive shield with an attached beam boomerang which could be used as a short beam saber, and a powerful beam Vulcan gun and a beam shield emitter.

The second phase was to create a series of Mobile Suits which copied the abilities of Max's Templar Gundam unit. The HIMAT system installed in the Gundam was perfect for Parfet since it didn't have the complexity of the system possessed by Kyo's Gundam and that also of Dita's as well. The system was easy to grasp and she also relied on the original records from the time the Gundam of Kyo was in it's normal form. He system would mean that the second Mobile Suit series would be able to engage multiple targets at once using it's main cannons and other weapons, it however made sense it would be armed with beam sabers and some other tools for close to melee combat and defense.

The third was to create a series of Mobile Suits that followed the combat ability and function of the SwitchBlade. The Gundam's ability to convert from Mobile Suit form to Mobile Armour form and back would be valuable since both modes could omit the weaknesses of one another in combat. The Mobile Suit series based on this Gundam would be equal to a high speed strike team that could be deployed quickly, hold their ground in combat and then rapidly retreat and move to the next battle-zone. This unit would have to be a breed of both Vanguard and Dread models.

The fourth phase was to create for the people of Delta 6 another Mobile Suit series that would incorporate features from the first three and the two Gundams in their use, the Shinobi and the Kunoichi Gundams, the series based on them will also have their most distinguishing features which is none other than their Mirage Colloid System. The two siblings agreed to the use of the system and to have the system tested for other applications. Kyo was the first to put forward the idea of having a version of the Mirage Colloid to be used as a shielding system, and that was being tested now.

The name given to the Mobile Suit series in a sense was befitting their role as weapons…the Retribution series.

The next was to test some of the combat principles in their current machines, namely for the Melanos interceptors, and the Megele Dreads, along the fighters of the Taisians since thins was the first time they had so many design concepts in one place and they had to use all they had to their advantages. They were not going to toss out the use of Mobile Armours even with the advent of the Mobile Suit series they were developing since they would still be part of the war effort to counter the still present Cube Fighters, all they needed to do was develop ways to counter Mobile Suit attacks at close range and weapons that would help equalize against the swarm tactics favoured by the Harvesters when they fought.

This would mean that while they were on the move, the Nirvana would have to stay with them for at least two weeks. Such time lost would be a problem, but considering the new danger the Harvesters were sending their way, in the eyes of Buzam and Magno…it would be time well spent for them all. If they could at least have a chance to equalize, then so be it.

Naturally, the officers also allowed them all some down-time, even if they were working around the clock while they were with the Taisians, and considering how some of their crew worked…it would not be a bad idea either.

--

Two days later…

"Man! I am exhausted…" Kyo said sadly as he was in a café drinking some hot chocolate, along with Dita, Jura, Meia, Sara, and Mai. All five girls saw how exhausted Kyo was since he had been up for two whole days, and rarely got sleep, making an OS program was hard enough, but to make custom OS for more than four Mobile Suit series, along with adding special functions was even harder…not to mention he had been busy also with the installation of other needed functions and also helped in developing the HiMAT system along with Max, and Duero. Both men were no doubt tired as hell, caring for the rest of the crew and helping out whenever possible.

As the young man drank his hot chocolate slowly and savoured the taste, the girls merely watched him and hoped that he would be fine, having been working for so long.

"Thanks for letting me take a break, I owe you all." Kyo said with a tired smile as he finished his drink, a few minutes later.

"It was nothing. You need to relax too anyway." Meia said for the others as they took drank some of their own drinks…also relaxing a bit, they too had been busy as the Nirvana' combat personnel were helping in the patrols to make sure the Nirvana and the rest of the Resistance were not suddenly attacked as the fleets were evenly spaced to avoid hitting each other when they stopped or presenting themselves too much a target.

The day they arrived in the plant, Kyo was busy in front of the monitor in the room, making any changes and correcting flaws. He looked tired the very second they saw him and it made them feel sad to know he was working hard…they knew he could force himself to move on, but they knew he would burn himself out at the rate he was going. So they had called Magno to ask if they could allow Kyo to take a break, to which the elderly woman nodded with a smile. Despite his earlier protests on finishing his work, he decided to go along, assured by the rest of the technicians under his command that they could handle it from here.

Once he got there, he had to contend with the fact that a lot of men, whether civilians or military were enjoying what they saw in the ladies that joined him. Jura in her normal garb with her sword strapped to her hip, Dita in her tank-top, jacket, mini-skirt, and boots. Meia in her form hugging flight suit with her chest/shoulder padding, along with her still present circlet. Mai in a short sleeved body suit and cut-off at mid thigh, with a jacket and short skirt with her boots, and Sara in a Chinese still dress. The men were looking like a pack of leering dogs…and that was enough make Kyo wanting to lash out at them and warn them to back off. He settled for a dark and very unfriendly glare which said only one phrase…

'BACK OFF!!'

The guys got the message and left that be, but they were grinning from ear to ear as they saw how close he was to the girls, and from they way helped him, how close they were to him, his enhanced hearing picked up what one of them said.

"Lucky bugger isn't he."

Kyo smirked a bit at that statement when he thought about his girl situation…yeah…he was lucky, but how long will his luck hold anyway. For the fact remained that he was still unsure about being honest with how he felt for them. But for now…just being with them, alone, without a care in the universe for once…he felt at peace.

A flash of a memory came back to him in a second, him playing with the blonde woman with green eyes who he knew as his cousin, and his two siblings, all of them playing in the play-ground while their respective parents watched them. He felt how nice it was to be young again and not have a care in the world. Kyo smiled at that memory no matter how brief it was.

"Is something funny Kyo?" Jura asked as she and the others noted a smile on his face.

"Nothing, just…recalling a memory, they're coming back now…slowly but they're there."

"What do you recall now?' Sara asked eagerly.

"I saw…my cousin and my brother and sister. We were playing in a play-ground while out parents were watching us. We were having a good time and it seemed that I didn't have a care in the world back then." Kyo said with a sigh as he sat back and tried to recall anything else. But for now he then chose to table those thoughts aside as he felt sleepy. He had not slept well and he knew it as he yawned a bit.

The girls noted that and helped him a bit since he was really sleepy, the chocolate had begun to make him feel very relaxed and sleep seemed to be the first and only thing in Kyo's mind at the moment. Dita and Meia helped him up a bit, while Jura and the others hailed a cab and they all boarded it. He cab driver was a guy and to see that many females in his cab and in the different forms, a blonde bombshell, aqua-haired babe, sexy but innocent redhead, brunette, and a copper-haired cutie…he was lucky today, he knew who they were since the announcement came on who the Megele pirates were and them being the ones who fought with the Harvesters the longest, it was an honour for him to be taking them to where they had to go. He also felt a bit envious of the guy they were with, they seemed so attached to him. The driver put that aside and went to work.

"Where do I need to take you all?"

The girls handed the driver the data-pad over to the driver, who nodded and activated his ride. The Taisian Council had dedicated a small university style complex in the Verdant Soul's civilian quarters section for the crew of the Nirvana, the place was enough to house the crew who disembarked while being close enough for the pirates to return to the ship which as still being guarded by their security teams and by the Taisian troops. The ship had been left totally unharmed and Buzam was in charge of keeping the ship ready for the time when they had to continue to move to Talark and Megele. For now the crew who were too tired were allowed to rest there since the complex too had a hospital, and that was where they were fully recovering.

Later…

Kyo was busy sleeping peacefully as he lay on the bed in his under shirt and shorts, having been able to take off his clothes before hitting the bed and sleeping the very second his head hit the pillows. The Gundam pilot wondered what the girls were doing now while he was still out cold…having been working for two days can really tire out a guy, and for now he was sleeping well, unmindful of the facts that the women were in the room…in the bed-room watching him.

Dita, Meia, Jura, Sara, and Mai all spent their time looking at him, merely admiring his face and wondering what they would do, some of them wanted to chat with him, but they knew how tired he was right now and so they allowed him to sleep when they got to his suite in the apartment complex, but that certainly didn't stop them from ogling him in his sleep, even before he unconsciously took the blankets to cover himself, they had seen his lean, well sculpted frame, and even if he was indeed wearing clothes, it certainly didn't mean in the least that they were not in admiration of his form. And now that he was sleeping and looking blissfully relaxed, it was a sight.

Kyo was tired and sleepy…so it was not very surprising that he was unaware of his surroundings, however if he could read the minds of his female companions, he would have woke up and high-tailed out of the room and hide.

Jura was wondering what she could do now that Kyo was asleep…she was certainly VERY tempted to take advantage of him there and then, but she restrained herself since the others were there, she certainly didn't plan on having a fight with the others and getting Kyo angry since he really needed sleep right now, and she certainly wasn't an exhibitionist. She did have experience with sex, but that was when she was with a partner, and certainly not with others in the room, Dita, Meia, Sara and Mai were her comrades, but for some reason, she wanted her chance with Kyo to be special. But the temptation was strong enough to make her reconsider the idea and find a way to get Kyo alone with her.

Meia recalled the times she had seen Kyo sleeping, and for a very special treat before his time being her bed-mate was when she made the mistake of asking if he could stay close to her until she slept, her fahma and sometimes her ohma would do the same. She had tried to erase that slip of the tongue, but Kyo agreed and when she held him close she didn't let him go, and that was by far the most interesting night she had, (NOT THAT WAY) and she loved to feeling of his warmth…but now she was beginning to have more…indecent thoughts, having seen him nude before on a few occasions. She may have had been in a few relationships in the past, but they were very brief and very simple, just the release of physical desire, nothing intimate or of the 'passionate' sort, but with Kyo…it was a different story, and she wanted to desperately be closer to him but reminded herself that she wasn't alone in this room and doing so would attract some serious trouble from everyone else…plus she didn't even want to guess what the rest of the crew would say if she DID have sex with Kyo. That however certainly didn't stop a part of her mind planning ways on what do when she was finally alone with Kyo.

Dita likewise wanted to cuddle up to Kyo and be close to him, but after the times she had kissed him and the time he admitted that he really liked her, the redhead began to have thoughts on taking it a bit further. She was a young woman and being with Kyo had invoked new and very warm, strange feelings, she had been feeling them grow stronger for as long as she was with Kyo, namely when she had seen him nude several times and when she kissed him. There was growing desire in her to get more intimate with Kyo and the images of her own nubile form being close to Kyo's was becoming a bit more frequent, even more so when she was near him in bed. She didn't act on them since she didn't know yet if Mr. Alien felt THAT way about her yet…and being in the room with others was not a good thing to her…but it was true that she was hoping that the others would leave soon so she could be alone with Kyo.

Sara wondered why she suddenly had this desire flow into her as she looked at Kyo's serene face. Having recalled the VERY stimulating scene of Kyo taking a shower and recalling the time she had seen him naked and even came to touch him all those months before had a very unsettling effect on her body, at times she had dreams about her…she blushed horribly as she recalled those sinful thoughts and tried not to think about them. He WAS her superior after all and it would be a serious thing if she did try it. The thought of her having…sex with Kyo would have in the past horrified her to no end, but now…she felt as if she could do with without batting an eyelash and she would enjoy it. But getting into a fight with the others was not a very healthy option for her…but a part of her brain didn't relent on the thoughts and also was planning on what to do once she got time to get Kyo alone with her.

Mai was in the very same boat as the others, she too wondered why for some reason, looking at Kyo was making her think very indecent things. She had been feeling these emotions for a while no, and they were growing, even more so when she had seen him nude twice. She too had touched him in the Nirvana communal bath like the others all those months before and those had left an impact on her that merely touching Kyo at times would sometimes make her feel a little weird, not bad weird…but good weird. She was no stranger to intimacy but the idea of being with a man in that sense was totally new to the young woman. However that certainly didn't stop her from imagining the idea, and a part of her was now planning on how to do that…for real once Kyo and her were alone.

--

Of course…he wasn't the only one of the male Nirvana crew members who was being ogled while they rested.

--

Elsewhere…

Duero was busy resting on a nearby table in his own given quarters, which was near the medical bay of the complex, his arms acting as pillows while he was lightly snoring, unlike Bart who snored loudly, Duero was a light snoring type of man and right now he needed to sleep. He had been busy integrating some new medical techniques, supplies and equipment while working with the rest of the Medical personnel no the World Ship who helped him treat the wounded and recovering patients on the Nirvana. After that, he was happy to know that they would be back on their feet in two days. But his work was far from finished.

He had been gathering new medical supplies, along with more books and material to still work on his research, along with historical records on the events that led to the Days of Despair and the years after the Bloody Valentine Massacre on Junius 7 and the War between the Earth Alliance and Z.A.F.T before the Junius 7 Peace Accord and the Cosmic Era of Reunification.

Being a First Class citizen, he had been exposed to history, however, he knew that most of the historical records on Talark had been doctored by the Talark Government's Propaganda Section for their own purposes, in the doctored history, men were the ones who lived in Earth and Space and fought against women who in turn were the ones who started the conflict by invading Earth…and only by the blood of their ancestors were humans able to reach beyond the stars until the women followed them and enslaved them, until Grand Pa and the first Generation freed man from the vile grasp of women and founded Talark, thus they will always be in conflict with the women until the end of time, that was today's history.

He had no doubt in his mind that the women had their own version of history, and with them being the heroes or heroines and men were the vile cowards who left them to suffer. Thus he had no doubt that not just the men of his world, but the women on Parfet's world were also unable to know the true history between men and women and their true relationships as two halves of humanity.

He wanted to have all the records he was able to get in order to determine the true events that led to this era, so to clarify things, and what better way than to get unbiased information, and compare them from the ones he had already on hand, and his most trusted source were the undisturbed records that were hidden deep in the Ikazuchi and the records that the Resistance member factions had. This was a tough task, but he believed that this would help remove the lie that kept both Megele and Talark from learning the truth and would help them make the move to stand united against the soon to come Harvester invasion.

One of the trade-offs with such a noble plan…was sheer mental exhaustion, as he found out while he was only 30 finished. And he was human after all…

Parfet came into the room, hoping to speak to Duero after she too had been driven to exhaustion while working, sure she could handle a few days hard work, but not with projects this important to the defeat of the Harvesters that were now on the move. She then saw that both of them were very tired from their respective work, but she knew that Duero would be having body pains so despite her dislike of disturbing Duero from his well deserved rest she had to wake him up.

"Duero? Please wake up."

"W-What?"

Duero said with a hint of annoyance since he was finally getting to relax a bit, he was a consummate professional and didn't mind waking up early, but he was also a human being so he too was not in the mood to be awakened. However once the sleepiness faded he smiled a bit as he spotted Parfet who still wore her glasses.

"What is it Parfet?"

"Nothing that needs your…attention, but I wanted you to wake up so…you can sleep in your bed, I think that would be a lot more comfortable."

Duero thought about that for a second and agreed silently. Though he didn't mind sleeping in the position he was in so he could immediately continue his work, he was a doctor and he knew that waking up in a position such as the one he was in was an open invitation to back pains, cramps and sore muscles, and he didn't need such things while working and that would inhibit his performance as a doctor, besides…a bed certainly was a far better option right now.

Both walked to the bed room and there was the bed in his quarters, spacious enough for Duero and also for another person though Parfet did have her own room, as did every other member of the Nirvana crew. As soon as he got there, he thanked Parfet and then took off his trench-coat, apparently his exhaustion made him unable to realize that Parfet was next to him, as soon as he put aside his trench coat ,he lay down on the bed gingerly and sighed at the soft covers and mattress, and the very second his head hit the pillows, Duero McFile was out like a light…which naturally allowed Parfet to gaze at him in full form since he had not taken on the blanket to cover himself up.

She had seen him when he took of his trench coat, but that was when they were professionals and working on shifts, though there were private moments, she couldn't take it too far since the rest of the crew were watching and her fellow engineers would tease her about that, but for some reason, now that they were alone in private…she began to feel rather warm as she looked Duero's exposed form on the sheets, in his unzipped, short-sleeved body suit and boots. He was lean and well sculpted and it was true that she had seen his form nude already when they all had managed to peek into the private bathing quarters on the men's side…but now she felt this desire to run her hands over his firm and hard chest…

Parfet then felt a raging heat take over her as she looked in the nearby mirror and saw her deep red blush, but she still couldn't deny how…desirable and sexy Duero looked in his relaxed and yes, vulnerable state. The bang of hair that covered his face parted aside, allowing Parfet the chance to admire his handsome features, that added more fire to her as she began to squirm as she felt warm all over her body, namely in the juncture of her thighs. And to further add fuel to the fire she began to have images in her head about her being able to…

(Oooooh! What am I going to do?!)

Parfet thought in a bit of a panic, part of her wanted to leave the room since she might do something that might not only get her into trouble with Duero, but make their friendship difficult, on the other hand… a part of her was egging her own to take advantage of how vulnerable Duero was in his sleep, to touch his hot skin, to feel his hard muscles, to take in his scent and…

Parfet sighed as she shook her head. Sure, like any woman on Megele, she too had been given sex education, and was familiar with the mechanics, but ever since her friendship with Duero had gone to the higher levels…and seeing him in his naked glory…well, she wondered if…

(Calm down! Now isn't the time.)

She knew that train of thought to be true as she was still very tired and her body needed rest, since she was already in a bed-room she might as well get some sleep. She took off the top part of her engineer's jump-suit and then took off the lower part along with her boots, leaving her with her tank-top on and her normal pair of shorts, the same design and make as that of her top. She then took off her glasses as her mind, craving sleep made her lie down next to Duero, as soon as that happened…she squealed a bit in joyful surprise when Duero reflexively placed his arm around her and drew her closer to him, she smiled as she took up the blanket to cover them both as she snuggled up to Duero.

--

In another part of the complex…

Max sighed as he held the cup of hot milk that Barnette had given him. He had been busy as well as his brother was. He had been gathering extra supplies and also helped in the development of the Mobile Suit series that would be using his Gundam as the basis for the design system. Thus, apart from taking his brother's place in the Medical Bay, he was also busy looking for whatever supplies that they might need, and like his elder sibling was also looking for more information, for now however he was on rest break as he was in his own quarters, namely the living room. Next tom him was Barnette who was still in her normal attire, right now she was busy.

Barnette got out a small pack of snacks that she knew as carrot and celery sticks with some cream and handed them to Max, who quickly ate his food in relish, famished from not eating well enough since two days past. Max smiled warmly as the food and drink flowed down his stomach and he felt his body relax.

"Thanks Barnette…I wish I was a bit more helpful though, I feel kind of helpless and men don't like the feeling all that much."

"I take it being helpless is frowned upon?" Barnette asked as she placed some more of the food to Max and watched him as he ate voraciously. She didn't mind looking at him, and since she had already eaten, she wanted to spend as much time as she could with Max while he was on a break, no matter how short or long it was going to be.

"Not really…but being battle-hardened and ingrained with the will to survive no matter what the challenge can make you feel the need to show you're not helpless in anything. It's a normal thing back home."

Barnette nodded as she sat next to Max and they chatted for a while, she liked having to talk with him in a civil situation for once, and thankfully she didn't have to worry about anyone interfering with the conversation. They began to just chat about normal things, namely about each other, about Barnette's family back home, and how life had been for Max before being in the military. The conversation went on for a few more minutes until Barnette noted that Max had fallen asleep on the couch, and was now leaning a bit on her shoulder. She couldn't help but feel a bit flustered and hot, and not due to the temperature outside, since the temperature regulators of the complex took care of that.

As she began to run her hands through Max's unbound locks of hair, she took off her gloves and felt the hair, smiling at how smooth the hair looked. She also blushed a bit more as she felt the warmth radiating from his hard form. Looking down and seeing how close his body was to hers, she began to have some rather interesting thoughts…the same ones she had been having ever since becoming closer to Max, learning how men and women had children, and finally…seeing him naked… She began to recall her many dreams and wondered if she could…

(Damn! Why is it now that I am feeling these desires?! Why is it I want to…)

Barnette sighed and wondered just how such a thing would feel…Jura HAD told her on how she felt when Kyo kissed her and what she felt when she and him nearly had sex. The way the blonde pilot had described the sensations made Barnette hot and bothered…even more so when she saw herself and Max doing the same things Jura said she and Kyo had done on the desert world before. She began to reach out and take Max's hands…

(No…don't do that! How do you know if he is willing anyway?!)

Barnette controlled herself and sighed as she too was feeling tired. She decided to take a light nap and make a warm meal for Max when he would wake up from his own nap. Nodding to that thought she hugged Max and placed her head on his and smelled his scent, which she liked and snuggled up to Max as both began to rest…both unaware how…intriguing their postures were.

--

In the Nirvana…namely the male created sub-bridge…

Buzam was busy on her own side of the bench, so to speak. The bronze skinned and silver haired woman worked on sending the latest message pods to both Talark and Megele, the situation they were in needed a quick resolution and had to be done as fast as possible, with the Nirvana soon to reach home, it was invaluable that current events be relayed to Talark and Megele to make the possibility of an alliance between both races to be possible. There were some of the pirates who were on duty and naturally accompanied her to her work, and assisted her.

The woman then went to the pod designated to be sent to the world of men and installed the data. She however typed in several special code locks that amazingly enough were in the language of the men. But not the normal language…something more complex and coded in a unique fashion that she only seemed to know about. Most of the pirates chalked that up to Buzam being an elite so she wasn't bothered by any of them as she worked.

Buzam knew that both worlds would have hardliners who by nature would try and discredit the reports, her conversations with both Max and Aleck proved that to her, and it was natural to assume that neither government would budge that easily from the century long war they had been in. This hopefully would be enough to convince the men and women to consider making an alliance or defense pact.

Since the Nirvana was docked next to the Verdant Soul, and in one of the massive ship hangers, it was hardly surprising that Buzam had no problem releasing the pods, which still possessed the masking systems to make them appear as Harvesters, but this time they were using an updated recognition system to avoid them being destroyed by the new Harvester forces.

As Buzam looked out to see the pods gone, she went back to her duties on the ship, there was still a lot of work left to do and time was not on their side. As the women were out of sight, Buzam took out a few of the coloured pills that Bart had handed her before, during the Christmas celebration, she smiled and ate them, and amazingly, she didn't get disturbed by the taste of the tasteless pills…

But seemed to like them.

--

Inside a hidden Mobile Suit…

The pilot sighed as he kept track of the massive fleet that was moving along the way. He spotted the fleet shortly after activating his Mobile Suit's system cloak in order to avoid giving away his position, and staying close enough to track the fleet, but keep out of their own sensor range. He knew that it won't be long before he would be spotted…and considering all he had done…he would not blame every last person in the fleet for wanting him dead…

And maybe…he deserved to die.

But the people who found him and spared his life said that he still had a part to play in the play of life, whether it will be for good or for evil was up to him. He had seen enough to know what would await him if he sided with evil. And what he had experienced, learned, and what been able to learn about the enemy further hardened his resolve that if he had time left to be alive in this universe, it was now time for him to make amends for his past though how slim it may be.

He owed the people who saved him that much…even if in some way he too was responsible for what they had to endure for nearly a generation. If what he will give would give the human race, the same race he betrayed a fighting chance, then so be it, and if his death would finally make up for all the lives he had led to the slaughter, and give them some measure of peace in the after-life…then so be it.

He also knew that now…there was one who could lead the humans to victory over their enemy…it was once the place he wanted to have for himself, but he was not the one to take that place. He allowed his arrogance and greed to blind him, but not anymore…after this, if he lived, he would guide that one man to where he needed to be, to regain what he had lost. And if he died, then the result would still be the same.

He put those thoughts aside and powered up his Mobile Suit and went on to follow the fleet of the Resistance.

--

A few hours later… in the after-noon…

(Make-out time!)

Kyo woke up and yawned a bit as he sat up on the bed…wondering for a moment just where her was this time. As his memories came back on what happened the morning before he wondered if the girls were still there in the room with him. He looked about and found that they were not there right now…apparently they didn't try anything on him and for that he was a bit thankful, though…a part of him was somewhat disappointed.

He quickly banished such thoughts with a shake of his head as he got out and stretched his arms a bit to work out some stiffness he found there. He moved out of the room and headed for the bath-room to take a quick shower and then get a glass of water for drinking since he had to relax and soon, get back to work, it was also later he realized that he hadn't taken his lunch yet, apparently he was so tired, he had skipped eating. He put those thoughts aside for the moment and went on with his bath.

Since he was still in his room and in the bath, it was hardly surprising that he didn't hear the chiming of the door alarm showing that it let someone into his quarters. The intruder turned out to be Dita who went there to check on Kyo after she and the others decided to leave him alone to get some rest after such a long day. She also knew that Kyo would not have eaten yet ever since the moment he went to sleep and being the ever caring girl that she was…she decided to cook something for him.

The redhead immediately made a beeline to the kitchen and began to check what she had to work with in the supplies of food and ingredients.

Later…

(Ahhhh….finally, I haven't had a decent bath in a while.)

Kyo thought mentally to himself as he switched to wearing a soft cotton shirt and short pants, his clothes had been placed in the laundry for cleaning when he stepped out of the bath-room, with his wet towel now joining the pile that was to be picked up by laundry service inside the complex. That was when he smelled something being cooked the very second he got out of the room and was in the living room. He then made a beeline into the kitchen and before he knew it, he collided with someone…and that someone was a certain redhead.

"Ahhhhh!!"

"What the?!"

As both bodies nearly fell to the floor, they were both lucky that they were near a counter so they were not able to fall on the floor. Kyo had naturally reached out with both arms, one to steady himself and the other to catch whoever it was he collided with. Thus when he looked he found himself staring at Dita…who was wearing an apron over her normal clothes and she had her hands to her chest in a cross fashion, just covering her breasts which were somewhat easy to see due to two things, the apron was covering her form very well and due to the accidental meeting, and the fact that Kyo and her were VERY close to one another…

Dita looked back at him and the male Gundam pilot found out that his fellow female Gundam pilot sported a furious blush that was the colour of her own hair all over her cheeks, like the skin of a tomato. And he knew he was having the same look too, considering the VERY compromising situation they were in…he had her in his arms, her lithe and well formed body moulded to his own, along with the fact that one of his legs was between the juncture of her own legs, allowing him to feel their very INTIMATE closeness, and naturally…the fact that there were only a few centimetres between their faces added to that. Before he could apologize for this situation and move away…Dita, uncharacteristically took the chance from him as reached out with her arms, which she freed and kissed Kyo square on the lips.

Apparently, despite still being sixteen, Dita was becoming more and more mature, no doubt being with the crew for so long, and naturally, no doubt the war they were in was taking a toll on her, and she knew that she needed to grow up a little bit more, though she knew Kyo liked her the way she was and didn't want her to change. But she knew her feelings for Kyo had changed…considerably.

In the past, she had started the relationship they had merely out of her desire to learn about men, who she thought as aliens, ever since she was a child, and Kyo was the first man she met and thus started their relationship…if one would call it that, over time it grew stronger and she recalled how many times she felt the emotions Kyo's mere presence invoked in her. She felt so warm, safe, and happy near him, and even when he smiled, she felt warmth flow from her face to her toes, and the times she kissed him, the feelings ran like hot water and electricity from her skin to every point of her body, not to mention the happy times she had with Kyo, how mad he was when Rabat injured her and how he reacted in her defense. She knew that what she felt wasn't some form of infatuation, or a passing crush, as her childhood friends would call it…but love.

Yes she was in love with Kyo, and she knew he felt the same way, and she wasn't as ditzy as some would care to think…she knew that Jura, Meia, Sara, and Mai were showing the signs that they too, like her had the same feelings for Kyo, though it was only now that she was acting on these strong feelings she had for Kyo. She was somewhat familiar with love and some of the physical intimacy involved in it, but that form of education was based on her world's principles and culture…so this was unfamiliar territory for her, to be in love with a man…and wanting to show that love too, she was willing to do that though, since she was now curious, in a mature way, on how it would feel to be intimate with a man, and to show that love to Kyo.

Kyo tried desperately to rein in his desires, but the way Dita kissed him and holding him made that near to impossible and just like before, when he was with Jura in her room a few months before…he gave into his hormones and male instincts.

He reached out and untied the apron from both Dita's waist and neck, and with a quick motion, without them separating at all. Once that was out of the way he went on to kissing Dita passionately, to which the redhead replied, in the same but very innocent fashion. Knowing that despite her sudden change in attitude towards him, she was still innocent in all this, he took things slowly…

He kissed her further, nipping her lips gently and brushing the bitten spots with his tongue, gently prodding Dita to open her mouth a bit, which the redhead did slowly. He reached out with his tongue and touched Dita's own, prompting a moan from the young woman and making her grip on him tighter…she then responded with her own tongue as they began to kiss deeply, though both did this carefully, Dita, being this was her first time kissing a man, and Kyo, while not as innocent, due to having done this kind of kissing, what was the term again? Oh yeah, 'French Kiss, with Jura before, did this one carefully and gently so as to not frighten Dita. It didn't take long for Dita to free herself from her shell though as she began to kiss back more intensely and their little tongue duel became more heated.

Two minutes passed since they kissed and Kyo took that further, though he had to break the contact between them. Dita moaned and whined a bit at the loss of contact, and naturally voiced her complaint.

"Mr. Alien! Don't…ahhhhh!!"

Dita' moaned in bliss when Kyo kissed her neck and nipped lightly at her skin, and then kissed her on the chin, her vision was hazy somewhat as Kyo smiled at her, in a very sexy and mischievous way.

"You were saying something Dita?"

"Uhhhh…"

"Didn't think so." He said with a gentle smile, to which Dita could only blush as sweat began to gather on her form…and on his.

Kyo went back to what he was doing, and kissed Dita once more for good measure, he recalled what he had done with Jura before, and hoped that it would be all right. Putting those thoughts aside for the moment, he then went on to remove her jacket, forcing Dita to release him from her grip, which she did so with obvious reluctance. Once that was out of the way, he went on to kiss her shoulders and the column of muscle and skin to her neck, kissing and nipping it gently, along with a few soft but firm licks from his tongue, another idea he wanted to try though where he had the idea was beyond him, until he reached her collar-bones, and did the same, while running his hands through her hair, marvelling at the smooth and wavy feel of her crimson strands, he was hardly surprised, since women loved to take care of their hair, Jura was one example and even Meia showed signs of…he put the thoughts aside for now since his brain was very much moving on hormonal instinct at this point. He then went further to taste some of the sweat that Dita had, gathering on the middle of the juncture of her collar-bones, making Dita whimper a bit more

Dita however reciprocated his actions and did the same as she reached out and touched his own hair, running her fingers through the strands, marvelling at how soft and smooth they were, she then frowned a bit as she reached the cloth band that held Kyo's hair in the ponytail that he always had, even when piloting in his uniform. She removed it quickly and ran her hands into the locks of the now released chocolate brown strands. She went even further and managed to get Kyo to stop his actions and look at her and to which she kissed him on the lips and even took a drop of sweat on the upper side of his mouth…making her blush at what she had just done…while making Kyo blush and smirk at the rather…sensual action on the redhead's part.

The two went at it a bit more as Kyo reached with his arms and reached Dita's chest, namely her breasts and before the young woman could say anything, he began to massage them gently, kneading and moulding them like a sculptor would mould clay in his or her hands. The reaction of the redhead was obvious as she moaned louder and then wrapped her arms to his back, raking her fingers on the cloth fabric and feel the hard muscles underneath. Kyo went on with his actions until Dita couldn't help herself but moan and squirm…which due to their positions to begin with made her rub herself on Kyo, arousing the Gundam pilot more and more.

Kyo then did what he had done with Jura before, but first he had to remove Dita's tank-top, he moved only the upper portion of the cloth and he gazed at Dita's perky and well formed breasts, though they were not as large as Jura's, they were fit for Dita's age and figure. Kyo smiled as he was now dully controlled by his hormones as he gazed at Dita, now seeing that her blush had reached her chest, and her rapid breathing made her breasts heave a bit…that had a result as he felt his manhood become even harder and was now prodding Dita's right thigh…rather insistently if he could still tell with what wits he still had left in his brain, right now his male hormones were on riot mode as he finished his kissing and leaned to kiss the valley between both fleshy, cream coloured mounds...making Dita moan and hold him closer.

She HAD intended to ask him if he knew what was that warm, soft yet hard thing that was rubbing on her leg, but the moment Kyo kissed her in that area between her breasts, that plan flew out of her mind like beam bolt fired from a beam cannon…which was now replaced on how soft Kyo's lips were and the hot sensation they left on her. Dita couldn't even begin to fathom how could being this intimate with Mr. Alien would make her feel so hot, vulnerable, helpless, and hungry all at once! But she wasted little time in understanding those things as she ran her hands to his face, running her fingers over his features and guiding his face to where she anted him to be, and when he came there…he acted.

He finally managed to feel her breasts without the tank-top barring his way, he went slower and more gently tan when he was with Jura since Dita, being very innocent about the whole thing, still had to get used to the sensations, but her innocent moans were driving that idea out of his mind rather effectively. He rolled her nipples slowly, and gently, he felt both breasts and cupped them, then he went to what he had in mind, he licked the nipple of Dita's left breast and made the redhead yelp in surprise, pleasant surprise at that. He then took in the hardened pebble into his mouth and began to lave more oral attention on it, gently biting it with the right amount of pressure, licking it with his tongue, and then he kissed it and sucked it for a few seconds while licking the aureole and doing that plus kissing the breast, he went and did the same to her other breast while massaging the other with his hand and still cupping his new target.

Dita was mewling in pleasure and wasn't going to soon forget this moment and wanted to get even closer to Kyo, and did so has she held him even tighter.

Kyo then saw images of the others run into his mind, Meia, Jura, Sara, and Mai and realized that he was hurting them once more, he felt that like the time with Jura, he was betraying their feelings for him. He had been becoming even closer to them and this would be getting him in even more hot water, he wondered just when would he finally be able to handle his girl problems one of these days. He knew that what he was doing was wrong in two ways, the first was obviously the fact that he was betraying the feelings he had for the other girls in his life, and the second was that despite his change in attitude, he wasn't going to take advantage of Dita's innocence and feelings for him…namely in this fashion, he wanted to make sure that he set things straight with not just her, but the others as well…he knew he would be asking for some serious flak from all this, and he knew that Dita's feelings might be hurt, but his time talking with Osso, and Captain Magno made him realize that while that would be unavoidable, he should at least be honest about it…though after all they had just done…this would prove to be far harder than anything he had done before…

(God…I really need help…)

He said to himself as despite his hormones raging in him once more…he moved away from Dita…who whimpered at the loss of contact and before he knew what was happening, she began to cry.

"What's wrong Mr. Alien? I'm not sexy or beautiful enough?"

"No Dita, you are that, I just don't think now is the right time for this." Kyo said as he gathered the whimpering redhead in his arms and then held her face upwards and kissed her, gently, like before. Dita responded to the kiss and hugged Kyo, the kiss lasted for a minute, but to both of them, it was far longer than a mere sixty seconds. He then placed his right finger on her lips as the y broke away to silence her protest and spoke.

"We have a lot to do and there are too many things going on, plus I don't feel all right about this, for a several reasons. I know…it's hard for you, and it is the same for me…but please trust me…when all we face is over, or at least has not followed us, then I will tell you why and when, please, for my sake."

Dita whimpered and despite some tears, she wiped them away and nodded, trusting that soon, she could REALLY show Kyo how much she loved him, and how much she wanted to be with him, no matter what fate awaits him and her, she knew that she would get into trouble with the others, namely her comrades Jura and Meia, along with Sara and Mai, but she wanted to at least be with Kyo, no matter what stood in her way, until she and him were one.

"All right, I promise…"

They were able to calm down, and just in time too as they heard the chime of the bell that told them that the door to the room was open, realizing what that meant, both Dita and Kyo worked together to clean up the kitchen to hide what was happening. And they made it as Magno and Buzam came into the room.

"Hello Captain, Commander." Kyo said with a smile as he greeted the two older women.

"Hello Kyo, I see you've finally awakened since your nap, I hope that you don't mind we discuss plans here in your quarters before we all have to leave soon for Talark and Megele?" Buzam asked professionally as both women sat down, while Dita, who now wore her clothes to the original order, placed some food on the table and smiled warmly as she placed Kyo's meal before him, and something in her smile made Kyo blush a bit faintly and touched Dita's hand to thank her, making her blush too. They hoped that both older women didn't notice that…

BC was on her professional mode and didn't mind or notice the exchange as she worked on what they had do in her head. But Magno was different, she noted the exchange and smiled warmly.

(I see…hmm, things will be even MORE interesting now!)

--

Elsewhere…

(Hmmm….I never realized how tired I was until today. Well, at the very least I managed to rest.)

Duero began to shake the cobwebs in his mind as he began to rouse himself from his sleep. He knew that sleeping would help a great deal after two days of non-stop work. But now it was all worth it…however due to his still sleep relaxed mind he was unable to comprehend the fact that he was in bed, as soon as he did, he tried to figure out why he suddenly felt very comfortable. Though it was true that he was feeling comfortable and the beds were quite comfortable that what he used to sleep in when back on the men's side, it wasn't THIS comfortable, he moved his arm and that was when he felt a form was lying next to him.

He was quickly awakened by that fact and then looked to see a mass of brown hair and a familiar female face without her glasses. Duero looked to find himself in a rather unique situation and apparently, the male side of his personality was now acting on the same emotions and desires that he had been feeling and Kyo had taken the time to explain to him. He moved away the blanket that covered the plucky head engineer, and looked at her form, bare of the engineer's jumpsuit that she normally wore, and was in her tank-top and what appeared to be shorts that were of the same material as the top and was near the upper portion of her knees, she also had taken off her boots and socks, thus leaving her barefooted.

The fact that she was sleeping as well as he was, certainly wasn't lost at all to the male doctor as, what Kyo explained to be his body's naturally reactions to women, he studied her, admiring her form, as he found himself doing many times since he had been introduced to the side of his male being that had been suppressed ever since being born on Talark. He looked at her while sitting on the bed in cross legged fashion.

He was still unsure about what Kyo had told him, but followed the Gundam pilot's advice and just do things slowly. He looked at every curve and swell of Parfet's figure. He immediately felt his body react to the feelings in him as he gazed at his only female friend on the Nirvana. And now he was in the same boat as Kyo was, but in a slightly different mind set. He knew from his conversations with Kyo that he did like Parfet more than he himself would care to admit, and from what Kyo had told him about how women acted at times, he knew that Parfet had deep feelings for him too, however he had no idea on how to act on such things, since he had been always using the scientific and analytical approach on all things he did, but the emotions this situation inspired in him were beyond his reasoning. But that certainly didn't mean they were unpleasant.

He looked at her form from face, to her upper torso, he immediately slapped himself mentally for staring at Parfet's breasts, and had to struggle not to fall to the still unknown urges to touch them, for fear of making a mistake that could hurt Parfet. He looked at her form and admired how…attract' she was when not wearing either glasses or her jump-suit. He realized just how grossly inaccurate was the word plain on Parfet, she was beautiful to him, why, he had no idea. He also resisted the temptation to touch her, since not only would she wake up, but he didn't want to break the atmosphere of the situation.

As he began to look even more he was unaware of the fact that Parfet herself was now awakening.

(Wow…I never had such a good sleep before, and I feel as if I'm being watched over by someone I care about.)

Parfet moaned a bit, barely heard as she began to move up, she had felt so safe and warm, even warmer as if she was being observed by someone. As she turned, she opened her eyes and panicked a bit when she did as she found herself alone on the bed and wondered just where Duero went, that is until she looked up and found Duero staring intently at her. Now she knew why she was feeling goose bumps on her skin for some reason, and now she was feeling rather hot and flustered. The way Duero stared at her was both unnerving and very attractive, as if she was the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes on, that fact made the engineer blush harder. She was plain by the standards of her home-planet, but when she was around Duero she felt beautiful.

The two then stared at one another, intently, Duero's onyx gaze delving deep into Parfet's amelyst gaze as well. The silence in the room was deafening as the two stared and unknown to the two, they began to get closer to one another as Duero edged closer, and so did Parfet, even if they didn't intend to at first. They were so lost in another's eyes that they moved ever closer…until they kissed each other suddenly.

It was at that same moment that both of them became aware of the ramifications of what they had just done.

Duero realized that he had just become the first man of Talark to kiss a woman from Megele…and not get his life sucked out of him.

Parfet realized that she had just become the first woman of Megele to kiss a man from Talark…and not become sick or infected.

Both also realized how each other tasted and…they loved it as they kissed a bit harder.

If there were any remaining traces of their world's teachings about the opposite gender that forbade such things in their minds…they had just been stuffed in the air-lock and shot out into space!!

Both Duero and Parfet continued their first kiss, amazed at what they were feeling. Duero couldn't help but smile mentally at how soft and supple Parfet's lips were, and the same could be said for Parfet who was amazed at how nice and warm Duero's own lips felt. The kiss was simple and rather clumsy, since neither of the two had been in any previous relationships that included physical intimacy…but that certainly didn't mean that it didn't have an effect on them as they drew ever closer. Both of them then closed their eyes and as the kiss became more passionate…

Duero then opened his mouth to voice out a moan, at the very same moment, Parfet's tongue was licking the inside of her teeth and naturally had passed her lips, and then she realized that she was now kissing Duero with her mouth open and her tongue was now touching him INSIDE his mouth.

The taste was…something else…it wasn't bad, just different, she couldn't begin to describe the taste, but she could certainly describe the feel inside Duero's mouth. Warm, smooth, wet, hot, soft, and delicious! She delved deeper, and then moaned even more as Duero's own tongue tentatively touched hers as well, the result was both of them moaning in each other's mouths, exciting both at the same time…and making them more aroused.

Both remained in their kiss as they deepened their osculation. Duero then felt a strange urge telling him to reach out and touch her, which he followed…as he ran his hands on her face, carefully. Parfet felt his hands, warm and calloused on her face, but didn't mind the roughness, since they felt…nice. The woman moaned even more as the doctor finished his exploration right on her breasts a minute or two later.

Duero felt the softness, firmness, and weight of Parfet's bosom and marvelled at then, but he wondered just what he should do now…he then recalled the image of the naked man massaging his female partner's breasts while she too was naked in the video he and his brother had seen. He didn't know the full mechanics of the actions…but tried it anyway, as he gently moved his hands on the fleshy orbs, through Parfet's tank-top.

Parfet moaned warmly as she felt Duero's warmth through her tank-top. The fact that Duero had no knowledge about women shined through to her as he was moving in a very unsure fashion while touching her breasts. She decided to take the initiative and reached out with her hands and intertwined them with his Duero's own and before Duero could inquire as to why she wad doing this, the head engineer began to move his hands in a set pattern, the very same one that made her feel very happy.

(This feels pleasant…I guess what I saw in that video was accurate.)

Duero thought as his brain was now feeling warm and very active as he continued to massage Parfet's breasts, and even her nipples, which had hardened due to the intimate contact and the fact that they were still kissing, along with Parfet moaning as he continued to massage her breasts. He touched the hardened nubs carefully to make sure he didn't hurt Parfet since he did find out that those parts of the woman's breasts were very sensitive.

(Oooooh! I don't want this to end!! Duero…more!)

Parfet mentally screamed in pleasure as she still remained in the kiss while Duero massaged her breasts and nipples in the way that made her moan and gasp. If this was how women felt when with men in the most physically intimate level…then the rest of the women on Megele had NO idea what they were missing! She then decided to do the same as she ran her hands, which she had free of her gloves and ran her hands on Duero's hair, marvelling at them and she then felt the slightly rougher skin on his face, but instead of being repulsed, she revelled in the tingles she had running up and down her body. She moved on and came to his torso…marvelling the smooth, muscular and hot feel of Duero's form even if he was wearing his body suit. She ran her hands carefully over the opening in the middle that showed a portion of Duero's muscled chest, feeling even warmer as the sensations the touch inspired in her began to grow larger and hotter.

It was then when they finally broke the kiss due to lack of air and then looked at one another, namely where their hands had gone adventuring. Before Duero could even say a word, she hushed him with s gentle peck on the cheek and a warm smile…and then grabbed the zipper that closed Duero's body suit and…drew it down, and when it was done she opened the suit up and with Duero's resistance on an all time low, he allowed her to move the released portions of his suit aside…exposing his torso.

This wasn't the first time Parfet had seen Duero naked, namely when she had hacked into the security system of the male section of the Nirvana and showed the men nude in their own sauna to the rest of the crew. But now that she was the only one with Duero, the situation was different as she felt more heat rise in her cheeks…

Duero was slim and well formed, hardened muscles everywhere, his skin was light bronze in colour and was somewhat exotic, though she knew that being from a desert world, Duero's tan was normal and simple to others, but looking at him made her feel that he looked very beautiful, despite having no concept herself of male beauty as of yet. He was like a statue that she had seen in the under-ground city, smooth skin, well proportioned, and muscled all in the right places. His build showed power, grace, skill, and technique…how women on her world had considered men inferior in all ways, including form was now seen by the young woman as pure foolishness. He was a God to her as she roamed her eyes on his form, there were scars, but she wasn't disgusted by them, they were testaments on his struggles in life…and they looked right on him, since the two had been sweating, she wondered a bit on what they would taste like.

Duero knew that he was considered average looking back on Talark and though he didn't bother with that detail for all his life, he now felt that maybe he could have taken better care of his form and body…since he wondered if his form was appealing to Parfet. He also wondered if he should have used cosmetic surgery to remove his scars, since he learned that women on Megele hated scars with a passion, and that plus other things made him wonder if he was attractive to Parfet. He wondered why he should bother with that since Parfet didn't mind being with him…but now for the first time in his life Duero McFile felt uncomfortable with himself.

It seemed however that his fears would be gone as Parfet reached out to him and began to slowly touch his shoulders, feeling the muscles of his arms all the way to his fingers, making Duero shiver a bit, as she did the same thing again on her return to his shoulders. She then began to trace her fingers on his chest, running her fingers slowly as if trying to feel every fibre of him, this apparently had an effect not just on Duero, but on Parfet as well, as she was blushing and also panting somewhat, until she reached his abs and began to run her hands on the muscles there.

Duero however reciprocated the actions as he began to run his own hands on Parfet's form, starting with the shoulders and arms, feeling the muscles that showed Parfet's own natural strength. As he reached her chest, he stopped, hoping to gain permission, which Parfet gave with a quick and desperate looking nod, he then took off her tank top and saw her exposed bosom. Normally he HAD seen her breasts before, but that was when he was in the Medical Bay and was a professional, now he was looking at her with the feelings she inspired in him, that made him feel like hot metal and he was…starting to like it. He ran his hands carefully and gently on her breasts, making Parfet moan even louder, and for reasons he still didn't understand, he liked the fact that she was moaning, just from him touching her, and he was getting more interested to see how much more sounds he could get from her. Who knew that such…pleasure could be derived from just this part of the 'making out' as Misty had phrased it? How would it feel if he and Parfet did the same things he had seen on the video?

Turnabout is fair play though as Parfet continued her ministrations on Duero as he too moaned, and she too was feeling even MORE warm and wet in certain parts of her body, her heart was beating faster and faster, and her woman's soul seemed to smile and revel in the moans Duero was giving out due to her actions…and the looks on his face…she couldn't even begin to describe how arousing it was to her, to know that she could do this Duero and both him and her were enjoying it immensely!

This could have gone on…hadn't it had been for the chiming on Duero's computer that his newly downloaded files were now completed…along with Parfet's communicator, telling her that her crew needed her back at the plant for the next batch of tests.

Both partners were broken away from their little world and the atmosphere was of silence and awe as they began to recollect what they had just done. Both looked at one another and blushed profusely at each other's near nakedness. Despite their desire to finish what they started even if they were not all that sure of what would be the results, (minus the fact that Duero knew that he MIGHT get Parfet pregnant) they knew that they were needed and the war with the Harvesters was their primary concern.

Later, after eating some food and getting back into their garments, both Parfet and Duero went out of his quarters and headed off in two different directions, Duero to continue to treat his patients, and Parfet to finish her projects in the Nirvana's own Mobile Suit series. But before they separated, both kissed one another deeply and held hands before leaving, each hiding from their respective partner the deep crimson on their cheeks…and the secret plan to someday see just where this would take them.

(I hope that was enjoyable…now it's the younger brother's turn! Barnette and Max are up!)

Barnette yawned a bit as she woke up and still found herself on the couch…since she was still a bit sleepy, she wasn't aware of Max being close to her, namely with his head on her shoulder, hen she did she panicked a bit, but relaxed, knowing that Max would never try anything to hurt or frighten her, but this situation allowed her to admire his features once more without waking Max up. It was also when she noted that while he was sleeping, Max had wrapped an arm of his on her thighs and since his head was near to her shoulder, he was close to the upper portions of her breasts, due to her very interesting outfit. Barnette didn't mind it, but whenever Max looked at her, she couldn't help but feel warm and nervous, such feelings were new and strange to her, a bit frightening, but hardly bad in a way…it was almost as if she wanted Max to see her in full flower, which would be the reason she took up to having perfume on her, namely the brand Max liked, which was lilacs. She moved a bit to get a better position, but that woke Max a bit, and though he was still sleeping peacefully, he subconsciously reached out and embraced Barnette gently, with both arms, the first now holding her by the waist, the other around the back of her neck and on her other shoulder.

Barnette blushed even harder now, and even more so with the very intimate contact they both were having at this very second. But she felt another feeling get to her, namely since she saw how close Max's face was her. She brushed aside his hair and before she knew what she was doing she kissed him on the forehead, no matter how awkward the position was right now.

Max wondered why there seemed to be a soft sensation on his forehead, and naturally he woke up, and for real this time. He then moved forward and before he knew what was happening, he found himself locking lips with Barnette!

Both were shocked by what they were doing, but apparently the tension in the two of them, their feelings for one another, and finally, and the most important fact was their respective discovery on HOW men and women had children, and had…sex with one another. That coupled with the closeness and the now present lip lock was enough to spark a fire in the two of them…which naturally went on for a bit.

Barnette moaned as she kissed Max, at first, since she was new to the fact of kissing a man, but it was far from disgusting and vile than she had heard it to be. Back on Megele, some of her school-mates would make cruel jokes on what it would be like to be close to men, even kiss them, merely for the sake of insulting humour, and she was once asked that and replied that if any man would even dream of doing it to her, she would kill him…the thought of doing THAT was totally disgusting to her when she grew up.

Now however, she began to take it back….

The feelings were, different…warm, soft, but yet hard, smooth. As they deepened it further, she did what most women would have thought horrid beyond accounting…and that was to taste Max's mouth with her tongue, she prodded him a bit and to her delight, he reciprocated and opened his mouth a bit, then she tasted him with her tongue. He tasted nice…she felt the faint taste of sweetened milk in his mouth and for some reason, that faint taste coupled with the somewhat delicious way Max tasted was intoxicating, as if she had drunk a very old and perfectly made wine. The results were obvious as Barnette moved from the spot and now straddled Max, with him between her legs as she deepened the kiss in effort to get more of Max's taste in her mouth and tongue. She recalled how fervent the kiss was between the man and woman in the video, and now she realized she was ravenously kissing Max like the woman was.

(If only the women back on Megele knew just how much they were missing!!)

Barnette shouted mentally with joy as he deepened her kiss even more.

Max felt like he was in Heaven, he too had wondered what it would feel like to kiss a woman. Back on Talark, the mere mention of it was a situation men would dread to the very core of their beings, with the belief that if they did do it, they would be eaten alive. For a while, when growing up in the Academy in the southern city of Talark, he too believed it. And now he felt his innards react to the kiss….but certainly not in the way described by his fellow men!!

His heart was beating like a jack-hammer and his lungs was seemingly gasping for air, and despite his need to breathe he couldn't even dream of breaking the kiss, and his brain seemed to be miles away….namely when Barnette stuck her tongue into his mouth, he reciprocated that and his tongue met hers, and before they knew it, they moaned as their tongues danced in such an arousing and erotic way, it was hardly surprising that their heart-rates tripled, their breathing sped up, and their temperatures became higher. One thing became obvious in Max's mind…

(My fellow men had NO idea what kissing a woman meant at all!!)

The two held the kiss for several minutes, until they finally broke away fro some air, they were flushed and had blushes on their faces as they stared at each other, they watched as a thin cord of their combined saliva bind them until it broke. Barnette wasted no time and decided to tease Max a bit…she began to remove her long sleeved gloves, followed by the shoulder padding held by a clasp on the collar, and did so slowly, revealing her slender arms, and then she reached out and unzipped her thigh length style leggings, and also did the same thing slowly, as to entice him, just like what she had seen in the video. The effects were immediate as Max's lustful and heated stare grew in intensity…and his body showed the effects as well, as Barnette felt a hard bulge in the spot between her legs…and that excited her to no end. Max also took the next shot and also opened his body-suit, and fully exposed his lean, but well formed, sculpted and muscled form to Barnette.

His body form was that of his brother, due to them being from a harsh desert world and strict regimes were the forge for his form. Barnette couldn't see an inch of fat on him ,and if there WAS some, she doubted it would be enough to be even qualified as fat. He was so…beautiful, and in such a way that send shivers down her spine and hot tingles from her toes to the very tips of her hair. To think she used to consider men ugly…well not anymore!

She ran her hands on his shoulders and arms and then to his chest, feeling the rougher, but warm, soft and supple skin, and the hard muscles underneath were something, the feel of both hot skin and hard muscle and to feel the rising and falling of both was intoxicating to the green haired girl's vision and touch that she too was panting, as she reached his abs, she retraced her path, apparently, in her desire saturated brain she intended to memorize EVERY part of Max until she knew his form by heart. She then decided to let Max do the same thing to her as she reached to the catch in her own outfit and with barely controlled desire, she moved her released suit by releasing the clasps on the criss-crossing cloth in the middle…allowing her to expose her body to Max, at least the upper and middle half.

The young medic felt his nose bleed once more, but contained it and stared lustfully at Barnette's now exposed form. There something very…arousing at the state they were both in. Barnette now barely clothes and straddling his hips while he sat on the couch with y\only the lower portion of his body suit covering him. That fact wasn't lost to Barnette either as they stared heatedly at one another.

Max then recalled what he had witnessed in the video and began to touch Barnette, carefully running his hands on her soft creamy skin, hoping that she won't mind…and to his delight she didn't. In fact Barnette moaned as Max's rough, calloused, but gentle, muscled, graceful and hot hands touched her skin, making her feel even more heated as if he was branding her…no way in the universe did she ever know how delightful it was to be touched in such an intimate way by a man. Max ran his hands on her arms, shoulders, and then between her breasts to her abdomen, and then to her navel, his hands then went up to her breasts as he began to touch and massage her boobs carefully as if afraid he was too rough on her.

She proved him wrong as she reached with her hands and helped him by showing him how she liked her breasts touched. Like all women on Megele, Barnette was familiar with sex, due to the educational systems of her home-world, and like any youngster before she joined the pirates, she was familiar with the workings…but this was the first time she was actually getting this involved with a man, despite the teachings of her world calling this relationship heretical, obscene, and worse…she felt this was the most normal thing she and Max were in.

It was then that they had to cut their situation short when they heard their respective communicators go off…telling them that they had to get back into their lives in the war with the Harvesters. The two then got off one another as they each got dressed, but not before peeping at one another and chatting in hushed tones. They knew that their relationship was at a very serious point and they knew that until the war with the Harvesters was over…and peace would rule and a time of understanding between their respective worlds, they should focus on that for now. Both talked about what they will do when they would arrive home to their respective planets, and both agreed that even with all the dangers of what they each planned to do…the plan to reveal the truth about the need for men and women to reunite, they would not give up.

But as they walked side by side out of their apartment, having dressed up, they share a more intense and private moment as Barnette and Max kissed each other intensely for the last time before heading back to what they had to do so that when the war was over, then all people in the galaxy would have a chance to live for peace…and then…maybe they could see how far their relationship would go. They already knew that they felt deep emotions for one another and now they knew that they were physically attracted to one another as well. The two knew that sooner or later…they would have to take it to the next level, they knew that there were going to be difficulties and dangers for them…but after all they had gone through and what they had learned about one another…they were going to face those difficulties as men and women did generations before…

Together…

--

A day later…

"Well…I can see that the new weapons show a lot of promise. But we still need to test them in both simulated and real fire conditions."

Magno commented as she looked from a nearby platform to the newly developed and upgraded Vanguards, now renamed into the Crusaders. The Vanguards had been transformed in many ways, and even their normal forms had been removed and fully updated. They were now similar to the Taisians' own Mobile Suits. The normal single eye was replaced with two eyes and had head mounted assault guns, modified to fire high grade ammunition. The body design was more sleek, but didn't deviate from the need to have optimal protection as it has sections of armour.

The engineers from Taisia, Melanos, and the Nirvana had devised the use of a simplified version of Phase Shift Armour. They couldn't copy the power rate and design of Kyo's Gundam, along with Dita, Jura, and Meia's Gundams, but they could use the Templar, Shinobi, Kunoichi, Morpheous, and the SwitchBlade Gundams. The Morpheous and SwitchBlade Gundams' Polaris Phase Shift was different in the sense that it decreased it's ability to handle physical weapon attacks to reinforce a resistance to beam fire, with permanently losing the normal function of the armour against solid weapons. The Templar, Shinobi and Kunoichi Gundams however used the version which was basic Phase Shift Armour, due to the Gundams being the few to use beam weapons. Thus the new Mobile Suit series could withstand solid weapons and could at the least withstand beam fire, but not beam sabers or beam blades…so to equalize, the engineers used light and easy to replace sections of laminated armour on vital areas, namely the cockpits.

And the engineers were at least able to understand energy shield designs in order to create temporary but disposable beam shield generators for the Crusaders, to deflect beam and ballistic attacks.

The basic weapons were also a combination of beam and ballistic weapons to even up the odds. The Mobile Suits were armed with a beam saber, and a collapsible sonic resonance sword, which was also coated with a special anti-beam coating solution so it would be able to block attacks with beam sabers as well. Apart from the head mounted assault guns, there was a set of beam pistols hidden in nearby holsters and a pair of hidden mini-guns hidden on the shoulders.

The power plants for the new Crusaders now relied on clean fusion power packs, granting the Mobile Suits increased operation time, similar to that of the Infinite Freedom, Azure Angel, Crimson Edge, and Silver Lightning Gundams which used the Paeksis crystal reactors. This was a serious upgrade from the normal Vanguards that needed to refuel when depleted of power. The Crusaders could now maintain combat form far longer than the Vanguards and could fight harder as well.

The Crusaders were designed in several variants, apart from the basic frame, the Morpheous variant used the same 'smart mag' plugs as the original and could connect with the various Form Packs that were developed by the engineers, allowing the variant in question to change into a new combat configuration when it needed to.

The SwitchBlade variant was armed with some of the Gundam's weapons but had more of a beam arsenal. It could take the form of a Dread so it would have the same speed and armour of the Megele interceptor and space fighter, and when in Mobile Suit mode, could fight more effectively when facing other Mobile Suit opponents, all in all a quick attack force was this version.

The last followed the designs of the Templar since it's fundamental weapons were similar, though in truth it had the same weapons as Max's Gundam and most all….it could engage multiple targets at once due to it's own HiMAT system and the various beam weapons as well. They borrowed a weapon concept for it from Dita's Gundam and created a pair of beam rifles that could combine to form a beam cannon, allowing this Crusader variant to act as long range forward artillery.

Of course, several members of the Nirvana crew took an interest to create their own custom made versions, though there would be few of those units.

Sara Elsman had taken the normal frame of the Crusader Mobile Suit and added a powerful set of weapons, namely in the shape of a Type 23 'Hyper-Pulse' beam cannon rifle, and a modified "Callidius' Type 10 rail-gun, both weapons were deadly in their own but when used in unison, the weapons could shred through most opposition and could be combined to form a single dual barrelled cannon, allowing both weapons to support one another. The Mobile Suit chosen by Sara was also armed with the basic weapons, namely the beam saber, head mounted guns, sonic resonance sword, and a set of missile pods. In exchange, the Mobile Suit was unsuitable to use the Form Packs, and could not use either the HiMAT or the transformation mode of the other Crusader variants.

She wasn't the only one though…

Mai also took another Crusader Mobile Suit from the assembly line and had it modified to her specifications. The Mobile Suit still carried the basic weapons, and had a beam rifle…but she requested a katana style sonic resonance anti-ship sword which was stored in the back, due to the sharpness of the blade, it was tested to cause damage to even Phase Shift Armour, thus this weapon was a valued addition to it's already present arsenal, along with that was the replacing of the beam pistols with an amount of high explosive anti-armour throwing knives, thus making the beam rifle, and assault guns were the only ranged weapons in her custom Mobile Suit, however in Kyo's mind, it showed the fact that Mai was proud of her martial arts skills and heritage, he however was the one who requested her to keep her Mobile Suit's installed guns and the beam rifle. Mai agreed, knowing the value of ranged weaponry first hand ever since becoming a Crusader Squadron member.

"Yeah, but we still have to test fire the systems in a simulated environment to test and fix any bug problems."

Parfet answered as she ran the data through the console in front of Magno and the others. Alongside the elder female were the pirate officers, Kyo, and his fellow Gundam pilots, including the Asuka siblings, along with them were also members of the Resistance, the Taisians, the Melanos, the Delta 6 survivors, and others as well. They all watched as the massive fields of the Verdant Soul were filled with the units of the new Mobile Suit series. The plan was simple enough, the Mobile Suit units would be mass produced and each group of respective units will be handed over to each faction within the Resistance, this would give them the edge they will need to equalize the full power of the Harvester Fleet, now they had to test the weapons in combat, simulated combat to work out any possible kinks in the systems and features of each of the Retribution Series variants.

The others nodded as the pilots of the Resistance, and the Nirvana's Crusader Squadron got into the Mobile Suits and begin their tests with the features and functions first, they still had time since the other members of the Resistance informed them that they were sending groups of remote drones to help mislead the Harvesters until they were able to make the plans needed to end the Harvesters.

As the Mobile Suits moved out, the Gundam pilots were also there on the scene, they all were in their on Mobile Suits to begin training with the new machines to help in the training…by becoming the enemy Gundams. The weapons of each Mobile Suit of the new series of the Resistance would be decreased when they were finished in the first phase of the exercise, the first was to fight with the Cube Fighters that were part of the force of the converted Harvester battle-ship that the Nirvana had taken, in the battle that gave birth to both the new Paeksis powered Gundams and the creation of the Super GunDread.

Still far away from the Resistance Fleet…

(Hmm…they really worked on overtime on those things. They'll need them for hat they are going to face soon.)

The man said as he still remained out of sight in his Mobile Suit, watching the beginning series of exercises between the Nirvana's crew and the Resistance. He looked to a nearby picture that he had stapled to a panel in his cockpit and saw something he thought he wished was again…

The picture was a man who was in an older style space suit, not like the more well designed ones, and the man looked familiar, and on the picture was a name.

'Samuel Adams.'

A name I haven't gone by for a very long time…it has been nearly two years since that day I landed there…they saved me once…and now they saved me again, and not just from death this time…but from myself. I guess they were right, I wasn't the one to lead…he is.

He focused his sensors and there in front of him was an image of a certain Mobile Suit. The Infinite Freedom Gundam was now unleashing it's wings and was now being escorted by several Gundam units as the mock battles went underway. The man then looked away as he thought of what appeared to be his past.

He then shook his head at the memories and focused on keeping track of the fleet and the Mobile Suits, there was a lot of things to do and thinking about the past would not help, in time it would, but for now…things had to be done. He then looked at his reflection one more time and saw his face.

He had a long tail of hair in front of his face, and an electronic eye-patch…but behind it was a long, well lined yet large scar, there were also long lines on his face, all were scars. He didn't pay them any mind as he worked on.

After one week…

The Nirvana was now on it's way to where Talark and Megele were located…it was still a long journey for the pirates, but they at least had a slim hope left. The Resistance would still try to keep the Harvesters occupied and use drones to minimize casualties to the human colonists…but they knew that the only way was to strike back, and now they had to rally all of their fleets into one massive force and fight with the Harvesters. The Nirvana and it's converted battle-ship escort would go to the male planet of Talark and to the female planet of Megele and try to rally the last remaining human colonies to side with the Resistance and fight the Harvesters for the future and their right to exist in the universe.

The pirates went on with their duties…with some new changes…Parfet had created a launch bay for special remote flier units to take the Form Packs into the battle-zone to those plots who needed them when they needed an edge and a weapon set that could help the survive the war that they fought in. Kyo had stepped up his training of Dita, Jura, Meia, Barnette, Max, and Duero who needed to be ready when the time came, both Talark medics were to be kept in reserve so that they won't lose their best doctors in a possible fire fight.

The Asuka siblings stayed with the Delta 6 people, who integrated themselves into the Resistance to gain the long sought revenge on the Harvesters…both Patch and Liz were given command of their own ships, and event their own Retribution Mobile Suits. Liz and Patch kept their weapons as secret, even from Kyo, though he knew that they were only going to fight if they needed to…they were the leaders of the people of Delta 6 and if they fell, they would lose their will to fight, and that was one thing neither of them wanted to happen.

Osmond and his forces were now back with their people and they were all ready to fight when the time came for them to do so. The Taisians…being the first to have been attacked by the Harvesters were by far the leaders of the Resistance and they knew what they had to do…rally the human colonies to fight the Harvesters…and then when the time came…strike back on the monsters who have done so much damage to the human colonists, all for their own survival, even if they were doing nothing but genocide.

Kyo wished them all the best of luck, namely the two Yurenian siblings, the people of Melanos and his Taisian comrades…for now he and the pirates had a long journey ahead of them.

To think I am coming back to Talark and Megele…to defend them. A lot has happened since I boarded the Ikazuchi, and my memories are coming back…why am I feeling that there is something waiting for me…out there?

As the pirates left…they were unaware of them being tracked by a hidden Mobile Suit…and a very familiar looking stranger.

To be continued…

Hello folks, I'm easing back now that I don't have school and I am on semester vacation into the writing habit. Though I think I've been rather rusty as of late due to having so many details to attend to.

Please send the comments and reviews so I know what I can correct and how is it going for all of you there so far. And I know I've said this many times, but I want to say thank you for reading this work of mine. Your reading and comments makes all the effort worthwhile.

The Dreads and Vanguards are getting into the fight and their weaknesses are being exploited by the Harvesters, and naturally the new weapons of the Harvesters have now changed their tactics, no longer relying on the original swarm tactics of the Cube Fighters, they didn't remove it, but incorporated the Overlords to act as partners for the Cube Fighters, very much the same way the pirates have for each Dread a pair of Vanguards to support it. This tactic comes in handy when it comes to rescuing their comrades and preventing losses.

The Gundams will now have to be in the fore-front of the fight since they will be the ones who could help out the most. That means that since her Dread's badly damaged and the situation is grim, Barnette will now have to use her Switchblade Gundam to even up the odds as the Switchblade could fight both as Mobile Armour and Mobile Suit.

(1) Ever seen the dress that Bonne Jenet of KOF wears all the time? Well, I have just converted that into one of Jura's night clothes, and in red, minus the skull pictures of course. Heheheh! I hope you like it boys!

Now that Kyo is bunking down with Jura…what will happen eh? (Perverted smile)

--

And to really add some spice to the story ladies and gentlemen…the men of Talark and the women of Megele will ALSO be upgrading and including some brand new weapons and tech which will be also from the bag of technological tricks from Gundam SEED!

Time for all of you to guess the latest weaponry the men and women will be including in their arsenals soon.

--

How was the first time the E-Vendetta saw combat action? Enough for you all…or way too much?

The kill rates apart from the already mentions squadrons of Melanos interceptors includes seven, that's right, seven Melanos cruisers. That's how many this lone Paeksis powered Gundam of the Harvesters…and it's dark pilot could destroy…too much or too far-fetched?

Looks like this Gundam of the Harvester Leader is no pushover and it's pilot is very much apparently skilled and very deadly if he could do that much damage to a fleet that is far grater in size that his Gundam is, along with being more numerous than him as well. Just how will it be between Kyo and him when they finally cross paths?

As you can see, the SUPER DRAGOON system used by the E-Vendetta Gundam is similar to the Orb-Akatsuki Mobile Suit's Shiranui system. The feather cannons in the Gundam are now armed with beam shield emitters which can be single unit use to create an interdependent shield to block beam or ballistic attacks from a different angle or can be connected as a network to defend massive numbers of allied units, though this feature is not seen yet in the battle here. It may be seen soon in the coming chapters though so stick around!

By the way…do you think the E-Vendetta Gundam and the I-Freedom Gundam will be evenly matched once they fight one on one? The soon to come battle between both one of a kind Paeksis powered Gundams will be in the last chapters. Unlike the other Gundam series which don't have that much Paeksis energy in them, due to only using small though powerful amounts of Paeksis energy, this one is brimming with the Paeksis due to it's pure Paeksis core reactor, thus it can cause intense damage…so imagine when both Paeksis powered Gundams go head to head?

Hehehehe….Pheromones are flying tonight!! I am now taking the more mature theme into play here. And besides, it HAD to appear sometime in the story and why not now?

Kyo's in a VERY interesting situation now, isn't he? Just so you all know, the girls will NOT try anything that resembles serious sex yet. THAT is coming up on the next chapters so hold your horses!! But as you may soon find out, all FIVE of them will get a chance to ogle and make out with in this part of the chapter and the other parts…so this will be a prelude to what you all will need to expect once we DO get to the sex parts, but be sure to send me ideas and pairings…

And I DO have a plan for those parts, but contributions from interested parties ARE very much welcome.

And just between you all and me…if my creation Kyo Yamato was a live person, he is SO going to kill me for what I plan to get him into with the women in his life…ah well, that's my call.

Of course…he ISN'T going to be the ONLY one today, just to be fair to the other men, they get a shot at this too, as we are about to see.

Will Parfet take advantage of Duero when he wakes up?

Will Barnette manage to get more physical with Max?

Find out later in the story!!

Kyo's become a bit more loose and amorous now that he is acting on his hormones, now isn't he? Wonder what would happen once he let's go and finally makes love to one of the girls? Interesting thought too.

I am enjoying this, are you?

Well, this officially ends this chapter…

Though I could have made more, I have to take a break since I am really busy now, and I need to do more research to finish this fic, but I am nearing the end and I will complete this before tackling my other projects.

The next chapter will be more of a filler episode before we move on to the next part of the Chapter 9 arc. In that part, we'll see the new Mobile Suit series of the Nirvana in action in real time actual combat with the Harvesters, plus this Samuel Adams character will be here as well…after trailing the Nirvana after they left the Resistance Fleet, what will he do now that the Nirvana is all alone? Find out in the coming story arc. Along with that will be some other ideas I intend to add once the time is right so wait for that.

See you there!!

Comments anyone?


	22. Chapter 22

GunDread SEED The Second Stage

Disclaimer: Gundam SEED is property of Sunrise and VanDread is the property of Gonzo, and I have no ties to either company so I am not making anything out of this in any way, shape or amount.

Chapter 9 Part 2

( ): Thoughts

Unexpected Encounter

--

A year before the events of GunDread SEED…

On Khudan 7, a human inhabited world several tens of thousands of light years away from the sector where Talark and Megele were located, a lot was happening. The people of Khudan were among the hardiest people to have lived in isolation. They were descendants from another group of the massive fleet of colony ships sent from the planet Earth, nearly a hundred years before the Days of Despair incident that reduced the once verdant human home-world into a waste-planet, and the people that inhabited it into what were now immoral desperate beings struggling for life…willing to wipe out all others for their survival. The people of Khudan system, naming themselves the Khudani were among those who were given access to a good portion of the centuries old technology from Earth before the Cosmic Era of Reunification.

Their world was similar to the environment of Europe, and filled with considerable materials and resources…however, they had discovered a rare metal that while somewhat unremarkable at first use, but when it was forged in certain artificial conditions the metal alloy could become extremely durable and could withstand certain conditions, namely in combat that would break normal metals, though making it in large quantities was not a workable suggestion due to the expensive way it was refined and turned into the alloy it was. They also found abundant amounts of materials that would help improve their civilization.

In time the Khudani became a powerful force in their sector of the galaxy. Armed with a powerful fleet of ships, and many eager soldiers to defend their borders, it was hardly surprising that they had remained unknown from their fellow colonists for some time due to the distance between space sectors until they established several trade relations with other worlds.

All that however changed, when they discovered that their fellow humans were under ferocious attack by some unknown force, apparently aliens who used octopus like machines and odd weapons, that were nevertheless effective and brutal in what they were designed to do. The Khudani realized that this was a serious threat that had to be assessed though many of their kin believed that they should worry about their borders first.

That frame of thought changed when they had begun losing outer system patrols for a few months, no one knew what was happening to them and some suspected that something was wrong, some thought that the patrols and their pilots were kill by space phenomenon, simple mistakes, bad luck, and other factors, while others suspected that they were taken by the suspected alien attackers of the other human colonies. Many considered such a possibility to be remote at best.

It didn't take long for that one assumption to be changed as well. Their outer colonies were suddenly and viciously attacked by the same alien forces that were rumoured to be attacking other human worlds. They could not determine the origin of the attacks and decided that they would have gear for war. And war found hem…they discovered that the aliens were having a dark and brutal agenda, and that included harvesting them all, men, women, and children for their brains. The aliens seemed to see the Khudani people as nothing more than spare parts, cattle, or worse…food!

They fought back and for a time, they were able to beat back the enemy forces, and many thought that they could win and hold their own with the enemy they were facing despite their numbers.

But some of them in the military thought differently as they saw the results of every engagement of their forces against the aliens…they knew that they would have to do something drastic soon in order to survive this war since they saw that these were only test battles, meaning that their victories meant nothing to the aliens since it was to gauge their strength, and thus, several members of their War Research and Development department decided that in order to protect their core worlds and someday take the fight to the enemy, they would have design machines that could surpass what the aliens had up their demented sleeves.

With that, several major defense companies and contractors banded together to pool their research. Just like the Alliance in the past, the Khudani were the first humans in their sector to revive the use of Mobile Suits long before the other worlds designed their own series of Mobile Suits, using the basis of the construction of their frames, the rare metal they called... Adamantine Alloy. (1)

They needed weapons that would prove the strength and will of their world, and they decided to keep it a secret, combining new and improved versions of the various technologies they had acquired from the past. They had discovered a less expensive and more innovative version of the old Phase Shift design and instead of using electric fields to give the Mobile Suit it was installed in protection from ballistic attacks, this version used sonic resonance fields that halted ballistic attacks by cushioning them and lessening the impact force created by ballistic weapons. While improving immensely the Phase Shift design, it was still following the determined weakness of the Phase Shift system which was with it's weakness to beam weapons. By theory, by providing unlimited power…even Phase Shift could resist or withstand direct beam attacks, but even with the development of advanced power plants and reactors, designing a Mobile Suit with a powerful reactor to provide that was too expensive, thus they discovered a secondary defensive system which involved a specially made form of conductive aluminium and a special tungsten ceramic, both of which could disperse beam fire, this was a good defensive system for the new generation of Mobile Suits built by the Khudani people. They knew that while very expensive, the Mobile Suits would be a valuable part of their world and people's resistance to the incoming alien forces, they still continued to find more design principles to further give them an edge in the soon to come war.

The Mobile Suit project was named…Project Helios and being done in a space colony named Station Prometheus 1.

"Sir…the latest test results show that the two prototypes will be ready in two more months for the test battles. We have just finished the last prep checks on them and field test them once more for any bugs we've missed in the process."

An aide said as she walked up to the head of Project Helios. The leader was a tall man who looked to be oldest of the research team, but also the most intelligent of the group, and the one who didn't tire easily even at his age.

"Good, but have there been any difficulties with the Mobile Suit units?"

"Yes sire, there have been signs of autonomous operation by the first prototype in it's OS, it exhibits human-like characteristics and we believe that it could be either a positive or negative factor when the Mobile Suit becomes active in combat. The Delta Phase Shift system works fine, along with the secondary super conductive ceramic tungsten armour, this Mobile Suit will be very effective."

"What of the other two?"

"The secondary prototype has no signs of erratic behaviour in it's OS, it's weapons are very much scoring high on test runs, and the rest of it will work fine. With both reactor, and the superconducting aluminium built into it will give it an edge in operating time with the ability to absorb and convert beam fire into energy…but we will have to limit the operation time…"

"Due to the massive strain on the cooling systems?"

"Yes, such high amounts of energy will create mass amounts of heat, that would cause severe damage to the Mobile Suit from the inside, and could severely injure or kill the pilot if it overheats to that point. Thus we still need to find ways into creating a cooling system that can handle the strain of the use of both reactor and the aluminium armour's power draining ability. There are some rare instances of OS autonomous actions, but that is about it."

"Hmm…we'll need to keep working on them. Have us make contact with the routine supply ship and see if what the status of the war with the aliens is now."

"Yes sir!"

Unknown to them all, the aliens had been able to capture the ship that was their routine supplier and had determined their location, and as the station's guard units were expecting the supply ship, they were shocked to suddenly see the ship explode, and out came the alien forces…the Harvesters, and this time they were in a massive strike force, now longer in small numbers.

The scientists knew would be the result if the aliens got hold of their weapons, then their Mobile Suits would be used to kill the very people they were designed to protect… and thus they decided to initiate a full seal of the section of the space station where the prototypes were still being held in dry dock. The section was released from the mother station using special locks and charges and as it left, the space station was overwhelmed by the Harvesters and thus was destroyed and all of it's personnel slain. But not before they purged all records of their work as is standard military procedure and the rest of the critical files were now installed in the OS of each of the prototypes.

The Mobile Suits were set adrift and were not heard of, as the Harvesters began to invade the home of the Khudani. Since it had been a black ops project, no one knew of who were involved in it or what the results of the project were...thus the project vanished from sight. As the Harvesters began their campaign to take the intestines of the people of the Khudan system, no one knew about the nearly completed Mobile Suits that were meant to help protect the people of the Khudan system.

--

A year later…

In the void of space…

The mood on the Nirvana was tense…tense but excited, the pirates realized that in a few more weeks they would be back home in the world of their births…Megele. It had been a long and trying year for all of them… from the bridge crew to the engineering crew and the cleaning crew, they realized that they would finally be with their friends and comrades after so long…

They were going home!

The excitement wasn't limited to the women though, as the four Talark men also realized that they were soon going to set foot on the sands and dunes of their desert home-world, the lands they had not set foot on for nearly a whole year since the first flight of the Ikazuchi. Both brothers, Navigator, and combat instructor were happy to know that they now needed to only pass the magnetic storm and then they were home.

This excitement was tempered with some burdens however…

The first was the fact that they were ahead of a massive invasion fleet that had once been only after their respective home worlds and their people's organs…now the fleet would not just take the organs…but from what they have learned…would wipe them out and end the future of all the human colonies. The fleet of the Harvesters were apparently now moving at full force to conquer the human colonies, and the newly deployed fleet from Earth was the spear-head of the incoming invasion. It was still a big question as to how may ships that the Harvesters had already fielded out into the universe and if those said ships were still on route to Talark and Megele.

Despite this, the Nirvana's crew were in high spirits as they each chatted about what they were going to do once they got back to their base and got the chance to be with some old faces once more. It was hardly surprising that many of the crew could be found in pairs or groups chatting once in a while, and doing their duties at the same time. They were excited, that was for sure.

"We'll be home soon!"

"I can't wait! I want to take a break from all the fighting and relax."

"No argument there!"

"I wonder how the others have been?"

The situation was the same on the rest of the ship, namely with the crew on the Bridge, where Amarone, Belvedere, and Celtic were looking warmly at Lacus who slept peacefully in her crib, and they also chatted warmly with Ezra who was busy preparing some food for her still growing baby daughter. The three women marvelled as Lacus slept and it was hardly surprising that they wished that they too would someday have children of their own when the Harvesters were dealt with and there was peace between their worlds.

"You planning to meet Rebecca when we get back Ezra?" Celtic asked as she was dressed in what appeared to be a nun's uniform, hood and all, including what appeared to be Roman Catholic Cross.

"Yes, I want her to meet our daughter. I hope that she's fine since it's been nearly a year since I last saw her."

Ezra said as she finished the bottle, just as Lacus woke up and cried for food, to which the crew parted and allowed Ezra to reach her daughter and giver the bottle as she held her child, allowing the Bridge crew to smile at the cuteness of Lacus as the baby smiled in contentment as she took in her break-fast.

"Don't worry Ezra, I'm sure Lacus' ohma is fine, you know that Rebecca's a former Megele fleet officer, she'll be fine."

"I hope so." Ezra answered as she looked at her baby.

--

The rest of the crew on the other sections of the Nirvana were also excited with the prospect of finally coming home, and they too chatted about it.

In the Crusader Squadron briefing room…

"I can't wait to get back home, and I can't wait to show the others my Crusader Mobile Suit unit!"

"Me, I want to finally catch up on all those soap opera episodes I missed, you think they still have the sets I left behind?"

Sara and Mai were supposed to train the girls further on the use of their new machines, but for today, the leaders of the first all female Mobile Suit Squadron allowed them to take a break, they too needed one anyway, since they were also tired from using their own custom built Crusader Mobile Suits, so naturally they would join the discussion.

"What about you Sara? What's your plan when we get back home?" One fellow pilot asked her commander.

"I'm not so sure…maybe contact my family and see how they have been doing for the past year. I was going to call them after he raid we had….and we all know how that was resolved."

All the women nodded as they knew that it was on that day that they along with two men of Talark and a stranger were sent to an unknown side of the galaxy. It however worked out for the best and they all knew it…speaking of men.

"Where's the Commander anyway? He's not been here as often as he could nowadays."

"Well, we can't blame him for that, training Dita, Jura, Meia, Barnette, Max, and Duero how to pilot the Gundams they have since they will need it."

Sara answered as she brought with her some cocoa that she had taken from the cafeteria.

"Yeah, by the way Sara…when are you going to ask him out?"

Sara who was drinking some cocoa in a mug, naturally blushed bright red and did a spit-take as she looked at her fellow Crusader pilots all of whom seemed to be in a teasing mood and look at the young second in command. They all knew for a fact that Sara never went through those kinds of things, but they knew better.

"What?!"

One of the pilots smirked.

"Come on, you've been the closest to him apart from Mai you know. And she's already asked him out on a date! When are you going to ask him out?"

"Yeah?"

"Well…I haven't ah…well…thought about it!"

"Come on Sara, you were the one who asked some of us if we would like to have Kyo as an ohma remember, and you're the only one here who's been very close to the Commander, Mai's date with him was fine and we're wondering how yours with him would be like. Don't tell us you weren't tempted in the least to TRY and ask the Commander out?"

Sara was blushing bright red and twiddling her fingers a bit, and she looked at them and sighed a bit.

"Let me decide if I will do it okay?"

All the girls nodded, but not before one of them smirked.

"But if you have any problems, then you give us a call okay?"

Sara could only sigh as the girls looked at her with pleading eyes to ask them if she needed any help to set her up on a date with Kyo. She had heard that Mai had asked Kyo to a date after he lost to Gascogne, Mai's boss in the Register. She didn't plan on doing the same thing, planning instead to do it herself. Mai and her were friends, despite being rivals in a sense when wanting to get closer to Kyo, Mai told her that she did have a great time with Kyo several weeks before the battles with the Harvesters…and before the meeting with the Resistance. Like Mai said to her it was a friendly date and thus she was happy to know that nothing…suspicious happened yet between the Register girl and the Commander…so now she knew that she could take a shot on that…

But the challenge was how to do it, and if Kyo would agree to going out on a date with her.

However, she wasn't the ONLY woman in the Nirvana who was thinking about the men in their lives and minds.

--

In another part of the Nirvana…

"Check the power conduits from level 3 to 6, the security teams said that some of the power conduits had to be replaced and we need to see if the connections were right!"

"Yes Ma'am!"

Parfet sighed as she looked at the Paeksis, making her rounds, her shift was on for another half hour and she was tired, but as the head of the engineering crew, she had to there until Chief came into take over her load so she could rest a bit. She then sat down and took a cup of tea, and then came her second in command who also joined her.

"I can't believe that in just a few more weeks we'll be home!" Chief sighed as she drank her hot tea. Parfet also nodded as she drank hers, happy at the thought of finally being back at the pirate base and getting the chance to be around old faces that she knew ever since her days in joining the pirates. She was hoping to show Duero around the base and getting him to be with her in some of her favorite places on the base of the pirates.

"Do you think we could have time to bring the others over to the base Chief?"

"What others? I mean we…oh you mean the men Parfet?"

"Yeah, I was hoping I could convince Duero to come with us so I can show him all the nice places there back home. You think I should?"

"I don't see what's not stopping you, but I hope that you do realize something Parfet and that is that Duero is no doubt homesick like the rest of us, and might want to go back to his home too, and well…I guess it's up to the two of you to work it out."

"Yeah, you are right there Chief. I haven't thought about that part just yet."

Parfet knew that her second in command spoke the truth, after all there was also the fact that the men of Duero's home-planet might take him back to their world. Parfet didn't want to be separated from Duero now, not after all they had gone through. Maybe they could try and find a way, but for now as long as she knew Duero was with them and safe from harm, that was the fact that warmed her heart the most.

"But I think that until we get back home I can just be happy that he's here with us, right?"

"Yeah, so Parfet…how was it?"

"How was what?"

"You know…when you helped Duero get to his room when we were still with the Resistance. He was tired out of his mind wasn't he? Did anything happen between you two, since it was several hours since we last heard from you?"

Parfet realized what Chief was implying and she tried to resist the urge to blush and twiddle her fingers at what had transpired in her room a few weeks before while the Nirvana was with the Resistance. The images of what happened between them flooded Parfet's mind and her blush reached to the roots of her hair and until her face could pass for a tomato.

This made Chief even more curious. "Parfet, are you all right?"

Parfet merely continued to blush harder as she recalled what they had done, and it took a lot of effort for her to resist the desire to try that again with Duero. The young engineer managed to calm herself enough to reply.

"Uh nothing happened! We just…ah…went to sleep on the bed and..."

Chief raised an eyebrow and Parfet realized that she let out a very important fact that she wished was hers alone. The second in command didn't know what that meant at first, and thankfully didn't but that certainly didn't mean that she was not going to give up on finding out what had happened.

"You and him did what Parfet? I promise I won't tell anyone."

Parfet couldn't help but feel light headed and wished that Chief would stop reminding her of the very…PRIVATE moment between her and the object of her affections. She decided that after this is over, she could go to Kyo and maybe ask for his opinion on things.

Elsewhere…

Barnette was busy watching the repairs being done on her new Dread, rebuilt after the titanic fight she was in with the others when they encountered the Overlord Mobile Suits of the Harvesters. She also looked at her Gundam, the SwitchBlade Gundam as it was being rechecked and kept in prime operational condition to be deployed for use. Next to it was Max's own Templar Gundam and it too was in it's own paddock and was kept in reserve. Max right now was in the Medical Bay, helping his brother with the work-load and the research. He also helped out in the gathering of all the relevant information concerning their research into the looming sterility problem that was soon to befall both Megele and Talark.

Jura was there also, dressed in her normal clothes and was wearing a very sly grin bordering on scheming as the blonde walked over to her best friend. They had decided to spend time still, chatting about their experiences with the respective men they found themselves falling for. Jura was ahead of her since having the chance to finally be honest with her feelings with Kyo, and was very much intimate with Kyo in her bed-room, plus getting to be very close with her man, as she calls Kyo.

Barnette knew that today, they were going into another discussion. As they sat down to begin their discussion, Barnette decided to tell her best friend about her…little scene with Max. That got a smile from her friend and she grinned like a lioness after eating a good meal as Barnette slowly told her best friend about the events that transpired between her and Max when both of them woke up.

She smiled wider at the deep blush Barnette had on her face that was now similar to that of her Gundam's armour skin. They had the same experience and she could tell that what Barnette had experienced had left a very strong impression on her friend who used to hate men.

"So how did you feel?"

Barnette twiddled her finger, thankful that the two of them had taken a seat far away from the others. If any of her fellow crew-members found out about what she and Max had done, she doubted that she would ever be left alone once they began to ask her just how it felt to be intimate with a man.

"It was…I felt so alive…and it was like the…most beautiful thing I've ever done! Was it…like what you and Kyo…did?"

Jura gave her friend a bit of a sheepish grin, and blushed as she too thought about what she and Kyo had done a few months before.

"Well…not in too many words, but yes…it felt like I was alive and every fibre of me was tingling. So…what's your plan now that you've felt it?"

"I…I don't know…honestly I don't ever think anything could replace how it felt when we became closer and that intimate…Is that how men and women…really have kids?"

"Well…according to the Captain told me, yes it is. Though she didn't exactly tell me how it feels when you REALLY do it…she did have a child with a man, and a boy at that."

That got Barnette's attention, she wasn't aware of their Captain's history and it was due to her being more concerned with the things she was doing, cooking, fighting the Harvesters, and just being the regular woman she was. Now that she had taken a deep interest in Max, she wanted to know what it was like for a woman to develop intimate feelings for a man, and to find out that Magno had already DONE it and got pregnant piqued Barnette's interest.

"Are you joking?! She had a child with…a man!? Where are they now?!"

Jura sighed and began to tell Barnette just what Magno told her about her past and as the friends began to chat about what they have learned about a bit of the past of men and women…they realized that it was just plain wrong for the men and women of their world to live separately, not just because of the need for them to ally in battling the Harvesters, but to also destroy the link between men and women and all they could do when they worked side by side, and thus they began to question the logic behind the separation of men and women, and the beliefs that they had lived with for the majority of their lives.

--

Speaking of Kyo…

Kyo was in the gym, dressed only in a pair of exercise shorts and a sleeveless shirt, practicing his martial arts training. He went here to sharpen up and relax a bit since he rarely had a lot of free time. But for today he managed to get enough to re-sharpen his combat skills, he didn't plan on getting rusty anytime soon as he punched, kicked, and moved in the prescribed manner, along with making unconventional but very effective moves and attacks to cover up any open flaws in his movements and actions.

As he sweated, he then began to move more intensely as he went through his mind the many things that happened, and also he felt his memories were coming back slowly, but they were far longer this time and they became clearer for him to see this time. He saw his mother's face and that of his father's more clearly, along with his aunt's and uncle's…but he still couldn't place a name for them. It was a bit frustrating, to finally see their faces, but never know their names. His frustration began to affect his motions, so he quickly put that aside, no sense getting angry now.

As Kyo finished his exercise an hour later, he was sweating like hell and was tired and thus went to grab a water bottle and a towel. He then heard the door opened and in came Meia, who was bare of her normal shoulder/chest padding and was dressed in her flight suit…and was wearing her circlet. The aqua-haired girl saw him and smiled as she walked over to him.

"What are you doing here Kyo?"

"Oh, the usual, training to keep my physical skills up, there's no session between me and the Crusader Squadron right now and I'm pretty much free today…why do you ask?"

Meia blushed a bit and took a short while before answering Kyo's question.

"I was…I was wondering if…if you would like to spar with me?"

Kyo thought about it, he knew that she was one the best hand to hand combatants on the Nirvana, followed by Sara, Mai, and Gascogne…so it would be a bit of a test for his skills, granted, he HAD fought with Meia before, back when they were still not seeing eye to eye. The chance to fight her but not as an enemy was certainly welcome and showing her some new moves in combat would help her deal with some situations she might find herself in.

"Sure. If you'd like, I can show you some combat moves that I had learned when I was still wandering the cosmos?"

"I'd like that."

As the two began to warm up once more with some stretches and flexing, the two also took the time to relax, since they had to be fully relaxed in order to make their coming sparring match interesting. As they began their match, Kyo focused his full attention into it, and so did Meia.

As they threw punches and kicks at one another, they moved in a fluid motion that was rather interesting to see. Meia used her training in some effective street fighting moves, using her fists, elbows, knees, and feet as her weapons, while Kyo blocked and dodged the attacks, while firing out blows of his own, which Meia blocked and dodged, making the fight a good one to see.

Kyo fired a punch, which Meia blocked and he blocked a kick from her, he then fired another punch which was a fake blow and kicked Meia with his left foot, making her block quickly. She back away and they continued to fight, the to were sweating once more, Kyo was once more drenched in sweat, while Meia was now also sweating, though not in the same way Kyo himself was previously.

The fight continued as the two fought on, not showing any stopping in their respective attacks, blocks, and movements. That is until Meia fired a punch that Kyo blocked, and with a quick Judo toss, landed Meia on the mat, but this time, Meia retaliated and grabbed him by his collar and dragged him downwards.

To say Kyo was caught off-guard was an understatement, apparently, Meia had been working on her combat moves a lot more since they last fought.

Meia smiled a bit as she realized that her off hours training had paid off when she finally managed to catch Kyo off guard. She had been training harder for some time after the first time she had attacked Kyo all those months before. Back then it had been a way to get even, now it was a way to surprise him…and surprise him it did.

Kyo was now on the floor and was a bit winded, after all, he had been training earlier and had just sparred with Meia, as he looked up he decided to congratulate Meia.

"Nicely done Meia, you got me there, and I wasn't expecting…that."

Kyo's words were stopped as he realized that right now…he was in a very compromising situation with Meia Gisborn…with him being on the floor with her now on top of him….and due to the their respective activities…it made sense that the sweat would have an effect on one of them, in this case it was Kyo.

Kyo's sweat shirt was light cotton, and thus it made sense that it would stick to his torso and since that gave Meia a good view of his form, it was natural that both of them were stuck dumb. Meia HAD seen Kyo naked, but this was the closest she had been with him and it was starting to affect her…and him.

Kyo managed to break the tension by asking politely if she would mind letting him stand up. Meia, having been placed in a compromising situation, quickly agreed with the idea and got off of him, though very reluctantly.

"Sorry…"

"It's all right…you ready to take some time to learn a few new moves with me Meia?"

"Sure…what can you teach me?"

Kyo then began teaching her some of the martial arts he had learned in his travelling days and taught her some moves that could be incorporated into her own fighting style. The Megele military combat skills comprised mostly of several martial arts styles, namely tai chi, wushu, and kick boxing, and there were some other variants, though many women only learned it as part of training and physical education and most preferred to use laser weapons in battle, and though Meia preferred the lethal but easy to conceal laser ring that she normally had on her, she did take the time use those forms of combat and used some mean street fighting moves when she was still a thug before joining the pirates as the skills really helped her out back then.

Kyo's training touched on military CQC techniques, sword fighting, knife fighting, Taekwondo, Jujitsu, Karate, Aikido, and a few Boxing and Kem Po moves, plus other styles he personally picked up as part of his days as a wanderer, and an occasional soldier on the good side of a conflict. He didn't know where he learned the skills, but he certainly didn't complain as the skills helped him out immensely when the time came for them to be used in a fight where guns, knives, and swords were out of the question.

He began to teach her moves, attacks, counter moves, holds, and other methods as time passes. The kicking, punching, elbow strikes and other attacks were easy enough…but when it came to the holds and other moves that included close contact, they were very much on edge…but despite their closeness…namely in their sweat covered forms, they were able to finish the training session quickly enough.

Throughout the entire time when they were using the holds, and throws, both were very aware of the kind of situation they were currently in, as they would sometimes look at one another, hoping to have time to examine one another without being caught…

Meia admired the way the wet cloth hugged Kyo's frame, showing to her his muscled form and allowing her to see it flex and relax, she was being more open to herself and her feelings to her fellow Gundam pilot and she loved the way he moved…making her feel even warmer, and when they were close, it was even more intense, though she kept on her composure and followed Kyo's instructions as he guided her through the new throws and attacks he promised to show her.

Kyo on the other hand…

--

Later…

(Damn! That was close!)

Kyo thought to himself as he was in the men's personal bathing area, in one of the showers, and naturally taking one VERY cold shower, trying to wipe away the heat of his vivid imaginings when he was in the gym with Meia. He was able to keep himself from acting out his hormonal charged ideas once more, and from what he could tell, would only delay the inevitable…sooner or later…he knew he was going to give into it. But with too many things hanging on his head as it is, he decided not to dwell too deeply on it before long.

The good news for him was that he had found a way to disable the cameras in the room…after the discovery of what had happened in the men's side of the bath, he had personally disabled the systems to give the men, including himself, some privacy, and to make it even more effective, he had installed a pass-word system that would give even Parfet a hard time to crack.

He then shook his head and allowed himself to relax a bit more in the shower, allowing the cold water to beat away the heat in him and prevent his imagination from being affected by his male hormones and nature. He hoped that soon he could at the very least find the chance to tell them how he felt, but how the girls who were close to him going to take it was the one thing that worried him to no end. There could be a thousand possible outcomes and all of them were both pleasant and NOT pleasant in his book, and right now, in a soldier's point of view…he could ill afford to get attached to anyone right now, until the war is over…though his male side reminded him about the facts that he wasn't immortal and that if he didn't come clean with how he felt, then he would be dying inside for the rest of his life….he had already told Jura his feelings, then Meia, both seemed to understand…but what kind of situation will come about once he spoke to either Meia, Sara, or Mai….how were THEY going to take it?

(Why do I have to be in this kind of situation anyway?)

As he got out of his shower, he grabbed his towel and when that was done, he got into a fresh change of clothes and headed for the cafeteria to eat his break-fast. He had woken up rather early and had been in the gym for some time before Meia found him. Now it was time for him to get some food and maybe go out on patrol once more with the Dreads, his fellow Gundam pilots, the converted Harvester units, and also with the new Crusader units. Though they have not yet been tested in actual combat and namely against the new Overlord Mobile Suit series of the Harvesters, the Crusaders were proving to be quite a healthy add-on to the growing arsenals of the pirates.

As he made his way into the cafeteria, his mind wandered as to what was happening with not just his current troubles and his time with the Nirvana crew… but also with the rest of the Resistance. He hoped that they will have a chance in halting the ever encroaching Harvesters and he wondered what other world the Harvesters planned to capture this time.

--

In deep space…

"Distance to the target sector?" The leader of the Harvesters asked one of the clone operators on his command ship as he checked the latest reports from the scout ships that he had sent ahead of the fleet. The leader knew that so far, the Resistance had put up an even greater fight.

He had seen reports from his scouting fleets that it appeared that the Resistance had acquired new combat technology and weapons as it was discovered that they now possessed Mobile Suit units that were able to give them an increased edge over his current forces, but he didn't seem to mind. The weapons may be new, but they were still piloted by human pilots who were still not used to fighting in Mobile Suits, since many worlds had not used any Mobile Suit units for quite some time, thinking that the age of Mobile Suits was at an end after the wars were over.

"It will be at least three weeks before we arrive at target destination my Lord." The clone replied as it continued to work on the console assigned to it. "We have encountered greater amounts of the Resistance forces previously for the past week."

"When can we expect contact with the 3rd Fleet?"

The 3rd Fleet was actually a pair of Harvester battle-cruisers that were not part of the assembled forces, and thus were parts of the original fleet, and still used Cube Fighters. The Council requested that all fleet ships be recalled and retrofitted with the new Mobile Suit units that had been developed. But he was against the idea for two reasons, the first being that there was no need to replace them since they were still very much serviceable machines…and the second was to keep the secrecy of the Harvester Mobile Suit series a surprise…which worked well since even with their own Mobile Suits, the Resistance were not yet used to adapting a full series of Mobile Suits in their new arsenals…having been used to fighting with interceptors and Mobile Armour units, though there were some worlds who's people relied on Mobile Suit units.

(Well then…if the Resistance has developed some new toys, then I guess it's high time we begin experiments on some new toys of our own…something even up the odds a bit more in OUR favour…)

The leader of the Harvesters then reached a nearby computer panel and decided to be gin his study of just what sort of new toys the Resistance had made. The fleet pretty much was a military fortress in space…and a mobile one at that. The ships had been spread out in a normal defensive pattern to defend his command ship with him, his aides, and his personal Gundam…and had been attacked by drone forces, and there had been some losses, but not enough to totally defeat his fleet, and that was enough reason for him to relax, but not become stagnant.

He looked as some of the images played in front of him…and as he looked at the records…some ideas came into mind. The weapons will need to be tested, and what better place would they have their trial run than in the battle-field?

"The 3rd Fleet will be meeting up with us in a few hours my Lord. They have just attacked a nearby defense station and are in the process of recovering their losses and will be ready to fight in a matter of three hours maximum."

The leader thought it over and gave a new order.

"Cancel that order, have the 3rd Fleet continue on with their combat operations and attack as planned once they have recovered their losses. If we allow them to take some breathing space, they will tighten their defences and we don't have the time to spend on them. Obliterate them if possible and if not…weaken them so they will not recover in time for us to finally hammer them into submission."

"At once my Lord."

"And hand me command of the manufacturing plants on the ship…we have some things to do."

The clone merely replied in a monotone voice and began rerouting control of the manufacturing plants to it's master.

--

Back with the pirates…

Kyo was busy running some data checks on Infinite Freedom before launching in the coming patrol wing before heading to the cafeteria for break-fast. The Gundam was in prime condition, but it had been some time since he cleaned out some of the lockers that were inside the Gundam. He had been so busy for nearly a year, it had been so long since he checked the lockers for anything he might need and what he might need to get rid of.

(Hmmm…)

As he looked at each locker, he found one that he hadn't opened in so long and when he did, out came the capsule he had nearly forgotten about. The capsule was still in good condition and the items inside of it were still in good condition. He then pressed the same password to allow the capsule to open. The Gundam pilot then looked at the items…and took out one of the items. It was actually a small container and when he opened it, the insides revealed another trinket, shaped like a hawk head with a halo of feathers near it. Looking at it suddenly made Kyo relapse into another memory…

Flashback to 400 years ago…

Kyo found himself back in front of a large building that resembled a university. He saw many students walking by, some female students were heading his way and just as he was about to try and get their attention, they…passed right through him…scaring the daylights out of the Gundam pilot…until he realized just what he was seeing.

(This must be another one of my memories…and this must be where I went to school.)

"Kyo!!"

He turned and spotted a young man with blond hair running up to him, and like before, just as he was about to react, the young man merely passed him…but he felt as if he knew the guy from somewhere.

As he turned around, he spotted a younger version of himself who was reading a book while sitting on a nearby bench. The dream version of him appeared to be around his mid teens, namely at the age of 15, while the blonde was about two years older than he was. He walked over to his dream self and the young man as they chatted.

"Hey man…how are you holding up?"

Kyo's dream self looked at his companion and sighed.

"Just fine…man, these computer term papers are murder on the head." His dream self sighed as he put down the book and creaked his neck to work out any kinks he developed from reading the book for so long.

The blonde laughed as he took out a pack of food and handed it to Kyo who smiled as both tore open the meal packs.

"You're telling me! It's hard enough and then there's the other subjects…I wish we were finally able to take summer vacation, it's almost the end of the semester."

"Yeah, you and me both Mwu, once we do we can go see the latest shows and hang out with our folks…how's your mom by the way?"

Mwu drank his juice and nodded. "She's fine, still working hard and doing her level best while in the military…she still misses Dad even if it's…been so long. But at least she's feeling much better now. By the way…you mind handing this to Mira?"

Mwu then handed him the very same item that Kyo (the older version) had in his hand, he looked to it and then back to his dream self and Mwu. His dream self seemed to be amused at Mwu and replied.

"Still having a crush on my sister eh?"

Mwu scratched his head and nodded sheepishly. "Yeah, I still do…you mind?"

"Heck no…you two are getting closer right now…so why are you still asking me to deliver this to her? Can't you give them yourself?"

Mwu laughed. "Yeah, I could, but it wouldn't be any fun anymore. Besides…I will be coming there in your place to ask her out. I just want to make things more interesting between us."

"You better not do something funny with my sister, Mwu, cause if you do, you KNOW I'm not going to let you get off that easy."

"Of course I won't… I respect and like her too much to do otherwise. Besides, my mother would chew me out like mad if she found out I did something mean to Mira. Not to mention your brother and your parents, and you of course, I recall the last guy who tried to mislead your sister."

Kyo's dream self laughed as both friends discussed the end of their school semester with enthusiasm. Making the older Yamato feel a bit more happy to see another memory, but also a bit sad on not being able to remember it all well.

The scene then shifted to that to his house, the one near the coast of his homeland from the way he felt at ease there. He spotted his dream self approaching his home's back yard and saw two pink haired women singing together, one was older and he recognized it to be his mother, though the name of his mother was still eluding him, though he could now see her face. The younger woman who was a mirror image of their mother must be his sister Mira, he recalled the item in his hands and went forward to give it to his sister…

"Commander?"

End of Flash-back…

Kyo shook his head and turned to his left, to find Sara looking at him with a worried expression on her face, making him realize that he had just been standing there the whole time.

"Commander, are you feeling all right?"

The Elsman girl asked her superior officer and somewhat object of affections. She had spotted Kyo was about to approach him on asking the latest routes for security detail when he took out that strange metal object and suddenly seemed a thousand light years away…it had shocked her for a bit, the way Kyo stared out into space…and thus she spoke to cautiously, hoping to get his attention.

Kyo nodded as he looked at the emblem and then put it in his capsule, and sealed it.

"Just recovering memories once more, they're coming in a lot frequently this time, sometimes I lose all sense of time when I have them."

"Uh…what do you recall now?"

Kyo sighed and looked at Sara.

"I saw my school…the place is still hazy…but I know I studied there when I was 15 years old. I even saw the boy-friend of my sister…Mira I think was her name."

"You're sister had a boy-friend? I heard Misty say something about that, she even called you hers if I recall it right. What exactly IS a boy-friend?"

Kyo sighed as both he and his second in command for the Crusaders left the Hanger Bay to grab something to eat. He was now more open about the intricacies of male-female relationships, namely since he had been finally able to confess his attractions to Jura, and Dita. Along with that was all the lessons he learned during and before the trip they were in. He decided to tell his second in command just what exactly was a boy-friend when it came to having a co-gender relationship.

--

In another section of the Nirvana…

Jura and Barnette were looking through several other media devices to pass the time before heading off to the cafeteria to eat, so they were still busy in discussion when Meia came into the room. The aqua-haired girl spotted both her comrades speaking in a way that seemed to get her very curious. The former Dread pilot knew that Jura was the one that the highest rate of being with Kyo among them with Dita being close behind. Not to mention that the rumour of her best friend Barnette having a relationship with Max, Duero's younger brother was certainly saying something. So it made sense that like Duero who was interested on the female gender, that the two women would now be looking for any information on the males.

Normally Meia disliked spying on her fellow crewmembers and desired to leave them to their own devices since it didn't concern her. But what she had heard of Jura being interested on how to get closer to men got her interest. Not to mention the fact that with the video equipment the two had, the way they were setting everything up, and the way they were engrossed on what they were preparing to watch made Meia curious.

"Are you sure this is a good idea Jura? I mean shouldn't this stuff be in your room after all?"

"I know, I wish we weren't here, but with the need for some cleaning in my room, the cleaning crews are hard at work."

"Did you…try anything on Kyo when he stayed with you?"

THAT statement got Meia's attention as she continued to stay hidden. It had been a tough time adjusting to her room without Kyo there, the last night they had been together, he agreed to sleep in the bed with her. Nothing happened that would have been embarrassing to both of them, though ever since then…she found herself wishing something DID happen between her and the Gundam pilot.

"Not really…I want to wait a bit and see when he will finally let me and him…let's just say that I've found out that waiting can actually be rather interesting than going for it now. Besides…I can certainly use some more ideas on how to do it with Kyo." The blonde said with a conspirator-style voice that made Meia suddenly rather jealous, though of what she had no idea.

But this time she was going to find out. She made a sound to announce that she was in the room and naturally that had a result as both Jura and Barnette were startled and turned…they paled a bit to see Meia looking at them with a very curious eye.

"What are you two doing here?"

Meia asked calmly, as not to arouse suspicions to the fact that she had snuck into the room. Apart from being a street fighter and punk, Meia had picked up some techniques on how to slice through security locks and doors, though she rarely used them growing up in the mean streets, she did use them once in a while, but only if she had to, most of the time growing up after the tragedy that took her parents from her she fought for what she needed.

Jura and Barnette looked at one another for a possible answer, and were sweating a bit, so they decided to try and lie their way out of this one.

"Nothing…we were, just watching another video we got from the colony ship side of the Nirvana!"

"Yeah, you know…like the Christmas video we saw all those months before."

Both girls hoped that Meia would nod and leave since when the previous video was shown she was on patrol and was hardly commenting about such things when she got back on the ship with Kyo all those months before.

However it seemed that Meia wasn't leaving anytime soon and spoke in a clear tone to the two pilots.

"You need to get ready to the briefing room to prepare for the latest patrol run, better grab your break-fast and get prepared…I'll be with you in a minute."

Seeing that there was no way to convince Meia to go somewhere else, both the blonde and the emerald haired girl decided to agree and beat a hasty exit, despite the fact that the video equipment and cassettes they had were still in the room with the former Dread pilot.

As soon as they left the room…Meia gazed at the equipment and cassettes and wondered just what were the two friends were acting so secretively about. Since she heard Jura mention that she was going to learn more about how to get closer to Kyo, she thought these could be just like the Christmas video she herself had seen back during the time they all celebrated Christmas and the video had been seen by her and the crew. A part of her psyche wondered just what this batch of video cassettes were all about, and a part of her wondered if she could just leave the items there and get to the cafeteria, she was hungry after all.

Jura and Barnette sighed in disappointment as they walked to the cafeteria, with Meia in the room, there was no way they could view the rest of the cassettes Jura had located back in the city where they had found the Morpheous and SwitchBlade Gundams and where they had located Aleck Koubayashi and Max McFile. Not to mention, that was also the same world where they had made some very important decisions and actions.

"Darn…I was so hoping to see the next one." Jura complained as she walked to the cafeteria. After that episode with Kyo on the desert planet, she was dying to see if there were more things she could use to help her in getting Kyo to finally have sex with her and allow her to have a child, not to mention she wanted to show her love for him in the way men and women did…long before the splitting of the Ikazuchi.

Barnette was also in agreement with her long-time blonde friend as she too was looking forward to seeing the new video…she had seen one before and that was the one that showed her what to do when she was with Max and after that…very interesting day…she was keen on seeing what else she could try out.

That was when she realized something very important.

"Jura! We forgot to put the cassettes away!! What will Meia do if she sees them?!"

Jura also realized the same thing Barnette did when she brought that up. The blonde had also realized that since she was now able to assemble the cassette player far better than when she had started out, she knew how to make it work better. That was enough assure her, along with the fact that Meia was very much the sort that was concerned with a lot of things…despite her new and more open attitude with the others, namely with her affections for Kyo.

"I think Meia will not bother with that Barnette, she'll probably be more concerned with the coming patrol than what we were watching, we'll see her in the cafeteria later, that I can be sure of."

"Are you sure?"

"I don't really know, but why would Meia be interested in that? I mean, I know she's after Kyo like me…and Dita, but I think she might consider the tapes like those we saw at Christmas time, she might just look away."

"I hope so…cause I don't know if she's ready for what is in those tapes."

(Neither was I…)

Jura thought to herself when she recalled how she felt when she had seen the video. She wondered just what Meia would do if she saw it as well.

Had she managed to sneak back into the room she would have found out for sure.

Back in the room…

Meia looked at the cassette and the cassette player attached to the monitor, apparently Jura had routed the video feed to this room's monitor only so as to prevent the crew from seeing the video…which somehow made no sense to the Gundam pilot.

(If this video high-lighted how men and women lived together…why would Jura try to hide it? It would have been better to show it to the others so we can learn more about how men and women lived together.)

Meia then decided to see for herself just what about relationships, both Barnette and Jura were trying to keep hidden.

She looked at the monitor as the screen came online and was a bit grainy at first and had static, but as she saw the screen clear she spotted a blonde woman sitting in a room, apparently a living room, and then in came a man holding a tray of food and as he sat down, both of them began to chat…it looked like a normal view of two people talking and bonding together.

(Hmmm…seems pretty normal so far. Just what is in this that Jura and Barnette wanted to hide it from the others?)

Meia got her answer as her eyes widened when the man and woman in the video began to kiss one another in a very arousing manner…and then…they began to…

The hallway to where the room was, didn't have anyone in it since they were so busy, and getting break-fast…so no one was there to hear the sudden scream that came from the room…

Uh oh!!

Later…

Kyo grabbed a plate filled with fried beef, and mashed potatoes with gravy for his break-fast, a bowl of carrot sticks and some grape juice and went to the table where he could eat, however he wasn't alone on the table as several females were with him, the girls in question being Jura, Dita, Sara, Mai, and Misty. Misty was not after him, but seemed to be more interested in being hi friend. That also meant that she was also trying to explain her points of view involving men and women, namely since a lot of the female crew had been asking her many questions as to how men and women could get along.

As he sat down…he noted something that seemed somewhat off. Meia wasn't with them. The aqua-haired girl normally didn't sit with a lot of people back then…but after all their travels, the young woman who was now 20 years old would sit with them, or when Dita, Sara, Mai, and Jura were not present, she would chat with him, and mostly about his life and experiences…showing to Kyo that she was taking a vested interest in getting to know him more. The Gundam pilot also grew more affectionate towards her, though he didn't make any moves on her. What he had done with Dita and Jura was a very strong thing, and both of them liked it, but he rather doubted that Meia would like it, since despite her blossoming nature, he still didn't know how Meia would react if he did make out with her.

Tabling those thoughts aside for the moment, he listened to the discussion brewing between Sara and Misty, the latter explaining the intricacies of boy-friend/girl-friend relationships to the Elsman girl.

"So…a boy-friend is a life partner?"

Misty grinned at that as she gulped some of her rice and when she was done, he continued to explain as patiently as possible. Despite not getting a chance to have one of her own, she certainly learned enough to advise others on the topic.

"You might say that, but there are two kinds. The first is just that, a man who is your best friend, you can chat with him about anyone under the sun, he will be there to help you when you need the help. And the other, is more like a closer version of the first, you share all your deepest feelings and in turn he gives them back to with his own, more or less, you go out on a few dates or more, depending on how close you are, and you…well becoming more intimate, both socially, personally, and well physically."

"What does that mean?" Sara asked.

Misty blushed a bit and replied. "Well…to be honest with you, I haven't…well gotten that far myself, I didn't have a boy-friend myself, a few male friends, but never a serious one in a relationship, the best thing I could say is that it will be one heck of a time between the two of you."

Sara Elsman thought about that and it seemed that even Mai was involved as well. Though the Register member and Crusader pilot didn't involve herself in the conversation in a direct way, that certainly didn't mean she failed to gain any information of significance as he smiled and glanced at Kyo.

It was then that Meia showed up on the scene, she looked calm, so many of the crew didn't mind her late arrival in the cafeteria and greeted her, she greeted them back and went for the food dishes on the conveyer belt. Though to the others, she seemed normal…Kyo wasn't fooled…something in the way Meia moved told him that she saw something that shocked and surprised her, not to mention that when she glanced at his direction, she did something that seemed off…she blushed furiously at him and tried to look away. Normally that happened on occasion, but the way Meia acted seemed to be off to the Gundam pilot.

He then called Meia over.

"Meia, you want to come and sit with us?"

The aqua-haired girl stood there for a moment, her meal of bacon, rice, and hard-boiled egg in her hands. She then walked over to the table and thanked Kyo, but she seemed so determined to finish eating, that Kyo realized she was in a rather serious hurry, he reached out and touched her left hand, stopping her cold and looking at her with worry.

"Meia, you need to slow down, relax a bit, there's no need to rush this."

Meia nodded and began to eat more slowly and then seemed to relax just a bit, despite that, Kyo wondered why Meia seemed on the edge for some reason, which seemed to somehow involve him, considering the way she was acting while sitting in front of him. None of the other women seemed to notice the differences, as Dita spoke to Kyo about how it would be like for all of them to finally arrive in the pirate base and take a good, well deserved break for a change. Jura smiled at the thought of seeing her family again and letting them meet Kyo, though she did admit having some need to explain to her family just why she was attracted to a man, Sara smiled also at the thought of seeing her own family and telling them of their travels together, Mai thought likewise, and Misty decided to see what would be the result of this situation.

As soon as Meia was finished, she quickly got up and left the table, saying thanks to them all and quickly left the scene. Kyo didn't know just what was going on with Meia, and despite his feelings that it should be something best left to her to fix, he couldn't help but feel the need to find out what was troubling the young woman. As soon as he finished, he decided to find Meia.

Meia made a beeline for her room and as soon as she sat down on her bed she began to relax and try to recall just what she had seen previously. It had shocked her to the core…but to her amazement, the shock didn't make her feel disgusted….but excited. Despite her wish not to recall it all…she began to look back at what she had seen in the video in the room where Jura and Barnette were in previously. As the images went back into her mind, she felt the same feelings she felt when she saw it.

--

Flashback…

Meia felt her heart race like a horse as she looked at the video. The kissing couple had started in a romantic one and before she could do anything, the couple's kiss became more and more heated and they seemed to be…stripping…much to the blue haired girl's shock. It didn't take long for the couple to finally be stripped of all their clothes and were now in the process of removing their…undergarments. That was when she saw the same…'tube' that she had heard of that Kyo a\had and she HAD seen. The couple began to do the most intimate things…

Woman: Oh yes…right there, ah!!

Man: Mmmm, you taste so nice, I love it!!

Meia gasped as the man went to the girl's chest and began to…and the whole time, the women was squealing and moaning in pleasure. The aqua-haired girl felt hot energy flow in her from her face to her chest, and to other unmentionable places in her body as she sat on a chair nearby. She watched the men and women continued their intimate actions, until the two sat once more on the couch.

She gasped as she saw the man get between the woman's legs and begin to do certain things to her.

Woman: Oh! Oh yes….YES!! Right there! Oh!!

Man: You taste wonderful! I can do this for a while. Let me hear you cry out…

Woman: Ahhhhh!! YEEEES!!

Meia could see how much in the feelings of pleasure the woman in the video was…and suddenly before she knew what was happening…she began to see herself IN the woman's place, and the man with her in the video was Kyo…doing just what the man was doing…

Woman: Oh yes…

Man: Ahhhh…..

Woman: I can't take it anymore, I want you…I WANT YOU!!

Man: Now?

Woman: YES!! I WANT YOU NOW!!

Meia felt her mind go hot, along with her body as she felt her temperature rise and her heart beat faster as the man got on the couch with the woman an then they began to…

Woman: Oooooohhhhh….

Man: You are so hot….tight…

Meia gasped as she watched the whole thing and she suddenly felt VERY hot…and wet as the images of her in the woman's place, and Kyo in the man's place doing what she was seeing to her in her mind. Instead of being disgusted and horrified…she felt so aroused that she didn't know whether she was dreaming this whole thing up or not.

It was also at that exact time that the actions of the man and woman appeared to be reaching a fever pitch and then Meia's mouth opened and her eyes widened as the man and woman screamed out in ecstatic pleasure. Meia also screamed out, but not in horror as her body seemed to be on fire and a rather wet feeling began to make itself known to her. She then looked at the end of the video and saw the looks of utter bliss, pleasure, and happiness in the faces of the couple.

Meia didn't have any trouble imaging the same look on her face and on Kyo's…

She stayed closer as it seemed that yet more of the video was to be shown to her.

--

End of Flashback…

Meia's thoughts were suddenly broken when she heard the door alarm of her room, telling her that there was someone asking to be allowed into her room. She managed to calm herself, though only partially…she planned to have to get her face cleaned up and have a quick shower in order to clean up her body from the sweat that she had released. However despite her attempts to calm herself, she still didn't get the image of her being the woman's place and Kyo being in the man's lace…she wondered if…she and Kyo…did THAT…would Kyo look so happy and blissful afterwards?

"Come in…"

As the door opened, who else would walk into the room, but Kyo himself, his face full of concern and worry. Meia looked up and saw him once more and before she could speak, images of her and Kyo doing IT suddenly bombarded her mind, making her body react in earnest. Her heart pounded even faster than before and she could hear Kyo's voice mimicking the words, moans, and more of the man in the video she saw…along with the expressions.

(Meia!! GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!!)

It was then that Meia became aware of the looks of concern and impatience in Kyo, and then she heard him not saying the things she imagined him saying, like in the video she just saw, but instead sounded as if he was asking her a question.

"What were you asking me Kyo?"

Kyo sighed and shook his head a bit.

"I asked if you were feeling all right? I mean you had me worried somewhat, you seem more nervous than usual and when you saw me…you acted…I don't know, cautious, as if you think I might do something…strange. Are you feeling anything wrong today? You want me to accompany you to the Medical Bay?"

Meia saw the look of strong concern and worry in the face of the object of her growing affections and realized that maybe her past actions this morning had worried him dearly.

"No…I'm fine…just feeling the stress I think."

Kyo thought about that and spoke. "If you don't mind, I think you need to get some rest."

Meia shook her head and replied with a smile as she looked at the window.

"I'll be fine Kyo, please, I want to help everyone in the ship make it back home. I'll be fine, I promise."

Kyo knew that Meia's mind was set on this goal, and he couldn't blame her. She seemed happy to finally be back on the road to her home, the place where she grew up. It was a bit saddening for him to still not know his full past, but he felt that soon, he would get his memories back. For now he was still concerned with Meia, she was tough, no doubts about that, but he still wanted to make sure she was fine. He reached out and held Meia's shoulder in a gentle grip and nodded.

"All right then, but if you feel tired or exhausted, give me a call, I'll do what I can to make you feel better, all right?"

Due to the situation, the words Kyo said could have a double meaning and after viewing that tape, Meia was aware of how the phrase would sound to her in a different way. She nodded while still somewhat blushing at Kyo.

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

As Kyo left her room, Meia calmed down once more and then began to think back at all the times she had been close to Kyo. There were times she felt this warmth and feelings when he was close, and like before they had grown so much since she first met him, but seeing the video had just ignited her feelings and desires to a whole new level. She began to recall the images and the sounds, but knowing what kind of mission they had to do; Meia reluctantly began to push those feelings aside and focus on her duties, but ever since the ambush she and the others escaped from many months before, she was not going to wait forever, she knew that she cared for Kyo too much to keep her feelings hidden. She had kept her feelings hidden when her fahma and ohma were no longer with her and it made her withdrawn and depressed, Kyo helped her overcome that and now, she wanted to pay him back and show that she loved him, and if…what she saw in that video was the way to do it…she was more than ready to give it a try.

Later…

"All right, we'll make a Long range patrol for today and we'll keep within the Nirvana's scanner range. The first thing we do is make sure not to get caught in a cross-fire with any Harvester units, even if they are not upgraded, since if we do, we'll attract the attention of the Harvesters, all clear on that?"

Kyo looked at his assembled team, namely the Crusader pilots and their own Crusader units, and the other Gundam pilots, in a few minutes, Meia showed up, decked in her new flight suit and had her helmet in her hand, ready to move out along with them. Kyo gave her a welcoming smile, to which Meia responded with a small smile of her own. This smile didn't escape the attention of the other women, namely Jura and Dita, who wondered what had happened between her and Kyo, they decided to ask Meia if anything happened between the two when Kyo had left the cafeteria to speak to her.

They all moved to their Mobile Suits, just as Barnette and Max came on the scene and the two parted company with smiles as Barnette headed off to fly her newly constructed Dread, while Max went to his Templar Gundam. Both pilots greeted the others as they entered their own machines.

As the Gundams and Crusaders came out from the Nirvana, the Dreads were soon to follow. The Dreads had been upgraded and given an increase in terms of armour, shielding, fire-power, speed, and more. Though they still lacked the ability to defend themselves in point blank range, the improvements were more than welcome for them, namely for their pilots. They were then followed by the converted Cube Fighters and as the Cube Fighters went ahead, followed by the Dreads, Gundams, and Crusaders, the pirates went on their recon mission.

--

With the pirates' recon force…several hours later

Kyo was ahead of the recon patrol in his Gundam unit while Meia, Jura, Dita, and Max were nearby, the Paeksis powered Gundams would be the spear tip of the recon force as the Crusaders, Cube Fighters, and Dreads would be right there to lend them support when they would encounter the Harvesters. Kyo knew that it was time for the women to step up their training in thee tactics they had developed with the Dreads in conjunction with the Crusaders. The old Vanguard tactics still applied, but with the Crusaders and their respective variants, they made some important modifications to the formations and newer tactics since the introduction of the modified Form Packs that could be used by the Crusader variant based on the Morpheous, the Crusader variant armed with the HiMAT system based from the Templar Gundam, and the convertible Crusaders based on the SwitchBlade Gundam.

These new Crusaders required a change in tactics to make up for their new abilities and functions, and so far the changes were working well. When they were developed, Kyo made sure that the machines were placed on a rigorous testing regime while they were with the Resistance, and though simulated testes could do little to compare with real life combat conditions, Kyo was happy to see that with these units they at the very least had a fighting chance with the Overlords and Cube Fighters of the Harvesters.

He made sure however to focus the efforts of Dita, Jura, Meia, Barnette, Max, and himself, and if ever needed, Duero's on dealing with the Gundam units made by the Harvesters, and since it seemed that the Harvesters had made a machine totally like his own Infinite Freedom Gundam, he made it a point to go after that unit personally, the way that unit devastated the Melanos fleet before their world was glassed, made it clear that like the Dominion units built before his Gundam evolved into what it was now, this unit was made to equal his Infinite Freedom Gundam.

And if it was using power system that was similar to the one used by Dita, Jura and Meia's Gundams and naturally his own Gundam used in combat, it would be a very dangerous threat indeed and must not be looked own upon, neither by him or the pirates. He made that clear to them and they agreed to what he said.

As they went on scanning, they received a communiqué from a few of the forward Cube Fighter scouting units. The screens on all of their units flickered as it's report came on the screen.

"Look, one of the Cube Fighters has detected what appears to be remains of a space station, and one massive section that appears relatively intact." Sara said as she read the data.

"It appears to be very old and the damage looks extensive, it don't detect ion signatures anywhere so there's no telling on how the station got totalled or on who was the ones who led the attack, there's too many debris to know for sure. "

Kyo thought about the significance of this. Though a ruined station was a virtual dead end than an intact one, something about the placed nagged at him, he however decided to check the wreckage out and see if there was anything worth salvaging. Since there were not that many warp-hole locations that bypassed the debris belt that surrounded the planet systems of Megele and Talark, the best route was also the worst, due to the need to go through the belt, which required dodging meteors and avoiding energy storms.

When he had snuck into Talark and Megele, the reason he was able to do so was the use of a hollowed out asteroid and his deactivation of all but the most basic life-support systems of his Gundam since he had reconnoitred the mine fields of Talark and decided to travel in the cover of the space debris, and thankfully, the mines didn't attack since their sensors didn't detect a transponder signal and missed him and once he was able to pass through the mines by taking flight-path that would allow him to fly past Talark, he broke free from his hiding place, well away from the mines and landed on Talark without attracting the attention of any of the male planet's orbital fleets. Thus that was how he came to Talark.

He doubted they could to that this time and he only hoped that his Talark borne male comrades knew the pass-words and codes to get past the mine-field. Despite their numbers, Kyo knew that the mines would be very valuable as a deterrent to the Harvesters and as a first wall of defence against their fleet.

He placed those thoughts aside as he and the others headed to where the station wreckage was located.

--

On an unknown space station… a good distance away from the Nirvana…

"Sir! All available forces are ready to begin mass evacuation, the space port is still being held, but the last attack has rendered our main defences inoperable! We have no way to know when the next attack will begin! We merely need the order sir!"

A young female aide said as she looked at the scanners and then to her commander, a tall man with sliver streaked black hair and a well trimmed moustache on a hard face, made that way by months to nearly a year of intense fighting and command. The man was dressed in full officer's uniform and rank, but despite his fierce look, he had the looks of a man contemplating things of great importance.

The officer in question knew that what his subordinate had said was true, but it still wasn't easy. This space station was his post for a few months, but it has been part of his life. The Khudani officer had worked hard to defend his home-land from the alien forces had been attacking his station constantly. He recalled what had forced this defensive battle.

When the Khudani fought with the aliens (who naturally are the Harvesters), they were able to survive the initial strikes, thus the more militaristic members of the war council of their home-world said that they should not fear the oncoming invasion, but they were proven wrong when they were attacked by the aliens in much larger numbers, the skirmishes were merely probing attacks and before the military knew what was happening, colonial planets on the outer rim were lost, orbital cities were torn apart, trade convoy ships were also reported missing, military stations were lost and could not be contacted. The military then realized that they were not dealing with a weaker opponent, but something far worse than anything they have encountered in their whole lives.

The military had attempted to send a powerful expedition fleet to locate the alien's operational base and to either attack and defeat the alien forces, or if not, broker a peace treaty. It had been sent two months when the first serious attacks began. The military council of Khudan began gathering a considerable number of their soldiers, officers, pilots, diplomats, and support personnel, along with a large fleet of capital and medium class ships, with a large portion of their Mobile Armour units. The fleet was launched and either victory or a peace treaty seemed possible.

But it never happened…the fleet was not located months after it had been sent out…and it was only when one lone medium class battle-carrier returned, battered and functioning in barely optimal condition…it's crew half delirious and rambling. It had taken high command two weeks to finally make coherent sense of what had happened to their fleet from the men and women that had been confined in the trauma wards on their home planet.

The entire fleet encountered the aliens…and the council learned the horrifying fate of their fleet…all of them were wiped out, the aliens merely replied that they were to be used as parts and that they had no choice in the matter…and the fleet was attacked…all of the crew of the medium class carrier, named the 'Flame Sabre' saw the battle and they were among those that had initially survived the encounter to retreat, but they were pursued by the aliens and were cut down…only they had escaped. That meant only one thing.

This war was going to last a very long time and there will be no quarter asked or given…

And now it seemed that their actions were not going to be enough, the reports coming from the still functional listening posts said that two alien battle class ships were now heading in their direction…from the video and audio records they had acquired concerning the behemoths and the support fleets only one would have…they were in serious danger.

The officer nodded and looked to all the soldiers and personnel via com-link. Many of them were children or grand children of members of the expedition fleet that were wiped out, asking for revenge, but now wasn't the time for any of them to have personal vendettas that would only lead to their deaths, they were needed to defend their homeland and thus could not afford to die in their desire for revenge, many have lost their lives and although they made heroic sacrifices that would not be forgotten either by him or the others, they could not afford and want anymore dead heroes.

What he had to announce would be difficult for many of them all to take, but it had to be done, to save lives and defend their homeland.

"This is Commander Arland Kashell, all personnel are to begin full scale evacuations…we are abandoning this station, combat protocol 002 is now in effective have all munitions, tools, utility equipment, spare parts, food and medical supplies stored and packed away, leave all non essential items behind. This is a direct order to all station personnel…we are abandoning the station."

As the order was circulated, many soldiers and crew personnel, men and women went to accomplish what they knew must be done. Though some privately wished to remain and fight with the aliens, they knew better than try to be heroes and die, what would be the result if they did stay? They would die fighting, but then who would help defend their homeland? So despite their reservations, they went ahead to do what must be done.

--

Back with the Nirvana…

"Captain…we are reaching the wreckage of the station, the Harvester battle-ship we converted is now using it's Mirage Colloid system to hide itself and is on recon patrol to make sure we can get an early warning if there are unknown forces in the area, and also to make sure we don't suddenly get attacked by the Harvesters, we also re-configured it to be able to locate any more of the Harvesters' recon ships."

Magno nodded with Buzam as Celtic kept in contact with the CPU of the Harvester battle-ship to maintain a fix on the location of the converted ship. They were able to salvage enough material and information from the wrecks of the Marauder warships to know just what they were. The pirates then began to use the battle-ship's now modified sensors to locate any possible Marauders that could still be tracking them.

Buzam watched the activity in the command bridge and spoke to the crew.

"This will be a routine salvage operation, we've done this before, but that does not mean we become careless. I want routine sensor sweeps on regular intervals and nothing must be left to chance, those Dreads and Crusaders that are not involved with the salvage operation will take turns in security detail. Maintain communications with one another at all times."

"Roger!"

She then got into contact with the current salvage team, comprising of the Gundam pilots, and Gascogne, along with Aleck who operated his GUiAZ with the others. The silver haired pirate officer then got into contact with Kyo who was leading the operation.

"Kyo, this is Buzam, can you read?"

Kyo's image came into the view screen as he was still in his Gundam's cockpit. The Gundam pilot was still controlling his Gundam and had not left the Mobile Suit.

"Go ahead Buzam, I read you loud and clear."

"We'll maintain security while you and the others go ahead with the salvage operation, but are you sure that we can afford to spend time on the wreckage?"

"I'm not really sure, but from the scans, this station activated it's self destruction system…judging by the extensive damage inside several sections of the station…despite the outside damage…plus…I think we can get something out of what we are doing…I'm picking up images of the units that appeared to have attacked this place. It looks like our old friends were the ones that forced the people to either evacuate or activate the self-destruct system…Look."

The crew, including the old captain looked and agreed. In front of them were wrecks of not just the station…but several familiar octopus like fighter units…

"Cube Fighters…"

"And a few Seed ships too." The images then showed two to three desiccated hulks of the Seed Ships. "If this is the case, we might be near a system inhabited by people who are under siege from the Harvesters."

"So we may find allies if they are still around…or." Buzam replied.

Kyo nodded, knowing the other grim possibility Buzam was saying. "Either way, we might find something that can help us. Most of the station may be destroyed, but according to the scans, there are some sections that are relatively intact, I'll try and route some of my Gundam's own power into their systems and see what we can find, if there are some computer terminals in the sections, we can try and see what information we can get, namely on who owned it, what they were doing, when they were attacked…basic material, but we'll need all the help we can get here."

Buzam nodded, it seemed the mission was now a go ahead.

--

Elsewhere…

As the ships left the station, Commander Arland looked at the space station one last time, he wondered what fate would be left for his people, now that another station had fallen. He had no options left, the base was already breaking down from the many assaults of the aliens, half of his combat personnel were already dead, both men and women, recruit and veteran, the other half was wounded. His base's supplies were not enough anymore to maintain any form of practical defensive operations, half of their war machines were destroyed and it would take too long for new ones to be given to them by high command, and most of the station had been hit hard and it's defences were breaking down.

He knew that his actions of leaving the station behind will gain him the displeasure of the war hawks of the council, but he knew that for a long time. He never rose to the rank of Commander by being naïve and thick-headed, but he would have never gained the respect and loyalty of his troops by being cold and ruthless either. His soldiers' lives were important to him and that of his home-world and they were important, no matter what other said.

"Helmsman…prepare to deploy the message pods, coordinates to our home-world…it's time they knew what has happened."

"Yes sir!"

As the ships an their fighter escorts moved out, one of the main screens in the control room of the station's command centre, began to reveal data, that namely of the powering up of the station's main reactor, the deletion of the station's data archives and stores, the setting of specific demolition charges and the removal of several critical safety features in the installation. This was part of the procedure in the activation of the station' self destruction to prevent it from being taken over by any hostile or unknown forces. However, Commander Arland had no intention of merely blowing the station, as he set in several command protocols and left the scanners of the station running. The protocols were simple…

Track any signal matching the alien ships and their units…and then activating the detonation device on silent mode to minimize the risk of the detonation procedures being detected by the aliens…and when the aliens were in the accepted detonation range…

Boom!

--

The Harvester Invasion Fleet…

The leader watched as the weapons and equipment he had visualized, were being tested and trial run in a holographic screen, he knew that it would take time for the Overlords to be re-configured to handle the new weapons, there was a need to address the overall changes, but with the construction of the Overlords and the great possibility of upgrading their potential was there, but that had been shelved aside to produce the Overlord series. However, he had determined that the Overlords would need a few extra edges to win the war. And besides, any weapon that you could get will be helpful in the right situation…that much he had learned in all of his years in leading the Harvesters on Earth.

"Operator-00912."

One of the clone operators turned and it's blank stare was directed to it's master as he listened to what it's creator would order it to accomplish.

"Yes Master?"

"I want you to begin locating us a large collection of planetary debris and asteroids. Once you have located them, I want them all scanned for possible sources of metals, minerals, and other needed resources for construction. If we have found many promising veins, then I want groups of Cube Fighters and Overlords to take them to be processed…is that understood?"

"Yes Master."

"Do not forget to inform me of all the amounts of the gathered resources and material…we have work to do."

"Yes Master."

As the clone went back to work, the leader went back into seeing the new weapon ideas in simulated action, he looked over the design concepts and began to pick the most practical and effective ones and tested them in a simulated battle-scenario…though he preferred to see the weapons once they were completed in a practical live fire test…he had to wait as the materials had to be gathered, processed, and assembled for construction.

Several battle-ships broke off and began to deploy it's forces, both of Overlords and Cube Fighters, the forces began to move about and wait for the scanner work to finish so they can begin harvesting…but not for organs this time, but materials for the new weapons their leader had in mind.

--

Back at the salvage operation of the pirates…

Kyo and the others were busy doing the needed procedures in salvaging the space station, the group of Gundam pilots watched one another as they began to fly through the desiccated remains of the station, while they were accompanied by a few of the Register girls, who were led by Gascogne as they were in their Megele space suits. The Register head had her shuttle, the Dreki nearby to act as the salvage collection and staging point.

The wreckage was extensive and they were busy hauling out what they could see were still usable…cables, wires, circuit boards, components, and anything of worth for the crews on the ship. When they got to other sections, they scanned them and found more supplies, many were destroyed and worthless…but there were some that were still usable and those would have to put to good use. The insides of the wreckage were scorched and pitted, both by explosions and by extreme heat.

Gascogne sighed as she looked at the wreckage as the chosen members of the Register were floating by taking supplies and parts to the Dreki to be taken and stored there, and then when the storage areas of the Dreki were filled, the ship would ferry the supplies to the Nirvana. The converted battle-ship still served as security, along with the gathered Cube Fighters.

"This thing is an absolute mess…whatever happened here, the people in this station were so serious in defending their secrets, they were willing to commit suicide to make sure they were never taken."

The Register woman looked at the mess and helped many of her fellow Register workers whenever she could, they had managed to get enough salvage and workable materials, thus it wasn't a totally loss. The station's wreckage didn't have time to fully shatter but many large portions were left to drift a considerable distance away from the main body, most however were torn and badly damaged so it was a bit doubtful they could find out just what had made the people in this station willing to self destruct the station.

Kyo nodded as he began to scan through the wreckage and direct them to what they might see as worthy salvage material. That was when he picked up something on is scanners, the very much intact section of the station…heavily reinforced and well protected from the way it was still able to remain relatively intact. He looked at it through his Gundam's scanners and saw that it had not been affected too heavily by the explosion.

He was curious and began to break away, getting the attention of the rest of his group.

"Mr. Alien? Where are you going?" Dita asked as she followed Kyo's Gundam with her Azure Angel Gundam.

"There's something I think you all need to see."

"What's that?" Meia asked as she and Jura came in their own Gundams, the Crimson Edge and the Silver Lightning.

As Kyo approached his target, he began to inform the others of what he had found.

"There's a section here that is heavily reinforced and relatively intact…so much in fact this seems to be rather different than the ones we have seen so far. The detonations around the edges show that the charges were designed to actually sever it from the rest of the station. And considering the armour plating it has on it…whatever was in this section was of too great importance to be left to the enemy…I think we might need to take a far closer look as to what this section would have inside of it that the inhabitant wanted to keep safe."

The Register salvage crew came into the scene, escorted by the others, namely by Max, Barnette, Sara, Mai, and Aleck…all of whom were in their own Mobile Suits, while the Register crew and their boss were in the Dreki. They had paused in their salvage work when they heard Kyo's announcement of the find. The crew knew that this could be a great find compared to what they had located right now…but they decided to be careful…even if the station's inhabitants used their home's self destruction system, that didn't mean they would be lowering their guard.

Gascogne then reported to the girls that since the station section they were going to was depleted of power, they would have to hook up a power transfer cable into the Dreki's power reactor and then to a power port on the section to get it back online. The girls nodded and as soon as the Dreki came close, they went to work while being protected still by the rest of their forces.

Kyo took the time and contacted Gascogne that he would go into the section with them as back-up and to see just what they might find…he didn't know what they would find…but the way the section was released and reinforced, meant that there were deep secrets held by the former inhabitants and if they could use the weapons to fight with the Harvesters, then the pirates knew that their actions would be forgiven, the one thing that they disliked was to be picking things in a battle-zone where people died…this was evident when some of the Register girls gasped as they spotted bodies…and parts flying in the area. They were able to hold on to their breakfasts as they pushed the images aside and went to work.

The cable was brought out and one end was routed into the Dreki's power core…the Register crew then scanned the section for an outer power connector outlet. All stations, regardless of who built them were all designed with outer power outlets to allow workers in zero-gravity space suits to lock in tools and devices that need a constant flow of power, and were not able to gain power via built-in power packs. As they monitored the station, they were able to break the pass code to a nearby door and in they went, armed with laser rifles just to be sure.

Kyo then activated the power and oxygen supply of his uniform and got out of his Gundam's cockpit and followed the Register crew…he was armed with his pistol, rifle, and sword as soon as he got out of the cockpit of his Gundam. He used his uniform's small thrusters to manoeuvre himself and then he arrived and entered the section along with Gascogne and her crew.

The section was now restored of power and it seems that it was part of the research and development section of the station. The computers came back online and many of the systems were now ready to resume functions, but as several of the Register crew tried to use the computers to get some data, they came up to find that the computers had been purged of all their data.

Kyo and Gascogne noted that and knew that whatever it was the inhabitants were trying to protect must have been big, only high level military secrets would be hidden in the data drives for them to purged this effectively. As they looked about inside the section, they spotted yet another door. They went to work as they began to access the system and crack the codes to open the door, it took the Register head and the Gundam pilot nearly half an hour to crack the system, and when they did, they knew that they might have found what they needed…and as soon as they went inside the room, they turned on the lights and saw just what these people were protecting.

As Gascogne and Kyo looked at what they had found, the Register head contacted the Nirvana.

--

In the Nirvana's command bridge…

"Buzam here."

Buzam was busy managing the efforts of the Nirvana and her crew during the salvaging operation. She was concerned about this and hoped that while the pirates were on this operation, they were not being tracked by Marauder scout ships, and if they were, who knew that they might already be coordinating a battalion of Seed Ships to them, each carrying Cube Fighters or Overlords. They were not in the mood to have the Harvester come upon them all at a time like this.

"This is Gascogne…we'd better have Barnette ready another set of paddocks BC…we've got some extra cargo to carry this time."

Buzam wondered what that meant and asked Gascogne directly.

"Why do we need to use three paddocks?"

Magno and the others in the bridge also asked the same question. The only time paddocks were needed was when they found materials of great importance or machines of the same degree.

"We found Mobile Suits…and from the looks of things…we have what appear to be Gundam Models this time."

Buzam and the others were naturally surprised, and sighed that this might just be their real lucky day.

"Contact Parfait…have the paddocks ready once the others return."

--

Back with the Harvester Fleet…

The leader watched as the fleet was able to locate considerable amounts of resources, but hardly enough yet to satisfy him. The resources they had found would be used to create test beds of the new weapons and some of the Overlords had to be tested for the rate of compatibility with the new weapon systems, the last thing he wanted was to make such powerful weapons, waste time, power, supplies, and material to only find that due to various factors, such weapons would not work effectively enough and were deemed impractical.

The designs of such weapons needed test beds for them to work so as the materials were still being harvested, the leader of the Harvesters begins the process of making the needed changes and upgrades to the Overlords. As the factories began their work…he decided to check on the 3rd Fleet and see to their progress into the system they were assigned to take out.

The people in that system possessed a large amount of resources that he could easily put to far better use than the inhabitants. But for now, the resources, material, and organs of the people in question will just have to wait. The 3rd Fleet will be able to weaken or wipe them out and picking up the pieces would be different. But for now the leader put that aside as his fleet's scanners picked up more and more signs of extra resources to gather.

He then began to run the weapon systems once more through the simulation testing phase to make sure the designs were able to perform to the desired specifications and functions he had envisioned when he began to test the weapons and had them perform in his mind's eye in battle. He had eliminated other designs that would prove too time-consuming and would be filled with design problems and flaws. The ones he had would be scrutinized even more to be on the safe side and ensure that the weapons would work accordingly to the design specs.

Outside in space, the Cube Fighters are hard at work gathering what they could find from the asteroids, and planetary fragments as chunks of metals, minerals, and fuel sources were being gathered by the drones in a never ending line of units attacking asteroid and debris belts. The Harvesters didn't consider their losses from the operation, even if the losses will include their own units, whether they would be Cube Fighter units or Overlords. The units were all AI after all and could be easily replaced…the plans of their creator and master were all that mattered as they continued with their work.

--

In the Nirvana…

Magno and Buzam looked at their latest finds and the old woman gave a long whistle as she gazed at the Mobile Suits they had been able to find in the station's wreckage. The section had been towed towards the Nirvana after anything that could be carried was salvaged, but the Mobile Suits that were found had to lifted out of the area. Kyo deactivated their restraints and then operated the release mechanisms for the hanger doors. Once the Mobile Suits were freed, they were taken into the Dreki and were then transported to the Nirvana. The remaining pirates did one more scan on the wreckage and came to the conclusion that they would not be able to find anymore salvageable materials and supplies from the station. Hey didn't destroy it, but left it as it was since it was in essence a graveyard for all the unfortunate people who had died by the hands of the Harvesters.

They were now concerned with the Mobile Suits they had been able to recover.

The machines seemed to share some design features and physical traits that resembled Max's own Templar Gundam. The first appeared to have been designed to take full advantage of power, weaponry, and strength, there seemed quite a large number of features that were not known to anyone, even to Kyo, though the Ultimate Coordinator was already busy running the basic diagnostics of the machines. The second was built for speed, fire power, and agility, while the third was kept in storage since it seemed to be kept in a hard case coffin, indicating that it was still under secret observation.

The pirate captain wondered a bit on as to who were the designers of these new models, though they did follow some patterns of the young McFile's Gundam she could tell that it had features of it's own…

Suddenly the Gundam powered itself up and took an dark blue, black, and silver scheme and began to scan it's surroundings and tried to move. The pirates who were nearby had to move as the paddock had to be lifted out of the way to prevent serious damage to both the Mobile Suit and the ship…not to mention some serious injuries. The Mobile Suit moved about for a few more minutes until it began to shut down and out from the cockpit came Kyo who swore and growled.

"Damn it!! This OS is weird…anyone hurt down there?!"

The pirates shook their heads and showed that they were fine, as Kyo started up the Gundam once more and tried to move it back to the paddocks, the machine reactivated it's power systems and it's defensive modes, but began to move around erratically…making Kyo swear via com-link and when the Mobile Suit was now re-locked into the paddock, Kyo calmed down a bit and went back to work, trying to decipher just what made this Mobile Suit tick. It was only after another half hour that Kyo finally got out of the second Mobile Suit with a still irritated expression on his face.

"You all right? What happened back there?" Buzam asked as Kyo got to the ground as the Gundam he was piloting was now powered down.

The Gundam pilot shook his head and replied.

"That Mobile Suit's got a lot of black boxes installed in most of it's core systems. The fire-walls in the OS are not like anything I've ever come across and for some unknown reason, it's AI is not the normal kind."

"You're Gundam has the ability to function without you in the cockpit Kyo…so at would make this one different?" Magno asked as she looked at the young man who was scratching his head as he had his laptop with him. The Gundam pilot had taken the device with him when he began to work on the new units they had gotten.

"My Gundam is linked to me by the Paeksis, though how that happened is still a mystery to me, plus it only activates it's auto-pilot if I am in danger…what I mean is that this Gundam's AI isn't the basic… AI class if you get my meaning."

"Not really…what do you mean by that?"

Kyo explained. "On some worlds I had been to…many scientists wanted to create AI systems that can actually operate autonomously with little human input, to think on a level of humans, have the creativity and operational independence of humans on the field…in essence…'smart' AI that can function in a variety of fields similar to a human being.

"Like the AI of the Desert Fangs, Ogres, and the Harvester units?"

"Not entirely…every AI needs to follow a pattern that was installed into it, and it would need routine maintenance and updates in order to make up for possible changes in the systems or environment. The Harvesters CAN learn from battles, but they still need to update the units' AI constantly to make due with changes that may not fit the design functions and response of the currently installed AI. Same thing with the AI units we fought with on that desert planet a few months ago. This one however has an OS that is armed with human thought, action, and reaction patterns…this is what one might call a smart AI."

"Smart AI, a smart Artificial Intelligence?"

"Actual Intelligence would be more like it. It might be possible that the machine was built using the copied neuro-electrical brain wave patterns of a human. This would mean that it can act and think like a living being…"

"Is that a permanent thing, and is it a beneficial feature or a negative one?" Magno asked. The idea of an actual thinking machine could be both a boon and a danger when the circumstances dictated the changes, and such an unpredictable situation could be a deadly one to all parties involved…namely theirs.

"As far as I can see…the design is somewhat flawed, but there's nothing I can do since the features are directly locked into the OS and the CPU of the unit…taking it would render some of the features of the Gundam offline and the features are very much an intricate part of the system. I can say that this could be a great danger in a fight when it becomes to hard to control. However the designers did hardwire a few control features into the systems to make sure it didn't act on the wrong situation, though the system is still somewhat locked out. I can't access them since whoever designed this certainly knew how to use a lock-out system. The Gundam's basic controls and functions, along with basic human actions are still present and can be used…however, since it has still been system locked…I can't do much until I get more data from who made this Mobile Suit."

"What about the other Mobile Suit?" Buzam asked as she pointed to the other one still in it's own paddock.

Kyo looked at it and nodded.

"I still need to run some tests on it and see just what makes it work, but it will have to wait for now…I have to cook lunch…not to mention…I have to go meet up with someone."

"Who?" Magno asked with smirk.

"Sara…she wanted to ask me something on lunch. Once I'm done with that, I'll get back to work on this model."

As Kyo left the hanger…Buzam and Magno walked back to the bridge as their forces began to pull back and resume their return to the Megele/Talark system. The elder woman began to plan out what ground work had to be done in order to prepare both the men and women of their worlds to face the Harvester threat…but such things would have be rather drastic…the old woman knew well of the situation that had occurred after the Ikazuchi incident on Talark…the only thing she hoped for was that the seven original men could try and keep things calm…and she hoped her husband was still out there in the Council…still alive and keeping things calm. Magno sighed as she also thought of her son…she felt sad to know he was growing up without any influence from her…to know that for the past seventy five years she had never held him in her arms…fed him, bathed him, watched him become friendly with other children, see him play…all those things were so painful to her. Not to mention not being with her husband for just as long…she missed him…the first day she had spent on Megele without him was torture enough…and event hen…she was amazed in herself for living alone without her husband and son for the past seventy five years. She had nearly lost all hope of seeing them again…and just recalling them…was painful everyday.

Buzam noted the change in her captain and was worried a great deal…she knew that much of the old woman's life was private, and she respected the Captain's desire to keep her past to herself…but even she wished that someday the Captain would be free of her burden and live life…no matter how many years she might have left.

"Are you all right Captain?"

Magno turned and saw the looks of concern coming from her First Mate and sighed.

"It's nothing BC…just thinking about the old days…long before the whole incident that separated men and women on our systems…had we known about the Earth and the Harvest Fleet…we would have avoided this whole mess and men and women would live together…like in the past."

"Captain…are you worried about what we will face once we return to our base? About what Max and his former instructor told us about what had happened on Talark?"

"Yes…we all have no time to dwell on the past BC…namely with all this before us. I know that the government on Megele would imprison us not just because we're pirates, but of what we will tell them…to align with the men to defeat the Harvesters. I know that the pride there on our world will be hard to break…I don't even want to guess how hard it will be to break the barriers on the men's world…but it has to be done BC. All that we have learned has to come out before it is too late, we have to save the future."

Buzam nodded and then spoke.

"Captain…I have sent another set of message pods to both Megele and Talark…without your permission…but I have gathered all the information we have gained…namely from the Resistance…and even copied the recording of the destruction of the Melanos home-world. I should have told you directly…but I knew that we have to warn them as best we can, I am sorry…"

Magno smiled as she walked on. "No need for that BC…you did what you had to do…and it was the right call, and you took the initiative to make the first move. We still have a lot to do though. I want the crew to relax a bit more, so we should be fine…but keep them ready, just in case."

"Yes Captain."

Magno then wondered if once she could be done with her duties on the bridge…she could ask Kyo to cook some food for her once she went to the galley…it had been a bit since she got to eat with the rest of the crew who were like her daughters, and the men who were like family to her.

She then chuckled a bit as she wondered just what the women on Megele and even in the pirate base would do if they found out that she and her fellow female pirates had men who were once their unwelcome prisoners, to their barely tolerated crew-members, and who were now inseparable members of their family and crew. She however beamed at the blooming relationships that were springing up and around the ship…

She namely wondered about several couples that were getting along rather well and wondered just what the future would bring to them.

--

In one of the firing ranges in the Nirvana…

BLAM!!

BANG!!

BANG!!

Max sighed as the holographic targets vanished and his total score was revealed. He frowned a bit as he read the score.

14 hits

6 misses

(Hmmm…I'm getting rusty again…thank Grand-Pa Gunny isn't here.)

The younger brother of Duero McFile had just gotten back from the patrol and decided to help out in the Medical Bay, he then finished his duties but felt somewhat restless and distracted so he decided to go to the shooting range and fire some rounds. It did relax him, but he found out that due to so many months not being on the ground had decreased some of his skills. Barnette assured him that he would be fine once he had gotten some extra practice done.

(I wonder what Barnette is doing?)

He then realized that he was thinking of the green haired Dread pilot a lot more then usual recently. He then blushed as the reason came back…to when he was in a very physical encounter with her a few weeks before. He wondered why he did those things…sure he was attracted to Barnette and that showed to him that the feeling was mutual…but how much did he really know about her…he knew that she was once a Register girl under Gascogne…that she got her collection of guns from her father…and she was a great cook…but what else did he know of her?

As he wondered what else could he do to learn more about the woman he had a relationship with…who would come into the firing range than the woman in question?

"Hello Max."

Max turned and smiled as Barnette came into the firing range…still in her normal clothes, and had one of her collection pieces with her, a 9mm Italian made Berretta, though after that incident…he found himself staring more and more at her than usual. He put those thoughts aside as he checked his rifle and checked the clip…and smiled as there were still enough bullets in the clip and reloaded the weapon with the clip.

"Hello Barnette, I'm just working on my shooting skills, it's been some time since I got to training with my personal combat skills…thankfully neither my Alpha and Gunny are here or else they would be berating me for getting rusty."

Barnette was surprised…she knew Max was a good shooter, and she decided to see his score…she nodded as he was right about what he said.

"I see…well, if you don't mind, I can shoot with you since I need to practice a bit more myself…you don't mind do you?"

"No…of course not."

The two then decided to restart the range and began to practice their shooting skills, the two began to relax a bit as they went on to do something they both liked to do as the shots rang out. The two went for a few rounds and then Max noted that now that he was bit more relaxed, he began to delve deeper into his older training regime from back home. All Talark military cadets, even medics like his brother and him were trained to be able to fight if circumstances dictated that they would have to serve as soldiers as well to defend the wounded. This was following an old tradition from Earth of medics being trained to use their weapons if it came to that…however, they were not use their weapons to assault enemy positions…but to defend their charges and themselves.

Talark men were all trained for war…but since they needed good medical specialists…medics were kept out of the battle-zone unless they were part of a strike team or were deep in enemy territory…they were tasked not to attack like their full time combat brethren, but to rescue wounded troopers/pilots and use their weapons only to defend themselves. This was a rule many medics lived by and both he and his brother were no exceptions. They were healers, soldiers, and pilots, all in one.

While they took a break, Max decided to tell Barnette the story of how they had become medics, both him and his brother, plus the training they had undergone…which naturally included the use of hand to hand combat and knife fighting…all for the use of defending themselves and their charges. He also said there was a lethal side to their training that if they were being attacked at close range, they had taken training on the human body and how to break it…

Just as they could save life by studying the body of living things…Talark Medical Corps students studied the body on ways to incapacitate or if totally unavoidable…take a life. This would have been frowned upon back on Earth in the old days…but the men made exceptions to that rule when they faced women, which was part of their training.

Barnette gulped a bit at that revelation as Max spoke calmly…after all…that was his life…this made Barnette wonder if there had been times when Max had to resort to the lethal side of his medical training when he was with women to deal with them when they got rowdy. He shook his head at that…

"I didn't use any lethal methods…merely blows that would not leave permanent injuries or marks, but enough to get my point across."

"I see…say…can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

Barnette thought about what she was going to ask of him and decided to say it out now…rather than keep it hidden.

"Can you teach me how to fight without guns? Hand to hand combat stuff?"

Max wondered about that…he could tell that Barnette was physically well built and very much was capable as a hand to hand combatant.

"Sure I can…but why do you want me to teach you? Kyo can do that since he knows quite a bit of martial arts."

"I know…but he teaches the Crusader pilots and he is always busy out on patrol…and I don't plan on intruding on him when he should be resting after all the things he's done…plus… I…well…feel more comfortable if it was you who was teaching me those techniques."

"I don't know…"

Barnette gave him the dreaded sad puppy dog eyes to Max.

"Please…I won't use them for the wrong reasons Max…you have my word."

Max thought about it and although the techniques of Talark martial arts involving knowledge of the human body and how injure or cripple it effectively was to be kept a close secret, he trusted Barnette enough to keep her word.

"All right then…meet me in the gym after lunch and we can start from there."

Barnette smiled and hugged him. "Thanks!"

--

In the galley…

"Okay…that should do it…all right, next order of boiled crab meat with celery sticks coming up!"

Kyo was busy as he could ever be while in the kitchen, alongside him were some members of the cooking staff and they were busy preparing an all rounder for the crew this time for lunch, which naturally meant that there was going to be a buffet style lunch today…meaning double shifts for him today as he cooked more dishes, this time, hot chicken soup with peas was on the next run, along with deep fried shrimp with dip sauce.

He however wasn't cooking all alone as the girls were nearby and helping him out with the workload and that made it a load easier for him to cook the food and move about more effectively in doing his duties as cook for today.

The crew were certainly lively as stories of family and friends were passed back and forth, along with the crew chatting about their plans once they arrived home…the whole scene reminded Kyo of a soon to come reunion…something that still caused him pain.

Back then…he hardly let his jealousy of the crew disturb him from his work as a pilot. The chatting of the crew when it came to their home, family and friends was a source of irritation and loss to him…mainly because unlike them before…he had no family, he hardly recalled his folks and his past life…he told them that much before he died the first time. Now…with his memories coming back…he let go of his jealousy and began to chat more openly when it came to family matters…though many of the crew knew that talking about his family caused him pain.

Kyo looked at them all and sighed to himself…

(They look so…normal…ah well.)

The Gundam pilot now cook put those thoughts aside as he went back to kitchen duty and sure enough he spotted several more arrive into the galley, namely a certain bespectacled engineer that seemed down somewhat. This got Kyo's attention as he walked over to place the newest meal for the girls to take. Seeing that he could let the kitchen staff handle the rest, he informed the head of the kitchen staff that he was going to eat himself and they let him be with a smile. He grabbed a plate filled with food, two actually, one filled with fried strips of beef, garlic rice, and diced vegetables. The other had fried chicken on it, plain steamed rice, with some beef siomai pieces, and carrots. He then placed both dishes on a tray along with some drinks, namely some cool lemon tea and a cold soft-drink. He then called out to Parfet…

"Parfet…you want to have this?"

The head engineer looked at Kyo and the food and drink he had and nodded, she was going to look for him and ask for some advice on something she wanted to discuss with Duero. She thanked Kyo and took the second plate and the tea and sat down as Kyo placed his meal and drink on the other table. Before he ate however he walked over to Parfet and spoke to her as she was about to speak to him.

"You want to ask me for some advice Parfet?"

The head engineer was surprised and was about to ask Kyo on how he figured that out, the Gundam pilot merely replied to her.

"I could tell you wanted to talk about something and since you seemed rather unsure about it, I guessed it was something you don't want the others to know…am I right?"

"Yeah…I hope you don't mind."

Kyo shook his head and smiled as he sat down.

"Not at all…you're a good friend of mine and I'm willing to help all my friends…by the way…I have a feeling that this concerns Duero, am I right?"

Parfet's blush at the mention of Duero's name told Kyo that his guess was very much on the target. And he grinned at that…he recently noted that the two were becoming closer than ever and he was keen on seeing the outcome of their relationship since the two were so compatible with one another…he would have to be blind and dumb not to notice.

"Yeah…I wanted to ask advice on how I could…ahhh…get closer to him."

Kyo sighed as he sat down…looks like it was time to play the relationship councillor once more.

--

Later…

The crew were eating well and were now heading back to their duties, Kyo however was still there, cleaning up the place but he had a smile as he took the dishes and hauled them off.

He had finished his meal, once more in the company of Dita, Jura, Meia, Sara, and Mai and stayed behind while the girls went to rest a bit before going out on routine patrol. Before he had joined them though, he was able to learn what was troubling Parfet…and that was the possibility of her and Duero being separated once they got back to Talark and Megele…Kyo nodded solemnly and knew that it could happen, just as she said…she wanted to have Duero close and tour the pirate base but she doubted that the others would be as accepting of the Talark medic as the crew of the Nirvana were…she also wondered about how the men of Duero's world would act…along with the women of her world would act if they…knew about her deep affections and growing relationship with him.

Kyo was very aware of such a situation…he understood politics and even though Parfet was neutral on the matter of politics…she did too. The thought of a man from Talark and a woman from Megele having a relationship was unheard of and would be immediately considered heresy on either world…but a relationship based on love…just like that of Parfet and Duero…would have ignited a firestorm of denial, anger, and disbelief. Kyo knew that such a relationship would have been considered a sin on both worlds…but Parfet was insistent on making the relationship work out…so Kyo told her to talk to Duero and see how he feels about the situation that the both of them might be facing as well, to learn how he viewed their situation. Duero's opinion mattered as well on this one.

Parfet thanked him and resumed eating, just as Duero and his brother arrived at the end of their shifts and went to eat, the doctor in question already sitting where Parfet was, and Max sat down and was then joined by none other than Barnette who sat down next to Max and then began to chat with the younger brother of Duero. This was another blossoming relationship that he was very interested in, and he knew that the crew would be curious about this one as well apart from Duero and Parfet's own blossoming relationship…he too showed interest in it.

The two were also getting closer, though how close was still up for debate among the crew. He however could tell that this relationship was certainly going to mature soon, considering the fact that Max had a prior relationship with a woman from Megele, and Barnette seemed to have changed a considerable deal, though he knew that they still had some distance to go. Barnette however seemed willing to do what she could to learn as much as she could about Max.

Their relationship too would be considered as heretical by the men of Max world, and the women on Barnette's world, and he had a feeling that the two were also aware of that fact, or he would have to be the one to tell them that. He recalled Barnette's willingness to go to her world and support the idea of men and women working side by side against the Harvesters, an idea she once considered to only work on the Nirvana and no where else. And that was a good sign…despite the dangers involved.

The relationship between the two however was another matter, since Barnette was the one who was new to a relationship with the opposite gender, unlike Parfet who had been friends with Duero, Misty who had been raised alongside boys and had been familiar to the intricacies involved with co-gender relationships, and her friend Jura, who naturally was intent on having a baby with him took the time to know all she could. That along with Dita's existing relationship with him, Meia's own budding relationship with him, Mai's working relationship with him, both in the Register and in the Crusaders, and Sara's working relationship with him as his second in command. With all that, Barnette would seek advice on how to get Max's affections, and unlike Duero who was still getting used to being in an increasingly intimate relationship with Parfet, Max is familiar to some degree of the relationship, though not that much. They would have to deal with the consequences of it once they were back in Megele and Talark space…and he hoped that they would have a chance as well as Duero and Parfet did.

Kyo recalled seeing the two chatting warmly and guessed that they will still be working hard on getting to know one another. Max and Barnette were getting closer and he liked that, both their relationship and that of Duero and Parfet would be examples of men and women having a relationship together.

Barnette cared a great deal for Max since he had nearly lost his life to save her from death, a death she nearly brought on herself for being too stubborn back on the desert planet…and the two bonded over the past days they had spent on the base…with the Megele girl taking care of Max until he recovered from his wounds and working alongside him to thank him to forgiving her despite her actions that nearly got him killed. That was part of it, the other part as that over time, with her exposure with Max, Barnette began to experience things that before she would have considered nothing but lies…the attraction of a woman to a man, the feelings involved, and the respect she gave to Max when he showed so many traits that she once thought no man would ever have…he was resourceful, patient, forgiving, caring, brave, and kind…those qualities were seen when they fought side by side and worked side by side as well, she also began to learn a lot from the man, which naturally helped her move along with a relationship with him.

He did make it clear that if they ever needed advice, then just give him a call and he could help them. He had several jobs now…cook, pilot, squadron leader, instructor, and now relationship councillor. He couldn't believe it.

(Talk about having multiple jobs.)

He then decided to prepare some new supplies for his Gundam…namely food, drink, munitions, and tools. His Gundam had several well placed supply lockers and there he could store what he needed in an operation where he would not be able to return to the Nirvana for any reason. He was a military man and being prepared was important to him. It was then he was approached by his second in command, Sara Elsman.

"Hello Commander."

Kyo smiled as he wiped his hands clean with a rag and faced the young woman.

"Hello Sara, you wanted to see me about something?"

The young woman nodded and blushed a bit and twiddled her fingers. Back then such actions were foreign to the young woman, she didn't act like this when with her fellow women back home, and certainly not with a man, but she was near Kyo, a man that she now admitted she had a big crush on, and respected as well.

Kyo was curious as to what was going on with Sara…but before he could asked, Sara did it for him.

"I was wondering…if…if you…had the…had the time to…go out on a …date with me?"

Kyo's eyes widened at that statement. He had gone on a normal date with Mai a few weeks before, though nothing…happened between him and his Register colleague and fellow Crusader pilot, he and Mai were good friends and he was thankful that it hadn't gone too far as of right now…he still needed to get to know Mai a lot more before anything serious could happen…and now it seems that he will be going out with Sara, who he knew was feeling the same emotions as the other girls. He wasn't in a bet with Gascogne…so what had he got to lose?

Out in space…a fair distance from the Nirvana…

Commander Arland was in his ship's quarters, preparing a report on the fall of his space station command and his order to initiate the self destruct/evacuation protocol. He knew for a fact that the military council would not be in the best of moods to learn that yet another military station had to be abandoned and many officers were being tried and sent to the military courts for court-martial hearings…and he just joined the rising numbers, but the officer didn't care about that, he cared for the lives of his troopers, pilots, support staff, and officers…there was no guarantee that his station could hold off another attack from the aliens.

As he finished his report, he looked at the pictures of his wife, two eldest sons and two daughters. They were the reason he was in the military years ago…ever since the first contact with the aliens and the disastrous event of their exploration fleet being wiped out and only a single ship coming back, he re-enlisted despite his wife's protests and explained that unless they stood and fought, then no place on Khudan would be safe for them all, and he mentioned that he wasn't the only man who went back into war…this was for their future…

Now the officer hoped that his actions didn't result in a last stand situation for his people as their defences began to fall to the invaders, the outer system defences no longer existed and only the inner core defences were left to them, the military intended to reinforce those zones prepare for a last stand…but Arland felt that maybe it was time his people considered another option…despite how unthinkable and painful it was…

Mass planetary evacuation…

Commander Arland knew that this would be considered a mistake by just everyone, but he knew that he and other realistic officers in the Khudani military council had known that without aid, even their advanced forces would not stand against the alien hordes. Plus, the chance of aid coming was no longer possible, for the communication stations that they had built outside of their home system were among the first to fall when the aliens first attacked them…and there was no way to replace them since the recovery teams were among the victims of the aliens…effectively sealing the fate of the Khudani into a war that there would be no aid…

The officer then looked at another picture…his home in the regions to the north, where his wife and children were still. It was the latest picture of is family, his wife was taking care of his youngest daughter while his sons and their sister played with their toy kites and watched the birds of their home-planet fly by them…a wonderful sight…and now a painful one for the stern commander with silver streaked black hair due to what has happened.

It was then that a communiqué from his desk came online…forcing the Commander to look away from his family and home. He then answered the incoming message as one of the bridge crew appeared.

"Commander Arland, sir…are you there?"

"Go ahead Corporal Rook."

Corporal Rook…one of the operators on Arland's command ship the KAF-091-SDF RAC 'Snow-Lance' nodded as he delivered his report.

"I apologize for disturbing you Commander…but we've detected signals coming from an unknown ship…and signals of alien fighters."

"Where is the location?"

"On sector Beta 8, outside of the home system's eastern border…it seems they are salvaging the remains of a station…one of ours."

Arland's blood boiled at the thought of the site being desecrated by unknown beings. His anger however was tempered by some very important facts.

One was the fact that on record, there was no mention of a Khudan station being built in the sector. As a member of the military, he along with all officers of lower or higher rank were given open information on the location of all military and civilian stations in the area of their system. Civilian stations on the outer fringes were either lost to the aliens…or evacuated, and only military ones were now listed…thus the wreckage of a station of his people that wasn't listed on his archives was a cause of concern for the seasoned commander.

The second was that this station was in a location beyond the system, most stations owned by his people were kept near the Khudan system to ensure proper communications and supplies were brought in, this was a needed protocol after the loss of the outer system communications stations, a station that was out at that distance would have difficulties in gaining supplies and information, unless by supply convoys.

And the last was the fact that the location was in a path that led towards a massive debris belt. In the historical records, a ship once known as the Ikazuchi had attempted to enter it to locate possible planets to colonize…but due to the magnetic storms, debris, energy clouds and other cosmic occurrences…the Ikazuchi was lost in comm. range…and was deemed by the first generation of his people as lost. A memorial service in honour of the crew of the Ikazuchi was held on Khudan once a year, and as such…passage through the location was not allowed to any Khudani vessel and it's crew.

"Any information as to what system and civilization the ship belongs to and it's destination?"

Corporal Rook replied as he worked on is console on the bridge…alongside the rest of his fellow operators.

"I'm afraid that it's an unknown ship class sir…it doesn't match the profile of any ship design we have on record, not to mention that it's transponder signal is showing strange readings in terms of power emission and is unknown…though it seems to be of human make. We are detecting what appears to be an old communication frequency that was used in…the Colonization Era however."

That bit of information quickly gained Arland's attention.

(A ship of unknown design and transponder frequency…but has a Colonization Era frequency as well? This is odd…)

"Anything else you can tell me of this unknown ship Corporal?"

"We detected signals that appear to be similar to those used by the alien force's main fighter units…but appears to he heavily altered and nearly didn't match the ones we have on records sir. We also determined that it has a two extra classes of fighter units…one appears to the an interceptor class fighter, we also can't determine both design and origin…and the other group…resembles…humanoid like suits…also of a design we don't have on record sir. This is getting rather odd…"

Arland wondered just what was going on…first they locate a Khudani space station out of the zones such stations are normally built and it was not on record, then they locate a ship of unknown design and origin and not matched the alien designs…yet had a transponder frequency that was from the Colonization Era, and then they locate fighters of the aliens…but had been so heavily changed they hardly send out the same signals…something was going on…and now he had to make a choice…

Either ignore the happenings and return to his home-planet.

Or go and investigate the possibility of meeting another race and possibly gaining allies in this war.

Arland then decided that until he gained more information, he would not endanger his crew and those under his command.

"Have the fleet remain away from the unknown contact's sensor range, but close enough to maintain passive scanning ability. I want all the data we can get on this contact…and Corporal…"

"Yes Sir?"

"I want all the records of the Colonization Era fleet's transponder frequencies and their comm. frequencies to be recovered and I want them compared to the contact's own…I want to know exactly why a ship that we don't know about has a frequency that is nearly a hundred years old and hasn't been used in just as long a time."

"Yes sir!!"

--

Back on the Nirvana…

Kyo walked alongside Sara Elsman as the two looked at the outside view of the Bio-Park to the stars and planets. Kyo was dressed in a polo shirt and pants with boots, while Sara was in a sun-dress. This showed that the two were now on a very much official date.

When Sara had arrived at the meeting place where her fellow Crusader pilots were resting, they were ecstatic on the fact that she had finally asked Kyo to go out with her on a date…and they were even more impressed and slightly jealous that he accepted her request. The girls immediately went to work on getting to look presentable.

Unlike the other women, Sara Elsman didn't always wear powder and lipstick, or any of the social aesthetics her fellow women normally did, she only had them when she wanted to look nice, and yet, even in plain form, she was considered pretty by Megele standards, but since this was her first date with a man…and her commanding officer n less…she wanted to look the part and be a person Kyo would consider attractive and her friends were more than eager to help her in that regard.

And it appeared that it had the desired effect as when they met…Kyo was awed at her and made her blush, something she normally never thought of doing, but did so when Kyo was nearby.

Kyo on the other hand was feeling a bit uncomfortable, yet he didn't mind being in Sara's company, he found her to be a good friend, and he did feel attracted to her. He still recalled how attractive she was when he saw her naked in the communal bath and he knew that despite her actions…she liked him, and she seemed to have gained the courage to try and get to know him even more…and there was nothing wrong in that…but he was tempted the moment he saw her in the dress…

It was a light sky blue cheongsam sun-dress and seemed to hug Sara's frame without being too showy, but showed her curves and build, just enough to show her attractive, athletic build, plus her makeup was done well to bring out her natural beauty. Kyo placed his thoughts aside as he chatted with Sara about her past life and family, while he told her of his travels long before becoming part of their crew nearly a year before.

The Nirvana remained near the wreckage of the station as the crew decided to take the time to do some needed maintenance and to rest a bit from all the constant alertness that permeated the ship for the past few days. The excitement of finally being closer to home however was still there and many of the crew were trying to relax but were still buzzing with excitement. For now however it was time to relax as much as they could, though Buzam still had the bridge crew keep an eye on things.

The couple continued to chat for the time being, Kyo sharing whatever new memories he had seen that resurfaced from his mind, while Sara told him of her family and the life she had before and after joining the pirates. Kyo was a bit surprised that Sara was telling him about her family and she blushed a bit in reply…saying that she respected and trusted him enough to reveal her life to him, and he couldn't help but blush and scratch his head….honoured that she held him in that high regard.

They then arrived in one of the hallways…ironically enough it was the same hallway where Kyo had played the piano all those months before, it had actually been quite a while since he had sat down to play the instrument and he was willing and eager to see if he still had what it took to play a song.

Sara herself was eager to see and hear Kyo play once more as he sat down and began to play a soft melodic tone of music.

(The music is the piano version of For Real from the series Gensoumaden Saiyuki and is the only non Gundam SEED universe song in here.)

Sara smiled warmly as she listened to how well Kyo played the piano and recalled the time she had heard and seen him play when Barnette had routed the image and audio…and she was now the one who listened to him and then as he finished the piano number. Sara smiled warmly at him…

"Wow…I heard you sing and play before…but I never…who taught you how to play that well?"

Kyo sighed and smiled a bit as he looked at the piano.

"My mother I guess."

Sara's eyes widened, this was a first, to know that despite Kyo not knowing his mother…he knew that she was the one who taught him how to play instruments so well and…

"She taught you how to sing as well?"

Kyo nodded and smiled a bit as he began to recall what memories he had regained concerning his mother.

"Yeah, she was a singer, since I recall her voice…she sang very well, and was very kind and gentle…but she was strong in will, conviction, and she was very brave and determined. I can't see her face all that clearly yet…but I knew she was beautiful, inside and outside. I guess…she even taught me how to cook and paint and she always took care of me and my…siblings and father…when we were still together."

Kyo then shook his head a bit and Sara saw his eyes mist up a little.

"I miss her…I really…really miss her."

Sara felt her sadness increase as she looked at Kyo who was sad at still not being able to see his mother's face…and even if he didn't know if she was still out there somewhere…he still missed her and his emotions showed nothing but love for his mother. Sara could imagine how much pride Kyo's mother had in raising him, and she couldn't help but feel sad for both of them, for Kyo being unable to recall his mother and his mother for being unable to be reunited with her son.

"I'm sorry I brought that up! I apologize!"

Kyo reached up to Sara and calmed her down. He smiled a bit at her and she couldn't help but blush a bit at the warm look in his eyes.

"It's okay…There's no need to cry…I'll find them someday."

Sara smiled and nodded. "Then I wish you good luck when you do."

As Kyo and Sara began to conclude their time together, they were unaware of the other Crusader pilots…minus Mai who was in the Register, were recording the whole thing and they too felt sad that their male commander had to deal with such loneliness everyday, and so they planned to make him happy someday.

--

The Harvester Fleet…

"What is the status of our resource gathering operation?" The leader of the Harvester Armada asked as he faced his clone operators. He was now busy monitoring the activities of the Fleet's massive factory centres in each ship as they began top process the materials gathered and new weapons were now being created, those that he himself created and rested, now the process of modifying the first form of the Overlord series now renamed the Dominator series to ensure that their new weapon systems would operate effectively once they were able to use them. The new class however retained the existing features they once had as Overlord units. The upgrades were never intended to remove or alter them, but to give them a seriously effective tactical and strategic advantage when they were in battles that would show the normal arsenals would not be sufficient to bring about a more favourable outcome to the war with the ever growing resistance. During the battle on Melanos, the leader was impressed with the Overlord series and wanted to see their full potential and now he was seeing it as handfuls of the units were now being modified to use the new weapon packs.

The first was basically an upgrade for the speed of the Dominator units when using this system. Armed with upgraded power thrusters and a pair of heavy load missile pods initially filled with medium class homing missiles, the pack could allow for rapid deployment and heavy suppression fire and bombardment. The missile class could also be changed from smaller but more numerous scatter missiles, to heavier but more accurate missiles. This was the first of the weapon packs visualized by the leader and due to the nature of the design, it made sense it was named the Swarm Converter Unit. (2)

The second was to combine a marriage of exceptional fire-power with deadly close combat range. This meant a pack that had a weapon set for long range combat and a weapon set for close range combat. The end result was a pack that had a pair of high powered beam gatling guns on one side and a powerful rail-gun on the other for deadly medium and long range fire-power…this meant that even when not in close combat range…the Dominator that used this Pack was a deadly foe in ranged warfare. And the next weapon was a larger and far more dangerous version of the beam hatchet…a beam edged double bladed pike. Essentially it had a main beam edge emitter on one side and a powerful support beam edge on the other shaped like a crescent. And on the front was a powerful beam blade emitter like that of the spear used by the Wyvern Gundam, though it could not be fired and reeled back. The net effect was that when using it's beam rifle…the beam gatling guns and the rail-gun could fire as well to add some serious punch as well. And should the fight become close quarters, then the beam pike would come into play and it also had a powerful anti-armour pike on the end which could pierce a ship's hull with considerable power. This unit was designated the Breaker Converter Unit. (3)

The third and the last was designed to be a truly devastating weapon in terms of Mobile Suit units engaging ships in ranged warfare and destroying them with powerful amounts of firepower and ensuring that the Mobile Suits would get the first shot before being attacked. The weapon comprised of an operation set, the first was a powerful but compact anti-ship torpedo launcher that could fire a trio of easy to replace anti-ship torpedoes with powerful explosive heads and a small but lethal anti-ship gatling gun…but the second set was the most dangerous…a powerful anti-ship beam cannon that could easily punch a hole through a medium or lower class ship, and could cause considerable damage to battle-ships and was powered up by a large spare energy battery tank on the rear which was naturally reinforced. This meant that a handful of Dominators using these packs would be a serious threat to fleets of small and medium ships and a powerful threat to even capital class ships when well coordinated in attacking and flanking patterns. This unit was designated as the Punisher Converter Unit (4)

Though these would give the Harvesters, namely the newly christened Dominator units a serious edge in fire power…there was naturally a trade-off for each weapon system. The most commonly shared was the disabling of the shield the unit normally carried so minimize the weight and that would require either the disabling of the beam hatchet or it's lack of use. The best example as that due to it's lack of good striking range and the difficulty of using two weapons of different design simultaneously in either hand…the beam hatchet was not usable when using the Breaker Converter Unit, and with the Punisher…the need for both hands of the Dominator to carry a large anti-ship beam cannon means that only when either the pack is removed or the cannon is either placed aside or destroyed could the Dominator use it's beam hatchet. And despite the respective power rates and functions of each pack…it was still recommended that the Dominators using each pack should work as pairs or mixed groups to unleash the full power of each system effectively.

The leader than recalled something very important.

"What is the current status of the 3rd Fleet?"

One clone operator looked up and replied. "They are already sending out their scout forces and ready to attack the enemy. Their losses from the battle with the enemy have been recovered and will be re-engaging them in the span of half an hour."

"Good…have them contact us on completion of the mission, and if we lose contact with them…then make sure to download their last coordinates so we can know where they are last seen and if we have the time…finish the job. In the meantime…have the fleet remain here until we complete full construction of the Converter Units and field test them before moving on…is that understood?"

"It shall be done."

In one section of the Nirvana…

Kyo wiped some sweat off his brow as he gazed at his handiwork.

"This should certainly come in handy whenever I get caught on the ground again." The Gundam pilot said as he looked at a medium sized container filled with medium sized rectangular packs made out of reinforced plastic and heating foil. He had just prepared his new supplies of MREs.

He then made his way to the hanger with the large cart filled with MREs. Though he had not recalled as of yet where he learned on how these items were made and how he could customize them…he hardly complained. These medium sized packets helped him out a lot on the long travels he had taken while he was not part of the Nirvana's crew or when he had come to Talark. The pre-package foods and drink certainly came in handy for him when he was still very much a wanderer…and a free lance fighter back in his days before being where he was now. Before he got used to eating the nutrition pills on the all male plane and getting past the horrible 'lack of taste' taste of the pills, he focused on eating MREs while he was there on the desert world and only decided to stop eating them due to the fact that he was running low of the packs. He nearly forgot about them when he was with the pirates…now being able to eat cooked food again.

Naturally he ate cooked food in his travels…but it wasn't always possible so while he travelled and met up with friendly human civilizations, he made a point of stocking up MREs for long trips and not knowing when he could get the chance to eat a hot meal again. MREs were his staple diet and certainly came in handy when the time came to eat and he was in a hostile place or when travelling in his Gundam in space. Kyo also made sure to have variety in his diets and thanks to technological advances…MREs were of far greater taste, nutrition content, and variety.

The MREs had different foods in them that he had come back to cook and prepare after his date with Sara. They comprised of various cuts of meat, vegetables, fruits, grains, bread, small tube containers of water, and small but useful packets of Talark nutrient pills. He also included easy to dispose of utensils, coffee powder, non-addictive wake up stims, heating tabs, juice powder, cheese, butter, jam spread, and some small condiments, namely salt, sugar, spices and sauces.

Due to that…and the vacuuming and sealing, the MREs could last for months or years, in the same way Talark food pills could last for just as long. And due to the built in heating tabs that activate when he opened them…the rations were always warm and fresh.

As soon as he arrived in the Hanger as the other personnel were busy doing their regular duties…he scuttled up to his Gundam and took the container with him. As soon as he got there…he began placing in his newly made MREs and placed them in the large built in storage locker of the Infinite Freedom which had gotten enough room to store about fifty of the MREs. Kyo didn't know where he had gained this habit…but he never complained or got rid of it

As he did so…he was wondering about the others and just what they were doing.

--

In the gym of the Nirvana…

Max was lifting a pair of small barbells as he was dressed in his body suit with a white tunic and pants, and his trench coat as a medic was placed aside…for the training he had in mind…he brought some practice dummies that were very much human in form and movement, medical charts, some rubber weapons, including hard but non-lethal knives. When Duero and Aleck asked him what he was going to do with all that he told them, and expected them to be rather angry…they were but told him that as long as Barnette used the combat techniques only for self defense, they were okay with it.

As he went through the basic moves and exercises, he then turned and spotted Barnette…who was wearing a training uniform worn by the Crusader pilots when they trained in the martial arts and sparred with one another during their routine exercises. The plain white gi and pants were tied in by a pristine white belt, showing that Barnette was a beginner, even though she was familiar with Megele martial arts as a child.

"Hello…sorry I'm late, I had to borrow a uniform from one of the Crusader pilots." Barnette said in apology as she greeted Max.

"That's all right, now before we start, we need to warm up so let's get to work, no sense training when you are not yet ready in body and mind."

Max and Barnette began to do regular stretching and warm up exercises done by athletes and martial arts students, and although they were focusing on the session at hand…there was no doubt that their respective presence had an effect on them as they would gaze at each other's sweat glistening forms. But they worked that out of their system for the time being.

As soon as they were warmed up…Max began to train alongside Barnette, showing her the basic movements of martial arts from his world and the techniques involved. This was basic unarmed combat for now as he also watched her perform. He could tell that despite her use of guns in fights, Barnette DID possess the qualities of a good martial artist…and it was an honour in a sense for him to be showing her how to fight without her guns just in case she wasn't armed with one.

After an hour of that, Max then began to use the charts he had to point out the vulnerable parts of the human body which both he and Barnette knew to be the same between men and women despite their…respective differences in the chest and groin areas…both blushed somewhat at the thought as Max then went back to the strict instructor tone he had heard a lot in his youth. He pointed out nerve clusters and what the effects would be when hitting them in the exact way with the right force and speed, then he pointed out the bones and where they were weakest and the joints as well and on how to apply pressure that would be enough to ensure a quick takedown of a target.

Barnette had to admit that Max certainly knew what he had to use when it came to personal combat as she listened, and like a serious but trusting instructor he helped her understand parts of his lectures that didn't make clear sense to her.

As soon as she was done and he was finished…they got down to the more serious parts of her training, namely practical application as Max brought forward the training dummies which will be used to simulate the effects of the techniques on a human person.

As Max underwent the showing of the various techniques, Barnette at first was a bit confused as he showed her arm bars, nerve strikes, holds, sleeper moves, floor grips, knife strikes, and more, as she saw him perform the moves on one of the practice dummies that was armed with built in sensors however, she saw the lethal power of his methods as the sensors that displayed information to a nearby portable display showed deadly injuries had been sustained, according to the readouts, Max's different strikes would have resulted in severe muscle trauma, dislocated or broken bones, damaged organs, internal bleeding, loss of consciousness, cutting of circulation, and torn tendons, it was a move that he called the Crucifier that got her attention as Max locked the dummy on a cage of muscle after rushing it and bringing it quickly the ground and used his entire body to imprison the arms and upper torso of the dummy, and then he pulled back the head of the dummy to his side...creating a VERY painful and sickening sound even if the bones of the dummy was metal. As soon as the readouts came, the screen showed that the dummy's head completely broken off from the spine a totally fatal blow equalling to certain death, Max then explained the method of the Crucifier.

"This move targets the most vital spinal cord bone which connects the head to the spine…right at the very base of the head, enough force will literally remove the head from the neck…this however is one move I can't allow you to use on anyone and is NOT to be used unless you have NO alternative, the reason I showed it to you Barnette is to show just how it works. Promise me you will not use it on anyone unless you have no other choice Barnette."

Barnette knew that this was a serious thing if Max showed her such a deadly attack and nodded without hesitation.

"I promise."

The rest of the session went on as Max continued the lesson with some knife combat training, namely the vulnerable areas where an attack with a knife…either hand held or thrown can cause serious injuries, along with defensive methods when facing a knife wielding opponent or those with melee and improvised melee weapons.

The two learned a lot from each other, Max could see the stronger side of Barnette's personality due to her not giving up and willingness to learn from others when she makes mistakes and didn't complain as he pointed out the exact way it should be done. Despite being bruised by him in some sparring rounds she didn't become to angry and paid attention. Barnette could also see the strong and patient side of Max as he continues to teach her the right ways to use her abilities in combat, and patiently correct any flaws in her movements and stances, back then when she fought in hand to hand she was not very good since many students would make fun of her. Max however was patient with her and since she had very strong feelings towards him she listened to his advice and found tem to be very effective.

Along with that was the closeness they had, very similar to when Max and her were in the quarters given to them when the Nirvana was with the fleet of the Taisians. This was not as intimate as before, but due to the personal relationship they had and it was growing as Max and Barnette worked to learn from one another. As Barnette continued to train, she moved more effectively and that gained her the approval of Max and that was very nice to her senses as he continued their training sessions. The two were now becoming more open to one another as they pressed on in their training, and this included now the various moves he had shown to restrain opponents, this however made things more steamy as they were now pressing their sweat soaked forms to one another.

Just like the time Kyo and Meia had sparred in the same hall…both Talark male and Megele female were now sparring with one another in close proximity and despite their best intentions…it didn't take long for the physical tension in them t take effect, just as Max was teaching Barnette the movements when using a restraining move and toss…apparently she made a mistake in foot and landed on Max, her breasts right on top of is hard chest and her face millimetres to his. Barnette was sweating and her face was showing the exertions along with a deep blush. Her milk white face was slightly pinkish, the lights were reflected on her skin due to the beads of moisture on her. The same could be said for Max though his blush was a bit hard to see due to his still present tan, though both his, Aleck and Duero's tans had toned down somewhat due to their long stay in the ship.

Both of them looked at one another…Max saw his reflection in Barnette's eyes and it began to have an effect on him. Barnette likewise saw her own reflection in Max's own eyes…this was enough that both of them came ever closer to one another….and kiss.

The tension seemed to die away, but a hunger seemed to fill that empty place as the soft kiss became more heated. Max placed one of his hands on Barnette's face and the other in the back of her head. Barnette didn't mind as she held his face with both her hands. The kiss was very much on high gear, but they stopped when they realized that it would soon be time for the other crew members to be using the gym…and the last thing either of tem wanted was being caught like this…so they reluctantly got up and began to clean up the place and as they moved out…Barnette hugged Max and whispered in his ear.

"Thanks for teaching me those things Max…I'll make sure to use them only to protect myself."

Max nodded and before he could say anything, Barnette kissed him once more and left him with a smile as she walked back to take a bath, Max on the other hand couldn't help but blush as he walked away. Barnette turned and smiled at what she had felt with him, as she got to her room, she went to the shower with a warm silly smile.

--

Back at the Hanger…

Kyo was busy yet again, but didn't mind the extra work load as his current job was vital…and that was to figure out the capabilities of the second Mobile Suit the pirates had recovered. He had already finished his packing of his supply of MREs in is Gundam and went back to his previous duties…so here he was...running through all the data that was in the OS of the Mobile Suit…and there were quite some very interesting features to boot on this model.

(Hmmm…High Field Conduction Aluminium that connects to the power reactor, this would give this unit a serious operation edge.)

He had heard rumours of armour that would be able to absorb energy and convert it into power for the Mobile Suit's own use, this was unheard of in the other worlds he had gone to in his wandering days.

He then ran an inventory check and found the Mobile Suit to be armed with quite the array of ranged weapons. 4 CIWS machine guns of a unique make in the head, 2 foldable plasma cannons that could spread when used, a set of four light beam rifles, that were stored on the torsos, namely in the back, and a pair of forearm stored catapult cannons. He also found optional weapons, namely a unique ionized beam rifle stored in the rear skirt, fed by power clips like a regular assault rifle, another beam rifle also stored in the same location, but was a single shot variant…no doubt designed for sniper work, and last was a beam saber.

Using a version of Phase Shift Armour, that was different from the sonic wave using version of the first Mobile Suit, which was still effective and using the High Field Conducting Aluminium would mean that beam weapons were useless as the energy from them would be fed to the reactor and combine that converted energy to the reactor's own power output itself would make this unit impossible to take out using energy arsenals and would be deadly since it allows all it's beam weapons to be on near unlimited power…but he had found a fatal flaw…

(Hmmm….that's not good, apparently it's temperature regulation systems were not designed to handle such power flows and containment, at least not yet…if this unit was in the battle-field too long the systems would have broken down and melted.)

He recalled the overheating results in the Vanguards that were piloted by Dita and Jura…the units had been unable to match up to the girls' SEED ability when they were on the desert world since they were able to be reconfigured in time to be able to handle the skills Jura and Dita have in Mobile Suit Warfare…the only machines that could handle that were the Dreads all three of the girls piloted, Meia included, and finally their Gundams. In the case of the Mobile Suit he was currently working on, as long as it was able to channel out the excess beam energy, then it would have a chance in the battle field due to it's high ability in both offence and defense, plus it's ability to remain in battle due to the ability to absorb and use the enemy's own energy weapons against them. But if it was unable to properly regulate it's power supply, namely from the absorbed beam fire, then it ran the risk of overheating to the point that it would system crash, melt it's reactor and destroy the Mobile Suit and kill the pilot.

As Kyo finished his work and study, he realized that all three Mobile Suits were still not fully developed, and since he had no idea as to who were the people who created the three and what were the blue-prints and schematics of the Mobile Suits, he could not change them for doing so might disable key features and systems inside the Mobile Suits' OS and the design frames themselves, such a move was a mistake since when he helped create the Retribution series of Mobile Suits and namely the units made exclusively for the use of female pilots in his Crusader Squadron, he had to use the blue-prints and schematics of both the Morpheous, Switch-Blade, Templar, Shinobi and Kunoichi Gundams as a frame base to create the series for the Resistance to use in their war. Since he had no idea as to what was the design of the Mobile Suits and the OS in them wasn't completed…then these units were still prototypes and fooling around with them was a bad idea.

As he got out of the cockpit after powering down the Mobile Suit he was hoping that they would soon be able to move out once all they had salvaged from the station was catalogued and stored. He didn't know what could be waiting for them but he hoped that apart from the Resistance forces and make an alliance with them to help fight off the Harvesters.

--

Back with the Khudani Fleet…

As Commander Arland gazed at the incoming data as his fleet kept a good distance from the Nirvana, he hoped that until he was sure of what kind of ship it was and why it would be using a century old transponder frequency. He also decided to check on the remote transmissions coming from his former base on whether the aliens had arrived.

"Sir…we've just gotten word from the base…it's sensors has picked up the aliens' forces and are now priming the main explosive charges."

"Good…any possible threats coming towards us?"

"We don't detect any incoming threats except for the strange alien fighters that have been changed in terms of transponder signals. So far they are merely on recon patrol and don't seem concerned with looking for us. I still can't figure out what those things are doing working with that ship sir."

"Neither do I soldier, but we don't have the time to figure it out."

Arland then turned to Rook, who was left in charge of locating all the relevant data on the Colony Fleets from a hundred years ago. Such data normally would only be relegated to story books or holo-records, but Arland amazingly enough despite being a strict, by the book soldier was somewhat a history buff and preferred to have original data, not those modified by spin doctors. This was now coming to good use as Rook was able to locate the data they needed on the transponder frequencies of the Colony Ships.

"Any luck Corporal Rook?"

"Almost done…the last remaining files are now ready for comparison sir…give me a few minutes…hmmm…no…not a match…no…still nothing yet sir…the transponder frequencies are not matching up…brining out the next one. Hold on…I think I've got something…what the? Let me check this again sir, no way, that can't be right!! Maybe something's wrong with the data…nothing wrong…but how could that be?"

"What's doing on there Corporal? Did you find a match?"

"I did sir…but you are NOT going to believe this…"

"Try me."

"Sir, I know this will sound real crazy and maybe it is…but the Colonization Era ship transponder frequency that the ship we're tracking is using the transponder frequency of the Ikazuchi."

The reactions of the entire crew were the same as Arland, they were shocked…many of them thought that the Ikazuchi was a lost ship and all of the crew…including those in cryogenic suspension were dead after the Ikazuchi plunged through the magnetic storm and debris belt that was beyond their system…and since every Colony Ship had a unique frequency that could not be duplicated easily and would only be changed by the crew itself, there was no way anyone alive could know the Ikazuchi's frequency.

"Are you absolutely sure that the data is accurate?"

"Positive sir…I ran the scanners and there is nothing wrong with them and the data we have in our data-base has not been compromised in any sense. This data we have sir…is authentic. That ship is using the Ikazuchi's EXACT transponder frequency."

Arland mused it over, this was certainly quite the shock for them all…him most of all. He mulled over the decisions and the possible outcomes of each.

He then made contact with his crew.

"All hands…prepare for combat standby…we are going to initiate contact with the ship, be prepared for possible retaliation. Move the fleet out and enter their sensor range, and hail them as soon as we get there."

The fleet followed their commander's orders. Arming up their weapons, guns, cannons, missiles and anti-ship torpedo launchers were now primed along with their squadrons of fighters…as soon as they arrived into the sensor range of the Nirvana, Commander Arland of Khudan established lines of communications with the pirates.

"This is Commander Arland Kashell of Khudani Armed Forces, I am the Captain of the SDF RAC 'Snow-Lance' and fleet commander of this unit. You are to identify yourselves and state your business for plundering the wreckage of one of my home-world's space stations. You have 30 minutes before we consider you a hostile force and we will be forced to take drastic action."

--

To be continued...

--

How is this situation going to turn out? And what will be the reaction of the Khudani people when they learn not just of Talark and Megele...but the Harvesters?

Find out on the next chapter!


	23. Chapter 23

GunDread SEED The Second Stage

Disclaimer: I don't own both VanDread and Gundam SEED.

Chapter 9

Part 2B

( ): Thoughts

--

On the Nirvana…

Magno gazed at the man calling himself Commander Arland Kashell, the crew had immediately responded to the alert when the ships came out from the shadow of a nearby moon, that was how they avoided the sensors and they apparently were a well trained and experienced group to have stayed away from their sensors. She was accompanied by Buzam and Gascogne, along with Aleck. Both the Register head and Vanguard instructor were busy playing cards when the alarms came on and rushed to see just was all the noise was about.

Magno then spoke as she also opened communications with the new individual she was facing.

"This Captain Magno Vivian of the pirate ship the Nirvana, we were not aware of the fact that the station was one of you're home-world's, we have already completed our salvaging of the station but have left the place intact, we have no wish to fight fellow humans, and if you will allow it, we can return what we have found to you. However, if you attempt to harm this ship and my crew…Then we will be forced to fight."

With that, the Nirvana's Dread Squadrons, the Crusaders, and the Gundams took to the scene, with Kyo, Jura, Meia, Dita, Max, Aleck, Sara, Mai and Barnette in the lead in their respective machines with Barnette flying her newly re-constructed and upgraded Dread fighter with Max's Templar Gundam beside her.

The Crusader pilots then armed themselves as the Nirvana began to release the Form Pack for their units. They were able to receive the Form packs they needed as those were released from a modified launching bay found by the crew on another part of the ship, several Crusaders were armed with the sniper packs and took strategic positions on the Nirvana to provide long range sniper cover for the crew, having been trained hard by Kyo in sniper style combat. Several more took the heavy range assault weapon systems and then activated their mean cannons, several others took the close range combat Form pack and readied their anti-ship sword and shield. Others took the flight pack, and readied their beam sabers and shield emitters, others also took the remaining Form Packs, some were in the forefront, armed with the Form Pack designed for EW support (Electronic Warfare), and the last batch were armed with the heavy weapon systems and were now prepared to fight. In the lead were the custom Crusader Mobile Suits piloted by Sara and Mai. Mai readied her anti-ship sword while Sara took out both her Mobile Suit's cannons.

Kyo took out both beam sabers of his Gundam and ignited them, Meia took out one her beam katanas and got ready, Dita combined her beam rifles and formed her beam cannon and aimed it at the Khudani forces, Jura readied her beam saber and shield, Max readied his beam rifle and shield, Aleck's GUiAZ was now armed with a new solid slug firing assault rifle, but carried a spare beam rifle, just in case as all of them were ready for a fight.

The Dreads also armed their shields and weapon systems as cannons powered up and missile pods were primed, navigational systems were ready, along with fuel and munitions reserves. Gascogne stood at the ready on her supply shuttle, ready to reload the Dreads and pick up any pilots who had to ditch their machines in case of severe damage.

Bart was ready to fire the guns of the pirate vessel and took aim at the Khudani fleet, aiming to take the fighters out and then the carriers. The converted Harvester Cube Fighters also came on the scene and powered up…waiting for the order to attack the new arrivals.

All of the pirates however didn't want to go into the fight with fellow humans when they had a soon to arrive invasion fleet from Earth intent on wiping out more human worlds, the last thing the human race needed at this stage was to be fighting with one another.

However it seemed that the Khudani were on the same page as Arland responded.

"All forces stand down…power down weapons. I suggest you do the same Captain Magno."

Magno nodded and without incident, the pirates also powered down their weapons.

"I can see that you're not with the aliens that have been attacking us for a year and several months. Before we make any more discussions on what to do with what you and your crew took from the wreckage and who you all are and where you are all from, I want to know why is it you are using the transponder frequency of the Ikazuchi, a ship my people have considered lost? And why is it the fighters of the aliens that have attacked us for so long are under your command?"

Magno replied.

"That is going to be a very long story and yes…we have encountered the aliens you seem to speak of, they however are not aliens, they are the Harvester Armada…a fleet that comes from a planet I think you and your people are very much familiar with."

"And which planet is it? We have been looking for it for so long and never found it."

"We ALL know it….they came from Earth."

--

The Harvester battle-ship pair that comprised the whole 3rd Fleet flew showily as their sensors began scanning through the cooling wreckage of the space station they had previously attacked and had come back to finish off. Their forces went on to do the routine boarding attacks that they have done for many of their respective missions, and once they were in attack angle, they would unleash their drones into the ship to begin the Harvest…but that wasn't what happened.

What HAD happened was that when their Cube Fighter units along with a small but substantial number of Seed Ships, and Urchin Vessels came close enough to be gin insertion operations…explosions began to occur all throughout the station and before anything could be done….the insertion force was covered in heavy explosions and were wiped out…either by the heat and power of the explosions or the hot shrapnel and debris that followed…the rest were able to escape the inferno.

Now that meant that the fleet would have to leave the area and head straight for Khudan since their scanners did not detect any known human life forms.

--

Outside of the Nirvana and the Khudani Fleet's combined sensor range…

A hidden Mobile Suit watched as the Fleet of the Khudani came closer to the Nirvana and out came a shuttle from the 'Snow-Lance' and was escorted by a mix of Khudani fighters and that of the pirate forces.

The pilot nodded and merely spoke in a quiet voice before guiding his Mobile Suit away from the scene.

"It has begun…"

--

In the Nirvana's Conference Room…

"Captain Magno…do you mean to tell me that the aliens my people have been fighting for the last year and months are actually created on Earth?! And that you and your crew are descendants of the crew of the Ikazuchi, and I and my officers are in the Ikazuchi itself?!"

To say that Arland Kashell was shocked would have been the understatement of the millennium…

He and his officers were escorted by a young man who merely called himself Kyo as soon as he got out of his Gundam and said that they would need to meet up with the Captain to know just who they were fighting and why this was happening. Arland was not pleased to hear at first that the aliens were actually a fleet sent from Earth, the ancestral home-planet of all human colonies in this universe and wanted to see for himself just what was going on since he wasn't going to believe it. He and his crew were somewhat surprised to find that the vast majority of the crew were females and there were only a small handful of men, only five in total.

Magno could understand the shock and disbelief in Arland's voice, she knew that when she and her crew found out about it nearly a year ago they too were shocked out of their minds to learn that the ancestral home of their race and the humans left behind were the ones responsible for such a massive slaughter of human life…all for their own survival.

" I can understand that you and your officers do not believe what we have told you…but we ourselves were unable to comprehend it when we found out about it a year ago, it had been hard to imagine our ancestral home of Earth and it's people have resorted to doing such horrible things. But they did…these records from other worlds that were hit by the Harvesters should be enough proof for you."

Magno then presented the records the pirates had gained over the months of fighting with the Harvesters. The records from the desert world where the Vanguards were first piloted by women and was the birthplace of the Crusader Squadron, the records from Anpathos, the data from Rabat's own data archives, the records gained from Melanos, the recording of their first conversation with the Harvester Fleet, the records from Misty's capsule and finally the combined data handed to them by the Resistance…all of the information they had given was copied and sent to their worlds…they only hoped that the information was not discarded.

Arland then began to view all the data on the screen and after he and his officers were shocked at what they had seen, the Harvest reports, the records…everything, but the invasion fleet launched from Earth and the holo-record that showed the utter annihilation of Melanos by the super battle-ship made them pale with deep fear. They now realized just what they were dealing with.

Magno, Kyo, Buzam, Gascogne, Meia, Duero, Parfait, and Aleck were all present and waited to see what the Khudani officers would say after what they had witnessed.

They didn't have to wait long as Arland gave them a long look, after his officers checked and double checked the data and found them to be all authentic.

"This is very serious information you gave us…as such, we have no choice but to return to Khudan, our home-world at all available speed and inform the Government of this. If you don't have any objections, I wish to ask for your presence so they will know that this data is authentic."

"Why is that?" Buzam asked.

"The more radical members of the military council insist that we all would stand and fight, many would agree, but I am not one of them…this is a war that we can't win alone, and considering that the human colonies are fighting back against the Harvesters, I want our people to be in the fight too so we can be free. The Harvesters have already taken much from us and now that we have the information we need we can stand against them…however we must hurry and convince them before all is lost."

"What do you mean?" Kyo asked, his military honed senses picked up that something was not completely right with the whole picture.

Arland then told them of their recent encounter with the Harvesters, previously they had been able to hold off the Harvesters and kept them from going deeper into Khudani space…but they had lost a lot of good men and women in doing so…ever since the loss of the bulk of their fleets, they had to use smaller ships to try and hold the lines, along with their military space stations. Now however, they were being attacked by a pair of massive ships that released hordes of Cube like Fighters, urchin like attack ships, strange mecha, and the seed shaped ships that unleashed even more Cube Fighters…the pirates knew what that meant…the Khudani were facing a pair of Harvester battle-ships and it sounded that these units were un-upgraded versions too…basic Harvester units and the unmodified GunDread Clones as well...despite not having better weapons, a pair of battle-ships were a serious threat to anyone that they intended to Harvest and had to be stopped.

Magno nodded…this had to be done…the lives of the people of Khudan and their possible joining with the Resistance was vital to the universe.

That was also when Arland asked about what had happened to the Ikazuchi after a hundred years after the other Colonial vessels lost contact with the ship. It was going to be a very long story as one officer relayed the order to continue the journey to Khudan with their new guests and potential allies.

Though how would this work out was still up for debate.

--

The Invasion Fleet…

"Status of our new weapon systems and the Dominators?"

The Harvester Leader asked the question patiently as more reports came to the ship's command centre. The leader was taking a very focused interest in the weapon systems' development as these were personally hand crafted by him and he was very interested to finally seem be active in combat, thus he made sure to make routine checks. Right now he was eating his food and waiting for the reports.

A Clone operator turned and faced the leader and spoke in a monotone voice.

"The weapon systems will be ready and operational in a few more hours, the factories have began to produce the prototypes and only wait for your approval on the order to mass produce my Lord…the Dominator units have now been fully redesigned to feature the Form Plugs, and several are now on combat standby and are ready to begin field testing each of the designs."

"Good."

Another clone then spoke in the same tone.

"My Lord…we have received an incoming message from the 3rd Fleet…it seems that the targets have abandoned their location and set a trap for the fleet, the fleet has lost a number of it's newly rebuilt forces but is very much operational and is now making it's way to the main home-planet."

"I see…give them this order…collect all the organs they can….and wipe them out…ALL of them."

"Understood."

--

An hour later after the meeting of the Nirvana and the Khudani command ship the Snow Lance…

The Nirvana and it's converted Harvester ship escort was following the Khudan fleet. In the lead of the fleet was the Snow-Lance and it's crew. Arland had spent time on the Nirvana before returning to his ship with the records and the data concerning the existence of Talark and Megele. The rest of his crew and the officers on the rest of the ships were naturally stunned to realize the true nature and mission of the aliens they had been fighting with for so long, even more so when they learned that the Ikazuchi, a ship that had been considered lost for three generations was right in their fleet and that it's crew, composed of men and women, (though the women outnumbered the men) were from two human inhabited planets just beyond the debris belt that was once believed to have been the one that had destroyed the Ikazuchi.

As such it was required that they deliver all this information to their home-land and let the Council make a decision. They were eager to return to their homeland and some thought of continuing the fight even without support from anyone…however, they witnessed the overwhelming force of the arriving Harvester Invasion Fleet when they attacked Melanos and turned the entire planet into nothing but a fiery, irradiated mess…leaving the Melanos people homeless and wanting revenge, and the records of all the other worlds that were attacked by the Harvesters, plus what had been their fates…they knew that the Harvesters did horrible things to their people, but they were not told about it…and now to find out that the human survivors on Earth were harvesting fellow humans on other worlds like crops or livestock of their organs just because they wanted to survive and not care about their lives and choices…made all of them all the more angry and determined to resist, but that was tempered when they recalled the sheer size of the Invasion Fleet heading in their direction. Despite their own advanced technology, they didn't have the numbers and firepower…having lost a vast portion of their heavier ships, ever since the disastrous first expedition sent out a year and several months before. Not to mention, that they didn't have the Mobile Suit units to even up the odds with the new and evolved arsenal of the Harvester Fleet…

They were among the human colonies that dissuaded the use of Mobile Suits years before and relied on space and air born fighters, ground vehicles to maintain their edge in warfare, along with their infantry…the Khudani military had a ground force comprising of their Marines who served both in space and on the ground, their space borne interceptors known as the 'Gladius' and their planet based multi-purpose fighters known as the 'Rapiers'. They also had a collection of tanks and other weapons, but now that they had seen the records…they were in a very serious situation and they knew that their planetary forces would be useless in such a battle with the incoming Harvester Invasion Armada.

This was also when Kyo revealed the three Mobile Suits that had been salvaged from the wreckage while the salvaged supplies were handed back in good faith to the Khudani forces. Kyo had expected Arland to have the designs, but was surprised that Arland knew nothing about the units, stating that according to their records…neither this station, nor the units were ever stated in the data their military had…the confusion lasted only for a few minutes until they run into only one relevant file-name in one of the Mobile Suits…

'Project Helios'

This immediately made sense to the two as this would mean that the Khudani military council or possibly some key members had these units made without the knowledge of the rest of the military and thus was a black ops project…and it meant naturally that it wasn't listed on the official records the Khudani Commander had on his files. Arland surmised that the Harvesters might have sent a scouting force and the station's inhabitants activated the self destruction system in order to ensure that the Mobile Suits would never fall into the hands of their enemies…basic military practice and since it was a black ops project, they did it since they didn't have such an effective fighting force to hold off the attackers.

The Commander then promised that when they would arrive on his home-planet, the would go straight to the Council and present the data and also ask for two things…the data on Project Helios, and his plan to call for a massive planetary evacuation before the main invasion fleet of the Harvesters would arrive to wipe them all out.

It was then that they were arriving closer to the Khudan that the pirates spotted a large number of RAC ships, all sporting the same symbol of the planet Khudan as Arland's fleet did. And it didn't take long for them to be greeted by one of the ship Commanders.

"Commander Arland Kashell…I didn't think you'd leave the station you were commanding…things getting to dicey out there?"

The person in question was a bald man with a short military style beard…wearing the same uniform as Arland did. The person was very much asking a slightly insulting but friendly tone…and Arland also replied on the same level.

"No more than you already know of J.T… the station got totalled but that's not what we should be concerned about… we've got people to help out."

"I see." The man in question then turned to face the crew of the Nirvana as they were also into the conversation. The new Khudani officer directed his look to Magno

"The name's Commander Joseph Taggart, or J.T to most people. What's your deal here ma'am?"

"The name's Captain Magno Vivian Commander Joseph. We are here to give you important information about the aliens you and your people are fighting."

J.T looked at Arland with a questioning eye…to which Arland merely nodded.

"It's the real deal J.T. we all need to see this."

The bald commander merely nodded as the planet of the Khudan people came to view…to the Megele women…it was like seeing a co-gender populated version of their own home planet.

Khudan was a beautiful world and had a very balanced climate…as the pirates came closer to the planet, they saw it had oceans, continents and various environments, green, desert, tundra, arctic…it was like looking at the pictures the women had on both Earth and Megele…around the planet's atmosphere were orbital platforms…some appeared to be for civilian use and population, others were ship-yards, combat stations and planetary defensive installations, namely cannon batteries, missile launcher stations, fighter bases…and amazingly enough…there was even a large mine field that separated when the sensors in them picked up the ships…the men noted that it was the same as the orbital mine fields their people used to discourage the women from attempting a full scale attack on their world…they however hoped that the Ikazuchi incident that happened would not mean that the men would go all out in their attacks and strike at Megele. The one thing neither of the crew of the Nirvana and their Talark allies wanted to see were both their respective worlds locked in a brutal all out war that would tear their respective people apart before any attempt at a peace treaty and defense pact was made to stand united with the Harvester menace.

The Nirvana was then guided to a nearby space port and once it docked, it was flanked by several Khudani RAC ships and fighters. This meant that the pirates would have to go to the surface in their shuttle and speak with the leaders directly as Arland was the one who made the call for the pirates to have an audience with the Government Council.

It had taken a lot of effort on his part and even that of J.T…but it was arranged.

--

On Khudan…namely in the Khudan Governing Council Assembly building…

The Khudan Government and it's Council Members, including representatives of their military forces were busy looking at all the relevant data brought in by Commander Arland Kashell, who was also present in the assembly room and in the middle of a raised platform and also viewing the same images of the records…alongside him and his own officers were Magno, Buzam, Gascogne, Max, Duero, Aleck, and naturally Kyo…along with Dita, Jura, Meia, Barnette, Sara, Mai and a small detail of security personnel.

The crew of the Nirvana stayed in space and were surrounded by Arland's fleet along with the rest of the gathered Khudani fleets that were coming in for re-supply and repairs. The prates saw the ships were battered and needed serious overhauls, which was not surprising since they were not built for such long and violent encounters. The pirates' only hope was that the Captain and her fellow comrades would be able to convince the Khudani people how important it was for them to stand and fight united with the Resistance before it was too late.

However, Arland and J.T mentioned that the situation was not going to be easy…namely with the radical war hawks in the Council who would rather fight to the death than leave their home planet, not to mention that many of them were not going to be easily swayed by anyone…so it meant that the pirates would have to become creative in convincing the Council to not just accept the information being handed to them…but to also consider the possibility and need of evacuation and allying themselves with the Resistance. That was why none of them wasted the time gawking at how beautiful the planet was once they approached it and the cities, they had important business to do, as such both Jura and Meia kept Dita from being too over enthusiastic with her picture taking.

As the records were played, the pirates hoped that the data would not be rejected by the Khudani, not like before when they felt and learned that the previous information they had sent to Talark and Megele were discarded by the Governments and never revealed to the population. They however heeded the advice of both Arland and J.T that they needed to expect a very serious situation once the Council was done reviewing the records and confirming them to be authentic…

Apart from the civilian and business sections of the Council representatives, there was naturally the military, officers of high and middle ranks were present, the only ones who were of very high rank present were Commander Arland Kashell and Commander Joseph Taggart, both of whom were debriefed and were allowed to their families.

The Nirvana's crew got ready as they were now being looked at by the Council of Khudan…

It was negotiation time…

--

Hours later…

Kyo was with his Gundam in what appeared to be a hanger. The Gundam pilot had brought his Gundam to the surface of the planet and beside it was Sara and Mai's own Crusader units. The young man had left after offering his own accounts of the Harvesters to the Council and left Magno, Gascogne, Aleck, and Buzam to handle the mess, the aged Captain gave him her permission to leave since he had already admitted that politics was not his strong point, and it would be far better he worry about other matters and that was to be left in far more capable hands, right now the pilot was alone as Dita, Jura, Sara, Barnette, Max and Mai were busy walking about in the outlying areas of the base that the pirates were assigned to stay in…a quick trip to the Council building via hover train, the same one they had taken once the shuttle of their ship had landed.

The Council had been open and asked many key questions, but there were naturally those in both civilian and military sectors that tried to find ways to discredit the data they had, it galled him that despite all this time, there were still people concerned with their own lives than that of their fellow human beings. That was why he decided to leave early and not listen to their hubris…it would not suit him well. He checked his Gundam and it's systems via a lap-top, the same one he always had on his person…that was when he had another flashback.

--

Flashback…

Kyo saw himself looking at Freedom…but it was a single wing pair version of the Gundam…not like the one he owned before and after it evolved….but yet it felt the same…it resembled both Meia's Silver Lightning Gundam and Max's own Templar Gundam…but it had this feeling of it being his…he walked over and traced his hands over the Gundam…realizing that it was in a hanger. He then turned and spotted several individuals, all of them seemed to be wearing Mobile Suit pilot uniforms…that were just like his.

Three of them walked over to him and the untransformed Freedom Gundam and called out to who was in the cockpit.

"Kira…come on out, we've got some work to do."

Kyo looked up as he heard a sound of something being lowered and spotted a man wearing a full uniform and helmet, and he was about to see the man's face when he suddenly heard his own voice…the voice of him being younger.

"Dad!!"

Kyo turned and saw himself when he was possibly around seven or eight years old, wearing a uniform and had a lap-top in hand.

The one named Kira moved past Kyo, not allowing the future Yamato child to see his father's face as he was looking at his past self, but saw his eyes for a brief moment, deep violet…a darker shade than his own blue-violet shade. The older man hugged his son warmly as the three others walked up to him and the two chatted…

Kyo decided to try and walk over to them and finally see his father's face but that was when his memory faded.

--

End of Flashback…

Kyo was shaken out of his memories when he spotted Meia who was beside him, looking concerned. As soon as he cleared his head of the images of his father, he noted the look of concern on the aqua-haired girl's deep green eyes.

"What's wrong Meia?"

"I should be the one asking you that…you seemed so…distant."

"Nothing…I just had a memory come back…it was short though."

Meia looked concerned. Things like these were sometimes fun for Kyo, but others were difficult to bear for him since they sometimes brought back happy but short-lived memories.

"What did you recall now?" She asked him gently.

"I recalled that…my Gundam was not transformed before I got it and I saw my father, didn't see his face…but his eyes, they were in a deeper shade of violet, no doubt why I have blue-violet eyes, the violet shade was from my father and the blue shade is from my mother…since I can sense that my mother had deep blue eyes. I heard my father's name…from myself when I was younger…around seven or eight years old."

"What was you're father's name?"

"Kira…my father's name was Kira." Kyo said as he spoke the word, knowing that the name was truly his father's as he felt a good familiar sensation in him when he said the name.

He then recalled that among them who left, only Meia stayed behind with the others in the Council. This meant that he could now at least hope the results of the negotiations were favourable.

"How did the meeting with the Khudani go?"

--

A few hours before, in the Council Room…

'The Earth intends to harvest us for their survival…and it was due to the event known as the Days of Despair?"

"Why would they do such a horrible thing?"

"Hold it…for all we know…all this is may just be a ruse, a story concocted by these outsiders."

Magno looked at the Council member who spoke that, a thin man with a very devious and brooding look, who stared at her and her crew with distrust.

"My crew and I have been fighting the Harvesters for a year, just as you're people have sir, and we have nearly lost not once, not twice…but many times, and we all have scars from each battle, my crew have ALL come back from every battle with them alive…"

The older woman then looked at the man in question with a solemn and steely gaze.

"…so WHY would we lie to you?"

The Council had to admit that despite Magno's apparent age, considering she had a walking stick, she was not intimidated by anyone.

A woman with regal clothes, showing her to be a high ranking member of the Council broke in and looked at both Magno and the Council member.

"Speaker Gren, I would recommend that you wait and chose you're words carefully. This is a Council meeting to determine our actions concerning all this new data that points to the beings we considered aliens."

She then spoke to Magno.

"Forgive Speaker' Gren's comments, though I myself do not completely believe it, I will not leap to accusing you and your crew as liars Captain Magno."

Magno looked at the woman, she was young, similar to Fanita…but apparently spoke with more tact and understanding than the young priestess the elder woman had met a year before.

"Thank you…"

"My name is Leila Sandrel, Captain Magno, you may call me Leila if you wish."

"Very well."

"You and you're crew were pirates from Megele, am I correct?"

"Yes."

"And that is a planet that is beyond the magnetic storms and debris belts that were in the path of the Ikazuchi…am I correct?"

"Yes…the Ikazuchi was able to make it through the debris belt and storms and arrived at two worlds, one which became the home-world of my crew and myself, the other became the home of the male members of my crew."

"So the Ikazuchi wasn't lost…"

"Yes."

Another Council member spoke, this time a member of the military.

"I understand that you and you're crew have been fighting the Harvesters for a year, according to you're records…how many ships do they possess, apart from the ones that are coming closer to us?"

"That number I am afraid is unknown…however, it is known that the invasion fleet summoned by the Harvesters is around forty or more battle-ships…and their new forces are now on the move, as you have seen, they have already laid waste to several human colonies before they unleashed this fleet of theirs. The fleet have now wiped out Melanos and rendered the people who lived there into refugees. If they arrive here…they will no doubt do the same to you're world, that is why…"

Another member of the military however stood up and glared.

"You propose to us that we abandon our world and let them take what they want from this world that is our home?! I would rather be dead than abandon this world, my grand parents, my parents, and my family have lived on Khudan for three generations!!"

"Order!!"

"He is right! We have to stand and fight! This is our world…no matter how many we may face in battle…we will not GIVE over our world to anyone!!"

Magno stopped speaking as she waited for the people in the Council chamber to come to order, the last thing she wanted was to waste her energies shouting.

"This Council will come to order!!"

As soon as things quieted down, the Council resumed it's work to try and plan out what the Khudani people would do in this dangerous time.

That was also when Arland requested permission to speak and when he was allowed to do so, he brought up the existence of 'Project Helios'. This caused an even greater uproar and many people were chatting and shouting left and right about the existence of the black ops Mobile Suit program.

Arland then passed his own recommendation that the whole government considering the possible need for mass planetary evacuation, the Commander's predicted results of his statement were seen and heard as the radical ones in both the civilian and military sectors called him insane, and Speaker Leila and several other moderate officials were able to bring the situation to a peaceful resolution before tempers were ignited and words were said in haste, however, the people who were adamant in fighting the Harvester to the bitter end were still in deep discussion and the ones who were understanding of the situation were also deep in discussion.

When Magno spoke once more about the need to align with the Resistance and prepare for the inevitable invasion, it caused an even greater uproar, on one side was the war hawks and radicals who would not allow themselves to accept the proposal, since they were insistent to not abandon their world…even under such dark circumstances.

That was when the Council decided to deliberate more and make decisions, despite Magno's insistence that if they delay then the Harvesters would be on top of them soon. The Council however planned a resolution in two days. The crew of the Nirvana realized they had done all they could, and it was now up the Council what to do to ensure their people would survive these dark times ahead of them.

--

In the Hanger…

"That's just what happened."

Meia said as she sat next to Kyo on a crate as he worked on his lap top, that was connected to his Gundam which was kneeling down so to limit the height that he had to climb, by a long connector cable to it's CPU. Kyo had a slight frown on his face.

"Half wants to stay and fight, not to mention discredit us and accuse us of being spies for the Harvesters, the other half partially believes us, yet can't accept the truth about the Harvesters, and the whole are still unsure of whether to join the Resistance….humph, typical."

"Can you blame them? All of us back then couldn't believe it either when we learned that the Harvesters were from Earth and wanted our organs for their own survival. It's not easy to learn that your own fellow humans now want you dead and treat you like crops for their own survival. Not to mention, make the choice to abandon their homeland in order to survive."

Kyo finished his work and gave Meia a calm stare.

"I'm not blaming them…I understand their reactions to the information that the Harvesters intend to hunt down our organs and kill all of us, not to mention their reluctance to leave their world in order to survive what is to come. It's just typical to me that not everyone is willing to listen to the truth. They've already seen what the Harvesters have done to not just others, but no doubt their own people. Every moment, every second, minute, and hour they spend debating will allow the Harvesters more time to come here and fight."

"They do have solid defences Kyo…they may hold on and survive."

Kyo shook his head…recalling the desperate last stand of the Melanos people the first time he met them, and what had happened to them when they fought with the invasion fleet. He then recalled the data concerning the worlds that had already been harvested by the Earth Force.

"Not against this kind of situation Meia…Melanos survived and so did other worlds…but they all survived due to the fact that they united their efforts, all sides of humanity, whether they followed the law or not banded together and pooled their resources and managed to hold their lines before the Invasion Fleet came on the scene…and with their new weapons, their other still existing forces and the Overlords…this is not something the Khudani can survive alone…I read some history and I know that in times such as this…humans have to stand united. The Harvesters don't care about where and who their victims are, all they see when they come to human colonies are organ farms and enemies to wipe out. You and I both know that for a fact…and you and I know what would have been our respective fates if we didn't work side by side on every battle, along with the others."

Meia nodded…seeing quickly Kyo's logic on the situation they were all facing. Neither her or any member of her fellow pirates would be alive if they didn't work with the men, if Bart wasn't around, they would have been unable to move the ship and would be easy prey, plus none of them would be able to use the Nirvana's powerful plasma cannon batteries, without Duero and Max's medical expertise and skills, Paiway would have been overwhelmed with the casualties and injuries, many of them would not have recovered and suffered grievous injuries and losses, and Paiway would not have the new medical training to become a very skilled medical officer in the crew, outshining nurses on their world, without Aleck loaning his battle-field expertise with Kyo's training regime and his own formidable combat talents, the Crusaders would not be as proficient as they were now, with Kyo's training and Aleck's own experience, the women pilots would not be so skilled now.

And Kyo's contributions when they were working side by side were tremendous. He and his Gundam were the ace in the hand when they were side by side, he could inspire the others and turn the tide when it looked bleak, he trained her fellow women to use the once despised male Vanguards and turned them into a fierce fighting force that had Aleck, Duero, Max, and Bart impressed, all the men said that Sara and Mai's teams would have given even the best Vanguard squadrons on their planet a run for their money, he came up with strategies and moves that helped them many times, and gave ideas on what they could do, he undertook daring actions that if not done would have meant their defeat, he inspired the men and women on the Nirvana to work side by side and showed her and her fellow Megele comrades that men were not weak, cowardly, emotionless, stupid, and inferior with all he could do, he broke down their walls and showed them the power of humanity working as one. And he never left their side and fought with them with all he had.

She also knew of his contributions to their lives…he made Dita become stronger and mature, without losing her innocent and cheerful nature, he made Jura grow and become very capable than before, and to her…he was the only man who truly knew who she was and helped her break down the walls in her soul, and she knew that he too had a positive influence on many, he helped break Barnette's dislike for men and that helped pave a relationship between Barnette and Max, and he also helped Duero and Parfet. Kyo's contributions to the war on their side were absolute and she shuddered at what the outcome would have been had they not worked together.

If the Khudani people didn't stand alongside the other human colonies against the soon to come invasion fleet…they would not just be harvested…but wiped out.

"You're right, but we can't do much since the decision is in their hands, not ours. I guess we can now only wait and see the outcome. Hopefully, things will work out and the Khudani will be our allies…and that of the Resistance."

Kyo nodded in agreement as he looked at the entire base of the Khudani, he then realized that he was rather hungry and it didn't take long for Meia's own stomach to tell both him and her that she too was hungry, since it was already dinner time. The pirates were allowed quarters in the same base that the two were in and Meia decided to head for the mess hall, Kyo however had other ideas as they spotted some of the bas personnel head off to eat, since it was already going to be night time.

"I'll grab me a meal right here."

Meia was a bit puzzled by that comment and watched as Kyo activated the cockpit cable and as the durable, long cord came down, Kyo put his foot on the hard loop and was lifted up to his Gundam's cockpit, and Meia looked, wondering what meal Kyo would have in his Gundam's cockpit.

She didn't have to wait long as Kyo came back out a few minutes later, carrying a pair of rectangular containers in silver foil. Her curiosity was caught as Kyo went back to the floor and handed her one of the packages.

"What is this?"

Meia asked as she looked at the item was a very curious eye as Kyo sat down and smiled as he opened a side of the pack that was not connected to the main pack and took out a set of utensils.

"This is an MRE, I custom made those when I woke up the first time. You only know about these and how they are made if you were in the military. I relied on these packages of pre-cooked and preserved food when I was still out there in the cosmos. I know that since I know how they were made…I guess that would mean that I served in the military."

Meia looked at Kyo, him being in the military in the past was a strong bit of information, that would explain his skills, knowledge, and battle-field tactics. If he had been fighting in his prior life before losing his memories in the military, that would explain his formidable skills as both a Gundam pilot and leader of the Crusader Squadron, plus his training as a hand to hand combatant, commando and soldier.

"Do you recall…that part of you're life clearly now?"

"Small pieces only, but they are very powerful to me; I fought with people who I knew were very close to me, I could feel that my father and uncle were part of the military too, not to mention my mother who was a singer and my aunt supported us. And…some close friends of mine were among them too…I can't really recall what I learned, nor how long I served in the military, but all those skills certainly helped keep me alive…so I have no regrets on that."

Meia smiled at that, the teachers Kyo had in his military days certainly helped him a great deal in his travels.

Kyo then told her to get the utensils from the storage packet and then told her to remove the special heating strip to let the air in, once that was done, he told her to reseal it using the special sealing strip and let the meal cook for four minutes. The pack foil was made from reactive heating micro-foil, the micro-foil reacted with the air and the moisture particles located in the air, causing a rapid increase in temperature in the foil, heating up their and causing the pack to cook the meals in the tray, which had sections of heat retardant covering on the sides to ensure the person eating the meals didn't suffer burns from getting the food tray out of the pack once the foil cooled after four minutes.

As soon as four minutes passed, Kyo and Meia took out the trays and smelled the now cooked food. Meia's meal had hot potato slices, beef and mushrooms, with coleslaw and hot beef broth that was once in a cool gel form, but was now steaming hot, along with some small bread rolls. Kyo's own was composed of roasted venison, hot rice with small amounts of pepper, hot biscuits, and carrot sticks. They also got out some bottles of water and mixed some juice powder to make their drinks, while keeping the condiments and the coffee powder.

The two ate their meals and since the technology of making MREs had evolved, the problems and nicknames had faded well into nothing, not to mention the high dietary fibre content, along with taste and nutrition made these very worthwhile as the two ate their food, along with the added Talark nutrition pills.

It was then that Meia got word that Magno and the others were now in the base and were ready to bunk in for the night. Meia and Kyo nodded as Kyo put aside the tray and assured Meia that he will deal with the mess as the Gundam pilot then activated his Gundam's security lock to both the controls and his Gundam's OS. They could only hope that the days they would spend here won't be used by the Harvesters to attack them with their pants down, but they were alert anyway. Magno had left strict orders for the bridge crew to contact them the very minute they and the converted Harvester ship's sensors picked up the signals of the incoming Harvester battle-ships and their escorts.

--

In space…

The 3rd Fleet determined that there was a viable warp path that they could take to attack Khudan more directly instead of taking the much longer route that would allow the Khudani enough time to mount an effective defense…it would cut down three days from the five day trip, and at full speed, they would catch the Khudani totally off guard and collect their quota of organs soon…and there was nothing that would stand before them.

Wasn't there?

--

An hour later…

Kyo was having a rather disturbing sleep as he moved in the bed he was on. Apparently it was another one of those hormonally charged dreams of his, this time involving him with Dita and Meia…simultaneously.

Kyo got up and managed to adjust his eyes to the darkness, but had to close them again when the automatic lighting systems in his room kicked in and nearly blinded him. He swore a bit from the brightness and then called out a command…

"Lights…drop three shades!"

"Command accepted."

The lights in his room began to tone down and the light intensity dropped per Kyo's voice activated commands, and then was at the level Kyo felt comfortable with. When he woke up suddenly, the lighting system's sensors responded and went a little too far in activating the light intensity, thus forcing Kyo to make the call.

As soon as Kyo felt his eyes adjust to his room's lighting level, he sighed and sat on his bed, shaking his head to clean the cobwebs in his head, along with trying to calm down his very much active libido as he was sweating and feeling hot, and flustered. He was still wearing a thin white under-shirt and shorts so it was hardly surprising that he was feeling a bit cold from the air in his room from the air conditioning system. However, the coolness helped calm his body in it's heated state. However, some more images of the latest dream flowed back into his brain and his body naturally reacted once more.

(Darn it…)

Deciding not to think about it, he decided to go to the nearby small refrigerator in his room and get a cool drink, as he did so, he then headed to his bath-room and splashed some cold water to his face to calm down, he decided to come out of his room for a bit and head for the nearby garden outside. Apparently the Khudani had an eye for both practicality and aesthetics when they made the park, it wasn't too showy but pleasant and was close enough for any on them in the second floor to reach.

Cradling his glass and his water, Kyo decided to try and get some cool, fresh air, it had been a while since he looked at the stars in some semblance of peace and quiet for once, back then, he rarely did so, before and after joining the Nirvana, sure he did do star-gazing, but they were constantly under threat of attack and despite the still underlying situation he did find a small semblance of peace in the scene…near the base was night time activity and the usual sounds of people moving through a city.

Kyo sighed once more as he looked at the decorations of the garden and drank his water as he sat on the ground, leaning back on a tree. Normally he was going to go back to sleep, he'd be in no condition to pilot his Gundam if he kept this kind of thing up, but after his hormones had decided to flood his brain with very stimulating images, he doubted sleeping with his mind and body the way they were now in currently was a healthy idea.

He was so pre-occupied by his looking to the stars that it was only when she called his name that he turned to see Meia looking him.

Meia was also awake, and if Kyo had the ability to be a telepath, he would have been shocked and somewhat pleased that he and Meia were very much in the same boat tonight. She too looked somewhat flustered as she held her glass. She realized that it had been a mistake to see that video in it's full length since she began having images of her and Kyo DOING IT whenever she was resting, just an hour ago, she had a VERY vivid dream once more with her and Kyo…

Meia also had undergone the same things Kyo had in her room when she woke up, she also used some cold water from her bath-room to cool down her face, she also had seen the garden and decided to got there and after getting a cool drink filled with ice, in order to calm down her heated imagination. Ever since she had seen the video in it's full entirety, Meia was really very tense and she had hoped to enjoy the cool, quiet night and just try to bleed out her body's excitement.

With that considered, it was natural that they were somewhat surprised to find each other in one place.

Kyo got up and looked at Meia, who had taken off her chest and shoulder padding and had on her normal multi-purpose suit. He was expecting her to have fallen asleep and wasn't expecting to see her here, especially when he had more vivid imaginings on the fact his hormones were on the high tonight. He however put those thoughts aside as he greeted her with a smile.

"Meia, nice to know that I'm not the only one up tonight."

Realizing the double meaning of his statement, Kyo scratched his head and tried not to look foolish, and then asked Meia the question that bugged him.

"What made you wake up? I thought you were sound asleep by now."

Meia merely gulped a bit and replied.

"Nothing really bad…just had a very…ah strong dream."

"Nightmare?"

Kyo asked in concern and curiosity, in all the times he had been close to the aqua-haired girl…he didn't quite peg her for the nightmare suffering kind, there were times she would react badly to memories of her past life as a street hood and fighter, but they didn't make her lunge out of bed screaming, like some of the people he had been with in his wandering days and when serving as a soldier.

Meia shook her head as she sat down on the ground, leaning on a rock next to the tree Kyo had sat on as the Gundam pilot went back into sitting on his former spot next to the tree.

"No…it wasn't a nightmare…but it was very…intense."

Meia blushed as she recalled the very vivid images and it made her all the more aware of Kyo's state of dress…and hers, she HAD seen him in less clothing…AND she had seen him NAKED…but back then she wasn't totally aware of her feelings of attraction and was unaware of why she had this desire to be so close to him, it had gotten stronger when they bonded and had time for themselves and after seeing the video…that desire was getting stronger by the second…even more so since he was here.

Kyo nodded and both of them merely set there, looking at the stars as they drank their water, they may have looked calm to anyone willing to be up at this time of night and would see them…but they were far from being calm and collected. Inside, they were very tense and agitated, due to the thick sexual tension between them and the urge to do something about it, and the respective need to not try anything to surprise and shock one another.

Meia knew Kyo cared for her, and her fellow pirates, and he did admit he cared about her in a very special way, after all he had done for her, namely on her birthday celebration. But she was still somewhat unsure about whether she cared for him that deeply. She also knew about how much the others cared for him, namely her fellow Gundam pilots Dita and Jura, along with Sara and Mai, but there was no doubt about her feelings towards Kyo and the viewing of the video just made that a lot harder to ignore…so before she could stop herself she decided to ask him an important question.

"Kyo…"

"Yes?" Kyo looked at her as she seemed to be wanting to talk to him, right now, he hoped to defuse the situation before the tension got to him and her. He did like Meia…and he did have very strong feelings for her, but didn't know if she felt the same about him…and the fact that he had deep feelings for Dita, Jura, Sara, and Mai made this situation VERY sensitive to discuss. He didn't want to make Meia sad and angry, and he certainly didn't want to guess how Meia would react if she found out the very intimate situations he had been in with Dita and Jura.

"I…wanted to know…how you would feel if I told you…"

"Told me what?"

Both Kyo and Meia had already drank their iced water and the liquid did cool them off a bit, but the tension was there and the cold water was waging a stalemate with their hormonal urges. Kyo turned and saw Meia bathed in moon-light…and since she was in her suit without the padding, he could see her full slender form, and couldn't help but admire how Meia looked in moon-light, namely when it gave emphasis to her aqua-coloured hair and cream complexion…despite the presence of her circlet.

Meia likewise saw Kyo bathed in moon-light…and something about it made her very aware of her attraction to him. Just like Kyo who admired her form and looks in the light of the moon, Meia was happy to see Kyo's face, that did have a light tan, but was pleasing to the eyes, his dark brown hair was like brown silk and his unique blue-violet eyes were given greater prominence by the light. She liked what she saw.

Meia managed to realize in time that she had not answered Kyo's question and hesitantly asked him what she wanted to ask for quite a bit of time, she then got a bit closer to her, this was urged on by her feminine side, while her rational side told her to go back…however, her basic female nature was winning over rationality rather early.

"If I told you that…I like you, more than the normal way a woman likes a friend. I like you because of all the things you've gone for us, but most of all…for me, and I want to thank you for that."

Kyo didn't say anything at the moment, trying to digest and make sense of what exactly was happening, and as soon as he got most of it down in his mind he spoke calmly as he could.

"Thank you Meia, I like you as well…and I am happy that you place me in such high regard, despite how we first met."

"I want to show you how much I like you…if you let me." Meia said shyly as she drew closer to Kyo. She heard her rational side shouting to her not to do this, this would change everything between her and Kyo the minute she did it, but her more feminine side told her that it was high time she was honest about her affections towards Kyo, and now was a good a time as any.

Kyo was about to asked what Meia meant by that, but got his answer as Meia kissed him...the intimate contact silenced him, at least physically, but his brain was already running through all that has happened and before he could do anything, his mental defences began to fall down…exposing his more primal emotions and his own feelings for Meia, those he kept hidden for the time being were now being unleashed.

Meia thought that she might have made a mistake at first when Kyo stiffened and she wondered if she had pushed her luck too far with Kyo, and doubts began to fill her mind about her actions. Those were dispelled when Kyo reached out to her and embraced her, her feminine side screamed for joy as she decided to deepen their kiss. In truth...Meia was already familiar with sex, being on the street most of her life…but this was a new life for her, being with the pirates and there was no denying the fact that this in her mind was an absolute first since Kyo was a man…she had seen the video and saw just how…compatible a man and a woman were in the act of love…and naturally, she wondered if Kyo and her would be in the same boat.

She was about to find out.

Kyo deepened the kiss, and with his tongue prodding her lips gently and lightly nipping at her to get her ready for the more physical parts. Meia complied and slowly opened her mouth, she had done this before and knew the proper responses, but this was still different, she wasn't doing this just to satisfy an urge, not partially anyway, but there was a difference there with kissing a man, though she didn't know why. And as soon as both their tongues touched one another, the two began to taste and feel each other's mouth, both moaning at the same time.

Kyo took it a step further as his now hormone induced senses reached out with his hands and got to the hidden zipper of Meia's suit, though he did have some difficulty in locating it, Meia sensed his problem and without breaking their kiss, she reached down and guided him to where the zipper was, and once Kyo found that, he zipped her suit open… parting the suit half-way, exposing only the front of Meia's form, her breasts however were still in their confines.

Meia sadly broke the kiss and then began to remove her gloves and then began to try and remove the upper parts of her body suit, and Kyo was more than happy to help her, they removed the suit, and that revealed a large portion of Meia's form and showed her wearing what appeared to be a light cream white strapless bra, that showed her breasts without being too showy. And before Kyo could even react to the already arousing sight, Meia took it one more step further as she removed her circlet, gently placing it aside and then reached in front of her bra and released her breasts from the confines of her bra, apparently they had gotten bigger since she had changed her diet somewhat, while still being slim and strong in all the right places, a very sexy form.

Kyo looked at Meia, she was blushing, sweating, panting, with half her suit open and without her bra… showing her gorgeous upper form bare of any covering, that plus the cool colour given to her by the moon-light made Kyo's now lust fogged brain go on overdrive as he visually devoured her form.

Meia however took the initiative and reached out to Kyo, kissing him once more…just she had seen the woman do in the video with her partner. She kissed him even more, showing a more aggressive side as she nearly knocks Kyo down to the ground, Kyo however wasn't easily knocked over and helped Meia as she broke the kiss to remove his shirt, leaving him only clothed in his shorts. Meia wasted no time as she and Kyo kissed and then began to touch one another, Kyo ran his hands on her sides and her flat stomach and then her breasts, playing with the soft and firm mounds and teasing her areolas and nipples, making them sensitive and hard, and making Meia moan in pleasure.

Kyo began kissing Meia's cheeks and then the smooth column of her neck as the two of them were sitting on the ground and Meia was leaning on the cool surface of the rock, as Kyo continued his ministrations on Meia…the moans she released were very appealing to Kyo who intensified his actions. He then went to her chest and began to kiss Meia's right breast, gently sucking and licking her sensitive mound, while playing gently with the other breast with his hands.

Meia then managed to catch Kyo off guard as she leaned forward and managed to finally knock Kyo to his back on the grass of the park. Despite this sudden change of position, it hardly bothered Kyo as he continued his actions on Meia, making sure not to accidentally hurt Meia with his teeth and speed. That consideration was felt by Meia… that is if she could filter out the pleasure she was feeling as she held Kyo closer as he continued.

As soon as he was done with her right breast, he went to her left, while one of his hands ran through her hair, making Meia moan louder. As soon as Meia moaned and arched her body towards him, Kyo kissed her deeply, while her breasts rubbed sensually on his chest.

Meia knew in her heart that she was going to be getting into serious trouble with some of her fellow pirates, namely Jura, Dita, Sara, and Mai. They had feelings for Kyo just as she did, and considering the intense closeness of Dita and Jura to him, she had a feeling they had already managed to confess how they felt and he seemed to have kindly responded to them. She didn't admit it, but she was somewhat jealous of them being able to do what she had not done in nearly a year…but now, even with the possibility of being caught by anyone and risking being treated with shock and anger by her closest friends and fellow Gundam pilots, this was one encounter she would treasure with every fibre of her being. She revelled in the sensations and made several mewling and moaning sounds that showed just how much she loved his actions on her form.

Kyo likewise knew that he was really putting his neck out on the chopping block on this one. If Dita and Jura found out about this, he knew that things were going to be a seriously dangerous mess once that did happen. Just like before, he was not in the mood to see the crew divided once more. Namely when he was involved in it…despite his reasoning at the moment, his hormones were in the front of the driver's seat…and his body certainly wasn't complaining in the least as he moved away from Meia's breasts and kissed her deeply.

Both moaned deeply at the intensity of the kiss they had and the taste as well.

However…like all good things…this too had to end…however, not by either of them...

As they were getting more heated, their smaller model communicators came online. Both of them always kept their communicators close just to be on the safe side of things, and if ever important and unexpected situations would suddenly pop out of nowhere, though these were smaller so they won't be suddenly confiscated for different or no reasons. They didn't plan on being caught off guard…and now for a brief moment, they each wondered if their decision to carry the smaller ones was a mistake. Both managed to get their clothes back on and that was when Meia spoke in her communicator. It was Buzam…

"Commander?" Meia asked as she managed to get half of her suit back on and half zipped up.

"Tell Kyo and the others to get ready to head back to the Nirvana ASAP!"

"What's going on?!" Kyo asked as he looked at his own communicator with his shirt on.

"The Khudani forces on the outside of the planet have detected the Harvester battle-ships and their forces…they were able to avoid the larger bulk of the patrols and are right now three hours away from here!! The defense fleets been depleted since they are heading back on their routine patrols outside of the planet's range, they already are too far away to help their defense forces left in the area. If we don't help them soon, Khudan will be attacked."

Both pilots realized that this was a serious situation. The Harvesters had caught the Khudani totally off guard, and if they were able to overwhelm the defense force of the planet, then this world and all of it's inhabitants would be harvested and the planet rendered life-less…and that would leave the Khudani homeless and broken.

Kyo then spoke to Meia as they rushed back to their rooms to get into their clothes.

"You and the others get to the Nirvana and power up your Gundams, I'll go ahead in mine and help the defense fleet out!"

Meia nodded as she rushed to wake up the others. Once they were all ready to leave, they saw Kyo as he was now heading to the hanger where his Infinite Freedom Gundam was…since it had the power to leave a planet without boosters, the Gundam could reach the battle-field quickly and hold the line until they themselves get on the scene.

As the pirates got on the shuttle to return to the Nirvana, Kyo, who was now dressed up in his combat/survival/pilot uniform got into his Gundam and began to power up his systems, he activated the OS and began to warm up the systems for combat and scanned through, making sure that there had been no tampering with his Mobile Suit. Finding none, he then activated the switch that turned on the Prominence Phase Shift Armour.

The Gundam's still gun metal grey colour scheme faded away in a hiss and a slight burst of Paeksis energy and was replaced with red, white, and blue colours, the same it always had before and after the transformation into the Infinite Freedom Gundam. The Mobile Suit fired up it's engines and with a powerful burst of thrust the machine took to the sky like a missile fired from a launching point, the wings then unfolded and in that moment, the Paeksis crystal feathers erupted and streaks of Paeksis energy followed the Gundam like falling feathers of light as the Mobile quickly flew past the oncoming traffic and into the atmosphere and was now surpassing it.

Kyo began to run through his weapons and saw that all of his weapons were ready, he took out both his beam rifles and was now heading to the Nirvana, just as the shuttle that the others were in landed in the Nirvana a few minutes earlier.

From the pirate ship came the Dreads as the women got into combat mode, and from another launcher bay came the Crusaders as the female Mobile Suit pilots got out and got ready to fight, in the lead were Sara and Mai in their respective Mobile Suits. Kyo knew that it would be a bit before Meia and the others were in their Mobile Suits to go into the fight.

He immediately began to organize the lines of his squadron as the military forces of the Khudani were still half-way ready, however there were already two ships getting ready to fight, Arland's Snow Lance and Joseph's own ship got into combat position as their fighters began to be unleashed.

--

In space… a short distance before the planet of Khudan…

The Harvester battle-ships began to unleash their Seed Ships, now that they were in combat position, they would form their lines and use their Cube Fighters to strip away the defences of the human world, and since the vast portion of their fleet was now no longer present, it would be less trouble for them, with their world harvested and with no other place to hide once they were unable to contact their planet, they would have an easy time wiping out the Khudani and harvesting them, they already had managed to jam long range ship to ship communications thus there was no way for the home defense fleet and garrison to call for back-up.

Thousands of Cube Fighters were unleashed by the two ships, along with large numbers of Seed Ships, Urchin Ships, a collection GunDread Clones, and a few of the Dominion Gundam units, these were of the same design to the ones that had been used on the desert planet a few weeks before. These units however were kept on the rear since the CPUs of the Harvester Battle-ships have determined that at this moment, that the Khudani would have nothing to counter the exact numerical advantage their forces had over them.

It was only when they scanned and detected a certain set of contacts…and one in particular that their tone changed.

The CPU's determined the signals of…Megele designed and built Dreads, a powerful pirate/colony cruiser, modified Talark Vanguard Mobile Suits, and a certain Paeksis enhanced Gundam. The CPUs were suddenly thrown into strategic and tactical disarray as they detected the Nirvana pirates, and realized that their creators' worst enemies were now part of the Khudani defense fleet!

Immediately the CPUs began modifying their attack vectors and plans to include the disturbing data, they had already determined that out of all the forces, the Nirvana pirates were the worst threat…but most of all the Paeksis powered Gundam of Kyo Yamato was of primary concern and was a high priority target, it and it's pilot had to be destroyed immediately, if not, then they would be suffering severe losses from their engagement. This required the unleashing of their Dominion and GunDread Clone units and they would focus on slaying the Gundam unit…all other forces were secondary, though the CPUs had yet to determine the full combat effectiveness of the new Vanguard models and their abilities since it seemed that the Talark made machines had undergone a serious transformation.

--

Back on Khudan…namely in high command…

"Are you saying that ALL long range ship communications have been jammed?!" One of the female Khudani officers asked the operators in the Command Centre's Communication Network.

"Yes ma'am! The Harvesters have been jamming all our attempts to send out a wide ship to ship band distress call! There's no chance to recall all our forces to act as our reinforcements."

"There must be a way to contact them!" Another officer said as he also worked on the consoles in the Command Centre, trying to find a communication frequency to bypass the jamming fields created by the Harvester Fleet that was cutting away their communications.

The entire command structure of the Khudani people was thrown in absolute disarray. Their fleets had been able to return home for repairs, re-supply, and re-arm for their return to the battle-zone. But now the enemy had brushed past their defences and caught them all with their pants down. Their fleet officers were unaware of the warp field that was used by the Harvesters and they believed that they could hold the line for a while once their forces would be called back as reinforcements to ensure that they would not be easily taken down by the Harvesters.

But now…all they had planned was useless since they could no longer call for reinforcements and their forces were not totally sufficient to fight off an invasion force. Namely when they were not expecting a serious surprise attack.

"No sir! The jamming field is blocking many of our attempts to contact the fleets and even if we can contact them…the sheer number of the enemy units will mean that we might be wiped out before they get here!"

That was when they got a communiqué from the Nirvana, namely from Captain Magno.

"My crew and I will help you deal with the Harvesters, keep trying to contact you're fleets until you do."

Council member Leila came on the line and spoke to Magno.

"I speak for those who are here on Khudan, and even those who are not among the Council that we appreciate you're support and aid, but you have to warn other planets…"

"No…we will not abandon fellow humans to the Harvesters." The old woman said in reply as she and her fellow pirates got ready to fight with the Harvesters.

"But how will you…"

"Trust us."

--

In the battle-line…

"Sara…take part of the squadron to one side and support the left flank."

"Roger!!" Sara then signalled her part of the squadron to follow her lead, she then contacted Parfait who began sending deployment orders for Form Pack units to be launched by the Register. The Register activated the specially made Launcher system as the Form Packs were set, their homing systems now locked into the transponder signals of the Crusader pilots, and in a minute or two, the Form Packs flew out and were guided by the their smart magnetic patches and began to lock in with their respective Mobile Suits.

There were Crusaders in Sara's unit that had the Kaiser, Aero, and Galahad Form Packs on them as the units combined with their assigned users, they were not only going to provide security on the left flank, but also provide heavy fire support. Sara took out both her Mobile Suit's cannons and got ready to fire once the battle started.

Kyo then directed Mai and her team to the right flank, to provide right flank security for the battle. Mai nodded as she and her comrades began to call in the Form Packs that they would need in this fight. The Form Packs that were released were the Schneider, Galahad, and Aero form packs, they were to mix up considerable long to mid range fire-power with deadly close combat skill, thus they would also work with the others as close security detail.

Another batch of the Crusader Mobile Suits however were armed with the modified Koenig and Raiha Form Packs and were scattered evenly in Sara and Mai's units and also near the Nirvana…their job was to provide sniper and electronic support o both the Nirvana and the squadrons. And along with each squadron were a mix of the Crusader Mobile Suits that were based from Barnette's SwitchBlade Gundam and Max's Templar Gundam…both Mobile Suit variants and their pilots were more than ready for a fight alongside their comrades in both Mobile Suit and Dread.

Naturally, both units could change their Form Packs quickly by releasing the first Form Pack in use and the unit would be easily returned to the Nirvana via the OS and thruster units installed in the weapon system itself. The OS would then allow the released Form Pack to return to the Nirvana, while the new one, now programmed with the data of the Mobile Suit it was being sent to will home in and dock quickly.

The Crusader Mobile Suits and their pilots got ready for the fight as they merged with their fellow pilots in the Dreads.

Kyo got out his Gundam's beam rifles and began to check up his teams to see if they were all in good combat formation, he then nodded as he detected the arrival of Max's Templar Gundam, Aleck's GUiAZ, Barnette's Dread, and Dita, Jura, and Meia's Gundam units. Barnette took the lead of the Dread squadrons and they were ready.

Beside them came the Nirvana and the rest of the Khudani Space Force, all of their fighters and ships were scrambled for battle as their weapon systems and defensive installations were fully operational…now all they could do was wait.

--

The Harvesters unleashed their forces, with their GunDread Clones and Dominion Gundams in the lead…a large number of GunDread Jura Clones activated their shields and covered the Dominion Gundams, along with a pair of Seed Ships, since there were a limited number of GunDread Clones, it wasn't very surprising to see the remainder of the Harvester units to just charge at the mines while the shielded ones led the charge through the mine-field. The mines activated their attack protocols and attacked the Cube Fighters, the Cube Fighters didn't even fire their blasters at the mines, but charged mindlessly into the fray…regardless of the results of their actions.

The results were obvious as Cube Fighters were shredded by the exploding mines, the mines were spaced evenly to reduce the risk of one mine wiping out the rest of the mines in a chain reaction explosion and that was enough as more Cube Fighters were reduced to rubble…however the mines were not going to be enough as the Harvesters still had numbers on their side, not to mention the GunDread Jura Clones were at the fore-front of the attack, their shields defending them from the incoming enemy mines and protecting their charges. The other GunDread Clones were not far behind as the Harvester battle-ships also came into the fray, and were also releasing many supporting Seed Ships.

Once the explosion settled the Harvesters had lost a large portion of their forces from the mines, but that was only a part of their support fleet as the full might of the Harvesters came to bear on both the pirates and the Khudani.

The pirates were led by Kyo, Sara, Mai, and Barnette as their machines charged into the fight…

Beam bolts, missiles, solid weapon fire was unleashed in a firestorm of combat as the forces collided.

The Battle for Khudan 7 had begun…

--

In the forefront of the battle…

"TAKE THIS!!"

Kyo shouted as he used one of his anti-ship swords to cleave in half a Seed Ship as it was about to unleash more Cube Fighters, the burning wreck barely at time to die out as Kyo unleashed his CIWS guns on both the head and shoulders of his Gundam to slice down more Cube Fighters that tried to attack him. He then swung the sword as a GunDread Dita Clone tried to attack him, the GunDread Blocked the attack but got a face full of energy darts from Kyo's Gundam is it aimed it's right arm at the face. The explosions ripped the GunDread Clone's head off, allowing the Infinite Freedom to send it's anti-ship sword crashing into it and cleaving it in half.

Kyo then placed back his anti-ship sword and took out his beam rifles and began to unleash blast after blast of beam fire from the energy weapons, wiping out several Cube Fighters that tried to attack him and then got into a shooting duel with several more Cube Fighters and one Dominion Gundam. The Cube Fighters tried to shoot down Kyo, but the pilot moved his Mobile Suit in a very quick and evasive pattern, weaving past explosions and the beam fire from the Gundam as they tried to take him out. The Paeksis powered Gundam flipped upside down and both plasma cannons and rail-guns, along with the CIWS guns, the barrage shredded the Cube Fighters while the Dominion Gundam was able to use it's shield to block the shots, and it's Phase Shift Armour protected it from the explosions of it's destroyed allies.

It was about to retaliate and move away it's shield, but was unaware that the Gundam it was fighting had charged into the fight and when the shield was out of the way…the Dominion Gundam had it's shield arm slashed off by one of the I-Freedom's beam sabers, and as it was about to strike back, the Paeksis powered Gundam dodged the attack and slashed with both beam sabers…severing the last arm and then the Dominion was stabbed through the chest and the beam saber that punctured it also skewered the power plant. The I-Freedom jetted away as the Dominion Gundam exploded. The Cube Fighters continued to try and shoot Kyo down, but the pilot dodged and weaved from the attacks of the Harvesters. It was then that Kyo decided to send them a reply for all the shots fired at him.

"MY TURN!!"

He activated the HiMAT system and began to target all of the Cube Fighters before him and once they were locked on, the plasma cannons, and rail-guns extended forward, and the crystal feathers of his Gundam broke into their metallic form and were unleashed from their moorings and were now aiming at the masses of Cube Fighters along with the GunDread Clones in the area.

The massive wave of beam fire from the I-Freedom caught many of the Harvesters off guard…squadrons of Cube Fighters ere reduced into scrap…several GunDread Clones, namely of the Dita and Meia variety were either severely damaged and lost limbs…or were flat out destroyed…Two GunDread Jura Clones survived by using their shields but that was not going to save them as when they deactivated the shields…that was at the exact same moment that the Paeksis powered Gundam of the Nirvana and it's pilot attacked…it's beam sabers released.

The Gundam attacked the first…it's beam saber skewering the GunDread Clone right on the head and then ripped out the beam saber and slashed off the mandibles of the second GunDread Jura clone as the first exploded behind him. As soon as the second GunDread Jura clone was damaged, The I-Freedom placed aside both it's beam sabers and took out both beam rifles…shooting the GunDread clone at point blank range…reducing it to scrap as he jetted away, firing more and more shots from his beam rifles as more Cube Fighters attempted to destroy him.

The Dreads, under Barnette's leadership took advantage of the still existing formation of two Crusaders for each Dread and their previous battle-field experience with the Cube Fighters as they devastated the ranks of the Harvesters with their beam cannons and missiles. The pilots had been hardened by the year's worth of battles with the Harvesters and knew the weak points of the Cube Fighters and were now using the knowledge to deadly effect as they were supported by their fellow women who were piloting their Crusader Mobile Suits. Due to many of the Dreads gaining the needed weapon upgrades, navigational instrument upgrades and shielding, thruster systems, armour, energy shields, and more from their alliance with the Resistance and good Megele hardware and software…the Dreads were now able to even up the odds somewhat.

The Crusaders, being a mix of various combat roles were really devastating as they attacked. Those using the Aero Form pack used their beam rifles and solid projectile weaponry, the Kaiser used all of their beam cannons, rail-guns, and missile to even up the odds. The ones wielding the Schneider and Galahad used their weapons to deadly effect as they cut down the Cube Fighters. The ones armed with the Koenig and Raiha Form Packs were also unleashing chaos as they went at it. Those units armed with the Koenig used the animated holograms that did not have Mirage Colloid to the distract their foes and leave them open for attacks and the Raiha Form Pack users were able to shut down the CPUs of their foes and also cause intense damage with their other armaments. The Crusaders that borrowed Max's Templar Gundam designs were flying all over the place and unleashing barrages of weapons-fire from their plasma cannons and rail-guns, though they didn't have the advanced and Paeksis enhanced HiMAT system Kyo's Infinite Freedom Gundam had, or the same HiMAT system of Dita's own Gundam Mobile Suit. The normal version of the HiMAT design gained from Max's Templar Gundam was more than enough to help out. The Crusader Mobile Suits with this system were able to move faster and fire at multiple targets…a serious boon to even up the odds in the numbers game with the Harvesters. The Crusader units based from Barnette's SwitchBlade Gundam were a vast add on to the forces…their pilots were in awe at how fast they could get from one battle site to the next once they were in Mobile Armour mode…it reminded those who were once Dread pilots on how it was like when they flew their first Dread in both training simulations and then to the real thing. They also loved the way the Crusader variant they were piloting could convert into Mobile Suit form…allowing them to use the full power of the Mobile Suit in conjunction with the abilities of the first Mobile Armour form. The speed and dog-fighting ability of the Mobile Armour form and the flexibility and power of the Crusader variant was very invigorating to the girls as they pushed it to the limits as they helped move from one hot-spot to another in mere minutes…which could mean either the success or failure of a strike force.

Sara and Mai were also doing rather well in the fight as they each used the customized Crusader Mobile Suits to deadly effect as they led their respective squadrons into battle.

Sara blasted down several incoming Cube Fighters with several precise shots before using her Mobile Suit's beam saber to cut down an incoming Cube Fighter that tried to attack her. Another Cube Fighter came at her and she was able to aim her cannons and jam both of them into the Cube Fighter's body and fired at point blank range…the explosion didn't damage her Mobile due to the inclusion of Phase Shift and the Laminated Armour plating that was strategic areas for defense. She then fought with a GunDread Jura Clone that blocked her shots with it's shield, but the Elsman girl wasn't in the mood to give up as she took out her Mobile Suit's sonic resonance sword and when the shield was down, tossed the weapon like a throwing knife and hit the GunDread Clone right in the eye. Once the thing was distracted, Sara charged and took out the weapon and fired both combined weapons into the eye of the GunDread clone and it was blown to pieces from the blast as the weapons ravaged the insides of it's body. Sara then went back into the fight as she and her comrades bombarded the ranks of the Harvesters.

Mai took out her Crusader's anti-ship sword and cut down a trio of Cube Fighters and then took out an anti-armour knife and tossed it into the cannon eye of a Cube Fighter, She then used her beam rifle and CIWS guns to take out several more Cube Fighters as she dodged their attacks though with some effort. As soon as the looked at the debris she had to move as a GunDread Meia clone came at her…she knew that there was no way for her to win a chase with the GunDread clone in terms of speed so she preferred to dodge the attacks and wait for an opening to present itself to her. The GunDread Clone certainly still had the original GunDread Meia's speed and had a lot of combat data archives to support it, but it was not familiar with the new Crusader Mobile Suits despite their slight similarity to the Talark made Vanguard units the women used to pilot in the previous battles the Harvesters had…but since this unit didn't have any data on the Crusaders, it considered them nothing more than mere toys and decided to finish Mai off with a pass…Mai however had learned some moves from Kyo and waited for the GunDread clone to get closer and as the machine was close enough, she reversed the thruster engines of her Crusader Mobile Suit…allowing the GunDread clone to fly over her and expose it's undercarriage to her and her anti-ship sword and the weapon ripped right into the GunDread clone…and since it couldn't stop in time…the damage was extensive on the unit. The machine screamed in pain as it flew away…and then there was a line of melted metal below it as it exploded. Mai then took her beam rifle and began to fire at more Cube fighters as she led her squadron into the battle.

Aleck's GUiAZ Mobile Suit had a new assault rifle in it's arsenal and he also carried a spare beam rifle…just to be on the safe side since after he lost his first assault rifle to the beam tomahawk of an Overlord weeks before. The elder Talark pilot used his years of training had his current combat experience to it's full power as he dodged the incoming blasts and blocked with his shield the ones he could not dodge…the bullets from his assault rifle ripped apart more Cube Fighters, but that was when a GunDread Dita Clone tried to take out the elder male…the pilot kept his calm and aimed…unleashing a torrent of bullets that shredded off the cannon on the shoulder of the GunDread Clone. The GunDread clone closed in and attack, but was blocked by the GUiAZ' assault sword.

The two fought on as the GunDread Clone continued to attack the Talark male's Mobile Suit while he was using his assault sword and it was using it's fore-arm blade to try and slice the GUiAZ unit into nothing but confetti. Aleck timed himself and when the GunDread Clone stabbed at him, he made his Mobile Suit dodged and slashed downwards on the arm of the GunDread Clone and as the arm was sliced off, he moved aside and stabbed the Harvester unit right in the back. He then ripped out his Mobile Suit's assault sword and placed the weapon back and took out his assault rifle and reloaded a spare clip into it and went back into the fight.

Barnette flew in and began to unleash a barrage of missiles that took out several more Cube fighters as she flew through the debris. As she did so, several Cube Fighters came at her and fired their blasters, the green haired Dread/Gundam pilot moved her Dread to dodge the incoming fire and waited as the Cube Fighters were locked on and the pilot then unleashed her fighter's weapons, destroying several of them and moved away as more tried to take her out. She then led the Dreads to drive a firing wedge into the lines of the Harvesters.

It was also when the three Gundams piloted by Jura, Meia, and Dita came on the scene…along with Max's Templar Gundam as well…all four of them flew alongside Kyo just as the Gundam pilot destroyed another batch of Cube Fighters.

Meia took her Gundam beam rifle and expanded her shield…using the shield to block incoming weapons-fire…the aqua-haired girl lined her target sights carefully and took down more Cube Fighters. Once several were reduced to scrap, the aqua-haired girl activated the Paeksis crystals on her Gundam and in a moment a corona of energy surrounded her Gundam and she then pushed her Mobile Suit to full power and smashed into the enemy ranks at high speed, several squadrons of Cube Fighters were torn apart or blown to pieces by the attacking Gundam with the power of a beam cannon bolt fired at high speed, as soon as she was able to deactivate this feature, she too unleashed another surprise…and unleashed the plasma cannons and rail-guns of her own Gundam and reduced even more forces into scrap, she then faced an Urchin Ship that tried to rip her Gundam apart with it's spines but she wasn't going to give up now as she blocked the attacks with her shield . As soon as she was able to block the attacks she used the special energy field once more to move past the Urchin Ship and as it fired it's spines, the spines were destroyed by the energy field and bounced off her Gundam's Prominence Phase Shift Armour. She then retracted her shield and took out both her beam katanas and slashed the Urchin ship into confetti, and it wasn't able to do anything as the Gundam had closed the gap and it was bare of any spines for defensive reactions. Meia then cut down more Cube Fighters as she went back into the fight.

Jura blocked the incoming weapons–fire from the Cube Fighters with her Gundam's shields, as soon as she absorbed enough weapon energy she unleashed barrages of the energy in quick bursts to wipe out several batches of Cube Fighters and even destroyed a few Seed Ships and Urchin ships as well. She then took out her anti-ship swords and ignited their beam edges and cut down not only several Cube Fighters but the blonde pilot cut down several Seed Ships as well. The Ships tried to release more Cube Fighters but those were also cut down by the swords of Jura's Gundam. A pair of GunDread Dita Clones attacked her with their cannons, but after seeing what her Gundam could do to energy fire…they decided to go on melee mode and charge at her. She placed away her anti-ship swords and took out her beam sabers, and assumed the basic fencing stance…even if she had not fought two opponents before. The first was foolish enough to try and charge, Jura guided her Gundam into blocking each attack and with a block and parry, introduced her second beam saber into the stomach of the GunDread Clone and with one lift of her Gundam's arm, the beam saber ripped through the GunDread Dita Clone and the Clone exploded. The second one continued to attack ferociously at her as she blocked the attacks with both shields and beam sabers, Jura then aimed her beam cannons and heavy machine guns at her foe's body, causing severe damage the GunDread Clone in the body and then she decapitated the Clone with one powerful slash from her beam saber. Jura piloted her Gundam fight off more of the incoming Cube Fighters and attacked them when they came too close…her skills having already improved due to the training Kyo had given.

Dita was using her Gundam's own beam sabers as she fought off the Cube Fighters, the still bubbly redhead kept her head together and focused on her performance…not wanting to lose to the bad aliens, and leaving behind her Mr. Alien (no need to wonder who that is.), she then used her Gundam's rail-guns to damage several Seed Ships and then took out her beam rifles after placing aside her beam sabers. She then fired several beam bolts at her targets…causing even more damage to her foes…spotting a large number of Cube Fighters and a GunDread Dita Clone, she then activated the HiMAT system of her Gundam and began to lock in on all of the present targets…in that same moment the Super DRAGOON beam cannons fly off of her Gundam and then she unleashed a combined blast from her Gundam's rail-guns, beam rifles, and abdomen cannon…the resulting strike wipes out or severely damages to the Cube Fighters and also severely damages the GunDread Dita Clone and Dita then combines her beam rifles to form the beam cannon and fired a powerful beam to destroy the remaining Cube Fighters that were damaged along with the GunDread Dita Clone that had only lost one arm and the shoulder cannon. The powerful beam blast destroyed the GunDread Dita Clone as Dita returned her beam rifles and took out her beam saber and activated her shield emitter as she went back into the fight.

Max piloted his Templar Gundam carefully, using his newly crafted shield to block the incoming weapons-fire from the Harvester forces. He then used his beam rifle and his Gundam's own rail-guns and plasma cannons to open fire a full stream of destructive force at the incoming Cube Fighters and Urchin Ships…the Cube Fighters are destroyed by the attack and only the Urchin ship is still functioning, Max draws out his beam saber as the ship fires it's spines at the Gundam, he blocks the attacks and the rest were thankfully deflected by the Phase Shift Armour of his Gundam…he used the shield to block more spines and as he got close enough, he tossed the shield aside and guns the engines to full speed, catching the Urchin ship off guard and takes out both beam sabers and slashes the eye of the Urchin Ship…crippling it's ability to locate him, Max then pulls upward and after placing back his beam sabers, flies his Gundam upside down and activates the plasma cannons and destroys the Urchin Ship and then moves to pick up his shield and take out his beam rifle to continue the fight.

The Nirvana also gets involved in the fight as Bart began to use the Nirvana's plasma cannon batteries and quickly targets the Seed Ships in order to slice down the number of reinforcements the Harvesters had on hand…they knew already the basic and unchanged tactics involving Seed Ships, they were to provide the reinforcements to the front lines at regular intervals and thus they were the big threat. Bart took his time and when the timing was just right, the bald navigator unleashes a powerful wave of destructive plasma beams that overwhelm the Cube Fighters…wiping out more and more of them and allowing the pirates and the Khudan both some breathing room and a chance to counter attack. The pirates and the Khudani waste no time and cause more damage to the Harvesters, despite the returning rush of Cube Fighter and Urchin Ship reinforcements.

Kyo unleashes more attacks with both beam rifles and CIWS guns as he blasts past a large number of Cube Fighters, leaving behind massive debris and wrecks all over the place. The Gundam pilot then uses his anti-ship swords as he cuts down several more Seed Ships as they are about to release more Cube Fighters, after Bart's heavy plasma cannon barrage. The weapon cuts through the armour plating of the Seed Ships with few problems. The Infinite Freedom then gets hit by several beam shots that are deflected by the Gundam's Paeksis enhanced Prominence Phase Shift Armour and Kyo turns to spot two Dominion Gundams attacking him. The first charges while aiming with it's beam edged shield, while the other attempts to lock onto his Gundam and use it's HiMAT to destroy or cripple him. He charges forward with beam sabers at the ready and clashes with the first Dominion Gundam unit before him. The Harvester built Gundam reverts to it's own beam saber and the two began to a high speed duel in space…their engines and thrusters unleashing light as they tried to slash and stab at one another, Kyo uses his Gundam enhanced speed and agility to dodge the attacks, while the enemy Gundam uses it's shield…their high speed duel prevents the other Dominion from gaining a good lock on Kyo's Gundam…nullifying the targeting advantage of it's HiMAT system. Kyo then dodged the next slash of the first Dominion Gundam and takes out the other beam saber and slashes off the arm of the Dominion Gundam holding the beam saber and before the Dominion could retreat, Kyo places away his Gundam's beam sabers and takes out his anti-ship swords and with beam edges ignited, slashes off the remaining arm stump and the shield arm of the Dominion Gundam before he aims his rail-guns at the severely damaged Dominion Gundam and destroys it as it smashes into the open maw of the Seed Ship, causing the Seed Ship to explode and destroys the Gundam even more.

Kyo then attacks the send while still moving about, stopping it from using it's HiMAT to target him, and the Infinite Freedom Gundam wraps it's wings around itself as the Dominion Gundam got a lock and unleashed it's full arsenal of weapons fire…as it stopped, the Gundam then launches it's beam edged shield at the cloud that engulfed the Infinite Freedom to further destroy it…however the shield was suddenly sent flying back as the Infinite Freedom charged out with it' wings and Paeksis crystal feathers still protecting it, and before the Dominion Gundam could do anything the wings opened…allowing Kyo toss his anti-ship swords in staff mode like a discus at it…and with the shield out of the way and the sheer speed of the weapon, the results were devastating as the combined weapon sliced deeply into the head and cut all the way down to the torso of the Dominion Gundam. Kyo jets closer and recovers his weapon…kicking away the nearly cleaved Dominion Gundam's wreckage away and returned them to normal mode and charged with them in hand as the critically damaged Gundam explodes.

The Nirvana's converted fleet of Cube Fighters and the harvester battle-ship was also going all out in the fight, the converted Cube Fighters clashed with their former comrades as they either fired their laser cannons, or slammed into their foes and try to rip them to shreds…with the Harvester Cube Fighters doing the same thing as they clashed fast and hard, the converted Seed Ships released more and more Cube Fighters as the Harvester Seed Ships did the same and the battle between the two sides was fierce as both types clashed with one another. The Harvester battle-ship converted by the pirates also got into the act by releasing more Seed Ships and providing whatever fire-power it could muster, despite the decrease of most of it's weapon systems in order to accommodate the Mirage Colloid System.

The Khudani forces were also in full swing but were in awe at how the pirates were fighting…they never saw anything like this before and saw just how dangerous the female pirates and their male allies were. Their fighters unleashed their own barrage of missiles and weapons fire…just as their defense stations and missile bases began to fire back…unleashing waves of destruction on the Harvesters and they made sure not to accidentally hit the Nirvana and her crew as they were helping them in this battle. The fighters were not too much like the Dreads of Megele themselves, but made due with their speed and power. The squadron leader coordinated the strike as every squadron stationed in their fighter bases…even their reservists were called upon to fight. The sudden and unexpected attack of the harvester had recalled all the reservists of the Khudani population and shuttles were still arriving to the fighter bases, carrying reserve pilots…even older veterans of previous wars who had retired from the front lines years before the war with the Harvester started.

In the defense stations, the gunners fired their weapons and aimed at the clouds of Cube Fighters…like all of their comrades, they were not expecting this attack and were only able to, at first, take out a few Cube Fighters, but now that things were more organized after the initial shock of the attack. The defense stations of the Khudani had powerful rail-guns, beam cannons, laser cannon batteries, solid anti-ship guns and point range defense weapons…should the enemy get too close.

The missile bases were using various types of missiles, from basic dumb fire rounds, to smaller pod missiles, homing, medium payload, heavy payload…to stand-off types of missiles. The end result was the missiles being fired filled the sector of space with missile trails and explosions, resulting in massive damage to the Harvester Forces.

The RAC ships of the Khudani also unleashed their weapons and fighter units, their captains of officers were also caught off guard by the attack but they were not going to run and leave their main home-world to the mercy of the enemy. Their crews had the exact same sentiment as they moved t complete their missions, their weapon crews firing their ship's weapon banks, their engineering crews working around the dot to keep the ship operational and still able to fight, their mechanics to get the interceptors ready for battle and repair damaged ones, and their pilots ready to fight the enemy and avenge their comrades who were killed in the fighting.

The humans were holding on…but even with the help of the Nirvana and the pirates…there were still casualties.

Several RAC ships were hit hard by the Cube Fighters as their crews struggled to keep the ships from being wiped out entirely…but many lost their lives to either shrapnel, explosions, fires, or were sucked out into space. The crews managed to rescue those who were badly injured but some were not as lucky and had to be left behind.

The Harvesters managed to infest some ships with their harvesting drones and the crew watched in horror as the drones tackled their comrades, killed them and began to harvest them whether they were male or female…the drones didn't care at all. Several ships managed to force them back but lost a lot of crewmembers…other were overrun and the captains forced the crews to abandon ship and activate the self destruct modes of their vessels. The ships took out their boarders and the now the escapees had to be rescued by whatever ships on their side were available…some were not as lucky and were taken by the Harvester units.

Fighters from the bases were also destroyed either by weapon fire from the Cube Fighters, torn to bits or punctured by the Urchin ship's spines. Others were captured and torn up by the Cube Fighters, the comm. systems allowed their fellow Khudani to hear their screams and deaths as they were either harvested by the robotic machines or committed suicide…in which they activated the self destruction system on their fighters…taking out themselves…along with their captors.

There were also bases and defensive installations that were being bombarded by the Cube Fighters, along with the Urchin Ships. The bases held their own against the attacking forces but were also being hit hard all over the place…firs were breaking out, along with explosions, and rips into the vacuum of space…the crews fight to repair the damages to their respective stations and keep the fires from spreading, large numbers of crew are either killed by new explosions or incinerated by the flames, or were being rushed to medical bays in each station's own medical bay…these too were getting crowded and the doctors, nurses and support staff prayed that they could get the people out in time…their medical bays were not meant for this kind of stress as their supplies began to dwindle.

Other stations were not so lucky as they were infested with Harvester drones and they too had to escape as their commanders also activated the self-destruct in their bases to prevent more losses and to take as many of the Harvesters as they could with them to the afterlife.

The situation looked grim to the Khudani Government as they had moved to a large command station on the planet and the Council members were in fear and sorrow for the many dying and now dead…but they heard also that the Nirvana and her crew were beating the Harvesters back and this allowed them to dispatch medical shuttles from the Khudan 7 to evacuate the severely wounded from the medical bays and bring them to the planet for treatment. Speaker Leila hoped that they could get the wounded out in time before the stations were overrun.

The only chance they all had apart from the support of the Nirvana and the pirates was that they could somehow break past the jamming field of the Harvesters and contact their outward fleets to make it at full speed back to Khudan before they were all over run. The officers knew what they had to do as they began working feverishly to find a way to break past the jamming field.

--

The Nirvana and it's crew continued to fight as Kyo, Sara, Mai, and Barnette maintained the attack. Buzam still helped in coordinating the strike teams alongside their respective squadron leaders…though not like the ambush with the Mirage Colloid armed ship in scale and numbers, this was still a deadly situation as there was now form of reinforcements unless they could bypass the jamming fields created by the Harvester ships.

They too were getting injuries among their pilots and many Dread and Crusader pilots were brought back to the Ship's Medical Bay, under the protection of not just their fellow pirates, but that of the converted Cube Fighters that use their newly created spinning shield wall formation to defend the retrieval of the injured. Gascogne is on permanent operational status to not only re-arm and re-fuel Dreads and Crusaders, but to gather the injured from the battle and also salvage damaged Dreads and Crusader units. As the fighting intensified, Magno contacted the Khudani Council in their main military operations headquarters to try and see just how they were doing with re-establishing communications with their fleets and get them back into the fight.

"How are you all getting with the communications?"

The people in the Khudani High Command Centre, were working non-stop and were still unable to bypass the jamming fields created by the Harvester battle-ships and due to it, the men and women of the planet were reaching panic mode…however Speaker Leila was not giving up, along with those who were the ones who were on the side of the pirates and the plan to prepare for possible evacuation.

"There is still no way for us to get past the fields Captain…the jamming fields are too strong with both the Harvester battle-ships combining their respective fields! The sheer power of the fields is enormous and that is why we can't get the message through it at this point in time."

"There has to be some way to bypass them."

That was when Parfait and Duero came on the screen.

"We can try a piggyback message using the fields themselves Captain."

"Piggy-back?"

"In genetics class on our world, we learned that RNA is the primary messenger of the body to send genetic codes throughout the cells. What that means is that in creating a new organ or cell, or if the Alpha or Beta want their…son to have unique features or specific ones, we select in the needed information and modify the RNA messenger strand and send the genetic code for that particular trait using the RNA as a carrier. In this case…Parfait still has the data concerning the communications frequency of the Harvesters from the first encounter we had from the first battle-ship we fought with in Pyoro, along with the power signature. If we can isolate the main pulse-wave signature of the jamming field and create a suitable copy that can be accepted by the jamming field and have the pulse redirected into space as excess energy, then we can use that to shield the hidden communication message we are going to send out. That, coupled with the massive amounts of energy we detected being emitted by the jamming fields will convert the jamming field into a massive transmission net that can reach any ship that is in the system at this current time."

The others considered the idea and realized that it was the best option they had at the moment…however thee were some concerns.

"How can we have enough power to boost the signal until it relies on the power of the Harvesters' jamming fields?"

Parfait then took over.

"We've got enough power in the Paeksis and recently, we've managed to synthesize the power signature to make it compatible with the power used by the Harvester battle-ship's own power frequency. We will need Pyoro to handle that end…all we need is the transmission codes of the Khudani military and we can make the message."

"Will it work?" Buzam asked.

Both Duero and Parfait looked at one another and Duero replied.

"We are not yet sure…but this is the only option we have available…even with all our fire-power and weapons…as long as we are backed in a corner, we have to do this quickly or else we will be overwhelmed, and the previous strategy we used before with the battle-ship group won't work…according to the scans we did manage to make despite the interference…this ships are at full power in terms of weapons, equipment, and it would not be surprising that since they do not have Mirage Colloid, they are not like the ones we fought with and the one ship we have. They will no doubt try to stop us…and they may succeed…but with the situation as it is…we don't have any other option."

The Khudani Council members looked at one another, along with Magno and Buzam, they now had two choices before them. The first was to make an attempt as doctoring a signal that could be used to contact the rest of the Khudani military to come to their besieged home-world's aid, but the signal might not work and the Harvesters would be able to overwhelm them. Or not do what both Duero and Parfait suggested and not call for aid and if they fell, the people in the ships would be hunted down by the Harvesters and wiped out, rendering the Khudani extinct.

The decision was unanimous.

"Do it!"

--

The battle outside…

Kyo unleashed another plasma cannon barrage on several more incoming Cube Fighters were attacking him. The Harvester units exploded as several more GunDread Dita Clones came at the Gundam pilot and his Mobile Suit. He dodged their combined fire and then took out his anti-ship swords and combined them into single double blade form, using his Gundam's agility to get into their ranks, he took off the heads of two GunDread Dita Clones that were not able to dodge in time and as they were exploding, he activated the SEED program of the I-Freedom. The crystals that were seen on the Gundam glowed along with the eyes as the Gundam literally became a blur as it evaded the incoming fire from the GunDread Dita Clones, and began to fly around them, while firing at them, nearly destroying the Clones and forcing them close their formation, they were unaware of the fact that Kyo intended to do that manoeuvre to make sure he could finish them off.

The GunDread Dita Clones were now in a sphere like formation to cover one another and fire at Kyo's Gundam. But then the Gundam moved even faster and before they knew it he was inside the sphere before they could close in with both the anti-ship swords in normal form. The Paeksis powered Gundam attacked with a quick and powerful rotation and cut the GunDread Dita Clones right in their torsos….the beam edges making slag out of the armour, the innards and systems of the Harvester made machines before they could even register that attack in their sensors. The entire area was filled with explosions and out from the sphere of destruction and wreckage was the Infinite Freedom Gundam…which now had both anti-ship swords stored in the back and both beam rifles ready for use….the Gundam them released it's feather beam cannons from the crystal form and the cannons flew quickly about as the rail-guns and plasma cannons made their appearance…and with the SEED ability working in conjunction with the HiMAT system…the result was devastating as the initial barrage from all fifty beam cannons, rail-guns, plasma cannons, beam rifles, and CIWS guns wiped out a massive number of Cube Fighters, crippling more Seed Ships, destroying Urchin Ships, and severely maiming the GunDread clones that were also in the blast range.

That, plus the secondary barrage that followed as the beam canons flew from angle to angle…meant more Cube Fighters, Seed Ships, Urchin Ships and GunDread Clones were severely damaged or outright destroyed. As the cannons stopped firing the Harvesters counter attacked…attacking Kyo with their Dominion Gundams. But they too were surprised as instead of the cannons flying back to Kyo and reform into their crystal forms, they released beam blades, becoming beam sabers!!

The new version of the feather beam cannons attacked the Dominion Gundams…catching many of them off guard and were barely able to defend themselves from the attack of Kyo and his Gundam, which was now armed with it's own beam sabers. A Dominion was barely able to block several powerful stabs at it's torso before Kyo attacked and sent his beam sabers into the Gundam's shoulders…skewering the Gundam and severely reducing both attack and defense ability, and before it could use it's remaining weapons, the I-Freedom pulled back and slashed off the head of the Dominion Gundam…sending the thing into the drifting veil of space.

Two others were barely able to fire at the beam cannons before they were attacked by the I-Freedom with it's own plasma cannons, the barrage ripped off the head and left arm of one of the units, and then using his rail-guns to slam into the shield of another, the Dominion Gundam blocked the incoming attack, but wasn't expecting to be stabbed in the back by two of the feather beam cannon/sabers, the blades of the weapons protruded from the back to the upper torso section of the Gundam, the blades retracted, but not before Kyo's beam sabers severed the head of the Dominion in one fatal swing.

Dita took one of her beam sabers and used her Gundam's beam shields and blocked the attack of her Dominion opponent as the beam saber of the enemy Gundam clashed on her shield, the redhead trained harder with her Gundam's beam saber, as was requested by Kyo and her training was paying off as she held her own and waited, as soon as the Dominion Gundam tried for a powerful swing at Dita's Gundam at the torso, she blocks and allowed the beam saber to slide over her beam shield, creating massive sparks and flashes, she then stabs her beam saber right into the side as the Gundam was unable to stop it's momentum. The Gundam exploded as the beam saber of Dita's Gundam had bypassed the Phase Shift Armour at a weakened point and had hit the power plant and power regulation node in it's systems. Dita's Gundam shielded itself with the Prominence Phase Shift and the beam shield emitter and the redhead shook her head clear as she took out her beam rifles, connected them into their beam cannon mode and aimed with her targeting computer, once she did so, she fired and took out more Cube Fighters.

Barnette fired more missiles…after she reloaded her Dread with the aid of Gascogne and her shuttle, the Dreki. The elder Head of the Register was protected by a squadron of Crusaders using a combination of Kaiser and Schneider Form Packs, and also by Aleck's GUiAZ as she made her deliveries, and as she reloaded the Dreads and Crusaders, she also took injured pilots back to the Nirvana, along with Dreads and Crusaders that were damaged…that required her to upgrade the storage space of the Dreki, along with increased armour to the inside and outside of her shuttle. The Dread pilot locking in at several Cube Fighters, taking her time but not too much as she aimed and fired as soon as she had a lock-on. The Cube Fighters were totalled, but two got away and began to open fire at her Dread as they turned around. The Dread pilot dodged the attacks, but was jostled around as the explosions occurred around her…she fired several salvos from her Dread's energy weapons and as the Cube Fighters moved away, she pushed the throttle of her Dread…accelerating quickly, and avoiding the fire of the Cube Fighters, they tracked her as she passed them unaware that as they fired, Barnette's Dread was able to escape and the two ended up shooting each other.

Both Cube Fighters were destroyed as Barnette turned around to face more…she spotted another group who were about to attack her…but they were suddenly destroyed by a salvo of plasma cannon and rail-gun fire. The fire came from Max's Templar Gundam, the Talark youth then blocked the retaliatory fire from surviving Cube Fighters with the Gundam's shield…the shield held and when he was close enough, he moved the shield aside and fired the Gundam's head mounted CIWS guns and then took out his Gundam's beam saber and slashed down a pair of Cube Fighters and blocked the incoming fire.

Max greeted Barnette as his Gundam flew alongside her Dread and Barnette realized that her Dread was already running low on fuel, power cells and ordinance, she also knew that the Dreads could not handle being out here for so long…as all of their squadrons from the veterans to the reserves were all out in this battle. She quickly contacted her squadrons and found to her dismay that a considerable portion were in the Medical Bay, and many of their Dreads had to return for repairs…however the rest of her squadron assured her that they were still able to fight. She however told them that she needed to change machines and Max told her that he would escort her to the Nirvana. Barnette smiled her thanks as she was informed that the rest of the squadrons will be all right.

She punched her Dread's thrusters and made her way back to the Nirvana as fast as she could…with Max shielding her from attacks and destroying some Cube Fighters trying to ambush her on the way back to the Nirvana. As soon as she was inside, she quickly got out of her Dread, put on her Mobile Suit uniform as calmly and she could and made her way to the SwitchBlade Gundam, which was now fully fuelled and ready for a fight. She got into the cockpit, ran a thorough check on her Gundam's power supply, weapon systems, navigation, armour settings…the works…she then smiled as all systems were in the green light and silently thanked her time with both Max and Kyo as they taught her the value of maintaining her Gundam even if she only used it when her Dread was not a viable choice for a particular battle-ground or there was no time for her to re-arm or re-fuel. The SwitchBlade got on the Launching Platform as soon as her Gundam activated it's Polaris Phase Shift Armour she switched to the Mobile Armour mode and open fired at several Cube Fighters, who were unable to prepare in time before being reduced into scrape…several more bit the bullet as a GunDread Dita Clone began to open fire. Barnette dodged the attack and then converted her Gundam to it's Mobile Suit mode and took out both her beam sabers, slashing the arms off the GunDread Dita Clone and then sliced off the head. She used her shield and fired her Gundam's beam rifle, just as Max flew in and they both began to guide the Dreads to the battle…the female pilots knew about Barnette using a Gundam and they all had seen it so they knew that she was back and they rallied to her.

Jura fought with a Dominion Gundam that used it's beam edged shield while still in it's moorings to try and cut her Gundam in half, along with it's beam saber, she knew that her beam sabers might not be enough, but she certainly wasn't going to give up this fight. She moved backwards to gain more fighting room, but with the wreckage nearby, that would be a problem. She took her time and blocked the attacks with her shield and beam saber, she had placed away her anti-ship swords since the area was not very useful for them right now. She however had a plan in mind with the wrecks that were nearby. As soon as she moved away from the attacks, she spotted remains of a RAC ship and a Seed Ship, both were fairly intact and were drifting close to one another. She moved her Gundam backwards…allowing the Dominion Gundam's CPU to determine that she was n optimal range for it to use it's beam shield as a boomerang. It did so, but as the shield was released, Jura jetted out of the way as they had gotten close enough to the two wrecks. The beam edged shield sliced through most of the wreckage in the miss, but it's cable got caught and the Dominion Gundam had no choice but to release the cable…and took out it's second beam saber, Jura then attacked with her beam sabers and the two got into a duel as the female pilot used her fencing skills to even up. The Gundams fought on until Jura blocked a stab, moved it aside and smashed her Gundam's shoulder into the chest of her foe and as the Dominion Gundam tried to right itself and break from the impact. Jura came in and uncharacteristically took out one of her anti-ship sword and tossed it with the beam edge ignited and the tip caught the Gundam square in the chest, and impaled it on the wreckage of a Seed Ship. Jura came in and took out her anti-ship sword and slashed the Gundam's head off, she then used her beam saber's beam whip ode as she struck down several Cube Fighters that tried to blind-side her. She then went back into the fight as more enemy forces came at them.

Sara and Mai were having their own rate of kills as the two led their squadrons into the fight as Meia met up with Jura and Dita, the three then fought their way past a mess of Cube Fighters to hook up with Kyo, who had just trashed even more GunDread clones…all four of them began to work together, right after a massive beam barrage from Kyo's feather beam cannons had reduced more Harvester units into nothing burning wrecks and scrap metal. The feather cannons re-linked to the wings and returned to crystal mode as the four attacked in unison. Kyo attacked with beam rifles, alongside Dita while Meia and Jura attacked with both beam weaponry and their beam sabers. Kyo led the charge as they came to different battle-zones and rally both their fellow pirates and their Khudani comrades.

This proved helpful in reinforcing the lines of the human side as more Khudani forces were being nearly over-run, as more of them tried valiantly to hold and defend their positions and deny the Harvesters access to their beloved homeland but were losing ground, thus the arrival of the four Gundams to support them certainly came in the right time.

--

In the Nirvana's Engineering Bay…

"Hold on Pyoro…and don't give us any of you're lip! We need to concentrate right not and the last thing we need is disturbance." Parfait said in warning to the Navi-robot as both she and Duero were hooking up the little egg shaped robot into a communication/data decoder. The head engineer noted before all this happened, that Pyoro's brief exposure to the Navigation Well and contact with the Harvester AI nearly a year ago had left behind the same communication codes in the Navi-robot's CPU core, she had thought of removing it, but never got around to that due to the numerous situations the pirates found themselves in, and her current…relationship with Duero also got most of her attention as well.

Now she was happy that she didn't follow through with her plan.

Duero used his medical knowledge once more as well as his mechanical knowledge as he began to experiment with the power signature and waves lengths from both the jamming fields of the harvesters to that of the Paeksis itself…he planned to use the disguised Paeksis energy to shield and hide the hidden message, while Parfait began to create the needed outer electronic shell to shield the message that was now written in the code and language of the Khudani. The Navi-robot for once wasn't struggling or trying to be a smart mouth, and stayed there as Parfait worked on him. He knew that this was for the safety of the crew and namely Lacus and as such, placed aside his normally mouthy nature and focused on helping the head engineer and the doctor to complete the ruse.

A few minutes later…

"It's done!!" Parfait announced to her crew who cheered, the cheers grew in volume and intensity as Duero also reported his success in making the changes to the power signature to match that of the records of the jamming field. The made some rechecks to make sure that their calculations and parameters were right on the dot and Pyoro helped hem out be comparing the recorded transmission from nearly a year ago to their newly doctored transmission wave. They matched well within the currently recorded parameters.

Both of them then contacted the Bridge of the Nirvana to give the report to both Magno and Buzam. The two officers nodded and sent the signal to the Khudani, they too held their hopes on this and gave the two the go ahead.

The signal was being tracked by the Engineering crew and the rest of both the pirates and the Khudani as they used a portion of the Paeksis' Reactor's power to boost the signal further. And they waited as the signal was absorbed by the jamming fields, according to their scanners…now all they could do was hope…and pray that signal came out in time to reach the rest of the Khudani Fleet.

For now, they had to hold the line and prevent the Harvester forces from breaking through them and having a clean strike path on the planet. So far, the Harvesters have yet to send their battle-ships into the fray, but they had to remain in their current location to maintain the jamming field to prevent the Khudani from calling any support from their fleets. Even with the Nirvana and it's forces…namely it's accursed Gundam, piloted by bane of the Harvesters, couldn't handle two fully independent Harvester battle-ships and their forces at once…even with the support of the Khudani Fleet.

--

Back in the battle-zone…

The fighting grew even more intense as the Nirvana, it's forces, and the Khudani fought on with the Harvesters, in the hope that they could keep the Earth Forces from landing on the surface and harvesting and slaughtering the people below them. The Khudani Commanders of their ships held their own and were able to hold on as best they could…despite the rising amount of casualties, losses of equipment and the utter chaos surrounding them….some however break under pressure and had to calm down with the aid of their more level headed officers.

The officers were very busy, and so were Arland Kashell and J.T as well as their crew. The two officers worked non-stop ,even if their ships were showing signs of damage and reports were coming in.

The Snow Lance…

"We have fires in sections 2 to 5!"

"Isolate the fires and initiate emergency fire fighting and containment measures! Make sure that the fires are not allowed to spread to the Munitions Station, Medical Bay, and Engineering!" Arland said as he coordinated his officers and personnel in doing what must be done.

"Enemy forces are closing in!"

"Laser cannon batteries… maintain suppression fire! Don't let the bastards get even close enough to be pictured by a camera!"

"Yes sir!"

The other Commanders of the Khudani were going at full tilt as they struggled with leading their squadrons, keeping the morale of their officers, crew and themselves, along with coordinating the rest of the battle-groups with the support of the battle stations, fighter bases, and missile bases…as they tried to hold off the Harvesters…despite the damages on the three types of stations.

The fires on the stations were contained…and damage was being repaired…but not all the of stations were lucky as their staff, and officers had to abandon some of the stations as they were too badly damaged or had been filled by the Harvester drones that were delivered by the Cube Fighters that bypassed their defences. They too had to be rescued by their fellow humans or else they would be located and taken by the Harvesters.

It was here that Kyo, Dita, Jura, and Meia activated their respective SEED abilities and began to unleash more of their coordinated assaults on the Harvesters, decimating their ranks as more wrecks of Cube Fighters, Seed Ships, and Urchin vessels filled the void of space…along with the wrecks of even more Dominion Gundams and the GunDread Clones as the four Gundam pilots led the counter-attack…just as Bart fired another plasma salvo at the Harvester forces…despite the still increasing numbers of Seed Ships and their release of more of the Cube Fighters.

The entire field of space was now filled with various wreckage from the Harvesters, the Khudani Military, and even some of the pirates' own forces though they didn't suffer any fatalities. The Crusaders used the wreckage to stage ambushed and sneak attacks, this worked were for the Raiha and Koenig Form Pack using Crusader units as the debris hid their presence long enough for a quick strike and fade assault, the Kaiser and Schneider Form Pack armed Crusader Mobile Suits and their pilots used the debris as shields and distractions to get better firing angles and to ambush even more Cube Fighters. The area before the planet was now filled with so much wreckage and weapons fire…that it would have passed off for a planet wide demolition derby special.

That was when the Khudani military unleashed the two Mobile Suits developed under Project Helios.

The Mobile Suits were now fully powered and their pilots began to guide them into the battle-zone to help the defenders. The first Mobile Suit, now in the colour scheme of magenta, and silver…showing that it's Phase Shift Armour was now online, and it had cyan coloured eye sensors which began to scan the battle-zone.

The Luminous Gundam was now able to arm itself up as it's weapons moved into position as it began to engage the Harvesters. The Cube Fighters unleashed a storm of weapon fire that was dodged and blocked by the Gundam's armour and much to the surprise of the GunDread Dita, Jura, Meia clones and the surviving Dominion Gundams, their beam weapons were seemingly absorbed by the armour and the Gundam continued it's attacks with it's beam weaponry.

It's twin, the Spark Gundam, in it's colour scheme light red and silver, took out it's own beam rifle and the two Mobile Suits began join in and attack the Harvesters. The two attacked several squadrons of Cube Fighters and those were quickly taken out due to the advanced versions of their Phase Shift Armour System and other support systems protecting them. The two Mobile Suits were moving in and attacking as their pilots, though being newbies to Mobile Suit combat, compared to the Nirvana pirates were doing rather well. It became apparent as to the reason why…as they had been able to recover the back-up fully updated OS that was designed for the Spark and the Luminous Gundams, this allowed the pilots a needed edge to make up for their lack of practical Mobile Suit operation experience. But Kyo however got into contact with them and warned them of the traits of both the Luminous and the Spark, the first Gundam with it's still imperfect cooling and temperature regulation systems when it was hit with too much energy weapons, and the second Gundam's almost human-like OS program.

Both pilots…Lieutenant Nicolas Almani, and Sergeant Joss Vaughn nodded in agreement as they had been briefed that since the Mobile Suits they were piloting were still experimental, they would have to learn on the fly and when they told Kyo that bit of information, the veteran Gundam pilot ordered both of them to form up with him or with Max and Barnette as they would have to learn quickly how to use a Gundam unit.

Nicolas and Joss were technically not part of the pirates and as such, being soldiers of the Khudani military were not bound to follow Kyo's orders or that of the pirates, but due to the facts that Kyo was already a seasoned Mobile Suit operator, and the pirates were proving to be very valuable allies in the defense made the higher ranking officers in the Khudani Military give them unofficial de facto leader of their own Mobile Suit forces, which naturally comprised of both the Luminous and the Spark Gundams. Thus both pilots obeyed their orders and hooked up with Barnette and Mac, who were informed by Kyo of the arrival of their new comrades. Barnette and Max began to guide Nicole and Joss on where they needed to be in the fight.

Despite all this…the one thing the human side of the battle hoped for was to beat the Harvesters and the arrival of the rest of the Khudani fleets…that is…if the message got through in time.

--

The battle continued to grow more intense as the two fleets closed in on one another. The Harvester Battle-ships remained in orbital standby…protected by their Cube Fighters from the heavy weapons of the enemy as their point defences held the attackers at bay. With their support and reinforcement fleets acting s their shields and blades, the Harvester battle-ships unleashed their own brand of supports fire…taking out squadrons of Khudani interceptors and RAC ships, the pirates avoided engaging the Harvester battle-ships due to the large numbers of still existing Cube Fighters and the sheer fire-power of the ships.

The battle-ships also unleashed their main beam cannons and severely damaged or destroyed a few stations and several RAC ships. They however didn't divert too much power to their weapon systems in order to maintain the jamming field. They sensed that even with the presence of the Nirvana and it's forces, they had the advantage since the pirates could not attack them and remained on the defensive to prevent them from overwhelming the Khudani defensive line.

Even with the support of the pirates and their Gundams, the lines were starting to break and falter as even the pirates were hard pressed in keeping the Harvesters from having full access to the surface of Khudan 7. Kyo and his friends were exhausted but not giving up yet as more and more Cube Fighters came at them.

That was when the Harvester Battle-ships were suddenly attacked by several barrages of missiles…the fighting stopped as the Cube Fighters, Seed Ships, Urchin Ships, GunDread Clones, and some surviving Dominion Gundams turned and tried to locate the attackers.

It was the rest of the Khudani Fleets!

The pirates and the rest of their Khudani allies cheered as they saw the jamming fields go down and received communiqués from the reinforcements…their desperate gamble paid off after all.

Kyo nodded that this was the right time as he, Meia, Dita, and Jura all activated their SEED mode and led the charge…understandably the Harvester Forces now found themselves trapped between to walls of attackers and now they had no choice but to pull back and defend their mother-ships from the fierce counter attack…the Khudani of the planetary defense force was nearly devoid of hope when they were nearly overwhelmed…but now that they had the chance to take the fight to their hated enemies…they took it with near suicidal relish and had to be restrained hard by their more level headed officers though some of the officers themselves led these suicide charges…these comprised of the pilots unleashing their full barrage of weapons fire…exhausting whatever ordinance they had and then crashing their fighters into the Cube Fighters and letting the explosions damage the Harvesters, or they lured the Harvester forces closer by appearing to be easy prey and then detonating the power reactors of the interceptors they were in.

This was halted as the officers managed to rally their teams and fight back. Kyo saw through the desperation of the Khudani and called the Nirvana to unleash the Liberty unit so he could have extra punch to help their comrades. Ina few minutes the METEOR Unit was released and it's Paeksis powered CPU quickly locked into Kyo's current location and the machine opened the front and the Gundam moved it's wings and anti-ship swords away as it docked and the massive beam cannons/sabers were now in the hands of the Gundam as the connectors showed green light…complete success in docking procedures. The Gundam then activated the missile launchers, beam cannons, it's own rail-guns, plasma cannons, CIWS guns, and it's feather beam cannons…the full arsenal was unleashed as the storm of weapons fire smashed hard on the clouds of Cube Fighters, Seed Ships, Urchin Ships, GunDread Clones and the Dominion Gundams…they were all obliterated and the survivors were not much better as the METEOR unit activated it's massive beam sabers and slashed them into nothing but shreds. Kyo's Gundam slashed up and down and to the sides…ensuring massive damage to any Harvester unit caught in the path of the beam blades…the first battle-ship open fired at Kyo…but like what he had done to the salvaged Harvester battle-ship nearly a few months before, Kyo dodged the attacks and slashed at the ship, but then stopped and then amplified his beam sabers to high intensity level and stabbed right at the ship at a diagonal angle, the beams were at such a high level that they literally sliced through the Harvester battle-ship's tough armour…and even right through the other side as it was boosted by the hybrid reactor in the Infinite Freedom Gundam, and the power reactor in the Liberty METEOR unit. He then moved them to separate sides…as the beams were slicing through the ship, causing massive structural damage and explosions as the beams cut through the ship like a beam saber would slice through ship or armour plating…Kyo then angled the beam cannons upward…and when the beams had finished their path and dissipated, a massive chunk of the Harvester battle-ship was literally sliced off! (5)

Several squadrons of the Khudani interceptors, Dreads, and Crusaders leaped right into the massive wound of the Harvester ship and unleashed all of their arsenals, bypassing the inner defences that were woefully unprepared for it. They began to destroy the central computer node…while Kyo, Dita, Jura, and Meia moved on to attack the second battle-ship. The four were now moving in formation, as the three girls converted their Gundams back to Dread form and then with a flash of Paeksis energy, the Gundam, Dreads and the METEOR unit combined to create the Super GunDread.

The massive mecha took on the form of Meia's GunDread and smashed right through the clouds of Harvester units…turning them all into atoms and recyclable junk. The Super GunDread then used it's shield to block the incoming weapons fire from the survivors and the Harvester battle-ship, once all the shots were blocked, the massive GunDread unleashed it's own beam arsenals and reduced the surviving support fleet into nothing but junk and wreckage…the beams also caused considerable damage to the Harvester battle-ship itself and it was reeling from the impact. Before it could even recover the GunDread attacked with it's beam saber.

The beam saber…being as massive as it was sliced right into lower half of the Harvester battle-ship…and the weapon was able to slice through the Harvester battle-ship's lower sections with brutal and deadly ease, the beam blade was cutting through the ship and the explosions that followed were spectacular and the four pilots guided their Super GunDread unit from the lower bow to the rear of the ship. The Super GunDread then moved away and with a powerful descending slash with the beam saber, cut the Harvester-battleship at the side…creating even more explosions and the complete result was the Harvester battle-ship being blown into nothing but a burning wreck and suffering severe internal and external damage.

The ship exploded…just as it's counter-part began to explode as the combined forces of the both the Nirvana pirates and the Khudani left the wreckage…and surviving Harvester units powered down and were now longer operational

The Battle for Khudan 7 was over, and the human side won…but at a very high price.

--

Hours later…

The Khudani tallied all of their losses along with the pirates. The Nirvana's crew-members were happy that most of their injuries were not that grave, due to the Laminated Armour and Phase Shift combinations in their Crusaders, even the newly upgraded armour plating and shields of the Dreads came in seriously handy. But they had suffered even more injuries and as such, until they rest and recover.

The Khudani however had suffered the most at the current point, they had lost over sixty of their RAC ships, hundreds of their interceptors, twelve battle stations, seven missile bases, nine fighter bases, tens to nearly a hundred thousand dead personnel in all station types and ships, with the interceptors, countless others wounded and receiving medical treatment, there were also large numbers of their ships, stations, bases, and fighters that needed extensive repairs, replacement parts…and more. They had lost nearly untold amounts of credits worth of equipment, machines, and facilities, along with the massive costs in repairs to the machines and facilities that were still serviceable… but compared to the possible loss of their entire people and the loss of their home-planet…they were lucky.

The home planet defense force was nearly decimated, and the reinforcements were in the same boat, they lost large numbers of their plots and had pushed their ships to the absolute limit and the reports of burned out engines, computers, and control systems was an engineering crew's worst nightmare come to life. The technicians on the planet and even those who were not in the military were called in to effect the repairs of all the stations, ships, and fighters that were repairable, those that were too badly damaged were to be salvaged for whatever parts were still useable, while the unsalvageable wreckage was to be disposed of.

The Khudani were understandably shaken by the sheer power, surprise, and ferocity of the Harvester attack. By all rights, had they not had the support of the Nirvana and it's crew…they didn't even want to know what would have been the results had the Harvesters been given a chance to overwhelm them. The ingenuity and practical thinking of the pirates and their military support, under the leadership of some of the finest pilots their military had ever seen, along with their various war machines…namely the Gundams that had been developed by the members of Project Helios. The Council knew that they had nearly lost everything and thus, even the war-hawks and their supporters were severely humbled by the events that had occurred.

The pirates were then told that the Council was in an emergency session. Once that was done…they would see to the massive burials of those who died, either in the battle or in the ER. Not all those brought in for medical treatment were lucky enough to survive their wounds.

The crew of the Nirvana were all safe and sound, and recovering. Kyo and the others however hoped that the Khudani would make the right choice…not for themselves alone…but for the survival of the human race out here in space.

All they could do now was wait…and hope for the best.

--

The Harvester Invasion Force…

"My Lord." One of the clone operators spoke emotionlessly as he faced the arriving leader of the Harvester Armada.

"Yes?" The leader of the Harvesters replied as he got out of his quarters of his main command ship. He seemed relaxed, after he had taken a day's break after all the changes to the Converter Packs were completed, and the day of testing had arrived.

"We have two reports, the first is on the current status of the 3rd Fleet and their attack on the Khudani home-planet…and the second is the one concerning the completion of the Converter Form Packs."

"The first bit of news first, what happened to the 3rd Fleet?"

"They were wiped out my Lord…it appeared that an unexpected factor was encountered by the fleet when they attempted to attack the Khudani secretly."

"Let me guess…the Nirvana was present?"

"Yes my Lord…it appeared that the pirates had found a way to bypass the jamming fields and send a message to the departing Khudani Fleets. The pirates and the Khudani were able to hold their own against the 3rd Fleet and destroy them with the reinforcements that followed. The 3rd Fleet was totally destroyed."

Normally the loss of two battle-ships and their support fleets was by definition a serious blow to the Harvest Operation…and to the Re-Genesis Project that was being completed, and by all rights, the leader would be in a seriously bad mode…however it seemed that he was more concerned with other matters.

"Have the records of the battle been recovered?"

"Yes My Lord…before the battle-cruisers were destroyed, they were able to record the battle itself."

"Good…have the records studied and the moves of the pirates analyzed. This will help us gauge the simulations of the Dominator series' new weapon systems and match them with the Nirvana's…Retribution series. This may not be worthwhile in the long run…but we can use the data to determine possible solutions on how to effectively counter their strategies."

"It shall be done my Lord."

"And the second bit of news?"

"The reports have shown that the Converter Unit Packs and the Dominator series are both ready for their practical combat deployment my Lord…all we need is the signal from you to authorize their live fire test trials."

"Good…have them face off with the Cube Fighters and some of the existing Dominion Gundam series units we have in the fleet to test their effectiveness against Gundam units. Have the simulations also run a test on how they would perform if the faced the Infinite Freedom Gundam and the three new Paeksis powered Gundams of the pirates. Bypass Khudan 7…with what they have suffered, I doubt that they will be able to mount an effective defense…our targets are more important…once the tests are completed…set a full course to the system of Talark and Megele. We will end the Resistance with the destruction of the two planets and the destruction of the Nirvana…without them…the Resistance will fall."

"At once my Lord."

The leader then grabbed his meal as he looked at the artificial park where he was having his meal, and relaxed a bit.

"You certainly have moved up…haven't you Kyo? Now let us see just how far can you get before I come for you and you're comrades."

--

The Nirvana was now on it's way to Talark and Megele…with some good news at least.

The Khudani, having realized the outcome and the possible arrival of the much larger and more advanced Harvester Invasion Fleet…decided after a short but meaningful session voted to begin plans for emergency evacuation of their home planet and surviving colonies. They, under the leadership of Speaker Leila formally thanked the Nirvana and it's crew for fighting alongside them and helping them defend their home-planet. The military at first asked them to join their forces…they would need the support, just as the people of Melanos had once planned to ask Kyo to fight under their flag during the time he left the Nirvana.

Magno and her crew politely declined, stating that they too had their own worlds to save and the place would be where all of the members of the Resistance would assemble their fleets. As of now, the Resistance were doing all they could to delay the Harvester Invasion Fleet and ensure that other worlds would be warned and given time to plan and prepare.

For them…they had to rush back to Talark and Megele…comforted by the fact that the Resistance was doing their absolute best to help them in this war. Alongside them was their converted Harvester battle-ship and it's own army of Cube Fighters…acting as it did before…as a scout and skirmish force.

Unknown to them…

A Mobile Suit…armed with Mirage Colloid watched them as they made their way to the sector where the magnetic storm and debris belt were located.

"It's now time you found out who you really are Kyo."

--

To be continued…

(1) Had to make changes due to the original concept alloy was from another series that was not a part of the story series. These are merely name changes as the functions will be the same so no serious changes here, merely cosmetic ones.

(2) Based on the Blaze Wizard packs but had interchangeable missile loads to ensure a strong degree of variety in terms of weaponry and firepower. That plus the speed with the ability to fire swarms of missile is a serious advantage when used properly in a fight and in the right circumstances.

(3) Based on the Slash Wizard Pack, but has a spare anti-armour rail-gun for extra punch power.

(4) Based on the Gunner Wizard Pack but with some features of the Launcher Pack of the Strike Gundam for an added increase flexibility and ranged combat.

(5) This was inspired by a scene in Gundam SEED Destiny where both Kira and Athrun in their respective Gundams, the Strike Freedom and the Infinite Justice which were docked in their METEOR units used their beam cannons to fire a massive constant beam and moved the cannons to the sides…dissecting the Geschmeidig Panzer armed space stations of the Requiem Doomsday weapon on the moon in half on either side.

As for a make-out scene with Kyo and Meia…well then, I'll see what I can cook up in my melting pot, okay folks? By the way, I'm NOT forgetting Sara and Mai anytime soon, so expect them to be soon on the same boat.

--

Author's Notes: I am adding new characters and new Gundams into the story as a way to say thanks to **Zack Free** a.k.a **Jehuty Zero** who allowed me to see the Gundams that he custom drew and also allowed me to use them in GunDread SEED. I am hoping that his creations will be recognized and appreciated by the readers of this chapter. I will make only a few modifications for them to fit into the story better.

I also made a mistake with the previous chapter. In the case of the Polaris Phase Shift design, which is that it can still deflect/withstand solid or projectile weapons, but loses a portion of that ability in exchange for a chance to deflect beam weaponry. In a way, the Polaris Phase Shift System is similar to the Prominence Phase Shift system used by the Infinite Freedom Gundam, but the overall weakness is that it can only handle low to medium level beam weapons, unlike the Infinite Freedom that can withstand beam attacks of a large calibre, with the exception of those placed in a negative wave-length to that of the Paeksis.

So in simple terms, the Polaris Phase Shift System sacrifices a portion of the Phase Shift's original functions to give it an increase of protection in the area it lacks, while not losing the original function of the Phase Shift design, which is to deflect solid weapons.

The tension is getting rather thick now, what will be the reactions of the Khudani when they learn not only of the Harvesters' true origin and purpose, but now of their drive to wipe out all human life? Will the Khudani become allies of the Resistance or not?

--

The make-out scene between Kyo and Meia is now officially finished. I hope that to all the readers that it was worth all the time and effort, if it is, then thanks, and if not, please kindly send me reviews and comments so I can correct any errors or make modifications that will make the make-out scene more appealing.

Thank you!

--

Well this officially ends that story arc for now…we will see the Luminous and the Spark Gundams again, but they will be upgraded and far better in performance as well. We will also see the third Gundam of the Project Helios soon.

I hope that this was worth you're time and patience, and I will work on the next set of chapters. Sara and Mai will be having their turns at making out with Kyo in the next chapter story arcs.

By the way…for all the male readers…as I have promised…we are now getting to the fun parts of this story…since I have stated that the coming chapters will be where the lemony goodness will be! ()

As such, please send me reviews and suggestions on who will go first with Kyo…and for all the Duero X Parfait fans in this site… we will also have the chance to have Duero and Parfait finally consummate their relationship to the next level soon, hope you will all be ready for that!! Plus we will have the other couples get involved soon, namely Max and Barnette!!

Gascogne and Aleck will soon be along, but they will need more time before they do get to that level, so if there is anyone who likes this pairing so far, please tell me.


	24. Chapter 24

GunDread SEED The Second Stage

Disclaimer: GONZO is the owner of VanDread, Sunrise is the owner of Gundam SEED. I only own this story that is using both, so no need for lawsuits.

Chapter 10 Part 1

Memory

( ): Thoughts

(" "): Psychic language

--

In space…

The Nirvana was now on cruiser mode as they were reaching the debris belt, in less than a day and a half, they would be hitting the outer fringes of the belt and would now have to make their way through the massive numbers of debris and the energy storms that were inside the belt. The crew were more happy but still on alert, as it had been only a few weeks since the battle at Khudan 7, and they were hoping not to encounter any traps that the Harvesters might have set up for them. They knew that the originally deployed Harvester Fleet was still on their way to attack Talark and Megele…and they hoped that the Fleet had not attacked their respective home-worlds once they got there.

The converted Harvester battle-ship was requested to remain in the rear of the Nirvana and follow it; the pirates didn't plan on losing their only piece of evidence to the governments on both their respective worlds, and most of all, they needed to be careful…considering what Aleck and Max had told them of the current situation on Talark, they had to be prepared for anything…it made it even more difficult since the debris belt still prevented outside communications.

So far, the crew were still in good spirits. Others however, had a lot of things they needed to do and consider once they got back to their respective home-worlds

--

The Medical Bay…

"There…that should do it…keep the bandage on for a bit more and when you come back, we'll check the wound."

Duero said as he wrapped a special adhesive bandage

"All right…thanks for being here by the way!" The young Security girl said as she went back to her duties.

The Talark medic smiled as his patient left the room and left him alone with his own thoughts. And his thoughts were rather sober and very brooding. He was now reaching the point he once hoped for and now seemed to dread. He and his fellow men were…going home. In a few more days or hours, they would be entering Talark space and would now be able to go home to their desert home-world, but now with the situation as it was, the young medic had doubts on what would be the situation on Talark once they got back to their world. With all they have learned about women, they would prove to be a big problem for the men in the Propaganda Ministry to silence…who knew what they would do to keep the war between them and Megele going and what they would do to keep the truth from the other men on their world?

Duero knew that he would have lied, but lying was never in his nature…nor will it solve anything, it would only make things even more complicated and create even more unneeded chaos in the situation they were in. After all that he and his fellow men had been in and done, they were now firm advocates on the idea that men and women, from their worlds should unite to face this threat posed by the Harvesters and the soon to arrive invasion force that they had sent out…the images of his people being annihilated and his home-planet turned into nothing but a scorched ball of dust and death terrified the medic to no end…and the same thing being done to the women and their home-planet, made him sick with revulsion.

He turned and looked at the rest of his notes on his console. The data was pertaining to the history of the human race, he wanted to learn about how the Days of Despair came about, but his real concern was he recalled from the recording of Misty's message pod…namely on the part where a similar incident was stopped by one of the famed Yamato family.

Like all student in the 1st Class Citizenry of Talark, he was familiar with history, but since most of the history lessons focused on only the early days of the Colonization Era, to the splintering of the Ikazuchi and the rise of his current home planet, Duero had an urge inside of him to learn just what Earth was like before the Days of Despair had corrupted it and the people that still resided there, he wanted to know just what history the world where his ancestors came from had before all this happened.

According to what he had recently found, mankind stood on a deadly knife edge nearly four hundred years ago, due to the event mentioned by Misty's parents concerning the first Paeksis prototype, the first was being studied and tested in a space station, nearly nineteen years after the Bloody Valentine War and the beginning of peace movements between the Earth and the Z.A.F.T Colonies. It was at this time that the Paeksis suffered a rapid de-crystallization event that forced it to reach critical explosive mass and would have done critical damage to all life on Earth…in short terms, it would have been the end of all life on Earth and therefore, mankind would have never reached the point of technological advancement to allow humanity the chance to colonize the planets they were now part of. Neither Megele, nor Talark, nor any other planet with humans in them would have existed at all if the first Paeksis had exploded.

Sadly the name of the person who had done what had to be done was lost in time, though the family name of Yamato was evident of the person's blood line.

He had heard of the Yamato bloodline…and it had even been rumored that their leader Grand Pa was part of that bloodline and family, which was why he was naturally chosen as the leader of the men on the first few days of the landing on the desert world that he and his fellow men now inhabited. Why he took an interest was somewhat odd in such a way, but Duero always heeded an important lesson from his Alpha when it concerned the past.

"_It pays to never forget the past, learn from it and understand it, there you will find what you may be looking for, or complete what is missing." _

Duero had a feeling in him and it concerned Kyo…

His close friend had already admitted that he was indeed from Earth, according to his memories namely the ones he seemed to be recovering slowly. However they seemed to be coming in at a greater frequency. Despite Kyo's pledge to fight with the Harvesters and disowning his affiliation with Earth, the medic began to wonder on a very interesting and somewhat outlandish possibility. Due to what he could piece together, it became possible that Kyo might have been in cryogenic slumber on Earth before and after the Days of Despair had occurred on Earth…which would explain some odd things.

Namely on why he seemed to know so much about the past between men and women, the very same way Misty herself knew about the past despite his memory loss. This was a concern since Kyo himself admitted having no prior life on other worlds due to his traveling nature.

His memory loss was another matter, despite it now disappearing, Kyo's recollections of his past did not match up to what had happened now to the earth, namely his recollections of the places he had seen in his dreams, and they totally clashed with the images of the now ruined planet…Kyo's memories were of the planet when it was still unharmed by the Days of Despair event. This raised a lot of questions in Duero's mind since Kyo had a lot of things that dissuaded the notion that he was a member of the Harvesters.

His physical condition was a far outcry from what they had learned about the people on Earth, considering the environment that now permeated over the planet. The bodies of the Harvester populace, according to his studies of the images of both Earth and the people after the Days of Despair showed that the bodies of anyone born on Earth would have to be severely weak and unable to survive anywhere, becoming highly reliant on life support and organ transplants. Kyo's body was at the peak of human condition…and even in some ways, beyond that…in net effect it made it virtually impossible for him to be a Harvester. His still growing abilities which now bordered on real life telepathy and more during several routine physicals done by both him and his younger brother were very intriguing and thus in his mind, Kyo's abilities were beyond what normal human beings had at his age. However during a recent study on blood samples taken from the Gundam pilot by him and his brothers…Duero noted something very remarkable and very confusing.

In the past he had determined that the exposure to the Paeksis all those months before were the reason as to why Kyo's abilities were very much beyond what normal people were capable of doing. However he ran some more tests and noted that the Gundam pilot's cells seemed of already have been upgraded by residual Paeksis energy…and the energy from the Paeksis seemed to only speed up the process…not create it, this would mean…that Kyo had previous exposure the Paeksis, and the exposure to the Paeksis all those months ago seemed to act as a booster, not as the catalyst to his improved abilities.

Kyo's own abilities were also somewhat similar to that of a Coordinator from old Earth, but it was said that over the years, Coordinators merged with Naturals and the term no longer existed at all, yet his abilities and traits were so similar…enhanced learning curve, improved physical strength and reflexes, high immunity to diseases, and one trait that totally stood out.

The Superior Evolutionary Element Destined Factor or known now as the SEED Factor.

According to the data he uncovered, there have been cases of this trait manifesting in both Coordinators and Naturals, showing that despite the genetic manipulations, not everyone can have SEED mode…there were few on record who could utilize the SEED Factor and use it's gifts…even in the past. It had been known that members of the Yamato family could do it…along with those of the Zala family. The Zala family was also well known for their contributions alongside the Yamato family in many fields and he would not be surprised if descendants from both families existed in either his home-world or that of the women since humans of the past used sex between genders to make the next generation. It was known that the ancestors of the Yamato family were Coordinators, and the Zala family's ancestors were both a Coordinator and a Natural, however, the key factor that concerned Duero was the fact that all members of the two families possessed the SEED ability, along with several others.

He learned that the Asuka siblings, both Kouji and Maia possessed the SEED ability due to the fact that they were descendants of a Coordinator bloodline that had the SEED Factor, and that trait was also a dominant trait. Kyo's advanced version seemed to be very much dominant, and it had saved them many times…however, it still troubled Duero as to how Kyo had this gift and at such a high level…but with not much data to work on, both in the past of Earth and Kyo's own past, he didn't have much hope of knowing just where Kyo's bloodline stood. He knew he was picking through something Kyo might prefer to find on his own time, but the young man wanted to at least help his close friend go to the right path to finding his path.

As he did his work, he then wondered just what he should do once he got home, he had a long discussion with Parfait about them possibly parting ways after she returned to the pirates and her home-world…and he would be doing the same things once he got back to his own world. To say that it was a painful truth was an understatement as he could tell that Parfait was hurt and sad about him being gone from the pirates, and so was he…there was still so much between them and they still…

Duero put those thoughts aside for the moment as he continued to work on what he needed to do as he knew more patients would be coming in soon. And right on time, Paiway came into the

--

In the Hanger Bay…

Kyo was busy doing routine checks on his Gundam, alongside Aleck and Max, who were also working on their own Mobile Suits. The men seemed to be very deep in thought as they worked, both then turned to see Kyo using his laptop to check on the condition of his Mobile Suit's OS, they were curious about something, and they knew that Kyo was the one to talk to anyway.

"Kyo? Can I ask you something?" Max asked as he got up and sat on the ramp.

"Sure…what do you want to know?" The Gundam pilot replied as he finished some checks and then faced Max.

"What did you do before you snuck into the Ikazuchi on Talark? Duero said you told him of the time you spent on our world, but you never told me about it."

"I'm rather curious about that myself if you don't mind spinning a few tales on me as well." Aleck replied as he placed his tools away and sat next to the two, he was very much curious of exactly what the Gundam pilot did on Talark before he got dragged into all this.

Kyo nodded and began to think back on all the things he had been in before he had planned to leave Talark and move on through his search of his past. He recalled as much as he could and then began to tell them what he had been doing before all this happened.

"I first managed to get past the mines using debris from the belt to hit my Gundam and used the debris as a shield for reentry. As soon as the debris shield burned up, and I was well away from scanner range of the planet's sensors I powered up my Gundam and took off, I did make sure to avoid flying too close to the ground and that was when I spotted the Capital city and pretty much decided not to draw attention to myself and hid the Freedom in a massive canyon nearby and hid it using the photo-optical camouflage tarp I had with me."

"As soon as I got there, I met an old man named Jin…at least that was the name he went by when I met him…actually he tried to hit me with a plow of all things when I met him…partially my fault since I accidentally disturbed his work with a garden….though how he was going to grow anything green on a desert world was beyond me at the time. After we straightened things out he allowed me to stay with him."

Aleck was a bit surprised at that statement and spoke out his surprise.

"Old Man Jin?"

Both men turned to face the elder male with some confusion in their own eyes as the looks of surprise was somewhat rare in the old Vanguard pilot.

"You knew him?"

Aleck nodded.

"Yep…Jin was rumored to have been one of the First Generation but was not part of the Council, nor had he requested to be, according to what I knew about him, he was a very talented electronics specialist and knew other fields of design and manufacturing. Even though he is not one of the listed First Generation, just like our Captain here on the ship…he certainly has the ear of the Council since according to what I have managed to gather, he reports directly to them, and is among the very few men allowed to meet with Grand Pa. He rarely shows up however to meet with them and is always out there in his home/shed that is on the outskirts of the Capital. Can you describe him so I can be sure that it's really Old Man Jin you met?"

Kyo recalled the man he had spent some time with when he was still on Talark before he had boarded the Ikazuchi.

"He's tall, rather well built, wide shoulders, and a lot of physical strength for someone his age, that was for sure. He wore old style glasses, also had on a green tank top, strong body pants and boots, has a long beard and naturally white hair…and like I said, he spends s good portion of his time digging up the soil and trying grow crops in the area."

"Yep…that's Old Man Jin all right…so what happened?"

"He let me stay there and get used to what kind of culture Talark had, when I found out about how women were portrayed, I was shocked and told him flat out that the guys in the propaganda department were just plain crazy, not to mention the men were foolish to believe that nonsense they said about women being monsters. After that, I realized that I was insulting the land and people he grew up on and I offered an apology…he merely looked at me and then…grinned a bit. He then told me that he was in full agreement but said that this was what things were now and it would be some time before things would change to the way they were supposed to...I asked him what that meant at the time, but he said that it would be best I ignore him for a while…he did tell me however to keep my opinions to myself so as to avoid detection by anyone who would suspect I was either crazy or infected by toxins made by women."

Kyo snorted at that and so did the two men at that bit of propaganda. Kyo then continued with what he had to say on how he had fared in the months he had spent being on Talark before he boarded the Ikazuchi.

"He managed to get me a fake ID card, but he requested from me data that he could use as a reference base. I handed him several disks from the box of mementos I had with me…most of them were worn out now…so I can't…really recall anything when I held them. The disks were corrupted so Jin told me to wait in his place for a few days, to tell you the truth guys, I nearly thought I was going to be arrested by Talark police, but Jin came back and handed me the ID card and told me to look for a place to work in soon. Took me some time to find a place to work in and I also had to be rather creative when it came to sneaking my Gundam around too. I then got the chance to work in a manufacturing plant where they made the needed parts for the Vanguards. I relied on my MREs until they were too low and had to get used to eating the pills, and I can say with absolute certainty, that it was torture to consume them at first, it took me some time to get used to eating the pills…and all the way to now…even if I am used to the pills from before…I still prefer to eat cooked food."

Both men agreed with Kyo's description of the pills.

"Anyway…after I got to the city, I had to deal with guys trying to pick fights with me, they didn't last long and no, I didn't kill them, merely stunned them. Got into the mainframe of the data archives and determined when the Ikazuchi would launch since I had planned to leave and move on again…and you can guess what happened afterwards…it was a serious pain to have my Gundam snuck into the ship, namely when hiding something that size and naturally, I had to…ah…steal a considerable amount of credits to pay off some people to not mess around with the container that my Gundam was hidden in, but it worked."

"You still have that ID card of yours by any chance?" Max asked as Kyo finished explaining

Kyo thought about it and then nodded as he went into his Gundam's cockpit, and rummaged in one of the storage containers and got the item that Max had requested, he had kept it hidden since he no longer had any need for it and wondered just what Max intended to do with the card anyway.

As the trio began to continue their discussion, the others wondered what else they would do.

Kyo then wondered what was happening with the rest of the crew.

--

Later…

Dita looked at the picture she had of her Ohma and Fahma, along with her still in her toddler years, and holding a stuffed toy and in her pajamas. She smiled and then began to see herself in another picture…her holding a small bundle and Kyo being beside her…smiling.

The redhead blushed a bit as she realized how intimate her imaginings were getting…ever since that…event in the apartment quarters the Taisians had loaned to Kyo during their stay with the Resistance…it still made her blush bright red when she would recall that event.

While Dita was still the cheerful and innocent sort…she was not entirely naïve as some of her crew would suspect…since like all the women her age...she would have gotten some sex education classes back home, and she was familiar with some of the aspects, though she never did it herself, nor did she have the partner or the inclination and time to do that herself…but what had happened between her and Kyo had made her feel so…she didn't know that Kyo had such an effect on her and it made her even more hot and bothered to even think of it.

Should I tell Mr. Alien about what I saw? the redhead wondered as she thought about the object of her affections. The thought of doing what they did again was burned in her mind hard and she still had this ache in her when she would recall it, not to mention she got hot and flustered, along with…

She decided to put those thoughts aside for now as she got up from her bed and headed for the bath-room, she planned to take a shower and then head off to the cafeteria and get something to eat, she was looking forward to finally getting home. She then wondered what it would be like if she ever introduced Kyo to her Ohma and Fahma…would they mind if she had a relationship with a man? Especially one who she cared for so deeply.

--

In another room…

Meia was brushing her hair as she looked at herself in her normal flight-suit and as she took her circlet and put it on she began to recall all the things that had happened ever since she had been on this journey with the others. She looked at the mirror and a part of her commented on the reflection she saw of herself.

(I really must have changed…I don't look the way I did before now.)

In this case Meia realized that it was a good thing, she didn't plan on being the same woman she was before all this happened and she decided to make a trip once things between Megele and Talark had been cleared up…a trip that she realized was nearly ten years overdue for her to finally make peace with herself. She planned to visit her Fahma's grave and speak to her, she also recalled the fact that her Ohma also passed away, she had had died saving what she could of the future…and Meia, to her shame never spoke to her again after all the years that had passed between them.

Now it was time to finally mend the wound that may still be bleeding and not yet healed.

She also began to wonder about her time with Kyo…and the event that happened between them on Khudan 7 brought a fierce blush on her face as she recalled what both had done to the other. It was an exhilarating experience and a very deep one in her mind, and she wondered how she would now approach the situation as she began to recall how she had felt when Jura was nearly unable to have children…though her blonde comrade was fine, it got her to thinking on what she should do once the war was over…she also recalled the comment Ezra had given her and Kyo when she saw them holding her daughter Lacus and the baby seemed so happy in their presence. That they would be great parents someday…

Now she wondered if it could ever happen between them. She put that thought aside as she went to the cafeteria to get break-fast.

In yet another room…

Jura was humming a tune to herself as the changed from her sleeping clothes to her normal dress. She was very happy to finally be able to make it back home to her world and see her Ohma and Fahma again. She had a lot to tell them, though she had some reservations about what she would tell them…namely one of them being her relationship with a certain Gundam pilot. She had been really determined on getting the chance to have children with Kyo and not because of fame…but because she was in love with him.

Yet she still wondered how this would be received back on Megele…since Jura was a lot more intelligent that she outwardly appeared, she knew for a fact that the women of her world would be seriously against what she was doing and she no doubt would be labeled as insane for falling in love with a man. But she honestly didn't mind nor care.

As she got out of the shower and headed off to change…she wondered what Kyo's reaction would be if he came forward and told him flat out that she wanted to have a family with him…recalling the looks he had before and since she became very amorous towards him made her somewhat giddy as she tried to picture his exact reaction to the question she had in mind.

--

In the Register…

"All right…we'll have the new supplies brought in soon, thankfully we still have enough of the resources."

Gascogne was busy working on many important parts of the Register and she and her girls were still hard at work, but the fact that they were nearing their home planet and their friends and family still made the girls very excited, Gascogne understood that, but even if she had good friends and adopted family alongside the pirates, she still didn't have anyone to really look forward to meeting again.

The girls in her Register were like family to her, but in the truth of things…she never had a family, once she did…but not anymore.

Her Ohma had passed away when she was still young, she had been a reporter, while her Fahma was a member of the military, after her Ohma's death, her Fahma was assigned to a far away outpost, and she was supposed to have been lost in a mission, but from both parents, both she and her sister were given their parents' pensions, this was when she was still very much a toddler and her older sister Jeanne was also in the military, so they both grew up in the military branch and used the money to make a new life for themselves after their parents' deaths. ()

Jeanne was very much the opposite of Gascogne when the Head Supply Officer was still a teen, while she was passionate, emotional, quick to action, and in her sister's words…reckless, Jeanne was the epitome of cool headedness, focus, control, planning, and concentration…while she favored quick action and fighting with heart and emotion, Jeanne favored the calm and collected approach…that was why in the past they didn't always get along, despite their closeness to one another…she recalled the times she called her sister cold and emotionless, while Jeanne called her reckless and over-emotional

That all changed a few months before and the only thing she ever had as a remembrance to her sister was the metal rod she always had. It was memory metal, and when she bent it in a particular way it became a key to a certain jewel box she had in her quarters.

She sighed and then turned back to her work…and that was when she saw the eldest of the men on the Nirvana walk in with a sigh on his lips and tired expression. She smiled a bit as she greeted Aleck Koubayashi and handed him a glass of orange juice.

The Talark elder smiled his thanks and sat down with a sigh.

"You seem real tired Gunny, had some difficult leg-work this day?"

"Yes, but I am hoping to finally see the dunes and city of my home-planet…and maybe visit some old friends of mine. Along with my son…"

Gascogne raised an eye-brow at that statement, she didn't know that the tough, sagely male Mobile Suit pilot had a son. That was not an insult to him since she didn't at first peg him to the kind of person to have children.

"I didn't know you had a son Gunny. How old is he now?"

Aleck sighed sadly and replied as he finished his drink.

"He'd be about 23…if he was still alive. He died in a training accident in the military and I was still somewhat young when I had him."

Gascogne realized quickly that she had touched a very sore subject for the old soldier and pilot. She gave an apologetic look at the change in attitude of the battle hardened Mobile Suit pilot.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to ask about something seems to be a very painful subject to you."

"I know, you don't need to worry Gascogne, my son did what he had to do so as to ensure that many others of his generation would live."

"If it's not too painful…"

"You want to know? All right, I guess I can tell you how my son lived. A few years before I became who I am, I had a teen-age son, his name was Rei Koubayashi. Like me, he was in the military and was among the few newly trained Vanguard pilots, despite still being young, he was the youngest of the unit and really had to work hard, like the rest of them, he wasn't very talented nor did he have great skills, but he certainly never gave up and pushed himself harder. They were in a mock combat mission in a mock city when the techs made a mistake on the simulated explosions. I was there when the accident occurred. The explosions tore apart a large structure and sent the debris flying…since the Vanguards was still in test phase, there was not that much armor plating and suffice to say they were somewhat vulnerable."

"Rei spotted the incoming debris and placed his Vanguard to stop them from killing others…and one large piece smashed into the Vanguard he was piloting…when we dragged him out of the mangled cockpit…he suffered massive internal injuries and we tried to save him…but my boy looked for any of his comrades as the medics tried to save him. He cared more about his fellow man than his own life as I watched him, I told him he did the right thing…protecting them from being cut down by the shrapnel…"

Aleck put down the glass and sighed heavily as he recalled the sight of his son on the medical gurney being treated. He recalled the words his son said calmly and even when in pain, his son was not going to cry about it. It hurt him to no end to see his son in so much pain, but he felt great pride in him for doing everything he could to save lives…the lives of his men.

Then he heard his son make a request that made him even prouder, though he was still very sad to know that his son was dying in front of him.

"What happened?" Gascogne asked as she could see the emotions flowing over the elder Talark veteran.

"My boy offered whatever part of his body that was not damaged or crushed to those he could not save. In the end my son died the way many men of my world wanted to die…as heroes. Ever since then I want all my students to push themselves harder and stronger, and earn their way into the world…and I was not going to let rank stop me from getting out the full potential of my students…to honor my son's memory of doing all he can and giving it everything he had, and I wanted the students to do whatever they did with all of their power and gain what they had with their own skills, ability and merit…not through their fathers' connections…I guess that why I'm called…"

"Gunny." Gascogne finished. "You push them to reach their full potential and you don't hesitate to remove them from the course, even if they were from the higher ranks if they don't perform to the best of you're standards."

"Yep…I never had another son since then…I dedicated my whole life to the military…at that point I ran into both Duero and his brother Max…I saw shades of my son in them and I trained them well…it's nice to see them together, their Alpha, Hiryu was my close friend and I did promise him to train his boys to the best of what they could achieve…and they have never disappointed me at all."

"Do…you have a picture of you're…never mind, I guess it's not my place."

Aleck merely shrugged and replied.

"No worries…I'm proud of my son, and I will live on…that's what my boy would have wanted his old man to do."

Gascogne smirked. "You're not old you know."

"Really? I'm already in my late thirties…to be more specific I'm at my 35 years of age. Now I know that women don't like being asked how old they are so I won't ask you you're age…even if I told you mine."

Gascogne chuckled at that…she knew women back on her world were somewhat conscious of age, and in her youth…so was she, but she didn't mind that too much now. Besides…with the high amount of medical technology advances on Megele it would hardly be surprising if women her age looked somewhat younger than they actually were

"I may not look like it…but I am old, though not as old as you, old man."

Aleck gave her a mock glare of anger.

"Old man am I? Fine…if you don't mind, I'll ask you you're age."

"Go ahead."

"All right then." Aleck then grabbed a chair and looked Gascogne square in the face. "Gascogne Rheingau, how old are you?"

"I'm 32. Now that I told you my age…I guess we're even in the age department, right?"

"Maybe…but I will make sure you pay up for calling me an old man." Aleck replied…not breaking his stare down with Gasco…who also didn't back down from the elder male.

"Really? How do you plan to do that?"

"This…" Aleck replied as he held up the card deck.

"What do you wager?"

"Ten hands…If I win…I get to see if you can cook. I've always wondered if you could cook like you're fellow pirates… so now seems like the best time to find out."

"And if I win?"

Aleck grinned a bit and replied.

"Then I do the cooking…sounds fair?"

Gascogne smirked at the discovery that the eldest of the men could also cook food, like the others could. Due to so many events that have occurred on the ship, the men had become very much different individuals since they were on the vessel.

Duero had become the best medical officer in the ship and Paiway's former dislike and jealousy had changed to respect and adoration…and naturally the plucky head engineer of the ship had become very much enamored by him, and it seemed that the romance would soon be hitting a center point, though how the two would deal with possible separation once they would arrive back on their respective worlds. Though she knew that the situations between both planets would be very, very dicey, she had a suspicion that it wasn't going to matter soon once the Harvesters invaded.

Bart had become very respected and trusted on the Nirvana…his ability to fly the ship and to now control the ship's plasma cannon batteries were a strong boost to his importance to the crew and the war they were now fighting in. His desire for respect grew as he had single-handedly saved the ship from a fiery fate when they had been dragged to the surface of the planet where they acquired both the SwitchBlade, the Morpheous Gundams along with Max's Templar Gundam…and the two men themselves. He also proved to very brave and strong willed…shown by his courage under fire during their escape and his concentration afterwards. He also proposed to help the men of his world adjust to the possibility of working alongside women…and if his plan to give food pellets real taste worked…that might very well be possible.

Max…well, there was not much to say…he was a very valued part of the crew due to both his skills as a medic and as a pilot of his Gundam…and his relationship with Barnette was certainly a great deal of change for the entire crew to see. Barnette had still a considerable dislike for men, but she had changed when Max saved her life, and it was very obvious to her that Barnette was not going to like the idea of being separated from Max in the very least. The two also worked amazingly well in combat with Barnette in either her Dread of her Gundam alongside the male pilot.

The fact that both McFile brothers were learning how to cook was somewhat an added bonus as this certainly made bonding with them for the respective women to be easier, plus the two men were very much open minded and were willing to learn.

Gascogne knew all this and was curious on just what Aleck had been able to learn in his one year exile from home.

"You can cook? Just how good are you at that?"

"That's for you to find out Gascogne Rheingau…so, do we have a game?"

The female supply officer laughed and took the cards from her male companion and somewhat friend and checked them and began to deal.

"You're on."

--

At another location in space…

"My Lord…we have made contact with the 5th Fleet, the one that was deployed previously to deal with the threats of both Talark and Megele."

"How many ships do they have and how far are they from reaching Talark and Megele?"

The Harvester Leader asked as he continued to study all the data concerning the possible amounts of opposition they might have to deal with should the Nirvana arrive and manage if possible to unite both Talark and Megele…and the possibility of the Resistance allying with them all.

"They have seven battle-ships in their force my Lord…sufficient enough to cause more than enough damage to the forces of either Talark or Megele…unless they have united."

"They have only the basic forces from before…am I correct?"

The clone operator nodded as he ran over the weapon and system manifest of the 5th Fleet's current force strength and operational capacity.

"Yes my Lord…they currently have only the modified Cube Fighter forces, the Urchin Ships, Seed Ships and have a small force of repair/supply drones with them. They have not received any orders for upgrades, and as far as can be determined, they have none of the Overlord or the Dominator Mobile Suit Series in their arsenals."

"I see…"

"Do you wish for them to change course and await upgrade orders?"

"No…the people of both Megele and Talark may no doubt yet be squabbling among themselves, namely since their ancestors had made some mistakes and those have culminated to their current situation. The 5th Fleet will strike first and soften them up and then we strike, if there will be an alliance between the two…then the 5th Fleet's strike will do enough damage and make them imbalanced…and with that, they will be in grave danger…even if the Resistance aligns with them. Keep the 5th Fleet on course…and if they have managed to spot the Nirvana and their forces, have them attack with whatever forces they can muster."

"Yes my Lord."

"What is the latest word of the Resistance?"

"They have continued to harass our forces and the outer strike groups have been damaged…and they have held their own against both the Overlords and the Dominators, but they have lost a considerable deal of their own forces in the assault, as far as can be determined, their attacks are only meant to slow us down."

The leader nodded as he was somewhat disappointed in the past few days…he and his forces had arrived in Khudan 7 and were treated to the sight of a completely abandoned planet. The Khudani people had left their world many weeks before their arrival and had taken all that they could, samples of plants and animals of their precious world, considerable amounts metals, fuel sources, and other materials were taken and all their cities abandoned. The space stations that were there were also abandoned and the planet itself was no longer a viable target…thus he and his fleet left it alone…the planet no longer was either a viable organ collection and harvesting site, nor a good military target.

His plans however were not fouled up in the least as reports from his planet have shown some success in making the serum in manageable amounts, the fact that the people still needed viable organs until the treatment could be mass produced didn't phase him, in time the human race would be reborn and his leadership would usher in a new dawn for human civilization…and with the removal of all threats, both from the colonies…and the past…the human race will rule once more. The people on the colonies had severed their purpose and were no longer needed…and if they gathered in one place, then all the better for them to be utterly annihilated.

The leader of the Harvester Council decided to continue the journey, but decided to take a break and head for his chambers as it was time to rest. The clone operators were given strict orders to only send him priority Alpha calls when they came and not bother him with the normal and easy to handle details. He had a guest to speak to and have some time with…he smiled wickedly at that thought.

--

On an unknown world…

A tall man was busy in what appeared to be a massive cave and it seemed to glow, whether by underground water reflecting light, or crystals that glowed from energy, or by other sources could not be determined. The man amazingly enough was dressed in the same clothes that a certain mercenary and former Harvester Spy and traitor to the human race named Rabat…but this man had none of the qualities that made Rabat who he was. This man was different…even the paint patterns on his face were very different…the fact that his eyes seemed to be like that of Ezra's own showed that this was no ordinary man.

He continued to work on what appeared to be some sort of tapestry…something that depicted a vessel, three strange but humanoid like figures…and two figures with wings…one of blue paint for the wing's feathers…and another with blood red paint for red feathers…the two seemed to be fighting ferociously with glowing swords and on the middle seemed to the picture of a child that was born…

The man was still working when he stopped…as if he suddenly felt a shiver go through him…the man turned and faced another man who was dressed as he was and the young man seemed somewhat pleased and expectant.

Amazingly… both men did not speak anything…not even their mouths moved at all, however it seemed that they knew something was about to happen…or rather someone as the man placed a name into the tapestry…namely near the blue feathered angel.

The older man nodded as he placed his hand and seemed to say that the person the named belonged to had come…and it was time for him to come to their world…as he was about to be guided by something…or someone.

--

A few minutes later…

"Captain…we are now a few hours from the main debris belt." Amarone reported as the ship was now on it's way to the debris belt that acted as a shield to their respective planets.

Magno nodded with relief evident on her face. As soon as they arrived, she would be able to meet up with the rest of the older pirates and if they could, send a communiqué to the First Generations of both planets and show them all the data they had been able to acquire concerning the Harvesters and their now arriving invasion force. The elder pirate knew that as soon as they could possibly forge an alliance between both worlds, then they would have to align with the Resistance and make their stand and defeat the Harvesters, not just to win, but to stop their rampant assaults on other worlds.

Buzam also seemed to be working hard as the silver haired woman continued to work on the console she was currently using alongside the rest of the bridge crew, as soon as she was done with her work, the Commander stood up from the console and gave her report.

"There's been no sign of Harvester activity, but if they had previously deployed several of their battle-ships in the direction of Talark and Megele…we can ill afford to lower our guard, there is the possibility that they may ambush us as we make our way back to Talark and Megele. I suggest we make sure to have the Dread Squadrons, Crusader Squadron, and Kyo with the other Gundam pilots ready to move out and maintain a perimeter as soon as we arrived near the asteroid belt. Once we're in…we might have to only rely on the Gundams for support."

"Sounds like a workable plan…have Kyo, Meia, Dita, and Jura head to the bridge."

Later…

"You called us here Captain?" Meia asked as she, Dita, Jura, and Kyo were now present in the bridge, they had recently met up and were discussing new plans and formations that would prove valuable in the battles to come should they finally arrive in Megele and Talark space. Their one concern was the possibility that they would have to fight either fleet of the men or women once they enter the area.

"Yes, we'll need to be on the look-out for possible enemy activity as we are approaching the debris belt, just because we don't see any current enemies does not mean we should lower our guard, you all do recall that the harvesters had sent seven of their battle-ships towards Talark and Megele after we defeated our first battle-ship?"

All four pilots nodded, they didn't forget what had happened after they had destroyed the first Earth battle-ship and what were the results after the battle. The Harvesters dedicated a large part of their force towards Talark and Megele afterwards in retaliation.

Buzam then took over as she showed images of their location and the debris belt.

"The fact is that since we are already close to the debris belt that acts as a shield towards Talark and Megele, we may have to expect possible Harvester activity, as we already know, they are known to deploy small but well armed and supported strike teams to attack and scout out any potential targets. Since we are on our way to warn Talark and Megele, it would make sense that they will try and halt our approach and once we are in the debris belt, the Dreads and Crusaders will have no way of fighting in the closed environments. Since the Gundams are the only ones with the shielding needed to survive being in such places…we'll need to make sure that once we're in the magnetic debris belt we'll still have security, even with the improved shielding and Bart's ability to use the cannons, we'll still be disabled in terms of defense once we enter, due to the debris and energy storms."

The four thought about that and had to agree with Buzam's statement, even the Crusaders would be hard pressed in both scanning and maneuvering in such a mess of space debris and energy pulses, and the Dreads would be out of the game for quite a bit, plus Bart would have to dedicate his entire time in keeping the shield up and making sure that their ship didn't get pulverized by debris…as such, they would have to serve as the combat arm, of the Nirvana.

"All right…so what's the plan for deployment?" Kyo asked Magno and Buzam

--

Later…

Kyo was now in is Gundam along with Dita, Jura, Meia, and Barnette, the four women in their respective machines, namely with Barnette now taking over Meia's place as Dread Squadron leader due to Meia now piloting a Gundam unit. Though the Gundams could revert to their Dread form and make GunDreads, the Alpha Versions were no longer possible due to them being converted to make the Super GunDread unit itself. However, the loss of the three didn't dampen the effectiveness of the GunDreads. Kyo had taken that in consideration and requested to train the three on newer tactics and maneuvers that combined the use of their older GunDreads with their new ability to convert their Dread fighters into Gundams. Plus when they could spare the time, they took to using the Super GunDread in mock battles.

As Kyo saw the Crusaders and the Dreads fly out to help with the escort mission, he began to make scanning runs throughout the system area before him, however he had other concerns.

His memories were already coming back to him, a lot more frequently that they had done long before he began this trip of his. He had a feeling, an unmistakable feeling that sooner or later, his memories would someday return to him and he hoped that the greatest question is his mind would finally be answered after so long. His next concern was what he would do should the war between humanity and the Harvesters would finally be over. He had been giving over a lot of thought on such things, namely on whether he would stay with the pirates, or find his own way in the world. The pirates were like his family and staying with them seemed a much better idea…but could he handle being on an all female society? He rather doubted that for a bit, for one thing he certainly wasn't going to have an easy time blending in with them being a man, plus the fact that the female society would never accept the fact that he had what one would call deep romantic affections for the woman, or in his unfortunate or fortunate case, depending on one's interpretation, the women who hold a place in his heart and mind.

But the idea of him being alone again certainly was not a good prospect, and after a few more minutes of deliberation, he decided to put those thoughts aside for the time being and focus on his work as the leader of the patrol team. The last thing he wanted was to be suddenly caught of guard by the enemy and he would be in the worst case situation if that happened.

As he led the Nirvana's forces into their defensive formations, he and the others were about to walk into another situation, only this time, the Harvesters were the ones who were going to spring it…not the other way around, Buzam's suspicions were about to be proven correct, however another person was about to take advantage of both the pirates and the Harvesters.

--

A fair distance away from the pirates and the Nirvana…

The Cube Fighters and the Seed Ships were already in combat position along with a large number of GunDread, Dita, Jura, and Meia Clones. The harvesters had known that sooner or later, the Nirvana would make it's way through the debris belt to warn the two planets beyond the masses of space debris and energy storms. They had no intention of letting that happen as they got ready to attack. In les than a few moments, a large number of harvesters began their attack.

However, they were unaware that a certain someone in a Mobile Suit armed with Mirage Colloid was nearby, and since the Harvester units in the strike team were not armed with sensors that were conditioned and programmed to help them bypass the artificial particles' stealth inducing properties, it was hardly a surprise to know that they were unaware of the person's current location.

--

In the Nirvana…

"Captain! Harvesters have been detected!"

Magno nodded and looked at Buzam with a sly look.

"Looks like you're suspicions were correct BC. We'd better get ready, if the Harvesters are already here, then no doubt their ships will soon be following them from behind."

"Understood Captain…all hands prepare for combat!!"

It didn't take long for all the pirates to get ready for ground combat as they rushed and prepared, with their squadrons already deployed, and ready fight, Bart was the only one getting ready as he armed up the Nirvana's plasma cannon batteries for lock-on, the mature bald navigator and ship gunner began to check and double check the firing systems and targeting computers for the main weapons of the Nirvana, once he was done he made a call to the bridge.

"All weapons are primed and ready Captain, ready to engage at the mark."

Magno nodded and gave her orders to Bart.

"Have the guns ready fir and support the defensive forces once they engage the enemy, aim for the Seed Ships first once you have a clear shot…if Kyo directs you to fire at certain target coordinates, then do so and support him."

"Understood Captain! Leave the guns to me!"

Magno nodded and smiled somewhat at the more confident and brave way Bart acted, no doubt, Kyo's influence and his own maturity had made Bart this way, and it was a good thing as the young man was certainly different from when he first started on this journey. The elder officer then got ready for the inevitable encounter with the Harvesters.

"The Dreads, Crusaders, and the Gundams have engaged the enemy!"

It was on…

--

Out in space…

The entire area of space was once more a battleground as energy bolts, solid rounds, and missile trails were now in the area, along with wreckage. However, in this case, the pirates had the tactical, technological, and experience advantage, thus being able to outpace the still numerically superior force. Squadrons of Cube Fighters were being torn apart by the women and their Dread, Crusader Mobile Suits and naturally, their Gundams, Kyo was in the lead of the Gundam strike unit while Barnette, Sara, and Mai led their respective teams.

All four Gundam pilots quickly went into SEED mode and Kyo led the three Gundam pilots and their own Paeksis enhanced Gundams into the battle as explosions and beam bolts were seen all around them.

Three Cube Fighters were blown to bits as Kyo used the I-Freedom's beam rifles reduced them quickly as several more filled in the gaps, the Gundam's head mounted CIWS guns unleashed a torrent of bullet fire that tore into several more of the enemy and then, as they drew ever closer, Kyo reached to his sides and revealed both beam sabers, the energy blades were now ready to be used and they were.

Several Cube Fighters were either cut in half or were cut from top to bottom by one powerful slash from either beam saber. Two tried to crash into the Gundam, heedless of the Phase Shift Armor, and both had their eyes ripped apart as the beam sabers impaled them there, with a yank, the Gundam removed it's beam sabers and with two arching slashes, both were cut down quickly. The Gundam jetted away as three Cube Fighters attacked the Paeksis powered Gundam as it still had it's beam sabers. Kyo moved the Gundam in a dodging pattern and with several passes, cut the Cube Fighters down. The Gundam pilot had to move his Mobile Suit aside however as several GunDread Dita Clones came at him.

Kyo then directed his Gundam to place aside it's beam sabers and took out one f his anti-ship swords and as the beam edge was ignited, he quickly guided his Gundam to attack the enemy, Several massive beams were being fired at him by the GunDread Clones but most missed and the Gundam then attacked the first before him.

One Clone got a face full of the beam edge as the anti-ship sword arrived from the lower body and sliced half the face off on the Clone and the Clone could do little as it's CPU was severed from it's body. The anti ship sword then smashed through the now decapitated GunDread Clone and cut it in half. Another tried to use it's arm blade but was blocked by the Infinite Freedom that used it's left arm to catch the attack and then introduced it's massive anti ship sword into the chest…stabbing clear through the armor plating and appearing through the back. The Gundam then twisted the sword, tearing apart the GunDread Clone and with a powerful swing, ripped the sword outward in a rising arc as the Gundam then kicked away the GunDread Clone and as the Gundam jetted away to face off, more of the enemy the machine exploded and was now a burning wreck.

Kyo decided to reserve his DRAGOONS for more important situations since, he estimated that the current situation could be handled by the others, along with him. Though he kept his eyes open for any surprises that the Harvesters might be preparing.

Meia's Silver Lightning Gundam was nearby as she used her Gundam's exceptional speed and considerable fire power to her advantage as her beam rifle, rail-guns, and plasma cannons rained destruction on several Cube Fighters at tried to take her out, she used her Gundam's heavy shield to defend herself from enemy fire and as she was able to shoot down more of the enemy, she then activated her special weapon mode as she placed her rifle at the holding unit on the back.

The strategically located energy field generators on her Gundam began to gather energy to bathe her in the same offensive energy field that she had l\recently learned to use more effectively through her training sessions with Kyo and her fellow Gundam pilots, Her Gundam streaked out like a massive laser bolt and slammed into the Cube Fighters, destroying several more as the Seed Ships unleashed more of them, The Silver Lightning Gundam then jetted past several GunDread Jura Clones and amazingly, smashed through their shields with tremendous force and some of them were severely damaged by the impact, a GunDread Dita Clone tried to shoot Meia's Gundam down, but paid for the attempt as the Gundam slammed into it and ripped off half of it's body with intense force, another GunDread Dita Clone was also destroyed as it's cannon arm was blown off along with most of it's right shoulder and it's torso.

As soon as she slowed down, Meia took her Gundam to higher speeds and dodged several shots from a GunDread Dita Clone and with quick speed got into front of the machine and her rifle was now in her Gundam's hands and she fired a point blank shot into the face of the GunDread Clone. She then took one of her beam katanas and with the weapon ignited she quickly attacked and cut down another GunDread Dita Clone, she then blocked a ramming attempt by a GunDread Meia Clone, she blocked with her shield and with some effort managed to turn the machine aside to expose it's neck and with one powerful slash, decapitated the avian mecha, resulting in it's death. Several more GunDread Dita Clones came at her as she used her shield block several more and then she charged, as the GunDread Dita clones fired, they realized that their weapons were overheating and had to stop…this allowed Meia to get her other beam katana and with her shield safely away, she used the two ignited beam weapons and stabbed both her foes deep in the torsos and with descending slashes, cut them open, she then managed to avoid being rammed by another clone of her old GunDread and as she jetted backwards, she quickly got her Gundam to lie flat and then jammed her beam katana right in the underbelly of the machine. Since the Harvester machine was still moving forward, it was cut open by the beam weapon as Meia placed one of the weapons aside and reactivated her shield and went off to help the others.

Dita was on her own fight as she used her training under Kyo to perfect her shooting skills as several Cube Fighters were taken out by her two beam rifles, as he was able to dodge several shots, she had learned a new trick, on using her Gundam's beam shields to block incoming fire and then fire her beam rifles the moment the barrage was stopped, she then spotted several more Seed Ships, ready to release more Cube Fighters, with that in her sights, Dita quickly combined her beam rifles and used the weapons in their combined beam cannon mode and aimed at the Seed Ships, that had the misfortune of being close to one another and were either severely damaged o destroyed by the combined energy output of the combined beam rifles.

She then returned the beam cannon to beam rifle mode and got her Super DRAGOON system with her Gundam's HiMAT online as several more Cube Fighters and a few clones of her old GunDread came at her. Despite her nervousness, she calmed down enough and quickly aimed the targeting icons of the available targets as soon as she had a good lock on all of them, she unleashed her weaponry as the rail-guns were released, along with the DRAGOON OS guided beam cannons, and the abdomen cannon came online and all the weapons fired in unison and slammed right into the opposition, causing massive damage to them all, Cube Fighters were either destroyed or ripped to bits, Seed Ships were heavily damaged, and a few GunDread Dita Clones were badly mauled by the weapons fire.

As soon as her ranged weapons were back on standby mode, Dita took out one of her Gundam's beam sabers as several other Cube Fighters came at her, firing all the while. She used her Gundam's beam shield to block incoming fire from the enemy units and cut down the Cube Fighters as they came close enough for her beam saber to be combat effective, though she was still a bit uneven with her strikes, Kyo's lessons and drills seemed to have the desired effect as she was able to take out a good number of them. As soon as she was complete in her moves to defend herself and take out her foes she then used her beam rifles and the speed of her Gundam to help her out.

Jura was in her own Gundam and was using her shields to absorb and redirect the incoming beam fire some several Cube Fighters, the Cube Fighters were reduced into burning scrap after being over whelmed by their own weaponry. As soon as she was able to move she used her Gundam's hidden ranged combat weapons to shred apart more enemy forces and keep moving from enemy fire that was directed at her and her Gundam unit.

She then spotted several more threats, namely some surviving GunDread Dita Clones who charged at her at high speed, along with a pair of GunDread Meia Clones as well. She realized that it was going to have to ranged to close combat soon, namely at the range the enemy units were in. She fired some more rounds at the Cube Fighters and quickly got out her beam sabers. As soon as the blades were ignited, she switched them beam sabers to their beam whip configuration and lashed the weapons at the enemy. The beam whips were able to cut down several more Cube Fighters and managed to slice off the arms of some GunDread Dita Clones, the two GunDread Meia Clones tried to ram into her Gundam, and she had revert her beam whips back to their beam saber mode and managed to fight them off, and fired several salvo from her ranged weaponry to slow them down, as soon as the lead Clone got close enough, Jura moved her Gundam aside and used on in whip mode and slashed off the head of the Clone and then she dodged once more and jammed the other beam saber right into the right side of the face of the unit.

As both were destroyed, she faced off with the GunDread Dita Clones that tried to ambush her and fought them off, one GunDread Dita Clone got it's arm slashed off by Jura's attack and the blonde Gundam pilot then drove her other beam saber right into the torso of the second as it tried to blindside her. She quickly kicked the stabbed clone away and finished off the other one with a powerful slash to the torso, cutting the machine in half. Once they were pushed back, Jura went on with the attack.

The other pirates in either their Dreads or Crusaders were quick to overwhelm the enemy and were beating the Harvesters back, however, they had learned enough lessons from previous battles not to get carried away by easy victories, the Harvesters had fooled them three times, one with the massive trap that had the Nirvana trapped on a massive desert world that was about to literally be shaken to shreds under their feet, along with the Mirage Colloid ambush with the large Harvester force, and the battle over Khudani 7. If there was one lesson they had learned, was to never underestimate the Harvesters. The pirates noted that these forces appeared to have been part of the previously deployed ships to their respective worlds, since there were no signs of Overlord Mobile Suits in their forces, and there seemed to be few to none Dominion Gundam units in the assault force that they were currently fighting.

In the Nirvana…

Magno looked over at the tactical screen and was not liking what she saw, the old woman knew that there was no way the Harvesters would allow this to keep happening, and where were their battle-ships? Had they already broken through the debris field and were already attacking Megele and Talark? Were the men of Talark fighting back? Were the women fighting as well? Are they still at war with each other even now as the Harvesters were attacking them?

So many questions that deserved answers, and there was no time for them to be idle, they had to wrap this fight up before they were once more bogged down by enemy opposition. She then got into contact with both Gascogne and Buzam. Recently, the head of the Register had requested that main control of the Cube Fighter squadrons that were on their side would be handed to her, and since she was a former military officer, Magno allowed it, alongside Buzam who agreed with the more open use of the converted Cube Fighters.

"Gascogne…I want you to deploy several bands of Cube Fighters to try and locate the battle-ships. If these forces are here, then it is possible they can be a blockade force, or the battle-ships are nearby, either way, we need to know now."

Gascogne nodded in agreement.

"Understood Captain."

The elder woman then ran her hands over a set of controls near her station and it revealed command orders for the release of the Cube Fighters from the Mirage Colloid equipped Harvester battle-ship that they salvaged. The ship itself remained cloaked and unleashed it's Seed Ships as Gascogne issued the commands, and the Seed Ships quickly unleashed their own Cube Fighters to end the fight quickly and effectively.

As soon as the Cube Fighters on the side of the pirate came on the scene, the fight turned in favor of the women very quickly. The Harvesters were unprepared for the sudden onrush of reinforcements on the side of the pirates and were hard pressed to fight back.

As the fight went to the side of the pirates however, several GunDread Dita Clones close to death suddenly acted as if they were being high-jacked by someone or something, a new program perhaps, and suddenly the small band concentrated their attacks on only one Gundam.

Kyo's Gundam…

They were not alone as several still functional Seed Ships suddenly directed their attention to Kyo and the Infinite Freedom. The units then charged at full throttle at the Gundam and as Kyo noted their lock on him and his Gundam, he tried to take them out before they got close enough to finish him off, several g the GunDread Dita Clones took the full brunt of his beam rifle hits, along with his other ranged weapons, He then took out his beam sabers when they were too close to him for his ranged beam weapons to take out quickly and effectively. As he was able to take out a few more of the enemy, namely some of the damaged Cube Fighters, the Seed Ships and the surviving GunDread Dita Clones closed the gap. They were able to dog-pile him and suddenly, the Seed Ships that survived Kyo's retaliatory strikes and the GunDread Dita Clones were able to push Kyo away from the fight and right into the debris belt!!

Kyo didn't know just what was going on with this suddenly attack, but he was in no mood to be separated from the others as he tried desperately to free himself from the enemy. However, even as he managed to destroy a GunDread Dita Clone that still held him in place…he was dragged deep into the debris cloud and the moment he was deep in the morass, which messed up both communications and long range scanners, the Harvester units that held him released him, allowing him the chance to finish them off.

"MR. ALIEN!!"

Dita cried out in shock at the sight of Kyo being suddenly thrown out of the fight by the Harvesters as the pirates were suddenly aware of the apparent attack on Kyo as soon as they were able to finish the fight…just as Kyo was suddenly lost on radar.

Meia and Jura quickly tried to locate Kyo with their Gundams' sensors, but had no luck as the debris belt interfered with their scanners, and their scanners didn't have the range coverage to scan deeper in the debris cloud.

Magno and the others reacted to the news of Kyo's disappearance, the older woman was looking very grim, along with Buzam and the others, she was not in the mood to let Kyo be lost to them.

"Bart! Have the Nirvana enter the debris cloud and try to locate Kyo and the Infinite Freedom Gundam!"

"Roger!!" The bald helmsman said without hesitation or fear as he guided the pirate vessel into the debris belt, as soon as all the pirates were back in the ship, with the exception of the Gundams piloted by Jura, Meia, and Dita who remained outside to try and visually spot Kyo and his Gundam.

However, Kyo was far from safe as he managed to finish off his attackers, he was just about to try and attempt to locate where he was and contact the Nirvana for pick-up when another Mobile Suit appeared before him, out from behind a massive meteorite.

The Mobile Suit seemed somewhat the same as a Mobile Suit he had recalled seeing a long time ago, though where he had no idea where, the machine was black and green and appeared to have a shield/weapon system similar to some of the variants that the Resistance built from the Retribution Mobile Suit series that they had developed during their time among the Taisians. There appeared to be a massive cone shaped anchor on the other arm and there were also a pair of swords on the side, similar to the swords used by ancient samurai warriors.

As he was about to try and find out just who this was, his comm. came online and a voice that sounded very familiar came on the speakers.

"It's been a long time Kyo."

(No…it can't be…)

Kyo then quickly activated the visual systems and looked at just who piloted that Mobile Suit.

--

In the Infinite Freedom Gundam…

"YOU?!"

Kyo said with rage and disbelief as he looked at the pilot of the unknown Mobile Suit. He couldn't believe that he would be meeting the traitor once more after many months of hoping not to meet the one man he despised with as much ferocity as the Harvesters…

Rabat

The mercenary then looked calmly at Kyo and in the same way he had appeared, the trader and con artist activated his Mobile Suit's Mirage Colloid systems and vanished into the darkness of space.

Kyo wasted no time and quickly made the changes to his OS, concerning the sensors of his Gundam to track down Rabat's location, so he could find out just what this bastard had been doing here, had he been able to locate Talark and Megele and revealed a weak-point in the defenses of both worlds…so to allow the Harvesters a better chance at striking the two planets? He was going to find out, but what also got his attention was the fact that Rabat was in a Mobile Suit and not in his ship. The trader was not in his old vessel, and what was even more surprising was the fact that Utan was nowhere in sight, plus…for some reason…Rabat acted too strangely from the one he knew as a con artist, parasite, traitor, and mercenary…something was not right.

However, Kyo was forced to stop his actions as Rabat suddenly fired several high impact explosive armor piercing darts at him, forcing him to stop his modifications to the sensors and concentrate on trying to defend himself, not to mention that he had to land on an asteroid and lock himself in to withstand the storm in a large gorge. He used the partial modifications and managed to get a good lock on Rabat who kept on the move to try and avoid his beam fire as he tried to shoot the mercenary down. He then made a broadband communiqué and directed it to Rabat.

"So this is you're plan for revenge on me, you rat bastard? Fine, show me what you've got!"

He then got a response…a strange response as Rabat's normally cocky, smug, and arrogant tone seemed…different, almost broken somehow.

"I didn't come here to kill you Kyo…not anymore."

Kyo growled as he kept his eyes and his Gundam's sensors alert, but due to the large amount of debris and the dust, plus the energy storms, it made it hard to try and locate Rabat and get a good lock on with any of his weapons.

As he moved out, it became apparent that Rabat was waiting for him and used his own Mobile Suit's rocket anchor to knock the I-Freedom with a ramming attack with the aid of the visual interference, debris, and energy storms. Kyo could barely recover as he then spotted the Mobile Suit de-cloak itself and the rocket anchor managed to get a good grip on his Gundam's fore-arm with the now opened rocket anchor. Kyo tried to move and reach for his beam sabers, or anti-ship swords to cut the line connecting the now opened rocket anchor that gripped his Gundam's arm t Rabat's own Mobile Suit, but the Mobile Suit and it's pilot knew what he was about to do and somehow moved him into the path of more incoming debris that were nearby…knocking the Gundam about and sending him tumbling to another direction.

Kyo shook his head, but suddenly felt nauseous and realized that he must have hit his head once more due to the massive impact on the debris on the armor of his Gundam. He was out of control and unable to right himself, and before he could, another impact hit his Gundam, but before he fell unconscious, he sensed that it was not weapons fire. But something solid that hit him but could not destroy the shielding of his Prominence Phase Shift Armor.

It seemed that Rabat had finally managed to get the upper hand on him.

Rabat however had other concerns, even if by all rights he had a clear shot at Kyo and the chance to destroy him…the trader chose not to and somehow instead of gaining his revenge as most would expect…the man merely scanned the Gundam and seemed…calm in knowing the Kyo was not dead, but only unconscious…

He then powered his Mobile Suit's thrusters and went to another direction, now dragging the Paeksis powered Gundam along with him. It appeared Rabat had other plans for Kyo and it seemed that revenge was not one of them.

(It's time…)

--

Later…

Celtic checked his scanners again and again to make sure that they were still working, but she could find nothing, and she sighed.

"It's no use, it's dead."

The moment those words came out of her mouth, the entire bridge crew looked at her with intense fear and worry, even Buzam and Magno looked at her with shock and dismay, prompting the blue haired girl to realize just what words had come out of her mouth. And she was quickly trying to diffuse the situation.

"I mean the radar! The interference from all the debris' shorted out the radar! Both long and medium range radar is offline!"

The bridge crew relaxed, but both Amarone and Belvedere were still very distressed, along with Ezra.

"Geez Celtic! You could at least be a bit more clear…we're in a serious mess right now…this is not the time for miscommunications!"

"Sorry." Celtic replied meekly at her comrades.

Ezra however was not angry at her and calmed her fellow comrades as she looked at her own scanners and also to her baby Lacus, who seemed to be just as on edge as the other members of the bridge crew.

Buzam was currently trying to figure out what their options were…currently the ship's long and short range visual scanners were all offline or were unable to scan properly due to massive amounts of visual and sensory interference, the occasional energy bolt caused by ionization and energy discharge certainly didn't make things helpful for the crew. The silver haired woman then got into contact with Bart, who was currently trying his best to try and clear up the mess.

"How's things on you're end Bart?"

In the Navigation Well…

Bart was busy running through the controls and systems, checking for any visual and sensory spectrum to get past the interference, while maintaining the shield that protected the Nirvana from any damage that it might face should the debris come into contact with it. He sighed in frustration as he checked and came up with only a short end of the clue.

"Nothing Commander, I can't see anything clearly in visual and I can't use the other sensory spectrums either, plus I can't seem to raise Kyo's Gundam via comm. systems, no doubt due to the massive energy and debris out there, and we can't just go charging anywhere either, I don't have any star-charts in the data-base to see if there are any places where Kyo might be, not to mention the maps that we do have, appear to be at least a hundred years old, and a LOT can happen at that span of time. I won't give up though, I will not leave here until Kyo is with us."

"Same with me!" Belvedere replied in agreement with Bart. "I won't leave, we're all going home together!"

"Neither will I!" Amarone replied.

"I'm not going to leave until we find Kyo!" Celtic spoke in agreement with the rest of her comrades.

"We're not abandoning anyone. Especially him." Ezra replied as well.

Buzam and Magno nodded at the sentiment of the bridge crew. They would not leave this place until they found Kyo and he was once more with in the ship, and the old woman knew that the same sentiment was with the rest of the Nirvana pirates, namely with a certain group of individuals who were by her estimation very close to the young Gundam pilot.

Sure, enough, a certain bubbly redhead came on the screen, her normally happy smile gone and replaced with deep concern and worry.

"Captain…we can't leave until we find Mr. Alien! I want t go and look for him!"

Magno shook her head, no matter how much she would like it if Dita did find Kyo and bring him back, she had to be realistic, they were in a debris cloud and if Dita left, there was a chance she too would be lost to them, and they could not afford to lose anyone at this point and time, and besides…Kyo would not like it in the least that Dita would get in danger looking for him, plus he would be very unhappy if she got injured.

Buzam also shared the same sentiments as she spoke as calmly as she could as there was the safety of the rest of the crew to be considered at this point of time.

"No Dita, we cannot afford to lose anyone right now…no matter how difficult it is for me to say it as well…we can't do anything but stay close together and try to find out where he is. Until we do, I and the Captain can't allow you or anyone to leave the ship."

"But we can't leave him! He…he could be hurt, lost, or he could be in mortal danger! We…we…we can't lose him, please…we can't lose Mr. Alien…"

Dita answered with s heart-wrenching sob as she cried while in the cockpit of her Gundam.

It also didn't take long for several other members of the pirates to follow Dita's plea to not give up and search for Mr. Alien…no matter how impossible it was in their current situation…Meia, the former Dread Squadron Leader was the first to voice her agreement to not leaving Kyo behind.

"I request permission to go along with Dita captain…I know, that what I am doing is against you're orders…but Kyo is too important for any of us to leave behind, we need his help, his skills…everything."

Magno looked at her and smiled slightly, the elder woman could tell that Meia was serious in this and she could not blame her. She could see how distressed Meia was when Kyo was suddenly sent into the debris belt and despite the dangers of getting lost as Kyo was…Meia was determined to find him.

"And to you Meia…is he important?" She asked as a way to test her, not in a bad way, but she knew that Meia's feelings for Kyo were strong, and despite the somewhat unfairness of the question, she knew somehow the Meia's answer would be enough for her.

"Yes…he is Captain…more than ever now." Meia replied and despite the calm tone in her voice, she was blushing slightly at her confession.

The old woman smiled a bit more, but before she could comment, Jura showed up as well, the blonde was in her own Gundam and had her uniform on, and from her expression, the old woman could tell that she too was more than willing to go after Kyo and save him.

"The same goes for me…I won't leave here until he's with us again. We all have been through too much together for us…and me to lose him now."

Barnette amazingly appeared, also dressed in her own Gundam piloting uniform and a grim but very determined expression on her own face.

"I won't leave until Kyo is back with us either, I owe him a lot, and that's why I am going out too."

Max was also in his own flight suit and had his helmet in the crook of his arm, his expression told the old woman that all she had to do was approve it and he would be alongside the others in rescuing Kyo.

Sara and Mai then appeared, and although they didn't say much at first, Magno knew that the two shared the same sentiments as the three former Dread pilots. And the older woman knew that Barnette…having made her peace with Kyo also thanked him for the chance to be with Max, and this change was for the better.

The other members of the Crusader Squadron came in, each of them asking permission to launch alongside Meia, Dita, Jura, and Barnette to try and find Kyo, despite the dangers and the risks that they would have to overcome if they did, they respected and admired Kyo, he was their commander and there was no way in Hell they were going to leave the debris field without him by their side.

Magno admired the show of great loyalty and friendship of the crew towards Kyo and wished that they could go out and find the young man, but she still had to make the decision to order them to remain near the ship, it was going to be hard for her to tell them to resist the idea of looking for Kyo, since they did have reasons to be fearful for his safety. She knew that Kyo would not want them to get in danger and also get into harm's way.

As she thought about what to say, she hoped that Kyo was alive and safe, she agreed that they would not go anywhere from the belt until they found Kyo. The only thing that they had to work on was to find some way to locate and contact him

--

The pirates however had little to fear for now, as Kyo was in good hands… though how he got there was going to be somewhat…controversial.

--

In a room…

(Ugh! Where am I?)

Kyo wondered just what had happened to him as he began to open his eyes, the Gundam pilot found himself on his back what felt rather soft…almost like a mattress, as soon as he looked about, he didn't find himself in a ship or a medical facility…at least not a very high tech one. He noted that the walls appeared to be purely made out of stone and Earth, almost similar to some of the old style huts he had seen in the fringes of civilization on some worlds he had been is, he didn't try to struggle at first, he tried to gently move to see if he was injured, he was happy to note that he only had some strained muscles, not broken bones. He looked and saw what appeared to be medical equipment and several pans of cool water, the room he was in was filled with soothing colors, normally seen in some places of religious significance. However, before he could do anything he was greeted by the sight of a young man who's style of dress reminded him too deeply of a certain traitor he had just met…however he could tell that this guy was not in the same roads as Rabat was.

"Who are you?" The Gundam pilots asked carefully and as diplomatically as he could. He didn't know who the person was, nor the people he belonged too since he hardly met them before…the only thing he knew about that was the fact that they wore the same outfit Rabat did, along with the face paint, though the man had a different pattern. He expected an answer…but the young man barely said a word, and before he could ask, the Gundam pilot heard the man's voice, but it didn't come from the person's mouth…rather, y heard it…in his mind.

(" My name is Tao, I was sent here to check up on you, as was requested by my Master Diego. Are you feeling all right?")

Kyo was hardly all right however.

"How did you do that?! How could you speak to me without even opening you're mouth?! And how come I can only hear you're voice inside my head?!"

A new person appeared, and Kyo knew who it was quickly, though injuries were all over the new arrival.

"The reason for that Kyo is that Tao and his Master Diego…in fact, everyone here, except me is gifted with psychic gifts and telepathy. Like I said…it's been a while hasn't it?" Rabat said with a calm tone as both men glared at each other.

Kyo was not in the best of moods, despite his curiosity on the changes Rabat had apparently been on. He still didn't trust the trader and his expression showed it.

"What are you doing here? You planning to sell these people to the Harvesters too? If you are, then you're going to really get it now!"

Wasting little time, Kyo looked for his weapons, namely his combat pistol while keeping his eyes on Rabat to make sure he didn't make any sudden moves that would be an indication of attack, however the Gundam pilot was not happy to notice that his weapons were not with him, even his sword was not there.

"Looking for these?"

Rabat replied as he revealed the pistol that the Gundam pilot was looking for, along with Kyo's sword. Right now it seemed that Rabat had the cards as he was now in the chamber and Kyo was once more on his feet, ignoring some of the tenderness of his body, ready to fight if it came to it.

Rabat took out the pistol loaded it with a clip and cocked it…making Kyo tense as the man walked over to him…

And offered the pistol to him.

Kyo was struck dumb as Rabat was offering him a loaded weapon, his own pistol was loaded by the man he despised deeply for his crimes against humanity and it almost seemed that Rabat was doing this willingly. The next words that came out of Rabat's mouth were few…but enough to startle the Gundam pilot even further.

"I can tell you want to shoot me…then here, go ahead, I won't stop you."

That was enough for Kyo grab the gun and then aimed it at Rabat, however, the normally cocky look and grin that would appear on the trader's face never appeared at all…it was replaced by a look of acceptance and resignation…totally unlike the older Rabat that Kyo had met many months before. Kyo then noted some injuries on Rabat, the way he moved spoke of massive injuries of various degrees, he could tell, due to the way Rabat would move, and some of his limbs…moved too quickly to be that of normal human limbs, almost like they were prosthetics. Something happened to Rabat and Kyo was curious, however, he was not curious enough to not suspect a trap as he aimed the offered pistol at Rabat and kept his gun trained at Rabat and a deep unfriendly glare at the trader.

"What the heck are you driving at Rabat? Is this another trick of yours? Some new scheme that you want to try to save you're hide from the misery and pain you placed on the humans on the colonies you sold out? Give me one good reason why I shouldn't believe that this is some trick."

"It's no trick, there's no catch, no scheme, and I don't plan on doing any tricks on you…if you want to kill me for all that I have done, then I won't stop you, and if you do, then I won't regret it, if my death could at least make up for SOME of my crimes then I won't hesitate to accept it. I've seen and heard enough to accept what I have done."

Kyo didn't know where this was going and before he could figure out just what was going on, Tao calmly spoke to him.

("Kyo, I would like to request that you put down you're weapon, this is my village and my home…as much as I can understand you're issues with Rabat, my people will not tolerate any form of violence in our village…and I would appreciate it if you lower you're weapon…you're scaring the people outside.")

Kyo looked to the outside of the door, and saw that Tao was correct, out of the room's area were a collection of people who gathered, some of them were children and others n the group were older individuals, many of them looked at him somewhat fearfully, and some of the children were really scared. The Gundam pilot, as much as he was very tempted to kill Rabat couldn't bring himself to kill a person in front of the eyes of children. He didn't want to scar them for life with the images of seeing a person being mercilessly killed in front of them.

He glared at Rabat for a few more moments, and then activated the safety of his pistol and placed it back on his holster and also sheathed his sword away. He then faced Tao and spoke to the man while still keeping part of his alert attention on the trader.

"Sorry about that…but I, never mind, are you the ones who brought me here? And how do you know…him?"

Kyo looked back at Rabat with a dark glare as Tao responded.

("Master Diego and I have been expecting you for some time, the spirits told us that you were now on you're way.")

"Spirits?"

("I am sorry, but it would be best that you follow me to where my Master is so that he can explain things more clearly to you Kyo, and as to the one who brought you here, Rabat brought you here himself. If you wish to know why, then you will have to finish you're discussion with my Master, will you follow me?")

Seeing that he didn't much at this point in time any terms of options, the Gundam pilot nodded as he and the two men moved to met with Tao's master, however, Kyo insisted that Rabat be in front of him, this would allow him to subdue Rabat should the man try something on them.

--

Back on the Nirvana…

Duero was busy running through the data on his console, ever since he had been able to gain Kyo's ID card he had tried to locate any information that he could from the card, and so far he had only gained basic information, however there seemed to be some sort of hidden files in the data card and amazingly, for a Third Class Citizen ID card, the data was heavily encrypted, it was as if Old Man Jin had somehow found out something about Kyo that he was not willing to reveal, even to Kyo himself.

The young medic had decided to see just what he could find about his friend and although most of the data he had found were very much basic data had he himself had gained over the months he had worked with the Gundam pilot, anything about Kyo's own personal history was sealed. If Kyo had given Old Man Jin a data disk and the elder male had used it as the basic template for creating Kyo's ID, then the older Talark male must have found data that he thought was too important for anyone to find out casually, thus the massive encryption system and codes that were in there. He had managed to remove the cover story with some difficulty, but the real data was so well protected.

The doctor wondered why Kyo didn't notice it, but considering his friend's nature and the life he had on Talark, he was not surprised that Kyo, at the time of his stay, was concerned with other matters than a seemingly well hidden secret. Not to mention he wasn't very happy with Talark culture, though he admitted he respected their practicality, efficiency, survival training, adaptability, and their will to survive.

The young man knew that by all rights, he should have other concerns to take care of, namely the medical situation of the crew…not to mention that he too was showing an interest in looking for Kyo to make sure he was safe with them. However he understood the Captain's current standing order for them to not leave the ship while they searched for Kyo using the ship's maps and scanners. Kyo would not like the idea of any of his close comrades getting lost, hurt, or killed, looking for him…plus, the young man believed that Kyo was not going to be lost so easily, if he found his way to Talark through this mess before ever hooking up with them all those months before, Duero had no doubt he could do that again.

"Duero, is there any word yet from the bridge?"

Duero turned to face Paiway who had been out during a rest break. The young girl seemed very worried right now and was very silent, not like her normal self. Paiway was worried about Kyo and hoped that the young man was still safe and would soon be found.

"I'm afraid not…but I have hope and faith that we'll find him."

"I hope so too…but still, I can't help but worry about him." Paiway said truthfully.

"Neither can I…but I also know that Kyo has been used to surviving and making it out of tough scraps. Let's not forget that he found his way to Talark through this very same debris belt without any support, and before that, he had traveled the universe on his own, not to mention the times we've seen him escape near impossible situations. If there is one thing we all know about Kyo, it's the fact that he never gives up easily."

Paiway nodded and gave a slight smile.

"I guess you're right…by the way, what's that you're doing?"

Duero pointed to his monitor as the data was before him, as he made one more attempt to try and decrypt the information that pertained to Kyo's history, the monitor however once more greeted him with the results of his tinkering with the encryption system.

'ACCESS DENIED'

"I've been trying to decrypt Kyo's ID card, normally I would not bother with it since he already showed that he was not from my home-planet and this card was used to let him blend in. But Kyo told me that Old Man Jin was the one who made it, so I was curious as to why that was the case, the normal data that can be found in cards like these are there, physical data, health, names, family history, gene lines, that sort of deal…but any data pertaining to Kyo's family or family history seems to be heavily encrypted…and that is quite unheard of."

"What do you mean? And who is Old Man Jin?"

"Old Man Jin is among the members of the First generation on Talark, but he's not a registered member of the Council on our world, but we know that he is still treated with great respect and has the ear of the First Generation, there are rumors about him, but we do know that he is a skilled electronics expert and knew design and manufacturing…anyway Jin and Kyo met previously and that was where Kyo stayed before he settled in at the capital and took his cover job as a parts mechanic. It was Jin who gave Kyo the ID card he had with him for a long time with us."

"On why it was unheard of…is somewhat obvious actually, why would a Third Class Citizen ID card have such a well hidden encryption system? Jin would have easily fabricated a fake history for Kyo to use while he was on Talark, but he used data from some of Kyo's mementos, disks that had a considerable amount of the information but they were older so Jin had to fix them before using them to make the card, that meant that Kyo's history…his real history, and that of his family is in this card…but whatever past history Kyo has and who his family was must have been so important that Jin willingly placed such a security system on the card and it's only now that it was revealed. Kyo's history must have been VERY important for this kind of security. That is what makes me very curious what secrets it has to have merited the placing of the security system in the first place."

Paiway thought about that and had to admit that Duero was right…why would a simple ID card like that be so heavily protected? If this card held Kyo's history, then it certainly needed to be broken so they can finally find out just who Kyo really was.

"I think it would be better you get extra help, maybe Parfet can do that. She did build that device that translated you're language am I right?"

"I plan on doing that, since it seems that the encryption has a combination of languages that act as a shield for the message, one part is that of my world, and two others, I just hope that this pays off…like the others, I wish I could go out and find Kyo myself, but I have to stay here and keep the Medical Bay operational. If this does hold Kyo's history…then once he's back, we can show him our findings."

--

Back in the other planet hidden in the debris belt…

Kyo found himself surrounded by several more men dressed like Tao and Rabat, and at the head of the circle was a man who's eyes were closed and a smile on his faced…the smile was directed at him, though no words were said between him and Tao's master.

However, it certainly didn't take long for someone to speak, and it was Tao's master.

("It has been quite some time since the spirits spoke to us…and they now have told us that the one we have been waiting for, and you have arrived…as they have said.")

Kyo didn't know just what was going on, but he could tell that the people around him, with the exception of Rabat who he still distrusted, were not hostile. They did take care of him and he was fine, his military side however told him that while they were not hostile, they were still unknown and he then recalled just where his Gundam was.

However, as he was about to ask Diego where his Mobile Suit was, but the older man spoke through his psychic language to the Gundam pilot.

("You're Mobile Suit is fine and is in perfect condition…and we have left it in one of our hangers…though the term cave would be more accurate. My people have made sure to leave it be so you can be assured that you're machine is unharmed and un-tampered with.")

Kyo sighed, realizing that dealing with psychics was different from normal people, though he hardly thought them to be too odd, there had been some worlds that had people with psychic talent, and he had been to some of them and even spoke to those people in question, but it was somewhat a first when he met people who could speak mentally without saying anything.

"Thank you…but I must ask, how did you manage this? Communicating without saying anything except through the mind? I don't mean to offend you…but this is…rather unusual for me."

Diego smiled and Kyo could tell that his question must have amused the elder village leader…as he could hear the mental laughter in his own mind. The elder male then sighed in his mental language and nodded.

("I can understand you're confusion, though I can tell that this is not the first time you have encountered people with such talents…along with, having experienced it yourself, though you are somewhat untrained and unfocused in that matter. As to why we all speak in this fashion…you can thank in some way the people of Earth for this.")

That got Kyo's attention.

"The Harvesters did THIS to you?!"

("Yes, and it has been passed on to the rest of our children, all of them are born without the ability to speak any words…and this is…incurable.")

Tao nodded as well.

Kyo then glared deeply at Rabat.

"I suppose you've got something to do with this?"

"Afraid not…when I met Diego and Tao, they were already like this, so no, I had nothing to do with their lack of speaking Kyo."

The former trader said to the Gundam pilot, his total attitude was changed, there was no sign of the smirk he normally had on him. This made Kyo all the more suspicious, he had not forgotten Rabat's past and his crimes against humanity…and he no doubt ever will.

Diego however could tell that the tension in Kyo was due to being in close proximity with Rabat, or rather, Samuel Adams. The leader then spoke to Kyo, in order to explain the situation better to the young man, though from what he could feel with his senses…Kyo was far older than he looked, then again, the spirits told him this.

("Rabat has nothing to do with our lack of physical voice, as he himself has said Kyo, the Harvesters had done this to us, long ago…genetic manipulation so to speak.")

"Why? What did you all have to merit this kind of…treatment?"

("We had the ability to commune with spirits from a higher plane, something we have inherited from our own ancestors generations before…the Harvesters feared this, and so did their leaders…and they had us silenced for all time, to never speak to the spirits, and thus we lost our ability to speak, namely our vocal chords.")

"And yet you do nothing?! Why don't you try and fight back?!" Kyo hoped that these people who in a way were his rescuers were not like the people of Anpathos, that was the last thing he wanted to find out after awakening.

Many of the people seemed tense and apprehensive, making Kyo wonder that maybe he had struck a very sensitive chord in them as he could see their looks.

Tao seemed to be angry somewhat and replied in a spirited outburst.

("Many of us wish to make them pay for what…!")

("Tao! There shall be no negative emotion here…lest you wish to lose you're connection to the spirits. Negative emotions such as hatred and rage bring nothing but grief and pain, and wounds the soul…leaving even greater wounds and continuing the suffering, is that what you want?")

("No Master Diego. I apologize for my words.")

Diego's mental warning to his apparent apprentice was enough for Tao to calm himself and Kyo was partially happy that blows were not the result of his own outburst, apparently, many of the people of this village wished that they could actually speak to their fellow villagers, and also to the younger generation. He then faced Diego and offered a look of apology.

"Forgive my…own words Diego…but I am not the kind of person to let such things be easily forgotten, especially such cruelty such as this and the many others done by the Harvesters."

Diego smiled.

("I understand you're words Kyo, and I see that there is truth in you're words, but there has been a deeper blessing in this…the Harvesters may have physically silenced me and my fellow villagers here on this world, but they have actually enhanced our connection to the spirits…and as you no doubt have already found out, we have ways of relaying information that none of them can easily gain. And we have the gift to see the truth and history of things thanks to the spirits. And it allows us to sense things that normal human perceptions cannot sense, and I suspect you have that same connection too.")

"What do you mean by that?" Kyo wondered.

("You have what we know as the SEED factor, and yours is very unique, am I correct?")

Kyo's reaction was obvious as he looked wide-eyed at Diego, so there was someone else who knew about this talent he had, he knew that the Asuka siblings had it, but Diego seemed to have an idea on it.

"How do you know that?"

("My fellow villagers and I have a way of sensing the aura of a person to a degree, and our ability to commune with the spirits is part of the SEED factor as well, an evolved ability so to speak, and since your own SEED factor is very much advanced, you have the ability to commune with spirits, and considering you're unique exposure to the power source you know as the Paeksis, it has given you more. As to why we know about the Paeksis, we have a portion of it here with us in a cave far from here. The Paeksis is more than a crystalline power source you know…it too is a living entity, it has a conscience, intelligence, and will beneath all that power, it was the one that sensed you and told us that you were coming…and it told us of your own hidden pain.")

"Pain…? Wait, you mean my lost memories? You mean that the Paeksis you have can unlock them from my mind?"

("Yes, but before you attempt to try and use the crystal to unlock you're past, you must know some things. Using this crystal is not a walk in the park so to speak, you must undergo a spirit journey, and this takes place in the cave itself, no one may aid you in this journey, and you must make it there by yourself.")

Kyo nodded a bit, but looked confident.

"I've traveled this universe alone before, and I have survived this long, granted I died before…but the Paeksis brought me back from death, I feel that I am ready for such a trial."

Diego nodded and replied seriously.

("The journey is not physical Kyo…it is of the mind, you must find the power and answers hidden within yourself for the crystal to work and unlock you're memories, once you have made that step…then and only then will you find the answers of you're past. However…")

"However? What do you mean?"

("I can only say that some memories will be painful, and when you gain you're answers to you're past…you will have to face the reality of what you have learned and the reality of the world you live in now." )

Kyo didn't know what that meant, but he knew that it would be big, however, he had no other plan, if this spirit trial was the only way for him to finally know just who he really was and his past, the past that had eluded him despite all the returning memories, he would take it and if there were any difficulties…then he would accept them and live with the results.

"I am ready."

( "Good…we can leave now if you wish." )

Kyo however had a very pressing concern…and that had something to do with Rabat, he still had a great deal of hatred for Rabat, and justifiable hatred for the man, considering all the pain and grief the man gave the human colonies by selling them out to the Harvesters for credits. He then faced Diego and Tao.

"Before we do anything…just how do you all know Rabat?"

Rabat himself was the one who spoke.

"I met them when I was still part of the forward exploration team for a part of a recon fleet for Earth…before the Days of Despair happened. I was in a shuttle with several others until we suffered an accident to the shuttle…we escaped and my pod landed here on Diego and Tao's world…and my name is not Rabat, that is the name I use when dealing with others…my real name was Samuel Adams."

Kyo looked at Rabat and could tell that the former Harvester spy was not lying about this, but decided to let it drop for now.

"Fine…I'm ready to go."

--

Back on the Nirvana…

The ship was still looking through all the debris, trying to get a visual confirmation just where Kyo and the Infinite Freedom had landed ever since the battle. Magno and the rest of the pirates were on full standby alert and were searching desperately for their close friend and trusted comrade. Dita, Jura, Meia, Sara, and Mai were the most affected by Kyo's disappearance, but they could do little as the search was painfully slow.

Misty was also affected, as Kyo was like a brother to her now, after her long chat with Kyo she had learned that she loved him in the brotherly sense, though she did find him very much good boy-friend material. She wanted to help and did so by locating the old navigation charts and try to locate possible locations as to where Kyo had been, asteroids would not be the best place and there was the possibility that there were other worlds beyond the debris belt, that was a big possibility that she wanted to check out.

But so far, there had been little luck as she worked in removing the shrouds that covered potential locations where the young Gundam pilot was.

(This will take forever…but no way am I giving up now!)

Elsewhere…namely in the Medical Bay…

"You say that this ID card Kyo had has a very complicated security system?"

Parfait asked as she faced both McFile siblings. She arrived at Duero's request for her electronic expertise and since there was not much she could do to the scanners of the Nirvana due to the interference, she was willing to come in and help the Talark medic any way she could.

Duero nodded and explained why he was very curious about the card's hidden data.

Parfait listened and had to admit that it was interesting…since when did a regular ID card have such an intricate security system and what data did it protect to merit it in the first place? This was going to be an interesting test, and if this data did hold Kyo's past, then it was going to be worth the effort. She owed Kyo that much, and the chance to help him finally have his memories seemed a good way to say thank you for all the time, advice, and effort he gave to them, including her in her pursuit of Duero.

As she took the card she began to see just what type of data was there, there seemed to be basic data, name, age, height, weight, namely normal stuff, that is until you found out that most of the more pressing data, including genetic line, and family history were all well made fakes and then she reached the encryption system itself. It was well made and it seemed rather complex and this required her to use the same device she had used to decrypt the message pod Misty had with her at one time when she had been rescued by the crew. As she read the data, she realized that she might need a bit more help in doing this job.

"This security system is good. Whoever made this was very talented and knew his stuff, I'll have to use that Interpricko device I made last time, namely the one I used to try and decrypt Misty's message pod, along with Pyoro."

Duero nodded and Max quickly followed suit and contacted the bridge to have Pyoro brought to the Medical Bay for assistance.

--

Back on the planet…

As the group of people were walking towards the cave where the fragment of the Paeksis was being stored, Kyo looked back at Rabat and was still angry, but was also getting curious as to what had happened to the Harvester spy to have changed him this much. However he tabled those thoughts aside for the moment as they arrived in the cave's entrance.

"Are we here?"

Tao and Diego nodded as the elder spoke calmly and with a smile.

("Yes, this is the entrance to the Paeksis, however you have to reach the middle of the cave on your own. Once you enter, then the spirit trial begins, the darkness is what you must face, and it is within, not outside.")

(Great, what did he mean by that anyway?)

Kyo wondered at that and then spoke as he realized something.

"You said that there was no need to get physical here."

Diego smiled a bit at that, and Kyo couldn't help but wonder if the older man had decided to test him, normally he didn't like being not told everything, but he realized that this after all was a test in a sense, and no sense complaining.

"Never mind…just make it to the center and then the crystal is there…right?"

Diego nodded in reply.

("Very much, remember, you must do this alone and no one can help you." )

Kyo nodded as well has he was now decked in his pilot uniform, minus the helmet and his weapons, all of which were under the custody of Tao and several of the other male villagers. He then glared at Rabat or who was now known to him as Samuel Adams.

"When I get back…you better have some answers, I still don't trust you and I want to know just what happened to you to suddenly turn into…this."

Rabat nodded without complaint.

"Deal."

With that, Kyo walked into the entrance of the cave and saw that it was massive and there were some pools of water that caught the light of the sun and gave a watery glow to the roof and walls and the light was nice, unlike the maw of blackness that was seen deeper in the cave itself. Kyo however was not afraid of the darkness and strode into the cave with conviction and purpose, if the answers he had spent months looking for his past were in there and the Paeksis fragment inside was the key to finding them, then nothing was going to stop him.

Diego watched Kyo until the darkness shrouded the man from his sight, as soon as Kyo was gone, he faced both Tao and Rabat.

("We can do little but wait, this trial is his own now, and none of us can interfere.")

Rabat nodded in agreement.

"This reminds me too much of the time I tried to take it…and how I failed."

("Are you still disappointed that you were not chosen by the spirits Samuel?")

Tao asked the former Harvester agent.

"No…he is the one they want, and I can't change that. Besides…he was right about me. I did a lot of things I know I can never take back and a lot of blood is on my hands…and I doubt I can ever be free of it."

("True…but it was your choice to take it…we warned you about your pride and greed when you were with us. It was inevitable that you're crimes would catch up with you…but even I have to admit that what you had to endure…was somewhat too much." )

Diego replied as he went on to finish his painting nearby.

"No…it was just what I needed to face and feel. No amount of pain I ever felt then would ever compare to what the others who I sold to the Harvesters felt."

Rabat said as he ran his hands on the scars he had on him. They reminded him well of what he had endured months before at the hands of his former employers. He had learned that they were not going to use his organs, but merely cause him untold suffering before the order to end his life came. That was one of the factors that made him change, but he doubted that others would believe him.

("On that regard, you are correct, now it is time for our guest to find his own way, all we can do is wait and see.")

--

In the cave…

"AAAAAUUUUGHHHH!!"

Kyo swore once more as he nearly fell into a pit full of water while crossing over a stone bridge that was rather slippery, there was still some light coming in, but it was not enough to illuminate the entire cave as there were places totally shrouded in darkness. And this wasn't the first time in the cave he nearly fell into a pool of water.

"They could at least tell me about things like this."

He didn't know just what else was in a place like this one, and a part of him didn't even want to venture on making any guesses. In his experience, if Diego, Tao, and their fellow villagers lived here and used this cave a lot, they would have cleared it of any dangerous creatures at some point, then his fears were unfounded, but that hardly stopped the ideas from coming in anyway.

Kyo shakes his head and pushes on, doing what he could to try and find his way, and this time, made his way past several more obstacles, and leaping over pits and some smaller chasms, along with avoiding the deeper and larger ones. He then arrived at several tall hill like rock growths and from the looks of them, they were the ones that guarded the rest of the cave, this meant that he would have to climb them. He checked the rock face for any good and solid footholds, once he did so, he began to climb them and look for more.

He swore silently as there were times he nearly lost his grip, but kept at it as he moved at the rock face, as soon as he passed the first, he spotted several more as he climbed down. It took him more time to climb down, not just from the lack of light, but also from the moisture that gathered in the stones. He was already feeling tired, but he was going to keep going, if the crystal did have the power to finally answer the questions that plagued him, exhaustion certainly wasn't going to stop him.

However, it seemed that there were going to be other problems he would have to face…

"This place certainly is something else…thankfully, there's nothing living down here…at least not yet." Kyo muttered to himself as he managed to reach the bottom and make his way to the next rock-face to climb.

( You're a filthy Coordinator.)

Kyo heard a voice, and it was in his mind, along with being heard in his ears. He looked about and tried to determine just who was the one who said that to him.

"Who's there?!"

Kyo looked about and instinctively reached for his pistol and sword. He felt a moment of panic when he could not find his weapons, and realized that he had left them with the villagers and Tao. He then used his SEED mode to try and augment his senses in the location he was in, so as to both locate the voice, and find his way to the middle of the cave and then to the Paeksis crystal. He tried to look around in the dim light, then spotted a human figure, he felt something was off about this guy, like he was…there but not there as well.

"Who are you?!"

(WHAT are you?!)

The figure said back at the Gundam pilot, further confusing the young man.

"What the heck are you talking about?! I'm a human being like you!"

(No you're not…you're not human at all.)

"What?!"

(You're a Coordinator, a…thing, born from the hands of people who think they can create the perfect being! You're nothing but a freak!)

"Shut up! I am as human as you are!"

(No you're not…you're a Coordinator, a genetically created freak!)

Kyo couldn't help but begin to lose his temper and he walked up to the person insulting him. He had every intention of getting an apology from this man and he was going to get it now. He reached out to grab the man by the arm, but to his shock, the being suddenly faded…right through his fingers.

"What the?!"

(You're not a human being…just a genetically engineered freak who thinks he's human.)

Yet another voice called to Kyo, and this time, the young man turned to look and spotted the speaker on the top of the rock-face he was about to climb.

"What the bloody hell is going on here?!"

This time, yet another voice joined the mix, but this voice belonged to someone he knew.

("Listen to me Kyo, you must not worry too much about the darkness of the cave, it is the darkness of the mind that you must pierce, those voices are merely part of that darkness. Unless you break their hold on you, then you will fail the spirit trial." )

"Diego? What the heck is going on here?! Where are all these voices coming from?!"

Kyo tried to speak to Diego, in the hope that the village leader could hear him somehow…but that was the only time he heard the elder's voice as he was suddenly surrounded by other voices, and as he looked about as to where they were coming from, he spotted more figures coming towards him. And they were all human….their voices filled with hatred, malice, and from what he could tell…prejudice, all aimed at him.

He didn't know what was going on, but his previous attempt told him that the figures might be merely illusions, as to what created them, he had no idea yet, but he had no time to waste with phantoms, as soon as he found the answers to his past, he had to prepare to leave this place to hook up with the others back at the Nirvana, he had not forgotten the situation the crew and him were in involving the Harvesters. He had a war to fight and he was needed.

As soon as he reached the rock face, the figures surrounded him and began to chant to him, in even greater tones of hatred, malice, and more towards him.

(Freak!)

(Inhuman!)

(Patch-worker!)

(You are not human!)

(Coordinator trash!)

The voices grew louder as the figures began to somehow glow and take a more recognizable form, some of them appeared to be either male or female, wearing paramilitary uniforms, full military service uniforms without any recognizable insignia, and even civilian clothes. The people began to surround Kyo as he tried to move away from them, and they seemed to be following him even up on the climb to the next side.

Kyo tried to keep the sounds and forms from his mind, but even his natural sense of determination and focus was tested as the figures didn't seem to relent in their verbal assault on him. It also began to evolve as they began to speak about what seemed to be military operations, and they began to accuse Kyo as the one who killed them in combat. Kyo's reaction to those accusations was obvious as he tried desperately to recall the faces he was seeing now as the figures accused him of being more than just being a Coordinator, some of them called him as nothing more than a living weapon without a soul. However, something…a feeling told him that despite the seemingly insane claims…he could feel through his active SEED mode that they were somehow…telling the truth, but he tried to deny it.

(You killed me in Berlin…have you forgotten?)

"I don't remember you!!"

(Liar! You were the one you allowed a GINN to fall on me in Thailand!)

"What the hell are you taking about?! I don't even know those places!"

(Liar!)

"I AM NOT LYING!!"

The abuse continued as Kyo managed to make it past more of the rock faces and finally find a path and walked through it, however there was a nearby steep end on the side, and despite his determination to make it across quickly and evade the figures hounding him, the Gundam pilot was nearly overwhelmed by all that was happening to him, now he was feeling more exhausted, not by physical activity alone, but by mental exhaustion as he tried to recall what the figures were saying about him, and what was happening around him. Finally, Kyo couldn't handle it anymore and faced the number of figures following him and shouted back at them in anger and desperation.

"I SAID I DON'T REMEMBER YOU!! ANY OF YOU!! LEAVE ME ALONE!!"

So intent was Kyo in finally trying to banish them that he didn't watch his footing, the Gundam pilot could only shout in shock and dismay as he lost his footing and fell off the path and was sent sliding to the other side.

Outside of the cave…

Tao was looking at the entrance of the cave with great apprehension and doubt, he then faced both Diego and Samuel to show his concern for Kyo.

("I think Kyo is unable to finish the spirit trial, if it goes on like this…he might die, and this time, he might not survive this, how then will he be able to defeat the Harvesters?" )

Rabat/Samuel shook his head and replied.

"Kyo has survived worse in this universe, he isn't the type to give up and die…his father faced the same thing before, and he was just a civilian."

("But still, to make him face the spirits of those he had no choice but to fight in the past, and while he cannot remember them is too much…even if he managed to avoid most of the fighting, this form of trial is too cruel." )

("True Tao, we cannot change the past, but we must learn to accept the events of the past, and learn from them, and use them to help our hands carve the future." )

Diego replied as he finished his painting, despite only using basic hand painting techniques, the pictures truly was symbolic as it was able to show the Nirvana, the Paeksis, both the one used by the pirates and by the Harvesters, Kyo's Gundam, and that of Meia, Dita, and Jura's own Gundam units, and the I-Freedom was battling the Gundam of the Harvester Leader, the E-Vendetta.

Diego then looked at the cave and spoke calmly.

("Kyo's will and his mind will face the ultimate test, as much as there have been good times in his past, there has just been as many harsh realities in them as well, this test will see if he is willing to live with both good and bad experiences, we have a balance within all of us…joy is balanced by grief, love with hate, gain with loss, victory with defeat, and naturally, life with death. It is up to him if he is willing to accept that balance…then and only then will he truly be allowed to remember his past." )

--

Back in the Nirvana…

Parfait had managed to bring the device she used to decode Misty's message pod and the Navi-robot had arrived, as requested by the head engineer. Despite the robot's complaints on being separated from lacus for this job, he could do little as the others gave him warning looks, and those looks told the robot not to argue and get going immediately.

The bespectacled engineer began to set up her device and connect it to both the Medical Bay's computers and the card reader that the brothers had with them. The three people, along with the Navi-robot wondered if the information they would find in the card would be worth a lot, not in monetary value, and not to them, but to their comrade who was still not found.

They only hoped that Kyo was still all right.

--

Unfortunately, Kyo was right now, anything but all right…

The Gundam pilot was unconscious and in a pool of water that glowed in a greenish light, no doubt since there were some crystals of emerald color beneath the surface of the water and light from some open crags on the roof allowed light in. The Gundam pilot was fine, in the sense that he was near the bank and was still breathing. His fall had not given him too many serious injuries, due to the considerable light weight body armor in his uniform.

Kyo however was busy in his mind as he tried desperately to find answers to the rest of his past. He had no doubt on his mind that he had indeed been in the military, due to his inbred training, skills, and methods, but he still was very much unnerved by what he had seen. He was currently floating in the dark void that was his sub-conscious.

He then began to see battle scenes in his mind, and saw himself in battle, but he wasn't piloting his Gundam, and the machine seemed to be somewhat different, seemingly following the same design as Barnette's own Gundam, the SwitchBlade…but it seemed that it was not the same…regardless, he saw himself manning the controls and doing things…and he was still young.

Scenes of battles filled his mind, though he felt that those battles were made unavoidable by certain circumstances that even he could not see. He saw other Mobile Suits in the battles, and some were on his side, he could tell as he saw Freedom in the lead in some of the battles…he then saw himself in a hanger…possibly the same one he had seen in one of his returning memories, and looked to see his father, Kira and several others talking and planning things…he saw his younger self nearby and was being talked to by several others, namely by a man with red eyes and dark hair, along with a blonde woman with deep purple eyes, the three of them seemed to be discussing things, and he seemed to notice the sadness in his younger version's face…the two were telling him something that he couldn't hear despite focusing all his senses. His younger self seemed to become more sad, until his father came and he saw his younger self walk over to his male parent. His father looked at him with understanding as the Gundam pilot saw his younger self in tears as he was hugged by his father who kneeled down and consoled him.

He couldn't help but feel the fear, sadness, and confusion of his younger self, but he then felt calmer and more in control of himself as the scene changed to him and his fellow comrades talking and having a break from what appeared to be a mission. He could feel the tension in his younger self begin to flow out and he felt that things would be fine.

Apparently he had spent time in the military as he suspected, and he now had no doubt that he had partaken in missions when he was younger, he wondered if he had been so young at the time, that he was still unsure of what he had done. No doubt that as he was still young…and recalling some of the sadder and somewhat darker memories that surfaced recently, he was exposed to things most children should not have been exposed to at their current age and as a young man, it all must have heavily weighed on him when he was young.

No doubt he had relied on his fellow soldiers, friends, and family members to try and make sense of the things he no doubt must have seen growing up in the battle-field. He then felt that he had not been forced or coerced into the military, but joined of his own volition and did fight, but only if he did all he could to avert disaster first, but even then, he could feel that it was a fate that he detested greatly, in his youth and even up to now…even during his days as a free lance fighter, he didn't take life unless it was absolutely needed and unavoidable. The thought of killing was not something he could accept easily.

But he felt also that he did what he felt was right, there was also a feeling he had that despite what happened, he only had taken life when he had no choice…or, to protect those that were close to him in the memories he had…he then saw a very important memory that seemed to hold him close and tight…it seemed to have some very important significance.

--

Flashback…

He was currently in the cockpit of the machine he piloted before using Freedom, He was fighting with several of his comrades over what appeared to be a large island that had a hidden base of some sort, he heard that the others in his group had tried for several hours to negotiate with the inhabitants of the base, but it seemed that the time for negotiation was over as he saw through the monitors of his Mobile Suit that the inhabitants had decided to fight and were unleashing Mobile Suits of their own on his comrades and himself in this memory.

"We have incoming Mobile Suits…all of them armed!"

He saw himself moving and using the controls of his Mobile Suit, evading beam bolts, and bullets, and melee weapons. Whatever the base had inside or who was in there must have been very important as the Mobile Suits that were defending it were not going to surrender easily as the pilots of the Mobile Suits were not going to give up.

He saw himself maneuvering the Mobile Suit he piloted as he took out his machine's own beam rifle and fought back, aiming for the legs, and arms of the opponents he was fighting, he managed to disable several Mobile Suits and stop them from harming his comrades, but he had to evade several attackers as well as more Mobile Suits that were no doubt the opposition came straight at him and the others.

He then spotted one Mobile Suit…a Gundam model from the design build attacking the Freedom, and it seemed that whoever the pilot of this Gundam model was, he/she was intent on killing his father as the Freedom was deep in combat with the unit. However, the Mobile Suit seemed to have some sort of defensive barrier that was resistant to beam weapons, and even the Freedom's CIWS could not get through!

Kyo felt panic as he saw his father try to even up the odds, he then decided to come to his father's aid as he directed his Mobile Suit with it's beam saber on the ready, while he fired his beam rifle to try and get the attacker's attention.

"GET AWAY FROM MY FATHER!!"

Kyo shouted as he dodged several more beam blasts from the enemy Mobile Suits that tried to stop him and block his path, apparently the Gundam unit that attacked his father was the commander of the forces located in the base and it seemed that the forces blocking him were ordered to stop him from coming to the rescue. The same could be said for the rest of his comrades as several of them were deep in the fight as well…leaving and his father alone in the battle in the sky.

"KYO! GET AWAY FROM HERE!!"

The monitor next to him revealed his father, who was able to use the Freedom's speed to dodge the weapons fire from the enemy Gundam and used the beam saber to block those that were too close for him to dodge. Kyo somehow knew that his father was more than capable in this battle, but the enemy Gundam's special energy shield system seemed to render the Freedom's beam weapons worthless, even when his father got close enough, past all the beam fire he managed to dodge to use the beam sabers of the Freedom Gundam, even they could not penetrate the shields.

The enemy Gundam was armed with what appeared to be a beam sub-machine gun. The principle behind a beam sub machine gun was the same as a beam rifle, but it was able to fire rapid beams at a single target, while it was a valuable weapon in terms of power and unleashing large amounts of weapons fire…it had a tendency to exhaust it's power supply rather quickly and charging it with the power reactor of the Mobile Suit using it was a problem…so unlike normal beam weapons that were connected to the reactor and recharged by it, the beam sub-machine gun was using rechargeable power packs shaped like bullet clips, further separating the beam sub machine gun from normal beam rifles. Other weapons, as far as Kyo had seen in his study were beam knives, a beam bayonet on the sub machine gun and a pair of beam cannons. It seemed that the pilot of the enemy Gundam unit was very familiar with the Mobile Suit he used as he modified one of the shield emitters on his Gundam to take the form of a larger beam saber and attacked his father's Gundam, his father used the beam saber to retaliate, but had to jet away from the beam fire and when he turned around, the enemy Gundam reactivated the energy shield, and due to corrections, the beam sub-machine gun was able to fire past the barriers while the barriers blocked the incoming fire.

Kyo wasted little time as he tried to get into contact with any of his other allies.

"Is there any data on what model that Gundam is?"

It didn't take long for another familiar face to appear before Kyo, though how come the person looked familiar to him was still debatable to the young Gundam pilot. The man had dark brown hair and a massive jagged scar on his face, covering one of his eyes. (2)

"That appears to be the CAT 1- X Hyperion Gundam unit, apparently one of the series units, judging by the color scheme. That G- Weapon series appeared to one of the things that was rumored to have been stolen from the Eurasian Federation. After the Yachim Due battle, the Eurasian Federation had put those units on lock-up, following the Peace Accords, but en route to their storage facility, they were somehow stolen from the convoy and many of the escorts were killed. This must have been where they had been taken, though Intelligence suggests that the theft was a cover-up."

"Thanks….any weak-points?"

"So far, none, however, the data showed that the Hyperion series can't maintain the "Armure Lumiere" mono phase light-wave barrier shield system that it has, due to power requirements meaning it can only remain on for five minutes. However, the scanners are picking up what appears to be a Neutron Jammer Canceller onboard, that must mean that the rumor of the Eurasian Federation agents gaining the tech a few months before the Atlantic Federation gained the tech from Rau, if that's the case, that must mean that whoever's piloting it must have included a Nuclear Reactor in the Mobile Suit in place of the older battery reactor. I don't know for sure if this is accurate, but the Ptolemaeus Moon Base did mention that unknown personnel had taken one of their nuclear reactors in a daring raid as well."

Kyo realized that unless something was done, his father would not survive the encounter with the unknown pilot and tried to find an alternative way to try and stop the attacking Gundam, as the two Mobile Suits continued to fight it out, but since both were armed with Neutron Jammer Cancellers and Nuclear Reactors, this would be a dangerous fight. He had no time to waste however as several more Mobile Suits attacked him, the mobile Suits appeared to be armed with heavy swords, once only seen with the Z.A.F.T before they too switched to beam saber weapons. As he was able to take out a pair of them, he however was caught off guard as one of the remaining attackers managed to destroy his Mobile Suit's beam saber. However, he managed to take one of the heavy swords and then strike back…aiming right at the arms of the foes and defeated them, while avoiding their retaliatory attacks earlier. In one part of the fight however, he spotted on of the older Strike Dagger models attack with a beam saber, and the attack was aimed at him. He used the heavy sword in his Mobile Suit's hands to block and much to his surprise, and no doubt his foe as well, the blade held against the beam saber with surprising strength, and after trading several blows, Kyo was able to slice the head off his foe and then hoped that whatever it was that made the heavy sword immune to the beam saber, could penetrate the shield used by the Hyperion Gundam.

As he closed the gap between him and the Gundam his father piloted and the enemy Gundam, he pushed his Mobile Suit to the limit to reach them, he then spotted his father's shield being knocked away by a combined attack and that forced his father to use both beam sabers of the Freedom as both weapons and shields.

Kyo wasted little time and charged with the weapon ready as the Hyperion reactivated it's shield to block his father's strikes. The pilot then turned the Gundam to face him, just as he shouted his previous threat once more.

"STAY AWAY FROM MY FATHER!!"

The Hyperion merely aimed it's beam sub-machine gun and fired several barrages at him, Kyo used his training to evade as much of the weapon fire as he could manage to get close enough to defeat this foe of his, however, he didn't get away injury free either as some of the beam bolts hit home, blowing off the left leg of his Mobile Suit and blew off half the face, but Kyo was determined and quickly closed the gap and lashed out with the heavy sword. And to the shock of all three pilots, the weapon that had been eclipsed by the beam sabers sliced through the shield as if it was nothing but ordinary light. Kyo had intended to slice off the arm of the enemy Gundam that held the beam sub-machine gun…but somehow the blade misses the target and cleaves deeply into the side of the cockpit instead…a very fatal blow.

The Gundam began to power down and it seemed that it's "Armure Lumiere" mono phase light-wave barrier shield system was also taken out, no doubt due to the damage, the last thing he saw was the Hyperion losing it's altitude and sent crashing into the ocean. He tried to follow and try to save the pilot of the ravaged Gundam but was held back by his father, and realized that it might be possible that the Hyperion, armed with a nuclear reactor would explode and kill him too.

Two more machines came on the scene, both of them appeared to be the same as Kouji and Maia Asuka's own Gundam units, the Shinobi and the Kunoichi. The two people he had seen before were no beside him and his father, both looked at him with great concern.

"Kyo, you all right?"

His father then took the lead and spoke to both his friends.

"Shin…take Kyo back and get him back to base…keep him safe until he's ready to fight."

Shin nodded in agreement and faced his apparent wingman, or in this case…wing woman.

"Stellar, we've got to go."

"Done!" The blonde replied while her eyes were showing concern for him.

--

End of flashback…

Kyo then saw other memories, some of his fellow soldiers who died, others were too badly injured, people being hurt, and him making it past injury, and his own fears…he saw them all and thought over what he should do now.

He then recalled all the memories he had regained and saw over the past few months, and realized that the darker memories made him who he was, not made him a monster. Just as there was joy, there was sorrow as well. He once said to Magno that he was not perfect, and that was true…if it was true that he did belong in the military and killed in the past, he did so with reason, and from what he could recall, he did kill only as a last resort, then all those events made him the man that he was now, and he must learn from the past in order to walk into the future.

He recalled his mother and father's words to him about his genes, method of birth, and abilities not being the factors that made him who he was, but how he used them and what he had done to help human kind. He felt that despite the deaths he might have caused in the past, he did so with good reason, and even though it was not easy to accept he knew that he could not change what had happened now. And he was helping mankind by protecting them all from the Harvesters and their forces. The past was over for him, whatever he had done then and there, stayed there, he had to look forward to the future and learn from the past.

With that in mind, he woke up and looked to where he had slipped and worked on finding a way out from where he had fallen, As he moved through the water, he looked at himself in the pool's reflection one last time and when he found the path he needed to take in order to leave the place he began to tough journey of climbing back up to the path he had fell from.

The rocks were somewhat tough and there were going to be a lot of cuts on his hands from the number of jagged and sharp edges, but he pushed aside the pain and focused on what he had to do in order to leave the place he was currently in, it took him more time since the path was not the best and there were some slippery spots and he lost his grip, but he kept on going and going, he then heard the voices again, but this time, he paid them no attention as he focused on what he must do to reach the crystal.

Minutes later…

As soon as he was back on the road, he saw the figures once more and they saw him and were about to converge on him once more, no doubt intent on assaulting him and halting his progress, but they were not the enemy, once, a long time ago, they were the enemy, but Kyo didn't see them anymore as such, they were part of his past, his life, and as much as he loved his good memories, he knew that to be complete, he must accept the dark memories as well, for only then could he truly be a whole person.

As the figures approached him once more…he looked at them all and spoke to them.

"I know you now…but not entirely, I know that I took you're lives, but I still don't recall where and when. I know also that I cannot take back what happened all those years before, and I know that what I did made me who I am now."

The figures stopped and seemed to just stare at Kyo silently and stood there.

Kyo took a deep breath to calm himself and to focus his thoughts into words, the figures would never let him move on until he was able to find a way to placate them and also make peace with the darker side of his memories.

"I have done things in the past, in my past life, and if you died by my hand in that same past life, know that I regret it, but I have done what I had to do and I have…accepted that, we do things in war that are hard to undo, and are hard to forget after it is all over. I have lost my memories and I am in the process of getting them back. Whatever I have done, whether it be good or evil was done by me and I did so by my own choice, no one has forced me to do them and I will live with that."

The figures still remained silent and impassive as Kyo finally finished his speech.

"The key to my past is here, and if I do recall all that I have done and who I am, I will do what I must. The human race is once more in danger of war…of extinction. I need to be there to help them, my friends and my only family, at that, I must at least finally learn who I truly."

"Whatever past I have…it is part of me as is my memories of fighting, and of peace, I will do whatever I can to help prevent another war and bring peace to humanity, in that way…I hope to rectify any mistakes I have made, and if it can be done…make amends for the deaths I might have caused, including yours…will you let me pass?"

The figures didn't say anything…and for a long moment, Kyo feared that he had failed in his attempt…however his fears were unfounded as the figures seemed to smile somewhat and nod. They then seemed to turn into shades of light and Kyo finally saw a bridge of stone, with the figures illuminating the path before him, and in the distance, he saw the flicker of light on a crystal.

Kyo breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the shades and bowed.

"Thank you."

As Kyo made his way through the bridge he looked at the crystal as he drew closer towards it and somehow felt something…like a gate in his mind was finally being completely opened.

He then spotted Diego, and Tao nearby. He felt somewhat annoyed at the fact that unlike him who was soaked, cut, and slightly bloody, the two were in fine condition. However, he realized that since they knew this cave and their people have no doubt used it before, they would know paths through this place that were less dangerous, he however decided not to dwell on that, namely due to the fact that this was his test…however he couldn't help but speak to them as they reached the crystal.

"You guys could have told me about that test."

Tao and Diego merely smiled, and before long Kyo sighed and looked them and replied.

"I guess I know now what was my test, is was if I was willing to face the other parts of my past, and these were the painful ones and the parts that were of loss and pain. But they make me who I am…if I have to see that too…then I will have to accept them, and learn from them to help change the future that is to come."

( "Good, You are now ready Kyo, Tao and I will assist the Paeksis in opening the barrier to you're memories…are you ready?")

Kyo looked at the crystal and thought on all he had seen, and his memories, the ones he had seen, both good and bad, and his current memories. The crew of the Nirvana, the people he had met in his travels, and most of all…his loved ones, both his family, and the women who each held a part of his heart. It was now his chance to make himself complete.

"I am ready."

Both men and the Gundam pilot then placed their hands on the crystal before them. In that moment, the crystal flared and surrounded all three men in brilliant light.

--

At that very same moment, the Nirvana's own Paeksis suddenly flared up, startling the Engineering crew who were still there, and that that same moment, two things happened.

In the Medical Bay…

Parfait and Duero were busy working on Kyo's data card, along with Max and Barnette who had arrived to see how Max was doing, the four of them were suddenly surprised when Pyoro, who like before was connected to the device used by Parfait to access Misty's message pod suddenly began to glow green and speak in a monotone voice.

"Pyoro? Are you all right?!" Parfait asked, wondering what had just happened to the little robot as it was the same as when the Harvesters had somehow communicated with them by hacking into their communication arrays and the Navi-robot.

Duero, Barnette, and Max were likewise surprised and confused by the situation.

Pyoro then spoke.

"Who is Kyo? What is the proof of his existence?"

This confused the group…that is until they noted that the data that was once sealed by the security system installed by Old Man Jin was suddenly unlocked with the words ACCESS GRANTED'.

They were surprised see physical data, genetic data, historical information, family names, and most all…a picture of Kyo's family, relatives, siblings, and friends.

It was only when Kyo's full name was revealed that Duero reacted as he ran the name in the Colony database and compared Kyo's full name to the entry that he was able to locate.

"That's…impossible!"

In another part of the Nirvana…

Dita was busy cooking a small dish in order to pass the time and wait as much as she could for any word concerning Kyo, when she suddenly felt sleepy and fell to the floor unconscious but unharmed. This prompted several of the kitchen staff to shout in shock and surprise as they ran to check on the unconscious redhead. Realizing that she was merely unconscious and uninjured, they quickly contact the Medical Bay and two of them managed to get Dita to her feet and they took her to the Medical Bay.

Meia was busy running through a test simulation alongside Sara, Mai, and several Dread pilots and Crusader pilots when she too suddenly losses consciousness and falls to the floor, startling the others and making them momentarily confused as to what had just happened to the former Dread pilot, that passed as they decided to take her to the Medical Bay as well.

Jura was busy looking at the trees in the Bio park when she too suddenly fell to the ground, unconscious, she was with Amarone, and Belvedere and the two girls were suddenly surprised at the collapse of their blonde comrade, they quickly contacted the Medical Bay and then called some of the security personnel to help them get the blonde Gundam pilot to the Medical Bay.

In the Bridge…

"What? Jura, Meia, and Dita have just collapsed?!" Magno asked in surprise as Buzam came on the screen.

"Yes Captain, they appear to be fine, no injuries at all, and they are now in the Medical Bay…but this is very strange, the only time something like this had happened was back on that desert world…"

"…when Kyo was ambushed…this must mean that something has happened to Kyo."

The conversation however didn't get that far as Chief suddenly came on the bridge via the communications system as well.

"Captain…we have a major situation down here in Engineering!"

"What is it Chief?"

"Captain, the Paeksis has somehow began to power up beyond the normal levels, we're detecting a large amount of energy emissions, but it seems to be directed elsewhere, and the energy is on a wave length that we can't seem to determine!"

The two women wondered just what the heck was going on until Duero then contacted them while he was in the Medical Bay.

"Captain…there is something important you have to see here."

--

In the Medical Bay…

Magno and Buzam arrived in the Medical Bay to find Max taking a medical check-up on all three female Gundam pilots who seem to be asleep, the elderly woman was very concerned as to what was going on in the ship at this moment and to her crew, so it was hardly surprising that she spoke on what was the condition of the three Dread pilots.

"How are they doing?"

Max looked up and responded.

"They are physically fine Captain, no injuries, and they are seemingly sleeping but their brain activity seems to be very active and…as amazing as it sounds seem to be overlapping one another. I don't know for sure what is happening, but there seems to be no harmful side effects on the fusion of their brain waves…it's like they are in a dream state and having the same dream."

Magno was concerned greatly for this and Buzam was no different as the silver haired commander then talked to Max.

"Is there any way to wake them up?"

"I don't know, and it would not be advisable, if we wake them up with their brainwaves combined, we might cause severe mental trauma to all three of them, whatever is happening to them, they have to awaken for themselves."

Magno sighed once more and directed her attention to Duero.

"What was it you wanted me to see Doctor?"

Duero directed her to the Medical Bay's computer screen and told her of what he and Parfait had been doing with Kyo's ID card, and then told her of what had transpired in the Medical Bay, which was also at the same moment when all three girls collapsed and the Paeksis suddenly coming to life. He then told them of the data suddenly being unlocked and what he had seen and read was…remarkable.

Magno looked at the data as well, her look of still lingering concern quickly faded and was replaced with keen interest, surprise, and finally awed disbelief.

"No…can it really be true?!"

--

In a place far removed from the Nirvana or anywhere else for that matter…

Dita looked around in shock as she found herself no longer in the kitchen but in a massively dark void of eternal night. The redhead tried to moved about and tried moving, she then noted that she could still stand even if she couldn't see the floor she was standing on, the redhead then felt a bit of fear as she looked about in the inky blackness. Though she was no longer afraid of the dark, unlike back then when she was still younger, this eerie blackness coupled with the fact that she was all alone made her very worried.

She then swallowed her fear and tried to call out to see if there were others here as well.

"Hello…is anyone here?"

At first there was no answer and then she tried once more…after a few moments of no one answering her cries she began to get even more afraid when she suddenly heard a reply.

"Dita? Is that you?"

"Meia?!"

Dita turned around and saw Meia who was a few feet from her, happy to suddenly see a friendly face the redhead ran the short distance to the aqua-haired girl and hugged her. She was happy to note that this was no illusion and she was really hugging the former Dread squadron leader.

"Meia! I was beginning to get very worried I thought I was all alone here!" The redhead sobbed a bit as she recalled her fear when she came to this place.

"Easy Dita…it's all right." The aqua haired girl tried to calm her fellow Gundam pilot down, she was happy to note that Dita was really here, when she arrived, she too was at first scared as her claustrophobia was still present, however, that changed when she spotted Dita, though she was still wary at first. Now that she was sure that Dita was real, she concentrated on trying to find out just what had happened. As soon as she was able to calm down the redhead she looked around to the inky blackness before them.

"Where are we? And how did we get here?"

Dita looked around too…very confused as to what had just happened.

"I don't know…all I recall was making a dish in the kitchen to pass the time and I was suddenly feeling sleepy and then…poof here I was. What about you?"

"I was in a strategy meeting with Sara, Mai, and the other Dread pilots…when I also felt somewhat strange and suddenly blacked out too. Was there anyone else than just us?"

"Dita, Meia, is that you?"

The two turned around to see their blonde comrade appear as well, both Meia and Dita were happy to see Jura and they were able to touch her hands and see that like them, she too was real as they were, Jura likewise was happy to see that her fellow women were as real as she was.

"How did you get here Jura?"

"Beats me, all I recall was looking at some of the trees in the Bio Park and then I felt strange and then I was here. What's going on?"

Meia didn't have the answers but she then spotted a point of light far away from them…and it seemed to grow even more. The two other noticed it and the light was very much expanding and growing brighter and brighter, forcing the girls to cover their eyes. The glare lasted for only a few moments and the light's intensity suddenly dropped to normal levels…surprising the three women.

As soon as they lowered their hands and looked about, they were double shocked…instead of the black void they had been in only moments before, they were now in a place that appeared to be a beach, they looked and saw a pristine blue ocean with soft light brown sand beneath their feet, there were birds flying in the sky and clouds of various shapes and sizes filled the sky, the sky itself was blue and clear and the sun's light was everywhere and was reflected by the ocean. They could hear the waves and the wind, as they could also hear the callings of the birds flying overhead.

The three Megele women were shocked at the sight and then they smelled the clean cool breeze and looked away from the ocean to see beautiful tropical trees nearby and a forest a bit further away, the air was crisp and had no trace of any smoke at all.

"Where are we?!" All three girls asked simultaneously in shock.

However, their greatest surprise had just arrived…

"Dita, Meia, Jura? What are you three doing here?"

The three women suddenly stiffened at the sound of that very familiar voice, the voice of someone they each held dear to them and the one they had feared lost in the debris belt. They hoped that this was no illusion and turned…

To see Kyo looking at them in surprise and concern…

"Kyo?"

"Mr. Alien?"

"Is it really you?"

Kyo raised an eye-brow at the questions the three were asking him and replied back.

"Yes it's me, and I am real, I was hoping you'd finally stop calling me Mr. Alien for once and…OOOFFFFF!!"

The Gundam pilot had little time to finish his words when all three girls suddenly glomped onto him and began to cry in joy and relief that they had finally found him, and as much as his male hormones once more were reveling in the contact of all three females he had other matters to deal with. He managed to finally worm his way free of the three way glomp and look at the three women who were smiling warmly at him.

"Okay, okay, calm down, not that I'm complaining or anything, but what was that for?"

"Kyo! Thank goodness we found you!" Jura said with a smile.

"We nearly thought you were gone…or worse." Dita said with great enthusiasm.

"It's wonderful to see you are still safe." Meia replied with a smile on her face.

Kyo sighed a bit and nodded.

"I'm happy to see you all too, but I really have to know something…how did you three get here?"

"We really don't know…all we recall was being back in the Nirvana and then we were in this really black void and then there was this blast of light and…here we are." Jura replied, still feeling relief that Kyo was right in front of her.

"That's true…I was in the kitchen when I found myself in the black place." Dita offered, she was still feeling very happy and excited to see Kyo was all right.

"I was also in a strategy meeting with the other pilots when I fell unconscious and came here too…just where are we?" Meia replied as she was still recovering from the wave of joy she had felt when she held Kyo.

"You are in my mind…more importantly in my memories." Kyo replied. He then told the three girls of what had happened when he had been dragged into the debris belt, faced off with Rabat and awoke to find himself in the village of Tao and Diego, his spirit trial and his touching the Paeksis crystal.

The girls were in awe and surprise at what Kyo was telling them, and they were shocked to know that Rabat was still alive. Dita then asked Kyo a question.

"So where are we…in you're memories?"

Kyo looked about and spotted the same house he had seen in his dreams a few times and it was still the same as before as when he had seen it in the few times he was able to regain flashes of his past. He then pointed it out to the girls.

"That's my home…I grew up here, that's where I just might learn who I am."

"Can we follow you?" Meia asked, she and Jura, and Dita were eager to finally accompany Kyo on his journey to rediscover himself.

Kyo sensed that since they were tied to him by the Paeksis, it was important that they were present in his journey, and besides…they were very important to him, and he loved them dearly, he certainly didn't want to travel alone.

"Of course."

The four then set out towards the house and into the journey Kyo needed to make to learn just who he was.

As soon as they came to the house that was Kyo's home, the girls had to admit that Kyo's childhood home was very nice, it may look plain, but they could tell that it was well maintained and had a very kind and happy atmosphere. The house was at least two stories high and it had what appeared to be a garden nearby, along with a small patio. Kyo reached for the knob of the door and with one twist and push, the four entered the door.

As they entered the house, the rooms were clean and there were many paintings and nearby was a family portrait as both the male Yamato and the three Megele women looked at the portrait. In front of them was a picture showing Kyo's family, they saw Kyo as a young man, around the age of six or seven, and the three were able to see just what Kyo looked like when he was still very young…and the only thing that came into their minds was…

"Oh! I never knew Mr. Alien was so cute when he was young!" Dita gushed out as she smiled at the look on Kyo's smiling face in the portrait.

Jura nodded in agreement as so did Meia as they too admitted that Kyo was rather adorable as a young child…much to the utter embarrassment of the Gundam pilot in question. Kyo however didn't bother as he looked at the pictures of his parents, He looked nearby and saw their names…his father's name was Kira Yamato and his mother's name was Lacus Clyne Yamato, he smiled a bit as his memories began to play out.

Before the three women could comment, they saw several people in the house, appearing out of nowhere, at first they were shocked, but from the look of utter calm and joy in Kyo's face, they relaxed.

The older man in the house seemed so much like Mr. Alien, it was almost impossible to tell the two mentioned people apart, that is until they noted that the older man had deep violet eyes while Kyo's younger self appeared to have blue violet eyes, just like he did now. It didn't take long for the girls to recall the Christmas video they had seen several months ago and made the connection.

(He must be Kyo's father…they look so much alike, the only difference now is that Kyo's hair is far longer and his eye color's somewhat different, but if he's Kyo's ohma…father, then who is Kyo's fahma?)

Their question was answered as they saw a beautiful woman with pink hair and deep sapphire eyes, and wearing what appeared to a simple but elegant and classy sun-dress of pink and white cloth. The woman radiated kindness and a strong will as she reached over and hugged Kyo's father and also did the same to Kyo's younger self, the boy smiled warmly as he hugged his mother back, and that was where the girls realized that the woman was Kyo's fahma or rather, mother as there was some similarities between him and his female parent, most notably their eye color, it was there that they now understood why Kyo's eyes were both violet and blue.

Another young woman appeared, rather younger than Kyo's younger self and the two seemed at home with one another, and the three girls saw such a familiarity between the two children, they quickly realized that she must have been Kyo's younger sister. The two seemed to get along rather well and that was with the approval of their parents as well. They then also reached over to what appeared to some sort of crib, and as Kyo, Dita, Meia, and Jura came closer to the crib, they saw a young little baby boy in the crib…Kyo saw his sister and younger self play around with the little baby, and since the baby was a boy…it made sense for him to guess the baby was his baby brother.

The girls could only stare in awe at the sight of Kyo's family, they were surprised as the images changed as Kyo's memories were being unlocked, they saw Kyo learning the fine arts of music and singing from his mother, how his father taught him about the sciences, computers, and how to use a Mobile Suit, they were then introduced to Kyo's other friends and relatives as the memories continued…

Later…

The group found themselves meeting a blonde woman who appeared to Kyo's aunt who had short blonde hair and had her hair in a semi wild style as she was dressed in what appeared to be simple clothes as she and Kyo's mother Lacus were busy shopping in a small mall, next to Kyo and his sister was his cousin, a blonde girl, like her mother, but had her father's green eyes, the man in question was chatting with Kyo's father Kira, and it was here that Kyo learned just they were, the blue haired and green eyed man was his uncle by marriage Athrun Zala, and he had been his father's friend when they were around his age as well, however, the war from so long ago had driven a wedge between them, and things had become harsh for them both, and they had nearly killed each other, but now they were heroes who fought side by side to prevent what would have sealed the fate of all human kind, regardless of the fact that there were two factions, Natural and Coordinator. It had been quite a surprise for them all, Kyo included to learn that he was indeed borne on Earth, but he had been born long before the incident known as the Days of Despair, meaning that he must have been somehow placed in a state of suspended animation, and something happened to make him forget the past.

Kyo remembered that message pod from so long ago when they had found Misty and as his memories were played before him, he recalled his parents had somehow been part of the war that the parents of Misty had spoken of…to know that his parents had been part of that war was rather surprising to the Gundam pilot. To think that his parents were actually heroes themselves, and had managed to prevent the end of all human life in their world…it was shocking and somewhat humbling to him to know that his parents had such a place in history.

They saw him as he made some friends in his school and watched him as he grew up and even protected his sister from a band of bullies one time in school, and he did the very same thing when he also saw his little brother being bullied, they saw him as he graduated from his school in record time and make good friendships with other who were older than him, the girls even smiled when they heard him sing before a small audience, his voice was just as pleasant and entertaining as it was when he was with them in the Nirvana.

Jura, Meia, and even Dita then felt some tingles of jealousy as some of the memories highlighted some of the people he met who were female and who showed a great deal of interest in Kyo as he was growing up. He and the others then watched his life play before them as they saw him participate in the Guardians alongside his uncle and father, and fight alongside them all in the military group who were dedicated to ensuring a lasting peace for both the people of Earth.

This was where Kyo's questions concerning his training in military techniques, methods, and the skills he had were answered, as he saw himself studying under several instructors, and even under his father and uncle. He then saw himself leading small teams of agents, mostly from the way they moved, he could tell were spies, and much to his surprise, he saw himself having great aptitude with Mobile Suits, though the surprise faded quickly. The women were surprised to see that when he was young, Kyo was already a soldier and Meia was finally able to see just where did Kyo learn how to use Mobile Suits so well.

The group watched as the Guardians celebrated both the Peace Accord and the final mission of their group and that was where they also saw Kyo continue his life as a growing up man in Earth, going to high school and having a normal childhood, along with the rest of his family.

Dita, Meia, and Jura saw just what kind of man Kyo was as they saw him dote on his little sister and brother, he was very protective of both his family, relatives, and his friends as the images showed him being with the people in question, he seemed to be a really nice guy, despite being a young soldier. They saw him when he was also in some of his own bad moods, showing that despite being a kind, compassionate, strong willed, and determined guy, there were bad things about him as well, however, Kyo didn't seem to mind at all as he realized that the bad things and situations that happened both in the present and the past, made him who he now was…and the women realized that as well.

It was then that they wondered just what happened to have made Kyo forget all these memories, all of which seemed to be so precious…what had happened to him?

However, it seemed that the girls were not going to find out at all, the answer to that question as they were suddenly being pulled back from where Kyo was standing. They were shocked and afraid, but Kyo looked at them and smiled…the scenery changed into the room of the Nirvana…namely in the Map room…as the women looked at Kyo, he merely pointed at the nearby star chart screen and pointed to a section of the map…in that same moment, the shroud that hid that section of the map faded and there was the planet where he was on.

"This is where you'll find me…I'll be waiting for you all."

The women couldn't say much as they began to fade…just as the scene once more changed…this time, Kyo found himself in what appeared to be a meeting hall…at the time frame of a certain event that he had been part of…nearly four hundred years ago.

--

Back at the Nirvana…

Things were getting rather hairy as the crew who were in the Medical Bay looked over the three Gundam pilots with worry and uncertainty, unlike the last time, when they had sensed Kyo's plight back on the desert planet, the three girls were very much unconscious and they could not be awakened, lest they suffer from brain damage since their brain waves were combined.

Magno was still in shock as she looked the data over and after she was done, she could only sit down and shake her head…

"In all of my years…I never thought…I never thought it was even possible… but if it really is true…then how come Kyo does not recall this information?"

Duero himself was unable to believe it himself, but it seemed that his friend Kyo was truly more than what he seemed in every sense of the word as he ran through the history records and compared it to the records found in Kyo's ID card. The data all matched and it was irrefutable that the one they knew as Kyo had a history that truly set him apart from them.

"I am afraid I do not have the answers, however, I can surmise, that only Kyo can answer that question for us…the only chance we have is to find him…however, until he manages to regain his memories as well, any way to answer you're question is closed to us all Captain."

Magno had to agree as she looked at the information, Buzam was not all that sure about what was troubling the Captain so much as she had just came there after looking Dita, Jura, and Meia over to check their condition along with Max. Along with them were Sara, Mai, Barnette, Aleck, Paiway, and Gascogne, all of whom were vigilant over the matter. Buzam then contacted the Map archive room, the same room Misty was currently in.

"Misty, any luck finding out the possible location as to where Kyo might be?"

"Nothing yet….without any charts of the debris belt, I can't make any estimate as to where Kyo might be, even Bart is having a hard time trying to locate his possible location and he has more charts than I do."

"Keep working on it."

"Roger, Misty out."

The silver haired woman then turned to the elderly woman and the doctor.

"If we had some way of locating Kyo, then we would be able to continue this race to stop the Harvesters. The only problem is that since no one from either our worlds have properly charted this debris belt, we don't have that much data to work with."

The elderly woman nodded in agreement….however, this was also when the three girls' brain waves were seamlessly separated and amazingly, the girls were now awake.

The others were astonished as both Talark medics came to the newly awakened Gundam pilots to check their condition, Duero looked over the scanners and found no dangerous ailments on them and saw that all their brain wave patterns were in good order at this current time, as soon as he was assured of no physical or psychological anomalies in the three, he questioned Dita on how she was feeling.

He was surprised to see a smile on the redhead's face as she looked rather excited. Her next words told him and the rest of the people in the Medical Bay just why she was like that right now.

"We know where Mr. Alien is!"

Before the people could do anything, all three women stood up and headed for the Map Room, right where Misty was working.

In the Map Room…

As her scanners told her once more that her search was unable to find any habitable planets or planetoids, the dark blue haired girl sighed and rubbed the side of her head in exasperation and exhaustion, there was just too much ground and uncharted territory to cover for her, and the charts were not very accurate, as much as she wanted not to give up in her search for Kyo, unleash by some miracle, there was nearly no chance for her to locate him and his Gundam.

She was naturally surprised to suddenly hear the door open and spot none other than Dita, Meia, and Jura, who were supposed to still be in the Medical Bay for check up.

"What are you three doing here all of a sudden?"

"We know where Kyo is!"

Misty was naturally shocked and is some degree of disbelief at what she had just heard, coming from the three women, she and the others had been searching for Kyo and his Gundam for several hours now, and now the three of them were before her, saying that they knew just where Kyo was.

Before she could say anything all three women then pointed at a certain point in the map before them, which naturally showed the debris belt, despite her confusion, the dark blue haired girl concentrated her scan of the area and was finally able to locate a certain planet that appeared to be more than capable in supporting human life forms, but she still was not convinced that Kyo was truly there at all.

The three girls however didn't stop their pointing at the screen, thus insisting that Kyo was there, they however knew that Kyo told them the truth…they could FEEL that the planet they had found was where Kyo was.

However, Magno and Buzam had just arrived and the looks on their faces told Misty that this was the place where they would really find their lost comrade.

"Misty…how long before we are able to reach that location?" Buzam asked.

Misty then began to work on estimating the exact time and distance to the planet considering their current location, after she had finished her reading of the data, she answered the two officers.

"At the very least…two hours, less if we can blast through most of the debris."

Magno nodded and headed for the bridge to begin the crew for their mission to rescue Kyo from where he was currently located. As soon as the charts were brought in and the news of Kyo being located was all over the ship, the crew cheered loudly and worked at full tilt to help them locate Kyo all the quicker.

The Nirvana powered up it's shields to full power and the pirates began the journey to locate their now found comrade. The Dread pilots were merely waiting for the order to take in their Dreads and provide support, should the Harvesters plan any sudden attacks. The last thing they wanted was to be ambushed by the Harvesters and get wiped out in the process of recuing Kyo.

The same sentiment was in the members of Kyo's Crusader Squadron, but the emotion and sentiment was the strongest in the three female Gundam pilots who were very close to Kyo, they tried their best to keep themselves under control as they hoped that Kyo was waiting for them as he promised them when they were alongside him in his mind.

--

Back in the cave…an hour or so later…

Kyo shook his hand as he moved away from the Paeksis, his face was a mixture of disbelief, and joy…however, the last memory he had seen, just as the girls had somehow left his mind made him feel something he had always felt but never this strongly…loss.

(They're all gone…my family…my friends…my home…everything…they're all gone!)

Tao and Diego didn't say a word, but their looks of sympathy were able to speak volumes on how much they could understand Kyo's feelings of pain and loss. The Gundam pilot however calmed himself as best he could and then followed the two out of the cave via the secret path to the village. As soon as he was out of the cave and back into the village he looked up to the sky and sighed heavily.

(I have so much to think about…my path now, and what to do…now that I know that all I knew and loved from so long ago is gone.)

The Gundam pilot however felt one thing as he looked up to see the sky as the landing shuttle of the Nirvana came on the scene…

He was happy that he still had a place and people to go back to…

As the shuttle landed, he walked over to the ship, just as the crew disembarked from it, in the lead were naturally a certain redhead, a certain blonde, and an aqua haired girl, not to be outdone by the three, two girls, one a copper haired woman and a brunette rushed in alongside the first three girls, all of them having expressions of joy at seeing him alive and safe. He looked over them and saw the others in the crew, namely Buzam, Magno, Duero, Parfait, Max, Aleck, Gascogne, along with several members of his Crusader Squadron. He smiled though his heart was still heavy from the painful discovery that he had made after he had regained his memories, and realized what had happened to him so long ago.

"MR. ALIEN!!"

Kyo sighed a bit as he walked towards them and in that very same instant, he was tackled to the floor by all three girls, and Sara and Mai still got into the act and hugged him tightly as well…that is, until he was finally able to get on his feet and manage to convince Dita, Jura, and Meia to finally release him before he lost his supply of air. As soon as they did so, Magno walked up to him with a very expectant look, confusing the Gundam pilot somewhat.

"How are you feeling Kyo?"

"I'm fine…and I also know who I really am now."

Magno seemed to tense up a bit and look at Kyo very intently. "And you recall you're full name?"

"Yes I do…"

Magno waited and so did Buzam, and Kyo then spoke calmly as he finally said his full name, the name he had not heard from others, and himself for the last four hundred years.

"Yamato….my full name is Kyo Clyne Yamato. My parents were Kira and Lacus Yamato."

--

Elsewhere…

In the Harvester assault fleet, namely in the massive battle-ship that housed the Harvester Armada's ultimate weapon and their ultimate Gundam, the pilot of the mentioned machine was currently reading the latest reports from the rest of the fleets that had been dispatched many years before, most of the reports were not too pleasing as the rest of the universe seemed to be still uncharted, and those that had human colonies were hell bent on resisting their will, his and the Harvester Council.

No matter, with the fact that the Resistance was now planning to converge in the system where Megele and Talark were, it would be far easier to finally wipe the Resistance out, their utter destruction, along with their potential allies, and the Nirvana would shatter any form of rebellion with the other colonies. He smiled as his forces were soon to arrive…however, their…advanced fleet would be allowed to draw first blood in their battle with the all male and all female planets beyond the soon to be seen debris belt, their advanced fleet had to prepare their systems for battle and could not rally yet, however, they would be ready, and so would his fleet.

Soon, the Harvesters would win this war…and he would finally get to kill the one man who had given him the jagged scar on his body, a symbolic reminder of his own flaws.

"Soon…soon, Megele and Talark will fall, along with the pathetic Resistance, and you Kyo, I will keep you alive long enough to witness it all, before I finally end you and you're accursed blood-line!!"

The Harvester leader and pilot of the E-Vendetta Gundam laughed in a maniacal tone as the fleet continued on it's mission of utter extermination.

--

To be continued…

--

Author's Notes:

This is short…but that's only because I still need to get all my plans straight, hope this chapter will show that this story is still being made and planned out. Have fun and send me your' comments and suggestions…

Because like I promised before…the lemon stuff is in this chapter arc now. ()

This is also where Kyo's past will come back, and we now get to see what Kyo's life was like before he joined the Guardians, his two years of fighting in the Guardians, and his later years until the very moment he stopped the Paeksis from exploding four hundred years before.

This will also have some serious side effects to not just Kyo, but to his comrades, and the incoming war with the Harvesters…so anyone care to wager a bet on what the outcome will be?

(1) This is not the real name of Gascogne's sister, it is just something I made since I can't find any data that tells me her real name anyway, hope you don't mind…and if you DO find out her name…then please send me an email so I can know.

(2) Sound familiar? If not, then here's a clue…he was once part of Z.A.F.T and was known as the Desert Tiger. Another clue is that he is the commander of the Eternal, and if you have seen Gundam SEED Destiny, he has new prosthetic limbs to replace the ones he lost in his battle with Kira Yamato and pilots the Gaia Gundam that Stellar once used in battle.

If you haven't figured it out yet, or have forgotten, the Mobile Suit that Kyo piloted years before was the Orb MVF M-11C Murasame, that is the soon to come replacement for the Astrays.

And who is the one he had fought with to save his father?

--

Kyo's memories have now been unlocked! What will happen now?

Find out soon!

New notes:

(Okay, I know these parts sound real harsh, but Kyo WAS in the military in the past and HAS done some battles, but he only did them when he had no other option, or had to defend his comrades, and no matter how one tries to avoid it, life is lost in combat. It is only through his parents, relatives, and friends that Kyo didn't not become traumatized by it growing up, now that his memories are still sealed, there is a chance he might be tempted to give up…but if he did, then things would not work out.)

(Things will work out, so relax and hold you're horses people! I'll be right back…)

--

It's been a rather long time, and this officially ends this part of Chapter 10!

Sorry about the way the story might be going, I've been rather busy as of late and I don't have enough time to work on this as much as I hoped I could, and I have had some writer's block lately since I have had so many ideas lately, and I seriously need a break for a while.

However, this chapter is now officially finished, and I hope that you can send me comments and suggestions regardless.

In the next chapter, we will have a bit of an adventure and some combat, and just so everyone will be informed…someone will soon die in the story, but rest assured it will not be a member of the crew, however it was be rather interesting as that certain person will leave behind a very important bit of information that could very well change the outcome of the battle…and we will have a lemon soon, this is just part 1 after all.

Please send me comments and reviews, I really will appreciate it if I get some…having been gone for some time from the fanfiction writing circuit.


	25. Chapter 25

GunDread SEED The Second Stage

Disclaimer: I do not own VanDread or Gundam SEED, period. So don't bother asking for any law-suits.

Chapter 10 Part 2

Consequences

( ): Thoughts

(" "): Psychic communication

--

On the planet…

Kyo wondered what the next step was, but it had little to do with the battle with the war with the Harvesters. The young man who had now regained all his memories and his past felt more lost than ever before. He had hoped that he would finally be able to find his family and reunite with them…but he now realized it was not going to become a reality…after the last memory he saw told him of what had happened.

(All this time…I…I've just been wandering and searching for things, places, and people…that are already gone.)

He was currently looking at the village that he stayed in, just as the villagers and the pirates were busy moving his Gundam from the cave for him to command and fly back to the Nirvana, the bridge crew reported in that there was currently no sign of the Harvesters and their forces, however, they knew that the Nirvana's scanners were hampered by the debris belt so they had no way of knowing for sure if they were or were not being followed by the forces of Earth.

"Having a hard time?"

Kyo looked and gave a cold glare at his new visitor, none other than Rabat himself, as the former trader, mercenary, and Harvester spy looked at him with tired eyes.

"What do you want?"

"Nothing, but I do owe you an explanation, don't I?"

Kyo was a bit confused at first and then recalled Rabat saying that he would tell Kyo just exactly what had happened to him. He still wanted to know just what made Rabat act this way towards him. He knew that Rabat hated him with a passion and would have done anything to find him vulnerable and kill him himself…just several days ago…the con artist had the perfect chance…but didn't take it…and even helped him find out about his past.

He couldn't figure out just why the man had done all these things, and even seemed resigned to die by his hand for what he had done to the human race. Since he was not yet going back to the Nirvana yet now seemed like a very good time to find out, and just as Tao and Diego came on the scene, Kyo decided that it was now time for Rabat to tell him just what happened to the man.

"Just what happened to you Rabat?"

Rabat then began to tell Kyo of what had happened to him all those months before, after his last attempt to land on a human inhabited world, the group listened to Rabat as he told them of the weeks he had spent inside the malfunctioning Seed Ship, how he had been placed in storage when the ship was hit by the cosmic storm and rendered inoperable, and his weeks of being subjected to the video and audio records of the ship, that finally broke him.

As Kyo listened, he felt a mixed pair of emotions, the first was satisfaction in the sense that Rabat finally realized the extent of his sins on the rest of his fellow humans when he sided with the Harvesters during the time he had been free. The second and last, despite how odd it felt, was pity, in the sense that even if he wanted to hold Rabat responsible for the crimes he had committed, even he didn't expect it to be that harsh. He wondered just how did Rabat manage to keep hold of his mind without being driven insane by the images he no doubt had seen, and the pain he had experienced.

"I deserved that fate, I finally got to see just what kind of people I had aligned myself with, those organ starved people did everything they possibly could to get prime organs, it never mattered if the organs were from men, women, and children. And I finally got to experience the suffering and pain I helped inflict on them, I saw their expressions and heard their cries for pity and mercy as they were being cut apart and kept alive until the Harvesters took every viable organ from you're body, they didn't even give you the decency to die immediately! They want you alive even as they tore out every part of you like you were a piece of meat, to get all the organs in good condition…and they will let you die only when you're nothing anymore…but a pile of refuse… Soon, all the pain and anguish would drive you mad, and you've beg for death…I guess I got away for now…I'm still intact,…but I wish now that I died instead, it would have been better they killed me…but with my ship's transponder not working, the Seed Ship that took me in saw me not as a threat to kill on sight, but another human to harvest. And I was allowed to see every inch of the sins I made…I was in hell, a hell that haunted my dreams until the day I die."

Despite his feelings of pity however, he believed that Rabat had learned the hard way on how dangerous it was to deal with people like the Harvesters, people who gave every sense of human compassion, morals, and ethics just to survive, the people he aligned with were no longer human beings in a sense, but were now nothing but raving beasts driven by their desire to live, even if that meant killing innocent lives. Considering all that he had learned, and Rabat no doubt now found out, the Harvesters cared little about him and cared only to be the only humans in the universe, despite the fact that the wanton slaughters they committed made them far from human at all.

As soon as Rabat finished his tale on what had happened to him for the past few weeks before he had arrived on the planet where Tao and Diego lived, he spoke about his arrival on the planet and his reunion with Diego and Tao.

"…after they managed to free me from the stasis cell, they outfitted me with some cybernetic limbs, and…I finally had some time to think about all that had happened ever since that day…and you were right you know….I did betray the human race and all for the sake of money….but there was another reason."

"That being what?"

"You…or rather, what the Paeksis here once said about you, I was here many years before, as an explorer, and while I was here, I heard about the spirits talking about the legend of one being standing against the Harvesters and defeating them. At first I thought I was the one who they spoke of."

("However, Sam was not the one the spirits spoke of Kyo…it was you.")

"Me?"

Diego nodded, along with Tao.

"After all, when the Paeksis first came to Earth it nearly destroyed human civilization, but you were the first to stop it, and somehow it preserved you, kept you alive…and made you stronger, and I guess you know why," Rabat replied.

Tao nodded in agreement.

("The spirits spoke of a savior of great power and will, who would come forward and stop the madness and slaughter of the former human inhabitants of Earth, who were forced into becoming raving beasts by what had happened in the Days of Despair. They do not realize that even with all of their accomplishments, they are only bringing the future of the human race further into darkness, and their madness would bring nothing but death and extinction to all humanity and leave us open to what other threats live beyond the stars, there are many threats beyond our own portion of the galaxy and humanity must stand united against such things, and the savior that the spirits spoke of would possess the greatest gift of human evolution, the SEED factor, the ability to see far beyond normal human perception and go beyond the physical boundaries. And the spirits spoke that only the one born of…you're blood-line could wield that factor at it's full capacity…and you are that one savior…after all, you saved the human race once, I can say that the time has now come to do it again…and this time…to save it from extinction.")

Diego then sighed and looked at Rabat.

("When Sam realized that he was not the one the spirit spoke of, he was very much upset, and when he left began to forget all about what he had learned while he was among us, we tried to warn him of the dangers out his own arrogance and pride, and we even asked him to actively seek you out, but he refused…we never expected him to betray his own people to the Harvesters, and part of us wondered if it was due to his disappointment of not being the one…but now, he learned what he should have learned…however, even with all his actions, such a lesson can be too hard to swallow.")

Kyo snorted a bit. "As much as I'd say otherwise, I guess I can agree to a point about that, so what happens now?"

Rabat, or rather Sam merely sighed.

"You should get back to Talark and Megele, they have to be warned about what is about to happen, the Harvesters' previously released fleet that were heading for the two planets are already half way through this belt. And their invasion fleet is not far behind them, you'll need this, if you want to stand a chance against that new super weapon they have."

Rabat then handed a pair of video disks to Kyo, the Gundam pilot wondered just what was in the disks as he looked at Rabat.

"I managed to at least hack into the Harvester Armada's data relays…the only consolation I had when I was in the Seed Ship…these were reports, and design blue-prints on the Harvesters' new super-weapon, which I have no doubt in my mind…you've already heard of…it was the one that incinerated Melanos."

Kyo nodded as he recalled what he had seen the last time he was among the Melanos people.

Rabat continued with what he had to say concerning what the super weapon was.

"It's based on an old weapon system that was build at the nearing end of the Z.A.F.T/ EA War, nearly four hundred and ten years ago…it was the GENESIS Weapon. The GENESIS during it's time was far worse than the nuclear arsenals used by the Alliance in the past since it could literally fry the whole of the planet, killing all forms of life on the surface through sheer heat and radiation since it used gamma radiation from it's nuclear reactors that are directed by Neutron Jammer Cancellers. After the war, all plans of the GENESIS were supposedly destroyed, but they were not completely lost. Unlike the first model…this Harvester version no longer is restricted by Neutron Jammers and can fire repeatedly it's gamma laser beam, since it does not need to replace it's targeting/focus mirror and since it's on a battle-ship…it's more a threat since it's mobile. That, with it's massive escort force and the numbers of weapons it has makes this a priority one target, but it's well armed and defended, the danger of it also added by the fact that it's armed with Phase Shift Armor. There is a weakness there, however I cannot be sure of what or where the weakness is…regardless, this disk contains some of the design layouts, so you may have to get creative on a possible weak point to exploit as quickly as you can."

Kyo nodded as he could understand just how much a threat this machine now was, he then looked at the second disk and wondered what was on this one.

"That…will tell you why the Harvesters are now obliterating human colonies instead of butchering the populations for organs…I can't say anymore than that."

Kyo looked at both disks and then at Rabat, from what he had been able to understand, there was no doubt on his mind that Rabat had changed, despite the fact that it was still not easy for him as a person to let go of Rabat's sins towards all human civilization. What he will do now with the information was up to him.

As he looked towards the rest of the pirates, who were now getting ready to leave the planet, he looked once more at the three people before him and also the village, he owed them a lot, even Rabat. So he did the only thing he could do…he walked back to Diego, Tao, and even the former Harvester spy…and bowed.

"Thank you…I'll make sure to do what you have suggested, though…there is still a lot for me to think about."

As he left to ride in his Infinite Freedom Gundam to rejoin the pirates…he wondered on what to do with all that he had learned in this planet, and what he should do now…the people, places, and things he had spent the last year and many months looking for were already gone, and now all he had left was the future…but the past was something that he still could not easily ignore.

--

Later…in the Nirvana's Observation Deck…

Kyo looked at the view of the debris belt as the Nirvana powered up and began to continue on it's mission to return to both Talark and Megele to warn both worlds of the soon to come invasion from the Harvesters, his mind still trying to come to grips with the last memory he had recovered, along with the very stark and painful revelations that it gave him about his past. He still couldn't believe that all he had been looking for wasn't just lost…but also forgotten and ancient

"Mr. Alien?"

Kyo sighed as he turned to face the voice, finding Dita looking at him with great concern, next to the redhead was Jura, Meia, as well as Sara and Mai, all five girls were very worried about him and the expressions told him loads on what they were feeling.

"What's up?" He asked as he turned around to face them all.

"We've been looking for you for quite a while Kyo, are you all right?" Mai asked.

"That depends on you're definition of all right, I've managed to get all my memories back…but now I don't know if I really wanted to remember them now."

"What do you mean? We've seen you're memories and most of them were good…" Jura spoke, as she, Meia, and Dita were in his mind previously, they had been beside him when he regained most of his past, so it was somewhat a surprise why Kyo seemed very remorseful when he finally had his memories back with him.

"I didn't mean I hated those memories Jura…far from it…it's just, when I gained my last memory right before you three woke up back on the Nirvana…I saw what happened to me and why my memories were sealed away…and I saw…what I lost."

"Lost?" Mai asked, not liking the confused and sorrowful look Kyo had on his face.

"I…did something to save my family…but in exchange…I lost everything I held dear."

The girls were confused as to why Kyo would say that, what had happened in Kyo's past that made him say that, what did Kyo lose in his past to make him say such things. Kyo could tell that it was one thing that they wanted to know about, and since he recalled it now with great clarity…he decided he would at least tell them.

"I was there with my folks back on Earth…taking care of certain family matters…namely my sister's first prom date, until something came up."

(Flashback to be shown later.)

--

In another part of the Nirvana….

"I can't seem to understand it…how could Kyo Clyne Yamato's name not be in the Colony records? I mean, there are some people on the Ikazuchi who have the last name."

Parfait, Buzam, Magno, Duero, Max, Gascogne, and Aleck were currently in the Conference Room to discuss the information that the doctors and the Captain had discovered concerning their comrade Kyo. The others were confused as to why Magno reacted the way she did when she read the data that was recovered from Kyo's ID card, the same one he used to sneak into Talark society and land a job.

Magno seemed very silent as Buzam also spoke.

"We don't have any records pertaining to Kyo's full name in the Colonization database, but that does not mean that it's not there."

Duero then spoke. "That is because Kyo was not born in the Colonization Era."

"What do you mean?"

Duero then took out a chart and high-lighted Kyo's biological data, and in that data chart was his birthday.

"Kyo was born on September 23, Cosmic Era Year 72. This calendar was in use on Earth and the outlying colonies in space…almost four hundred years ago."

The other officers were stunned, and Gascogne was the one who voiced out that very same shock.

"But if that is true…that would mean that Kyo is over four hundred years old! That would also make him far older than any member of the First Generation on either Talark or Megele! How is that even possible?!"

"That's not the only thing…we dug into the records more…and even reviewed the message pod Misty had on her when we found her, and found out that Kyo and his family were in the very same research station that had housed the first Paeksis prototype…and it while it seemed that they all, along with Kyo's relatives, who were Athrun and Cagalli Zala, the former was a General in the nation once known as the Orb Union, and husband to the latter who was Orb's Prime Minister, and who by blood is Kyo's aunt. It appears that Kyo had stayed behind to prevent the first Paeksis prototype from exploding, which at the time would have resulted in a disaster that would have wiped out all life on Earth…Kyo was presumed by the people of Earth in that era four hundred years ago as dead…and was considered a hero and martyr for what he had done. And that event…was in the message pod."

"Are you saying that Kyo was the one that prevented that disaster four hundred years ago?"

"Yes…and in that respect…that would also mean that Kyo's actions had led to the Colonization Era that our own ancestors had been born into…since it took approximately four hundred years for mankind to gain the needed technology and tools to colonize other planets. Had Kyo not stayed behind to prevent the reactor from exploding…then humanity would have been either wiped out, or slowly destroyed by time…neither our planet of Talark…or yours of Megele…or any other human world for that matter would have been founded hadn't Kyo done what he did four hundred years ago. "

"But…how could he be still alive if it had been four hundred years?!"

Duero once more showed the records and this time, showed the bulk of all his research on Kyo's genes when the Gundam pilot reported for the physical check-ups.

"When I ran tests on Kyo previously, I detected traces of residual Paeksis energy, naturally I suspected that those were results from his exposure to the Paeksis several months before, however, as I continued to do my research I discovered that first traces of the Paeksis were nearly months or even years old, unlike the new ones that I had found afterwards…meaning that Kyo had prior experience with the Paeksis before the incident onboard the Ikazuchi, though how and why was something that had eluded me…until today. Considering all the data and theories we have…this means that when Kyo was alive and in the station, no doubt to prevent the disaster with the first Paeksis reactor, the crystal must have somehow placed him in suspended animation and kept him alive for the past four hundred years, and while doing so, must have infused his genes with it's own energy, which would explain all of his physical and mental attributes, apart from his Coordinator heritage."

"How come he remembers none of this?"

"I suppose that he must have suffered a blow to his brain that caused amnesia, and it might have been the Paeksis itself that held the key to his past, he did mention to me once that the very moment he was exposed to the Paeksis on the Nirvana…his memories became more clear, unlike in the past where he could see nothing. As time passed, and his exposure to the Paeksis grew, just like when he combined his Gundam with the Dreads, or when he had developed a link to both the Gundam and Dita, Jura, and Meia…those memories must have been reawakened. All this information is what we can surmise, so there may be some flaws…however, all this seems to be the best data we can gather."

Magno nodded.

"We've got a lot to talk about with Kyo then…however, I have a feeling that we cannot talk to Kyo about this kind of information right now…I can imagine the shock of what he had seen and recalled must be difficult for him."

"But Captain…if what Duero says is true…then Kyo is more than just our friend and ally now…he is the savior of all the humans in every colonized world…including Talark and Megele! He has to know what his actions have done."

"I'm not saying that he does not deserve to know BC…but we have to consider what all this means for Kyo himself…think about it…he has been left behind by humanity for four hundred years, even if he has become a legendary figure, all the things he had been looking for the past years are no longer around for him to find…he has no home, he has no family, all of his friends, the friends he had when he was still alive are all dead now, his family no longer exists…I cannot say I know what he is feeling…but I think that he still cannot grasp that fact that everything he knew and remembered are already gone."

"The Captain is right Commander." Aleck replied as he too looked at the data.

"I can't say that I also know how Kyo's holding up…but I can bet that he's still trying to grasp just what had happened to him…how would you feel when you recover all of you're memories and find out that everything you knew, and everyone you've loved for your young life…are all dead and forgotten and you are still alive? It's more terrifying than anything I can come up with."

Magno nodded as she looked at the data.

"Until Kyo is able to recover…we must give him time to get used to all that has transpired since his actions in that space station. I cannot even begin to imagine how he would feel if we suddenly start lauding him for things he had contributed to. He may have allowed humanity to grow and colonize worlds beyond Earth, but at what price for himself?"

--

Back with the Gundam pilot in question…

Flashback….

Kyo was busy running some last minute checks on his personal quantum computer for some of the older projects he had done ever since his graduation from college. The fact that he had built the computer from parts issued to military personnel spoke highly of Kyo's education on all matters electronic and programming. However, he was also very busy with another matter, he had finally recorded all the data on his Gundam, ever since it had somehow been modified by unknown factors, the former Guardian and Mobile Suit pilot was busy trying to get as much data as he could on what could have been the events and factors that had transformed his Mobile Suit into the current form it now had. He then looked at his cell-phone as a message on the screen told him that he had an incoming call from his old friend and former teacher, Orb Engineer Erica Simmons.

Kyo deactivated the security lock on the cell-phone and spoke to it, just as he finished the last details of his work.

"Hello Miss Simmons? Yes, it's me Kyo, what seems to be the problem?"

"Hello to you as well Kyo, nothing out of the ordinary, but I do need to tell you some very important details, do you have any plans tonight?"

Kyo looked at the time and it was nearing night time already. He did have plans and that was to take some time off from his duties as he still lacked some key data for his research into his Gundam which was still in the hanger where it had been stored. However, he did have another matter to deal with…and that was his sister's prom night.

Mira was very happy for the chance to go out on her school's prom, and like all giddy ladies her age she had fussed over what kind of dress would she wear, their mother had been very willing to help out and despite his rather busy schedule in research work on his Gundam, the eldest of the Yamato siblings had a surprise in store for his beloved sister's prom night.

"Not much, still have some paper-work left to take care of for the research I'm making on Freedom, and I have a present to give my sister for her special night."

"Special night?"

"Prom night, she's going out with Mwu tonight for their school celebration, and I plan to give her something nice for that occasion."

Erica seemed pleased by that bit of information as she spoke again.

"You seem to be very happy for that."

"Yes I am, by the way, what's this you wanted to talk about?"

"It's about that new crystal the scientists in the new research station are working on, have you heard of it?"

Kyo thought about it and recalled the information on the newly discovered crystal from space that emitted a very unique form of energy, as far as he knew the crystal was made of unknown elements, totally foreign to the human research tree, even those from Z.A.F.T hardly had any data on it. It was currently being studied by scientists from both Z.A.F.T, the Earth Governments, and Orb to be seen if it could be used in any way, most likely as a new power source.

"I've heard of it before, but I hardly knew much about it, why do you ask?"

"Well…I and some of my research team were temporarily assigned to the research station in question to do a more complete analysis when some of the scientists were on a break. I was able to gather the data on the energy wave lengths being emitted by the crystal and found that the wave patterns are amazingly similar to the ones being released by the crystal reactor in you're Gundam."

Kyo was quickly on attention at the bit of information as he listened more intently.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Positive. I ran several thorough tests on the gathered energy wave data from the crystal, and then the Freedom's own crystal reactor and they match, I then sent you a voice message in you're home, but no doubt it was erased, so I sent you the data via email…did you get it already?"

Kyo decided to turn back on his computer and check his email, he then found the folder and spoke to his old mentor and family friend.

"I've got the folder and I'll start reading it now, if there's anything I would like to ask, I'll give you a call."

"No problem, see you around, and say hi to your parents and siblings for me."

Kyo then directed his attention to the folder and sat back on the chair and began to read the information, and sure enough, Erica was right, there were very accurate patterns and energy readings in the information folder that she had sent him, not to mention images and physical descriptions of the crystal that was being researched, he even received some audio files that detailed what the scientists had found out on the crystal. Kyo looked over all the details and then directed his attention to his own data, pertaining to the crystal reactor in his Gundam, he opened the data files and records pertaining to the crystal's energy wave signature., namely from the circuits that had crystals fused into them.

As soon as he took out a record copy of the wave length, he did the very same thing to the data file that Erica had sent him, as soon as both files were ready for a data wave comparison, he activated the program and fused the wave files together.

…They matched perfectly.

"No way."

Kyo was stunned by what the computer was showing him, both crystals from two different sources, and in two different systems had the very same data wave lengths. This was still another very new and radical thing to discover for the young man and he decided to do a quick run for his work, and encoded the current data into a burner, he then took out a spare disk that he had and placed into the open tray, and a few minutes later, the data that he had gained on his Mobile Suit's modified nuclear/crystal hybrid reactor, along with the fused circuits, and the data handed to him by his old mentor Erica Simmons was now encoded into the CD, he then placed it in a nearby container and then when he was done with the basic screening run on the computer for any infections, he activated the shut down procedure and looked at the data disk carefully.

He juggled just what he would do, but then decided to deal with that later as he reached for the gift paper wrapped box he had on the table in his room. He then took out his cell-phone and decided to check in with the security in the base, where the hanger was that had his Gundam kept in storage.

"This is Major. Kyo Yamato, may I speak to the head of security/" The Gundam pilot said with a clear no nonsense tone to the one receiving his calls there in the base.

"Yes sir, I'll have Lieutenant Jon on the line in a moment." The operator answered and the Coordinator youth heard a slight tone indicating that he was being re-routed into the secure line in the head of security's main office. In a moment, and calm and strong voice came on the line.

"Major Kyo Yamato? What can I do for you sir?"

"What's the current status of the Freedom?"

"The Gundam is still here sir, the weapon systems are fully charged, along with all systems at full optimal condition, no one has tried anything on the Gundam sir, and they never will on my watch."

"That's good to hear, I will be needing the Gundam ready once I get there however."

"Planning a trip sir?"

"You might say that, I have some business to take care of in space, have the Gundam ready for me on the launching deck once I get there."

"Understood sir, we'll have you're Mobile Suit and ready for whatever you need it for."

"Thank you Lieutenant."

As soon as he placed away his cell and was now on the living room, he spotted his sister walk out in a very beautiful white dress, it had pink diamonds on the lower hem and had straps with rose designs on them and even an orchid shaped clasp on the left shoulder, there was even a slit on the right lower portion of her dress that showed her calves, Mira had on a pair of long gloves which were also white and a pair of light dancing shoes that appeared very comfortable on her. His sister looked very lovely in her ensemble.

"What do you think?" Mira asked her eldest brother with a shy smile as she showed the dress from front and back, and since it hugged her slender and well formed frame with grace and class, she was beautiful.

"Let me put it this way…if you and I were not brother and sister, I'd knock Mwu out and take you to the prom myself. You look wonderful sis." Kyo said with a sincere smile.

"Ooh, you're a meanie. I'll tell Mwu later about that, but thank you very much. Mom picked out the dress form me and Dad showed me how to dance with a guy, I've never done this before you know, I'm kind of nervous." Mira replied with a shy but happy smile.

"I understand you're nervousness dear, I was like that when I was you're age too."

Lacus said with a smile as she appeared from the room, dressed in a light blue dress shirt and soft cotton short pants with shoes. Lacus had been busy with matters back in the Colonies a few days before, but had been able to leave two days earlier to oversee the preparation of Mira's first prom night, with the blessings of the other officials in the PLANT Government Council.

"I was nervous in my prom night too sis, and I've got no doubt on my mind that Mwu will be as nervous as you are…though I think that he'll probably have a hard time thinking about being nervous once he sees you."

Kyo replied with a wide smirk on his face, namely how his friend would react to the sight of his sister dressed up the way she was.

"What do you think Kyo? I think the dress is a little too showy, just a bit though."

Kira asked as he came out from the room as well, dressed in a long sleeved party shirt in grey and he had black pants on and his feet had black leather shoes, and despite his dark garb, the Ultimate Coordinator was far from any black feelings as he looked at his daughter with pride, and then to his eldest son for the answer to his question.

"Mira looks beautiful Dad, I do have something for her though." Kyo replied as he revealed the box he had kept hidden and then handed it to his sister.

"Is that for me?" Mira asked in surprise, she had not expected her big brother to have a present for her, since he was rather busy and there was little time for them to be together as siblings, but the thought of her big brother, who had dealt with some bullies for her sake had a gift her in the most important nights of her young life was very nice.

"Yes, I think this will go on to you're hair very nicely."

Mira opened the box, and then found a beautiful hair pin and gasped at the sight. The hair pin was shaped like a butterfly landing on a lotus blossom. The whole thing appeared to have been made from gold and the butterfly was in red and white designs, while the lotus itself was in pink and gold, all in all, the hairpin was beautiful.

Kyo then took the item into his hands and placed it deftly into the right side of his sister's long pink hair and completed the look as Mira saw herself in the nearby mirror. Just as Aki came into the room with some of his toys, the little boy saw his sister and smiled warmly.

"Wow sis, you look great! Going out with Mwu tonight?"

All of the Yamato family smiled warmly at the youngest brother's intuition and laughed good naturedly at the fierce blush that appeared on Mira's cheeks at her little brother's guess.

"Aki! Stop that! But thank you for the opinion. Brother, are you coming to the party?" Mira asked Kyo as he stopped his laughter.

Kyo sobered up and replied. "I wish I could sis, but something very important came up and I have to go to space in a few minutes. However, I hope not to be long since I just need to run some tests there, I'll be back before you know it."

Mira was a bit sad but knew that her big brother always kept his word and hugged him, just as the sound of a knock came on the door, Kira went over to the door and checked to see just who was at their door, he then smiled back at his eldest and only daughter.

"You're date is here."

Mira smiled, just as Kira opened the door and in came Mwu who had a nervous smile on his face, as he was dressed in a well made and apparently well taken care of tuxedo and a set of pink roses with him, his smile towards Kira and Lacus was replaced with absolute amazement as he gazed at his date for the prom, much to Mira's embarrassment, and to Kyo and Aki's absolute amusement. The situation lasted for only a few moments, until Kyo spoke with a grin.

"Hey Mwu, are you going to gawk at Mira all day or are you going to give her the roses and get a move on?"

Mwu shook himself out of his stupor and blushed as he walked over to Mira and handed her the flowers. Mira smiled warmly and kissed him on the cheek, which had turned from light red, to pure crimson. Much to the Yamato family's utter surprise and humor.

Kira then looked at his eldest son and asked him something.

"Why are you planning to go to the PLANTS at this time of the night son?"

Lacus also had the same question on her mind, though she didn't asked it herself, she knew that something of great importance must have happened to get her eldest son to leave so soon, and early too, she and her husband had planned to meet up with Athrun and Cagalli later this night for a small reunion this night, along with Kyo's cousin Kyra.

Kyo told them about the data that Erica had sent him pertaining to the crystal that had been found by the scientists and was being studied, and the similarities the crystal had with the crystal/nuclear hybrid reactor in the Freedom. He then mentioned that he wanted only to go up to space and make some data comparisons and it seemed that he would have miss out for a bit on their planned outing this night. However, fate had other ideas.

Kira checked his cell-phone and found out that he had an incoming message, and as soon as he looked, it was from his sister Cagalli.

"What's up Kira?"

"Nothing much Cagalli, are you ready to meet up here in the house for the outing?"

The tone in Cagalli's voice however didn't bode well.

"Sorry Kira, I've gotten some things to do right now. Athrun and me are to take a short trip to the new station where the crystal that was found a few months before was being stored in the new research station there in space. I'll be away for a while so I don't know just when will I be able to join you all."

Kyo then asked for his father's cell-phone and Kira spoke to Cagalli that her nephew wanted to speak with her. As soon as Kyo was given the cell-phone he explained his findings to his aunt and then requested permission if he could go along with them to the station and bring his Gundam with him on the shuttle. Cagalli then replied to Kyo to wait for a few minutes as she spoke with both her husband and her daughter. After three minutes she spoke back to her nephew.

"Sure, I'll go to the hanger and have the Freedom ready to be transported into the main cargo shuttle, we'll be waiting for you there in the Launching Bay. Once we're there, we'll use the shuttle to go to the Mass Driver."

"Thanks. I think my dad will want to talk to you Aunt Cagalli."

Kyo then handed his dad's cell-phone back to him, but was suddenly surprised to hear his father's following statement.

"Can you hold a few more seats in the shuttle for me and Lacus Cagalli, we'll be coming along for the ride as well."

"Oh?"

"Yes, once we're done with whatever inspection you and Athrun have to do in the station we can get to having that outing once we get back to Earth, sounds fair?"

"I…suppose it might be, I'll make the arraignments Kira, anything else?"

Mira raised her hand and Kira then handed her the cell-phone and she then spoke to her aunt.

"Aunt Cagalli, can I ask if I can come with my parents?"

"What for Mira? Don't you and Mwu have a prom to attend?"

"Yes, but I want to see just what is it that has my brother so interested today, and I doubt being late for a few minutes from a high school prom is such a big deal anyway, please? I promise I won't take too long, and I'll be back here on Earth after all that is over."

"I don't know…all right then, but make sure that you're parents are okay about it, along with you're brother, you know how protective he is."

Mira smiled at that statement and replied. "I know, believe me I know. I hope to see you, uncle Athrun, and Kyra soon."

As soon as she handed the cell-phone to her father, she smiled at Kyo who was very shocked at what he had just heard, he had expected to only be there and back in a few minutes, taking the shuttle and then getting back to Earth in his Gundam, letting his aunt and uncle do their work, but now his entire family was along for the ride. He wanted to try and talk them out of it, however he couldn't find the exact sentences and arguments to help him.

Later…

Kyo sighed as he and the rest of the Yamato family, excluding his youngest sibling who was being watched over by Mwu until they got back, were now alongside him to the base where the Freedom was, he couldn't help but hope that nothing would happen to them on the way to the station and nothing disastrous would happen there in the station…

Boy, how wrong he was…

--

End of Flashback…

"I recall finishing the last of the re-routing procedures and I was about to escape if I could, but then an explosion knocked me unconscious, somehow the Paeksis in my Gundam at that time had activated and no doubt….kept me in stasis, until I woke up in my Gundam's cockpit, no doubt after the Paeksis wore off…I found myself in Earth, but the blast had rendered me an amnesiac, I took off in Freedom and went on to wandering the cosmos…and then found my way to Talark…and the rest…I think you already know that."

Kyo then sighed as he crossed his arms over his chest and looked at the floor as his memories of the events in the station played back in his mind's eye over and over again, he noted that the women before him were rather silent, not that he could blame them, he still had trouble getting used to what he had learned also.

"Wow! You're REALLY old Mr. Alien!" Dita replied as she looked at him in wonder.

Kyo looked at her with a look of slight surprise and humor.

"Please don't remind me of that Dita….it's not exactly comforting to know you're already four hundred and nineteen years old but still look nineteen."

Jura then looked at Dita with a tired expression. "I really wish you'd stop calling him that Dita, his real name IS Kyo Yamato after all…but why did you say you never wish to have those memories restored, I don't exactly understand it."

"Neither do I." Meia replied calmly though she showed great concern for Kyo since his expressions were those of great pain and that was the one expression she didn't want to see in his face.

Sara and Mai had the very same expressions of concern and curiosity in them as they gazed at Kyo waiting for an answer.

Kyo then replied.

"The….the reason I said that is the fact that I've been looking for my home, my family, and my friends all this time and hoping to at least find some answers to my own being, but now that I've gotten those answers, and know now what had happened ever since that day in the station, I realized that all my efforts have been for nothing…my family is dead, my friends are also dead, my home-planet is now an irradiated waste-land and the survivors are nothing more now that organ hungry killers and are nothing like the people I recall. All this time I've been looking for them all…they already died."

"I…I can't…exactly move on now with all this on my conscious."

"Why?"

Kyo groaned and looked at them with sad and lost eyes and replied with greater force.

"Why? I've been looking for my family that have already passed away, I've been looking for my home-planet that now is nothing more than a barren and inhospitable mockery of the old planet I grew up in as a child, and yet you all still ask why?! I have nothing to go back to or to recall anymore! My whole family is dead and gone! Everything I grew up with and cherished as a child until now is nothing more than dust now! All the people I knew as friends and trusted comrades are dead! My home-land's nothing anymore!! It's nothing but a mockery of the beautiful world I knew as a child!! I have no past to go back to anymore, I have no home, no family, no friends… I'm all alone now!!"

The girls were understandably shocked by the sheer anger and raw emotion Kyo was now letting out and the look of utter despair in his face. Kyo looked at them and realized what he had said, and then with an apologetic look spoke as calmly as he could manage, but he knew that he could barely hold that came as memories filled his mind about his past, and the horrible truth that lay next to it.

"I'm sorry…I, I shouldn't have shouted at any of you, none of you deserve that…but I…try to understand. My family is dead for four hundred years…and so were my friends, along with my home, everything and everyone I cared and loved for is already gone. Even…even if I do find any descendants of my family and friends…they won't know who I am, they won't remember me at all, and that's because….because I'm supposed to be dead myself, The people who knew me are already dead for hundreds of years, and…and my home-world is not the same anymore. I…I know that you all will be there for me…you all always have been, and I can never repay you in any fashion for being there for me…but I…I can't just let this go…please…I need to be alone for now."

With that, Kyo turned and headed off to the men's quarters and to his room. The utter look of defeat and despair in the normal strong willed and brave man was very shocking and painful to the Megele women as they could do nothing but watch as Kyo left. However…Dita was not going to let this be the end of it.

"Mr. Alien! Wait!"

As the redhead tried to follow Kyo, she was suddenly stopped by both Jura and Meia, she looked at them in great surprise and was about to break free from them and try to talk to Kyo but their grips held her in place and prevented her from following the distraught Gundam pilot.

"What are you doing?! We have to help make Mr. Alien feel better, and not sad!"

Meia replied. "I know Dita, I wish to do the same…but I…I think Kyo needs some time alone for now, if you tried to talk to him the way he is right now, I doubt you'd get anywhere."

"But…"

Jura nodded in agreement though her own expression showed pain in being able to do something that could help Kyo come to terms with what he had learned and what he had discovered. The blonde wished she could say something to lift up Kyo's spirits, but she knew better.

"I have to agree with Meia, we can't do much until Kyo…until he comes to terms with it."

Dita was not liking the way the others were acting and began to cry, as despite her denials, she could see the truth about what they said, but she loved Kyo too much to leave him alone the way he currently was right now. And being the kind hearted girl that she was she let it out.

"I love Mr. Alien so much….it hurts not being able to help him now…why does he had to suffer so many things before he's happy?!"

Meia, Sara, Mai, and Jura were stunned at that tearful revelation, but a part of them felt that they should have expected that to come out from Dita sooner or later, considering that before they themselves got close to Kyo, only Dita was constantly beside him in the early days of their journey so it would make sense that her feelings for Kyo, in terms of affection would be the strongest if it was compared to theirs since they had not started feeling this way towards Kyo until now.

Meia and the others looked at each other and then to Dita and sighed as they helped the young redhead away, it seemed that regardless of the current situation, they had a lot to talk about, and in order for things to make some sense for them all on their respective affections for the Gundam pilot, they needed to talk to someone.

--

That certain someone was also busy on something important…

Magno looked over all the records and sighed as she reached for a hidden container. The contents appeared to be very important to the aged Captain as there was a very strong computer lock with a pass code on it. As she looked at the contents for a few moments and then re-sealed it she wondered on how to break the news to Kyo about the discovery of his heritage…and his status when it concerned what he had done nearly four hundred years ago.

(This will be really hard…for both of us.)

However, her thoughts on the matter were placed aside as a sound coming from her door's alarm came online, informing her that there was somebody at her door. She placed the container aside and then took up her walking stick and made her way to the door, but not before she took some pain medication and some water to take the pills down. As soon as she was done she opened the door.

Much to her surprise, she found herself being greeted by Jura, Dita, Meia, Sara and Mai, all five women seemed to have a very important thing to discuss with her, judging by the way they seemed very concerned and troubled.

"Hello, what brings you all here at this time of the day?"

Meia replied for herself and her comrades.

"Captain…we need to talk about, about what we can do to help Kyo with his situation…and how…we can make sense of how we feel for him. Can you help us?"

Magno had a strange feeling that something like this would happen, but she found nothing wrong with how things seemed to be going as she had told Kyo about the women's affections for him once. She then ushered all the girls in her room and decided that until later, her personal discussion with Kyo would have to wait.

--

In the men's quarters…

Kyo looked at the walls in silence and didn't say a single word as he sat on his bunk. He was happy that at least no one was in the area to disturb him, or else he would have lashed out at them, considering the storm of feelings and emotions inside of him, he was very much a mess.

The silence lasted for a few minutes until suddenly Kyo got to his feet and with a strong roar of grief and rage, began punching the walls, all the while crying as he began to recall the memories he had gained and compared them to what he had learned…he never felt so lost now.

All throughout his actions, Kyo merely shouted out incoherent words and sounds.

Kyo went at this for a few more moments until he tired himself out and he then placed aside his hands and sat down on the floor and cried as he recalled just how much he had regained, and just how much he had lost. Despite the pain in his hands from his punching of the walls, it could not compare to the pain of knowing that his family was gone for all time…and he was the only one of his family…in that time, to be alive. The sobs from the distraught Gundam pilot grew as he recalled the smiling faces of his mother, father, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, and cousin, along with his friends…and finally recalling the expressions of sorrow in the faces of his family when he was last with them in the space station.

As soon as he managed to control a fraction of the emotions inside of him, Kyo got up and went to his bunk and then took out from the nearby box something he had found previously as he lay down on the bed, it was a picture that he had found in the box that he now knew as the container of his family mementos. It was a picture of his entire family, his parents, siblings, his relatives, and his cousin having a day in the beach near their home.

He held the picture tighter to his chest as he leaned back on the wall near his bunk and then closed his eyes and cried once more as the memories of that day flooded him, making realize how bitter sweet it was for him to get those memories back.

This went on until he pulled his feet up to the bunk and curled up into a ball on the bed as he began to cry once more.

--

Hours later…

The Nirvana was almost half-way out of the debris belt and things had gotten back to normal, however normal was far from the truth as certain members of the crew were very busy with important matters.

In the men's quarters…

Kyo was still in his bed, and had just awakened, having managed to far asleep on the bunk, he groaned and shook his head and recalled what he had done and checked his hands, there were some bruises and a few aches, but nothing worse for wear and thankfully no broken bones, however he was still very much shook up by all that has happened.

This went on for several minutes until he heard the foot-steps of someone entering the room. He was still not completely sure about all the things that had happened so he naturally was not still sure about seeing anyone.

"I want to be left alone."

The person walking in continued and that forced Kyo to get a bit more depressed, and naturally angry as he still wanted some time to himself, so he quickly got to his feet and walked out to face the person coming in.

"I said I wanted to…"

"Be left alone? I know…but there's much you need to know….that is if you are willing to let an old woman talk to you?" Magno Vivian replied earnestly and as gently as she could seeing the flow of emotions that were there in the Gundam pilot's face.

Kyo's anger and depression melted somewhat as he faced the elder woman, despite how angry and despondent he was, he was not angry enough to lash out at Magno. He looked at the older woman very sheepishly and spoke.

"I…I'm sorry Captain…I didn't mean to yell and act like a…"

Magno waved away his fears and nodded in agreement.

"It is all right…I heard what happened between you and the girls earlier…I wanted to talk to you about that, and I tried calling you on the inter-comm. a few hours before, but you didn't answer. I see that you were asleep."

Kyo nodded as he let the older woman into his room and allowed her to sit on the bunk he had been in before, he then grabbed a nearby light weight metal crate and used it as a chair. As he sat down Magno looked at him with a very calm but concerned eye, the dry areas around his eyes and the way he moved told the old woman that Kyo had cried in his bunk, and she understood that, having learned Kyo's situation from the five women she had chatted with before told exactly what made Kyo so anti-social lately.

Kyo then looked back and replied in a calm voice.

"They told you everything…but I know that there's something else…what is it?"

Magno took a deep breath and then took out the same container she had in her room nearly a few hours before. She then pressed the key codes and the box opened with a hiss of air.

Kyo was curious as to what was the box all about, and his expression showed it. Magno then turned the box around and spoke as calmly as she could to Kyo.

"There's…something in this box that I have had for some time…and something you might recognize."

Kyo didn't quite understand what this was all about, and he was still very much weary on all that he had learned to be dealing with something strange as this.

"Captain…I don't mean to insult you…but I'm not exactly in the mood to be…"

"Please Kyo…open it and tell me if you recognize it. It's important that you tell me if you recognize it."

Kyo never heard this tone come out from Magno before and this made him even more curious and though he was still weary and exhausted from all the things that had happened, he decided to humor her, besides, he had never set foot in her private quarters in the entire time he had been on the Nirvana, he highly doubt that she had anything he would recognize.

As he opened the box, Kyo could tell that whatever was inside the box was well preserved, and he wondered just what was inside it…

Kyo got his answer and his eyes widened in shock and disbelief as he stared at what was inside the box…

It was a hair-pin…but not any ordinary hair pin…

Flashback dialogue…

"Is that for me?"

"Yes, I think this will go on to you're hair very nicely"

End of Flashback dialogue…

Kyo's hands trembled as he reached for the hair-pin, and since Magno didn't stop him, he took it and ran his hands over it, it had the same designs, the butterfly in red and white, and the lotus in pink and gold, the gold metal felt older, and had some tell tail signs of use…but there was no mistake about it, he knew this hair-pin.

"This…this…this is…this is the hair-pin…I, I…I gave this hair-pin to my sister! I gave this hair-pin to my sister Mira Clyne Yamato…on the night…on the night of her prom…and on the night of…"

Kyo nearly dropped the hair-pin but held it closer to him and he was stunned, emotions flowed all over him as he held the item in his hands, and he was shaking. As soon as he got a hold of himself, though barely, he looked at Magno in absolute shock.

"How…How…How did…W-W-Where did you get this?! How could you have my sister's hair-pin?!"

Magno smiled gently and replied.

"It was given to me by my mother on the day of my…wedding, as it was given to her by her own mother on her own wedding and so forth…it was the hair-pin of my ancestor…you're sister Mira."

"No…that…that means that…you're…"

Magno nodded and replied with no trace of a lie in her tone and in her eyes.

"Yes…I am Magno Vivian…Yamato…Mira Clyne Yamato's great-great-great grand-daughter, and you're niece. I'm happy to have met you…in person, Uncle Kyo."

--

The Harvester Invasion Fleet…

"My lord…"

"Report."

"The advanced force has detected an incoming signature that will be breaking through the debris belt in their current location, it appears to be the Nirvana, they are getting ready to engage with them and destroy them on sight."

"How many of the fleet can engage the Nirvana before they reach the Talark/Megele system?" The Harvester leader asked as he ran a few checks of his own.

"At least several massive squadrons of Cube Fighters and Seed Ships, the other battle-ships will still need to clear the debris belt despite the fact that they are only a few more hours away from the system. They will be in position to attack Megele and Talark soon once they have cleared the belt."

"How long will we be able to engage the Nirvana and the two worlds as well?"

Approximately several days, the Resistance continues to harass our fleet…"

"I do not care about their actions…I want all ships to be ready to break through the barrier once we have arrived, have all Mobile Suits, Cube Fighters, and Gundam units ready for battle until then, if any Resistance forces arrive to halt us…I want them obliterated on sight, is that understood?"

"Yes my Lord."

--

Back on the Nirvana…

Kyo Yamato was still in shock and disbelief at what he had just heard from the elder woman before him…he had thought that he was truly alone now that he had regained his memories seeing as out of his original family, he was the only one of them who was still very much alive, but now the fact that Magno had Mira's hair-pin and saying that she was his niece threw him off the loop. He was in a stupor for only a few moments until he regained his wits and spoke once more and spoke.

"How…how can I be sure that this is not some sick joke?"

Magno nodded with a smile. "It is no joke…if you would like, I would like both of us to take a blood and DNA test to prove that you and I are indeed related. There's so much I want to tell you, but I want you to be assured that what I have told you is the truth."

Kyo thought about it, and decided that if this was the only way to see if what Magno told him was true, if it was, there was a lot more for him to consider. He got up and still held the precious hair-pin he gave his sister four hundred years ago and followed the elderly woman who just might be his niece.

As soon as they arrived in the Medical Bay, they were greeted by Duero, Max, and Paiway, who were still busy with several of their own assignments and workloads on the Nirvana's crew, and the two men kept their silence when they faced Kyo, warning that until Kyo came to terms with his past they were not to breath a word to the crew about it. However, that certainly didn't mean they would not do their duties as physicians while on the ship.

"Greetings Kyo, Captain, what brings you here?"

"A blood and DNA test...for both of us" Magno replied, as Kyo looked rather uncertain about the whole thing, but was willing to try and find out if everything the Captain had told him was true, and if this was the only way, then so be it.

Duero became somewhat confused as to what was going on, as far as he could recall, Magno Vivian had not taken too many physical examinations, due to her old age, however he knew that she did have some physical conditions such as a heart condition which would hopefully be treated back on Megele, in the pirate base since the supplies and technology in the Nirvana were not that well supported. He however could tell from the expressions on both Kyo and Magno were serious about this test, thus he didn't waste time asking and got the equipment ready for the blood and DNA test.

The blood extractor was a small device, nearly the same size as a larger pen, but it took a blood sample from a person that was only one drop and contained it in a film strip that could be installed into a computer and the computer would begin the DNA test. The device was able to have two strips in it so it can take more than one blood sample.

Both Magno and Kyo winced slightly as the device took some blood from them when they showed their palms, both Duero, Max and Paiway then went to work as the eldest of the McFile siblings slid both strips into the computer and ran the DNA test. The screen showed the two blood samples of both the pirate captain and the no longer amnesiac Gundam pilot. Duero then spoke to Magno and Kyo.

"I would like to ask what sort of test you would like me to run on both you're blood sample, and Kyo's, Captain."

"Run a genetic comparison and see if there are similarities in DNA structure."

Duero was even more curious as to what was going on, along with his fellow members in the Medical Bay, as far as he knew, along with Max and Paiway, this kind of test was only done if there was a chance that the two recipients were descendants of the same family line, but there was no way that both Magno and Kyo were related…the age and time gap was too wide.

"Are you sure?" Max asked.

Kyo who had been silent for a bit, decided to speak.

"Yes, and Duero…run the scan through the parameters of looking for the X and Y chromosomes."

Duero recalled that in his research in the past few months that this was a way to trace ancestry and in the case of X and Y chromosomes, it was a way to trace ancestry to both male and female ancestors. He was now even more curious as to what was this all about and made the arrangements. As soon as the data was inputted along with the needed search parameters, the computer screen showed the search begin done along with the tests and then the data was displayed as Kyo and Magno's respective DNA strands were shown to have some similar genetic traits and information, and to really hit the target home, the computer displayed the results.

- Scans of DNA strands from subject Kyo Yamato and Magno Vivian show a 60 similarity due to maternal and paternal lineage-

Conclusion: Both subjects share a common ancestry to both maternal paternal lines, though subject Magno Vivian has several DNA markers from other DNA lines.

To say the medics and the nurse were shocked out of their wits was a vast understatement, even Kyo himself was stunned as Magno merely nodded as the results were displayed. Duero and Max then faced the two but no words came out of their mouths as they looked at the captain and the Gundam pilot, as if trying to find ANY physical resemblance between the two.

Paiway however was the only one to phrase the whole situation very effectively.

"YOU BOTH ARE RELATED?!"

--

Later…

Kyo was now walking alongside Magno and despite the fact that there was now indisputable proof that he did have a family relative related to his sister Mira, he was not very sure referring to her as his niece was such a wish suggestion, as despite the fact that he outpaced her in the age department, by nearly four generations, he was still chronologically and biologically younger than her, suffice to say it was very uncomfortable to know that.

"I…still…I still can't believe that we're really related."

"Kind of hard to wrap you're mind around it then?"

Kyo nodded solemnly. "Pretty much."

"I can understand that, it's not exactly easy for me either, I'm already a hundred years old, and you're far older than I am, and yet…far younger too, it's also rather, difficult. But we need to talk about other matters…"

"I know, but just call me Kyo for now, I'm still not used to the idea that I'm you're uncle Magno, I also have some questions for you as well."

"Fair enough…so what is it you want to ask me?"

"What…happened to my family….you're ancestors after I was, considered dead?"

Magno sighed a bit and smiled slightly as she gazed at her uncle, and knew that he deserved an answer to this question.

"Our…you're parents continued their duties in making the peace a reality and they pushed on, but they never forgot you, neither did you're sister, and brother. When they got married and had children, they…would tell stories about you….who you were, what you've done, and why…you were no longer among us. Every first day of the New Year, they all would go to you're…monument to pray for you, tell you stories of what happened in their lives and would always take care of you're monument there. And you became a great figure in our family history. When…Kira and Lacus died, they requested they would be buried alongside you and that request was granted…their tombs were placed in close proximity to that monument where they knew that you were buried in, the same was said for you're uncle and aunt, they also requested to be buried near you. After which….my ancestors and you're uncle and aunt's descendants continued the tradition, and they did many important things for the human race…but to the outside world….you became a martyr and hero."

Kyo was somewhat silent at the words as he heard the story of his parents, but was then surprised to hear that he was considered a hero and martyr.

"What do you mean?"

"It has something to do with what we have today Kyo, and is the main thing I wanted to talk to you about."

Magno then headed to the direction of the Bio-Park's main observatory, and as they arrived, Magno leaned on the rail and spoke to Kyo.

"You did something incredible four hundred years ago…you saved the human race from being totally wiped out by the explosion, even if you were thought lost. The people of Earth never forgot that in that time and named you as the human race's greatest child and defender. Even as time passed, and you're history was forgotten by the other generations, those things you did were always remembered by others, until you're name and deeds became legendary…. And you're actions on that space station four hundred years ago, allowed us to develop all the technology and knowledge we had to go beyond the outer reaches of our solar system, establish colonies…and reach out towards the stars."

"And that means that all human worlds that exist now…from Anpathos, Melanos, Taisia, the planets you've visited….and even Talark and Megele, they would have never been founded, colonized….and inhabited if it wasn't for you doing what you've done all those centuries ago. If you did not stop the explosion, humanity would have been wiped out completely or suffered the fate of the Harvesters if there were indeed those who survived in that time, only they would have died out as well. The people of the colonies owe you their lives, their ancestors also owe you their lives, and that means that even the crew of the Nirvana, if they ever know of it or not…owe you their lives, and so do the people back on both Talark and Megele. I also owe you my life, so does my son, and my husband."

Kyo was stunned by all that information as he looked out towards the park and thought it all over. It was hard to imagine all that information being true…which in truth, it was. The idea however was rather large for him to grasp quickly and in truth it was rather hard to swallow the fact that he had single handedly saved the human race from being wiped out, he recalled how his parents, family friends, and his relatives had done the same when they were in the Three Ships Alliance to stop the Z.A.F.T forces and the EA in the last battle of the First Bloody Valentine War. But for him to be shouldering the reputation and the knowledge of being the savior of the human race was not exactly something one could easily live with.

Magno could tell that from her uncle's expression that it was still very hard for him to accept the full impact of what she had just told him, she knew that it was hard enough for him to accept the truth of his memories, and then it was even harder to accept that she was related to him through his sister despite the chronological age gap and the biological age gap between them, and then to realize that he was responsible for the salvation of the human race long ago and allowed the colonization of the planets he had visited before…suffice to say she understood that it was a lot to take in.

"Kyo…"

"I still can't believe all that…"

"I know, I cannot say that I truly know how you feel about all this, but I want you to know that all that I have told you is the truth and is no lie, and I will give you time to get used to all that you now know…but I want to thank you for all that you've done, if…if my ancestors, you're parents were alive now, and they learned what you've done…they would be proud of you."

It was then that Magno got a call from her communicator, she took it out from her robes and opened it.

"Yes?'

"Captain, this is Buzam…we'll be passing the debris belt in a few more hours, however, we're picking up a strange set of signals coming from the outer fringes of the debris cloud, it might be anything, but we need you on the bridge now."

"Understood." She then turned to face Kyo and replied. "I have to go."

"Sure."

The elderly woman then left and headed for the bridge, leaving behind her uncle to decide for himself just what to do now with all the information he had just gained.

--

Later…

Kyo was currently in the Paeksis reactor and looked at the crystal core, this crystal was where it all started after all, even if it was now a more advanced version than the one he had to deal with nearly four life times ago, it was still very much the same thing that had nearly wiped out the human race before and the same thing that saved him.

He didn't know why he was here, but he was here either way. He then looked closer and wondered if the crystal would react to him now that all of his memories were now his again, and the only chance he had of finding that out was by being here, he sat down on the gang-plank and leaned back on the rails, closed his eyes, and focused his mind into trying to speak to the Paeksis, the same way the Paeksis had the ability to touch his mind.

In a moment he felt the darkness in his vision be replaced by the same sea of green that he saw many times in some of his interactions with the living crystal.

"Can you hear me?"

The Paeksis responded, but this time in a clear human voice. The same male voice that he now recalled as his father Kira's voice.

"What is it Kyo?"

"Why did you save me? And why do you speak to me using my father's voice?"

"We saved you because it was due to what we sensed and learned about you, you have a great uniqueness and nature that made us see the full potential of the human race, and we speak this way, because you made us so."

"Me?"

Another voice spoke, and this time, it was in his mother's voice.

"Yes, when you were placed in suspended animation in order to protect you from the explosion, we were able to read you're mind before we had to seal you're memories away…we saw everything of who you are, you're past, you're life as a child, growing up in a way that is far stronger than others you're age while in the military, we saw you live you're life as a student, a brother, a son, a man, and as a human being. You've seen and felt both the good and bad sides of human nature, and you have shown the strength and will of the human spirit. You fought for what you believed was right and more…while you were there, we made ourselves in the likeness of your parents, not to control you but to help you make your way in the world. The fragment of us that was in your Gundam unit housed you're memories…and when you're parents were buried next to your monument we reached out to them and touched their minds as well, to learn more about humanity, along with your aunt and uncle's own memories. When we learned enough we transported those memories directly into the reactor here in the Nirvana, and as such we created…personalities to aid you in this journey."

Kyo was confused at that statement. "Personalities?"

"You're Gundam, the Infinite-Freedom was given the personality of your father Kira, to act as you're protector. Did you not wonder why there is a sense of great familiarity between you and that Gundam you piloted ever since its transformation?"

"Are you telling me that my father's…soul is in my Gundam?"

"In a sense, yes, that is why it has a psychic link to you and responded to you when you were in danger and apart from it. The reason it never acted that way was that it needed you to remember a portion of your parents' own sayings to trigger that personality or persona to exist. And it has proven itself to be very strong, the 'soul' of your father has saved you quite a number of times as well."

The other voice then spoke. "The second personality that exists is you're mother Lacus, and it resides within this ship…here in the reactor itself."

"What?"

"Do you recall you're mother telling you how she gave the Freedom Gundam to you're father when his first Mobile Suit was nearly destroyed?"

Kyo recalled that story very well, as both his parents told him about their respective view-points on that particular event many years ago. After his father had somehow survived, although with injuries, his mother and an old friend, named Reverend Malchio saved him and after helping his father find his own path, gave him the Freedom Gundam even if it placed her and her family in the line of fire.

"I do…what does that have to do with my mother's soul being in you?"

"Just like what you're mother did for you're father in that time, we downloaded all the data concerning the Freedom's design and beamed it to the three Dreads piloted by the three women you could form GunDreads with. When that happened, we transformed their Dreads into the Gundams they now use as they will need this sword to defend you as they could not do a lot by either strength and will alone. Just as you're mother Lacus handed the Freedom to you're father Kira to help him in his plans to help end the war, the Gundams given by you're mother's soul to the three women will help them both end the war with the Harvesters, and to defend you."

Kyo was silent by this new set of revelations and the voices then replied.

"Though we only are copies of you're parents, we are living beings ourselves, and we know that you alone have what is needed to help humanity in this dark time, we communicated this to our other selves and they too know that you have what it takes to defend humanity and the future…despite the loss you face, you were never alone to begin with. You loved you're parents and family, thus now that you remember them, you must cherish them and live for them, defend the future of the human race, and give hope to those who need it. You and your family have done that once…and now it is time to do that again."

Kyo opened his eyes and looked at the Paeksis and recalled all the things that he remembered as a child, his lessons from his parents and relatives, his own struggles and triumphs, and his joys and sorrows, and finally his experiences with the Nirvana crew and various other people in this universe.

The future of humanity was always fragile and fraught with dangerous paths, in his father's words, humanity is always in danger of repeating the mistakes of the past, and many wars would be fought, lives would be lost, lives would be changed, anger and hatred would grow…but even with all that, humanity whether Coordinator or Natural (at the time), all desire peace and a future, the future that allowed them to live and find their own way, and have freedom….and as long as he gave his all to defend that future and the human race…then he was doing the right thing and this was what it truly meant to be a human being, and a Coordinator, just like George Glenn had once stated before his death.

This was the future, and although humanity was once more in the brink of war, all he had recall were the people and places he had met and seen, and the people he cared about…here on the Nirvana, to know that the future was still there and it would always need to be protected and nurtured, for those who lived now, and those yet borne as he recalled Ezra's baby, Lacus, and the countless others who were also about to be born. He and his family, friends and fellow Guardians fought with their all to defend it once…

Now with the Harvesters as the enemy….it was time to do it again.

The alarms of the Nirvana suddenly sounded and BC's voice came on the comm. System, telling them to prepare for combat, the Harvesters have arrived as they had managed to pass through the debris belt and were now on an interception course for the Nirvana to destroy them.

Kyo Clyne Yamato took a good long look at the Paeksis and then into his hands, and clenched his hands into fists and turned around, making his way to where his Gundam was.

--

In the bridge…

"How many?" Buzam called in as she and the rest of the bridge crew were on battle-stations. Magno was already in the command chair and looking over the data on her own tactical monitors.

"At least several large squadrons of Cube Fighters, along with several groups of Seed Ships, judging by their configuration and the lack of any Harvester Mobile Suit signatures, these must be part of the fleet the harvesters had sent out previously." Belvedere reported as she scanned the incoming forces.

"Ezra, do we have any way to contact Megele or Talark now?" Magno asked the gentle bridge officer.

"Negative Captain…we're still too close to the debris belt to send out a good signal."

"Oh well…I guess that means we have to fight them then. BC, have all Dreads and Crusaders ready to fight, launch the Gundams as well."

In that moment, Kyo appeared and the rest of the bridge crew cheered his appearance and Magno could somehow tell that something had changed her uncle for the better as he was seen running system checks on his Gundam.

"Good to have you back Kyo, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, don't worry about me Captain Magno." He then gave the elderly woman a warm smile. "Or should I just call you Maggie instead, after all…despite the age gap, you are my niece after all, is that okay by you?"

Magno smiled back ignoring the sounds of shock and disbelief in the bridge as Buzam, Belvedere, Amarone, Ezra, Celtic, and Misty looked at her and Kyo in great surprise at that revelation.

"Of course, that is if you don't mind me calling you Uncle as well. We have a bit of a problem though, the debris belt is still jamming our communications so there's no chance we can get a clear signal to tell them about the Harvesters, not to mention some of our long range scanners are offline. We'll need to break through them in order to get clear of the debris belt and get a clear communications line to both worlds."

"I can handle that Maggie, don't worry about that, I just hope that I get to meet that husband of yours on Talark soon and see that son of yours, he must be a man by now. I'll lead the strike in and once we clear a path through the Harvesters, send the signal immediately."

"Understood Uncle Kyo, be careful out there."

"Don't worry about me, I'll be back, we've got a future to defend, and as long as we all live, we will fight for that future and see it through."

Kyo's image vanished, just as Magno looked at the still stunned bridge crew, she gave them a sheepish look and spoke.

"It's a long story."

--

Kyo was at first stunned as questions suddenly flooded his cockpit from both the Crusaders and the Gundams as Dita, Meia, Jura, Sara, and Mai expressed their disbelief in the fact that he was related to Captain Magno in such a way.

"I'll tell you all about all of that later, but it will be long."

As he was given the launch signal by the bridge crew, he ran his hands on the cockpit of his Gundam and then held the controls well. He then spoke to it.

"I will make you proud of me father, and you as well mother. I will defend the future as I have once, and I will always be ready to defend it."

The Gundam's OS glowed somewhat brightly at him on the screen, as if the personality of his father Kira, hidden inside the machine heard him and was proud of him, he felt that same emotion fill the cockpit as he powered his Gundam and launched, and this time, said his full name as he went out to fight.

"KYO CLYNE YAMATO, INFINITE-FREEDOM, LAUNCHING!"

In a flash, the Gundam was launched out of the Nirvana, activated it's Prominence Phase Shift Armor activating, and it's crystal feathers exploded out from the wings as he took out his Gundam's beam sabers and got ready to lead his team of Crusader pilots and his fellow Gundam pilots into another battle.

The still basic Cube Fighters had no idea what was about to come their way as they charged in an attack vector.

--

Unknown to both the Nirvana and the Harvesters…

He placed on his helmet and checked his Mobile Suit's systems, as soon as he was given the green light by the OS of his Mobile Suit, he began to power up the machine and took off. The moment he left the ground and was now halfway towards the sky, he turned as a communiqué came to him, it revealed Tao and Diego. And the only thing he could read from the mute men was a text message in the screen.

("Are you sure of this? You realize that you might die, Sam?") Tao asked the former explorer, Harvester agent, con artist and trader.

Sam, who was known as Rabat by the vast majority of the universe nodded solemnly and replied.

"I know, I deserve death for all the pain and suffering I have inflicted on this universe, but now, I have a chance to make my life mean something."

("Even if it means that you will die in this fight?") Diego asked in message.

"Yeah, will you do as I asked of you?"

("Of course Sam, we will help the Resistance find a way through this mess, but you know that we cannot predict everything, despite our ability to commune with the spirits, there is only so much we can do.")

"I know…are you're people going to be all right?"

("They are already in the stealth shuttles and have left the planet with the Paeksis fragment to keep it safe, though if Kyo and the pirates fail when the time comes…no place will truly be safe, however, the Paeksis has faith in him, and he carries the fate of not just his friends, but of all of us as well…may the spirits guide you Sam.")

Sam nodded as he guided his Mobile Suit into the void and tracked the trajectory of the Nirvana, hoping only for two things, to finally do what he should have done so many years before, to aid humanity in their darkest hours, and finally make amends for the lives he helped destroy while serving the Harvesters, and he also carried a very important bit of information, one that concerned two people, Kyo Yamato himself, and the Harvester Council Leader, who carried a great secret that could truly be deadly….a secret that both he and Kyo shared…in blood.

Sam had called himself an idiot for not telling Kyo the information before, however, he knew he had good reasons for such an act, even he could not believe it himself when he read the information, and it finally made some sense as to why the Harvester Leader had personally entered this battle when he should have been content to only lead his people and help them survive. Sam had met the leader before, though only in communications…and never in person, but in those encounters, he felt and sensed something in him was…off…very off…and his presence…reminded the former mercenary and con artist too much of Kyo now…but this presence was different when he thought back on it…it was darker…more sinister. It was as if he was an evil version of the Gundam pilot, and after reading the data…he now knew why.

He hoped he could reach the Nirvana in time…

--

In the space just outside of the debris belt…

"A-Team and B-Team, focus on defending the outer area of the space in front of the Nirvana, retreat to reload but make sure to cover each other. C-Team and D-Team will fill in the gaps and prevent any flanking maneuvers from the Harvesters, we have to make sure they don't blind-side the Nirvana. Is that understood?"

"Roger!"

Barnette was happy that every member of the Dread pilots were following their orders and held their own with the Cube Fighters that were now getting into range. The Dreads had incorporated some new technologies and improvements in the many encounters with the Harvesters and these upgrades have proven themselves time and time again, however, she knew that the true power of the Dreads were not just the improvements, but also the increased skills and experience of the pilots. They have yet to defeat the new Harvester units, namely the Mobile Suit series they had designed and incorporated into their ranks, however, she knew that it was under the Crusaders and the Gundams' design to battle them, since they had lost a considerable number of Dreads in their first battle with the new Harvester Mobile Suits, thankfully they didn't lose any of their veteran and rookie pilots. This made them realize that they had to deal with the Cube Fighters and the Seed Ships, while the Crusaders, Gundams and their pilots dealt with the Mobile Suit units.

She then focused on the battle as she locked into the several Cube Fighters and managed to eliminate two and evaded the retaliatory strikes of the other survivors, and blasted them apart. She smiled a bit as she saw the Dreads and their pilots under her command do an excellent job in holding the line and hitting the harvesters whenever they had a clear shot and were able to evade retaliatory action. She made sure to have the SwitchBlade on standby, just in case things get too dicey for her Dread to be used alone.

The area before the Nirvana was filled with missile trails and beam bolts as the two sides began to increase the ferocity of the encounter, and due to the fact that these Cube Fighters were not totally modified, they were the ones getting the worse of the exchange as there were many of them now floating in the background…the pirates were not going to relax however, they had learned enough to not take the Harvesters lightly.

Kyo was busy leading his fellow Gundam pilots along with the Crusader Squadron as they closed the gap. Many of the Crusaders' were armed with the Aero Form Pack which gave them an even better advantage in space warfare, he then left Sara and Mai in charge, giving them orders to help maintain the defense of the Nirvana as the Seed Ships' continued to release more Cube Fighters and attack the two forces of the pirates.

Three Cube Fighters tried to attack him head-on, but he blocked some of their shots with his beam sabers, swatting their attacks aside and then sliced two into halves and quickly flew underneath the third and fired his Gundam's CIWS guns, hundreds of bullets lanced out from below to shred the Cube Fighter and turn it into a burning hulk.

Three more attempted to attack from the front and sides, but Kyo then used the I-Freedom's wings to block the shots coming from the side and charged at the one firing from the front, he evaded the attacks and placed away his Gundam's beam sabers and as the three charged in unison, they were greeted by beam fire from both the Gundam's two beam rifles, and the fused plasma cannons from the shoulders, destroying them before they could fight back. He then turned and fired both the beam rifles and plasma cannons, along with the fused rail-guns as several more Cube Fighters tried to attack him, those units were destroyed quickly, however several more tried to attack through the debris clouds. Kyo took out one of his Gundam's anti-ship swords and slashed several of the would be ambushers as they tried to fire, he then placed one of his Gundam's arms right in front of the Cube Fighter and fired several energy darts right into the face of the Cube Fighter before his Gundam. The Cube Fighter exploded as he moved away to assist the rest of the pirates.

Dita used her Gundam's beam shields to block several attacks made by some Cube Fighters and then used her beam sabers to take out two of them that tried to blind-side her, she then took advantage of her shields to move aside and fire her Gundam's own CIWS guns at the Cube Fighters, shredding two of them, she then took out her beam sabers and cut down another pair that charged at her, and managed to stab two more in the eye with her beam sabers. She then guided her Gundam away and fired her Mobile Suit's abdomen cannon at several more Cube Fighters, destroying several and hitting a Seed Ship, with that she quickly got some distance and got ready to aim the rest of her weaponry.

In a moment, she activated her HiMAT system and dodged several more attacks and quickly released her Gundam's DRAGOON cannons and aimed them at the incoming force of newly released Cube Fighters, as soon as she had a good lock on the targets, she open fired, several Cube Fighters were totaled, along with a few more being heavily damaged, and the beams also slammed right into a Seed Ship damaging it further.

Meia used her Gundam's collapsible shield to block several more shots from the Cube Fighters as they tried to overpower her Gundam, she used her Gundam's rapid acceleration, which was greater than either Jura's or Dita's to evade the next barrage and then turned around to fire her beam rifle and plasma cannons in rapid succession to eliminate more of the threats, she then placed aside her beam rifle and took out one of her Gundam's beam katanas and then powered up the energy emitters on her Gundam and once it was done, she activated her HiMAT system and jetted out with her Gundam's wings wide open and began to dive in the formations of Cube Fighters, along with the newly released reinforcements. Several groups of Cube Fighters were turned into nothing but burning wrecks as the energy covered Gundam streaked past them and into them.

As soon as she was done, she deactivated the energy emitters and was now free of the energy field that surrounded her, and with one powerful descending slash, Meia's Gundam was able to use it's beam weapon to slice down several Cube Fighters in a row.

As soon as she was able to, she retracted her shield and took out her beam rifle and used both weapons at the same time, the rifle to handle long range targets, and used the beam katana to cut down those that tried to get close to her. As soon as she was done, she jetted back, placed aside her beam katanas and went on to use her plasma cannons, rail-guns, beam rifle, CIWS guns, in their full bombardment mode, while using the shield to block incoming strikes, the aqua-haired girl was using the training Kyo gave her in order to utilize the multi-lock on feature of her Gundam's weapon systems with going into SEED mode. And the results were explosive as many Cube Fighters were either torn to shreds or blown apart..

Jura used her beam sabers, both of which were in beam whip configuration to slice down several incoming Cube Fighters that tried to strike at her, she normally didn't use her beam sabers in this configuration, but the added flexibility and combat edge given by this weapon configuration was very useful in certain battle-field conditions, and she had practiced for as long and as often as she could in using the weapon mode. Jura then reverted the beam sabers to their normal configuration and placed one back on the charging rack and used her shield to block several incoming barrages from the other Cube Fighter units coming right at her.

As soon as she was able to block more shots aiming at her, she sent the energy bolts, with interest, right back at her foes, destroying several more of them quickly an effectively, as soon as she was able to finish using her shields, she used the hidden cannons and guns to catch more Cube Fighters off guard, destroying more Harvester units, until she took out one of her Gundam's anti-ship swords and cut down three in rapid succession and then cut down two more. She then took out the other anti-ship sword and cut down six more with one precise swing, using the CIWS guns to finish those that were too close for her swords to hit. Jura then guided her Gundam away to get some fighting and maneuvering distance, placed aside her anti-ship swords and sued her beam sabers and went on the defensive, blocking several more shots from the Cube Fighters, and used her Gundam's won hidden guns to do enough damage should pursuing them be too dangerous.

Sara used her Crusader's deadly arsenal of ranged firepower very effectively, ripping apart several Cube Fighters with either the hyper beam cannon rifle or the heavy rail-gun, she used the rail-gun to destroy larger concentrations of Cube Fighters, while she used the hyper beam cannon rifle to aim at Cube Fighters that were either alone, or working in pairs, this allowed her the chance to cut down more foes quickly and effectively. She then placed both weapons aside and used her beam saber and sonic resonance sword to destroy several fighters that got too close for ranged weapons to work and used the head mounted assault guns to cut down several more and slow the others down, allowing her enough time to cut them down before they could do any serious damage to her Mobile Suit.

As soon as she had a clear avenue of attack, she placed aside both the beam saber and the sonic resonance sword and used her beam cannon rifle and rail-gun in combined form to destroy several more Cube Fighters that tried to close in, while she managed to force them back, she then locked on the groups and fired several salvos of missiles from her Mobile Suit's attached missile pods. The attacks were enough to both confuse and destroy more the Earth made fighters as they had been expecting a salvo of beam and rail-gun fire from the Mobile Suit. Sara smiled as she saw the Cube Fighters explode and then directed the rest of the Crusader Squadron.

Mai took out her sonic resonance sword and cut down several Cube Fighters as she dodged their incoming weapons fire, as soon as they passed her, she struck, and turned the Cube Fighters into two pieces respectively. She then used her Mobile Suit's CIWS guns and the beam rifle after placing away her sonic resonance sword. The girl fired several salvos and destroyed several Cube Fighters, along with causing some considerable damage to those that were caught in the cross-fire.

She then took out her Mobile Suit's anti-armor knives and used them to attack several more Cube Fighters as she dashed into their ranks, she attacked and got out as quickly as she could. The last thing she wanted to happen was to be caught in a cloud of the harvester units and be surrounded, as soon as she got away, she took out both her beam saber and sonic resonance katana and struck deep into their ranks.

Mai used her martial arts training to even up the odds and made short work of the close opposition and still managed to keep her distance so as not to be suddenly overwhelmed by the Harvesters in a dangerous way, she then fired her CIWS right into a few of the Cube Fighters as they tried to get even closer to her, and fought her way past them using her anti-armor knives when both her beam saber and sonic resonance katana were not adequate for the close quarters fighting. As soon as she was clear of the mess, she took out her beam rifle and began to fire, while still using her training to evade the incoming fire and thanked her Mobile Suit's armor design for defending against the shoots she could not avoid, along with the disposable beam shield emitters that she had on her Mobile Suit.

The Crusader pilots were able to switch to their various Form Packs in order to handle the numbers of Cube Fighters and the results were explosive as they placed their training with the various weapon systems several weeks before to bear on the hapless Cube Fighters that were only basic units. The Crusaders switched the different Form packs in order to confuse the enemy and the results were coming in the shape of wreckage as the Cube Fighters were not fully able to adapt to the Crusaders' constantly changing weapon systems and tactics.

The Dread pilots were also raking in the kills as they used their long range combat skills to the test and eliminated as many as they could, Barnette had began to use some tactical maneuvers she herself had developed in her time using the SwitchBlade Gundam in it's Mobile Armor configuration and found the moves to be very compatible with her own Dread, so she began teaching the maneuvers to her fellow Dread pilots and the skills proved useful in the current battle.

The Dreads used hit and run moves that they themselves have used, along with team tactics, and sniper style attacks to weaken the Cube Fighter squadrons that were coming in, along with the reinforcements that the Seed Ships were sending out in a regular stream. The Dread pilots however were not going to try and attack the Seed Ships directly as there were still too many Cube Fighters in the areas before them.

That was up to the heavy guns as the Nirvana got into the act as the sections that housed the plasma cannon batteries of the pirate ship opened up and began to power up their weapon systems.

--

It was at this moment however, that new arrivals came on the scene…

"Status?"

Tei Romanova, Captain of the Talark Space Defense Fleet Ship, the _Firestorm, _was currently on recon patrol on the sectors near the debris cloud, next to the orbital mine-fields that acted as a warning barrier between them and the world of the women. Recently, the military council had ordered routine patrols to be placed near the mine fields to increase security since there had been rumors of the women finding ways to bypass the mine-fields and evade the sensors of the mine-fields themselves.

He didn't know if the brass was pulling his leg or not, but with the very heated situation on their world after the whole Ikazuchi mess nearly a year ago, the council were not taking any chances, and here he was, doing recon patrol duty in a place that supposedly could not be penetrated by the vile women of Megele.

(Oh well, it is an order, but just what would we find here anyway?)

"Sir…we're nearing the mine field."

"Understood."

Tei then spoke out his name, rank, serial number, and his position into a special recorder and when the recorder showed that it now had gathered all the relevant data from his voice patterns. He then faced the comm. Officer and handed him the recording.

"Send out the code to ensure that the mines know we're not the enemy."

"Yes sir, transmitting code now."

Tei looked out towards the void of space and was about to head back to his captain's chair and finish drinking his glass of water, when the radar officer called in.

"Sir…I'm picking up strange energy fluctuations a good distance from us, it seems to be discharges made by…energy weapons…and explosive weaponry, it's faint considering the distance, but very persistent."

"Can you pin-point the exact location?" Tei asked as he ran his thoughts as on what could be happening, there were no other Talark patrol ships out here in this region that he was aware of, and the fact was that as far as he knew, the only beings who used energy weapons were the female fleet. This merited investigation, but they would have to pull back for now and get some assistance…just in case they had to encounter the hostile women of Megele.

"We are pulling back, get a message to Fleet Command and have them assemble a small but well armed and equipped fleet ready to investigate possible activity by the women near this sector."

"Yes sir!"

As his ship was about to leave, Tei wondered just what else was going to happen soon, and he wondered just what was it that was going on in that suspected battle zone that seemed to be in his area, but he was not going to go there alone and find out, after all, he had only a medium class cruiser and despite his male pride, he was not going to go there for the glory of it. His men were his responsibility, and he wasn't going to waste precious lives in a dangerous game unless something of great value was gained from it.

However, he was not aware of the fact that he and his men were NOT the only ones on recon work tonight.

On the other side of the sector of space was a Megele medium class cruiser, named the _Red Rose, _which also happened to be on recon duty as well. Her captain was Heidi Matrell, a young but very dedicated, by the book female officer who was on the mission to see if the pirates were still around, the brown haired and blue eyed female officer had been assigned on this mission a year ago in order to prevent the female pirates from harassing more of their own ships and also to prevent them from getting more recruits.

She knew enough about the pirates as being political renegades and people who had no home, and while it was understandable that they would resort to piracy, it was difficult when they took away other women to join them in what they were doing, and even raiding their own home-world's ships at many times. It was that portion of their operations that galled the military of the all female world.

"Anything on scanners?"

Heidi asked the bridge crew of her ship, the sooner they could get the reports in, the sooner they could finish the patrol. Normally she would have liked the chance to covertly sneak into Talark space and cause some havoc, but since the men have upgraded their security and the mine fields still being in place as they are, along with the automated defensive stations, the idea was too risky to try.

"Nothing yet Captain, there seems to be no activity as of yet."

"All right…how far are we from the perimeter of the mine field made by the men?"

Heidi said with barely concealed disdain. She had some bad experiences with the men's military forces a long time ago, and she was in no mood to be caught off guard, however she did learn one very important lesson that day…even if the men were not as technologically advanced as they were, they were not to be taken lightly in any combat situation.

"We're still at a good distance to avoid the mines' and stations' sensors, but if we get too close, we might trigger there scanners."

"All right then…keep me posted."

She turned to face a small table near her command chair, and on it was her light break-fast, which had some bacon, eggs, toasted bread and some hot cocoa. As she ate, her second in command came to her and saluted her.

"Ma'am, permission to speak?"

As soon as she finished half the plate and also half of her hot drink, Heidi nodded. "Go ahead."

"I don't believe we'll find much of interest out here ma'am. The pirates have not made any major raids on either us…or the men for nearly a year now…"

"I know what you mean…but we can never be sure."

Sure enough, the bridge crew got into contact with what appeared to be some sort of activity on the outer perimeter of the debris belt, just as they were able to detect the presence of the Talark ship the _Firestorm_ as the ship was heading back to contact a portion of the Talark Fleet to investigate something.

"Captain…we've picked up the trail of a male ship, it seems to be fleeing from something." The female officer said in a curious tone.

"Hmmm…have long range scanners track that ship and contact Megele High Command….whatever those men have found must be of great value for them to suddenly turn tail and run."

The second in command was surprised at her commander's decision.

"Captain? Why can't we just attack them cause even more hurt for those men? We have the chance and they are cowards after all."

Heidi shook her head, she doubted that the men would just leave this kind of situation without good reason.

"The men don't leave unless they have a good reason to run away from a fight, I fought the men before in a covert mission, and they have not been idle…they have improved and neither were they cowards… I will not risk a full scale engagement until we get all the data right….is that clear?"

"Yes ma'am, but what would make the men leave so suddenly?"

"I honestly don't know…"

"Captain…we're picking up energy fluctuations, faint but active ones… like the ones emitted by energy weapons, and explosions…hard to determine what is going on…but it appears to be some sort of battle going on in the area where the male ship was before it began to leave."

Heidi and her second in command were looking at each other and then Heidi sighed and spoke.

"We need to establish contact with the Megele High Command ASAP, I want this ship to stay here and await reinforcements. Whatever is happening out there, it was enough for the men to pull back no doubt get reinforcements, and that does not happen often when they are concerned…and we will not attempt to investigate until we have some support as to deal with what is happening out there."

"Yes Ma'am!"

--

Back in the battle between the pirates and the Harvesters…

Bart looked over the battle-zone as the targeting systems of the Nirvana was now able to lock on and destroy the Cube Fighters and the Seed Ship support. The Dreads, Crusaders, and the Gundams moved out of the way, giving the bald navigator and heavy gunner of the pirates the clear strike on all the Harvesters. In that moment the bald navigator locked and fired all of the ship's fire-power.

The Nirvana's plasma cannons fired out the massive beams and the fire smashed right into the newly arriving Cube Fighters and the ones that managed to evade being obliterated by the squadrons. This time, none of them were going to escape as the beams smashed into them and reduced them into nothing but burning wreckage, the beams also avoided hitting the Dreads, Crusaders and the Gundams as they arced and looped over the fighters. In less than a few minutes, the Harvester forces were utterly obliterated.

Celtic then replied that they could now send out a clear signal to the two planets, and Magno hoped that soon, they could tell the people on both their respective worlds exactly what was going on and who were the Harvesters. Magno then decided to check the progress of their converted Harvester battle-ship.

"How long will it be before the Harvester ship we captured is through the debr5is belt?"

"At least another hour." Ezra reported as she checked on the scanners.

However, things were not going to get any easier as their sensors picked up something unexpected and very much unwanted. The mine fields…

"Captain! We've detected massive numbers of incoming mines! They appear to be the ones used by the Talark military!"

The bridge crew were not happy to hear that, along with everyone else in the Nirvana and their forces as they all saw the mines suddenly coming to life and now heading towards their current location. The power of one mine was strong, considering the sheer size of one and the massive amounts of explosive materials inside of them, an entire wave of them was even worse. If any of them were able to hit the Nirvana, they were going to be severely damaged.

"Bart! You and Duero know the pass-words for that?" Magno asked the bald navigator of the Nirvana, believing that since both their original male crew-members might have the codes to bypass the mines.

However, Bart replied bleakly.

"I'm sorry Captain, but even if me and Duero are First Class Citizens and military personnel, only higher ranking officers or government officials have the authority to bypass those mines."

"Max, Aleck?"

"No Captain, even we don't know the codes, and from what we've heard, the codes have to be voice activated."

"Maybe we should just blast our way through them?" Jura suggested as she prepared her weapons.

"Bad idea Jura….we can use the mines to slow the Harvesters down long enough to mount a good defense for both Talark and Megele, we can't just destroy them." Kyo Yamato replied, but he knew that they were now stuck in between the hammer and the anvil.

If they blew up the mines, they would deprive the two planets' first line of defense, and if they didn't find another way to break through quickly without triggering the mines, they would be blown apart as well.

Buzam saw the situation they were in as utterly desperate and they had little time for this, and she then began to reach for the green jewel located near her neck portion of her outfit.

However, before anything could be done, the mines were suddenly stopped, they seemed to have received the codes from somewhere other than the Nirvana and this both calmed and confused the bridge crew just as the Dreads, Crusaders, and the Gundams were now back in the Nirvana. The pirates however realized that while the orbital mines and auto-defensive battle-stations were no longer after them, it hardly meant that they were any safer…

As large numbers of ships…signifying a fleet was now currently heading in their direction, however it didn't take long for another fleet to be detected by the pirates, and it also didn't take long for the two fleets to be identified.

"Captain, there are two fleets, one from Talark, and one from Megele…heading right for us." Belvedere announced.

Magno realized that since both worlds were still very much at war with each other, she doubted that she and her fellow officers would get far in trying to reason with the two fleets, and there was the fact that if both fleets would arrive, they would no doubt start shooting each other the moment they saw each other, and judging by the number of signals the scanners were picking up, there were large numbers of Dreads and Vanguards in the area, they had to do something to avoid a blood bath, that was the last thing the pirates needed on their hands if they needed to come forward and form a chance to cement an alliance between Talark and Megele.

"How long with they arrive at our location?"

"Two hours."

Magno nodded and realized that this was enough time for them to make some needed changes and make plans, what she had in mind would a very desperate gamble and this would be VERY risky to say the least, but as far as she could sense, this was the only chance they had.

"BC, I want you, Kyo, Duero, Max, Aleck, and Gascogne in the Conference Room immediately, Bart, I want you to return the ship to the debris belt, try to evade the sensors until I give you other orders."

"Yes Captain."

--

In the Conference Room…

"What you're suggesting captain is risky to the extreme."

Aleck said as Magno outlined her plan, and in layman's terms, it was for the crew to surrender to the respective fleets, the women would have to be taken by the female military, while the men would have to side with the Talark forces, both groups would have to try their respective best to reason with the people on their worlds, as prisoners.

"I have to agree there Captain, there is no guarantee that this plan might work." Buzam replied, concern showing on the silver haired woman's face.

"It's not like we have any choice on the matter, we cannot afford to fight our way through either fleet to safety, that would just make our respective cases even harder to win and it would no doubt cause them to think we're out of our minds, even more so if we tell them about the inevitable Harvester invasion. This is a very risky chance, I'll give you all that, but it's far better than all of us getting into a needless fire-fight with the two factions we need to unite to face the Harvesters."

Magno closed her eyes as she thought about all the things that had to be done for this to be successful, and then faced her uncle, who looked at the rest of the group and her.

"What do you think uncle?"

"The plan has a lot of risks Maggie, but it might work, since if both our groups can at least try to reason with both sides, there just might be a chance, though I still think it's risky, for the guys, we're going to need a spokesperson, and that person would have to be a high ranking member of the Talark military, even if Max and Duero are both 1st Cass Citizens, Bart being a military cadet and having family connections, and Aleck being a top instructor in their military, I doubt any of them have the needed rank and social/political muscle to say anything that has great weight to the Talark government, so I rather doubt we have anyone with that kind of qualifications."

"Is that true?" Magno asked, directing her gaze at the men in the room in question.

Aleck, Duero, and Max nodded in agreement, and the elder male replied for his younger comrades.

"Kyo is correct, none of us have the needed political, social and military weight and strength to say anything, and Bart's connections on our world are only limited to his family's food pill production, he hardly has the needed military connections, and I rather doubt that he would be even allowed to speak in front of the government since he was once considered nothing more than a nuisance back then."

Gascogne however spoke out.

"Don't mind me asking…but is it that you and Kyo…are related?"

"Why do you want to know that?" Kyo asked in surprise as Gascogne, now wasn't exactly the right time for this kind of discussion, and neither was the situation.

"I just want to know what was going on, how in the heck are you two related?"

Magno couldn't help but smirk at her Register head and spoke.

"I'm afraid that now is not exactly the best time for us to get into that discussion Gasco, but I promise that I will personally tell you all that once the time is right, however, I do have two suggestions. Gascogne, I want you to send out a broadband transmission on the coded frequency that our comrades use...just in case things go down south."

Gascogne nodded. "You want me to contact the others and ready a rescue?"

"Yes, and my second suggestion is that Buzam would have to speak for the men. After all she…or rather HE DID grow up on Talark."

Buzam was somewhat surprised at that announcement and looked at Magno with trepidation.

"Captain, W-W-W-What are you suggesting?!"

Magno smiled a bit. "BC, do you really think that I won't eventually find out about you're little secret? I may be old, but unlike what most would say, I am not senile. I knew that you were a spy from Talark, and you naturally are a HE, not a she. You never bathe with ANY member of the crew as far as I knew even if you're body was no doubt surgically altered to be female, you are very familiar with the language of the men, even if the information was heavily coded, you show exceptional skills with weapons normally used only by men and you showed exceptional skills in melee combat. Another thing I did notice is that you didn't act like a woman of Megele in certain matters, namely when Duero and Max had that discussion on Talark birthing methods, I was not very happy with that kind of information but you seemed very much relaxed on such matters, I was somewhat surprised at that until I thought that there would be only two possibilities, the first was you had gone to Talark, but I doubted that since the men would no doubt have killed you if you were a true female, and the second was that you would only be familiar with the procedures if you WERE born of the process. I am willing to bet ten to one that you are a man once we take a blood and DNA test, namely for a certain DNA marker known as the Y-chromosome."

"What is a Y-chromosome?" Gascogne asked.

Magno nodded with a smirk at the muscular woman. "I'm not very surprised you don't know about that Gascogne, you were born and raised on Megele and you are therefore only familiar with the way Megele females reproduce. I on the other hand, am from the First Generation and I did have a son with a man before I lived on Megele. When children were born in the older days before the founding of Talark and Megele, the gender of the child was determined by two pairs of chromosomes, the X and Y chromosomes, a child with two X-chromosomes would be born as a female, while a child with both a X and Y chromosome would be born as a male. The fact is that on our world of Megele, we only have female children due to the fact that when an ohma and a fahma donate their DNA to fertilize an egg, the only chromosomes present are the X chromosomes, thus all children on Megele are female."

"In the case of Talark however, since all of the people living there are male, then if they were to donate their DNA to have a child, then there was a very strong chance that either a male or female child would be born on Talark since as I have explained, males have both X and Y chromosomes, and therefore, when they donate their DNA there is still a chance a female child is born since there is a chance the fetus would gain two X chromosomes and be born a female."

"Really?! So that would mean that Talark COULD have females in their population?!" Gascogne asked, totally wide-eyed with the amount of information she had just been exposed to.

"Yes…which is why I won't be very surprised that the men of Talark, in the effort to keep their people focused on seeing women as the enemy of men, would be always meticulously checking each fetus in their 'birthing' factories to ensure that only male children are born."

"So that was what Kyo meant when he told Jura that she would have a 50 chance of having a baby boy if they DID…uh couple?"

Magno grinned impishly while Kyo looked at the other side of the room with his face being bright red.

"Pretty much." Magno said as she continued to speak towards Buzam.

"Another thing is that very same chocker you always wear Buzam, namely that stone itself." Magno said, pointing directly at the green stone.

"I wondered why you never seem inclined to have that taken off, it may look fashionable in a certain way, but it would no doubt be very uncomfortable…unless it was over what would be an enlarged larynx, or as many in the past would call it, an Adams Apple, yet another anatomical feature that can only be found in men. The other use for it, apart from hiding that feature is to hide what I believe is a vocal modifier, that you use to change you're voice to sound like a woman's since even if you physically alter you're form, you would still not be able to change the voice patterns of a male due to the different auditory qualities men have."

Magno then smiled at the silver haired female or male and spoke calmly.

"Now then…if I am very wrong in my assumptions Buzam, or whoever you really are, then I would suggest that we go to the Medical Bay and have that blood test so we can see the truth…or would you prefer to deactivate that device and speak to us in you're REAL voice?"

Everyone, including Kyo Yamato looked at Buzam, in order to see just what the silver haired pirate officer would do with what Magno had said. Buzam then sighed deeply and then pressed her left hand on the green stone, and sure enough the stone was a vocal modification device as the normally green stone turned red, and Buzam looked at them all, but mostly at Magno…and then spoke in a deep, strong voice…the voice of a man.

"I was wondering if you really knew about my real self, and I know now that you did, but why didn't you tell you're crew that I was a spy?"

Magno smiled serenely and replied.

"And lose one of the most capable officers I have? Don't be silly, I don't do such things…make no mistake however, if you had done something to hurt the crew, I would have changed my tune and have you removed and reveal you for who you really are. But you've served with great honor and distinction, and most of all, in all the time you have been among us, there were quite a number of times that you could have warned you're fellow men about our raids, and you would have betrayed us, but you have not. Tell me…"

"My real name is Tenmei Uragasumi, and you are right in saying that I would make a good spokesperson for the male side…since I am Commander in Chief of the Talark Covert Intelligence Division."

Duero, Aleck, and Max were shocked in knowing that the one they considered to be the female second in command was actually the head of their Covert Intelligence Division, one of the more shadowy branches of their government.

"All right Tenmei…tell me now…what was the big reason why you never betrayed us to you're fellow men, even if you had every opportunity to do just that?"

Gascogne herself was looking at Tenmei with undisguised surprise as well. "That's one thing I would like to have answered as well! It's kind of hard enough to know that you're actually both a man and a spy, but to know that the Captain knew about that and never said a word is something else!"

"I doubt any of the crew would have followed Tenmei if they knew that she was a HE at the time. Would you have done so also? Besides, there would have to be a very good reason as to why HE had not betrayed us to the men even if he had the chance to do just that, now then, would you like to answer that question?"

"You are still willing to trust me, even if you know the truth about me?" Tenmei asked with some still lingering doubts.

"Of course I am."

Tenmei sighed and replied to their questions.

"When I was assigned as a spy to your crew I was pretty much like the other men back home, I despised women and despite being calm and collected since it was due to my ingrained hatred towards females from back home, and it was my task to spy on the pirates to gain information on Megele's combat abilities and technology, it would make sense since you raid both Talark and Megele convoys. However….as time passed, I began to tolerate, trust and even enjoy the company of the crew…none of you match any of the descriptions of being monsters that I had grown up seeing on Talark."

"Thank God for that…" Magno said with a smile.

"And…over the times we've been travelling together, I began to understand and see things in a far more different light, namely the errors that were being taught to the others back on Talark. They say men and women would never be able to live together, but I am doing that very same thing with you all in this ship for the past year, and I saw how the men and women from our respective cultures have been able to thrive and survive working together. Therefore, I made sure to only send data that would keep my superiors on Talark satisfied, but not enough to betray the crew to them. And with Kyo and the others here on the ship, I can tell that we have a chance to bridge the gap and put aside this 'Battle of the Sexes'. We are all HUMAN after all, and we need to stand united against this coming Harvester invasion."

"I thought so, and I am happy that with you're help we might have a fighting chance."

Kyo Yamato however wasn't entirely convinced.

"That's all well and good, but we don't have that much time right now, let's not forget that we have seven Harvester battle-ships already a few hours from this current position and if we take too long in trying to convince both Talark and Megele to work together, they'll be right on top of us, and even with all our upgraded tech and weaponry, along with the converted battle-ship and it's forces, I rather doubt we can hold them off forever, not to mention that we can't use the same strategies we used before to beat their fleets out here…we have to stand and fight."

Aleck, managing to get past his shock agreed with Kyo's statement.

"Kyo is right…if we're going to pursue this plan, we'll have to come up with a back-up plan in order to make up should the first fail, the last you want is to be forced in doing is to come up with one while the enemy is already trying to tear you to pieces."

Magno nodded.

"It will have to be a coordinated effort then, and if the Harvester Armada does show up…then we will have to hope that their appearance along with the evidence we have will be enough to convince the two worlds what we have told them is the truth. One the first part of this plan, we'll have to split up, Tenmei will still need to reveal himself to the crew and allow yourself, along with the other men to be taken back to Talark, there, we can hope that the men there will listen to you all, and if it fails, Tenmei will have to rescue them and head back to the ship…which I have no doubt will be held in dry dock by the men since the Nirvana is part of the Ikazuchi. On our part, we'll no doubt be taken to trial for being pirates and political dissidents, we'll use that time to give out our evidence and if that fails, then we hope that the transmission we will send to our other fellow pirates will be received and they will come and rescue us. If that goes well…we'll need to get ready for the attack and hopefully hold off the Harvesters long enough, though how we can hold off seven battle-ships is beyond me, they won't be the same like the Mirage Colloid equipped one we have."

"What kind of force do the pirates back here have?" Kyo asked, his military mind already trying to determine a good working strategy should the veteran pilots get involved.

"We have another Megele Cruiser, the same model that we had when we raided the Ikazuchi, along with the same number of Dreads and pilots like what we have here on the Nirvana." Gascogne replied earnestly, seeing the risks they were all about to step feet first into.

"Hmm…we're still very much out matched then…but hopefully with enough tactics and strategy, we might be able to pull this off. I however would have to tell the Crusader pilots to security lock the OS in all their Mobile Suits, and even tell Jura, Barnette, Meia, and Dita to security lock their Gundams' respective OS as well…if the men of Talark found them and began extracting any data, they might just use them to cause even more havoc on this plan and use the data to create weapons that they might use on Megele. The one thing I can't figure is what I'll be doing."

Magno thought that over and replied.

"You'll have to keep out of sight uncle, we will no doubt be needing you're help at some point in this whole plan just in case we need help, but I think there just might come a time you'll have to talk to both leaders."

Kyo thought about that and nodded, hoping that he just might be able to help them all in this matter, as they finished the finalizing the plans they had in mind, the only thing he could find utterly humorous about the whole thing was on how Bart would react if he found out that Buzam was a man.

(Man…since Bart has that not so well hidden affection for Buzam, I think finding out she's actually a he will really throw him in the loop!)

--

Later…

"Do we really have to do this Kyo?" Meia asked as she was in her Gundam's cockpit, already in the process of security locking her Gundam's OS.

"I'm afraid so, the last thing I want is the men getting their hands on our Mobile Suits and using the data they might get to cause even more problems."

Kyo replied as he checked their progress. The Gundam pilot was currently in the Hanger Bay, directing all of the Gundam pilots, including Max and Duero to lock out their Gundam's OS to ensure no one could just download any combat data from their machines. He then turned to another comm.-monitor and called in both his seconds in command of the Crusader Squadron.

"Sara, Mai, how are things on you're end?"

The two women replied as they read the data displays in their respective Custom Crusaders and the Crusaders of their fellow pilots, all of whom were already following Kyo's orders to pass-word lock the OS of their Mobile Suits.

"The OS lock-down is almost complete Commander, we've just got a few more to lock down here." Sara said as she ran over the list of the pilots who have already, or were in the process of, locking down the OS of their Mobile Suits.

"Kyo, what are you planning now after this?" Mai asked as she also finished locking down her Crusader's OS.

"Not sure yet."

"Mr. Alien? Are you REALLY related to the Captain?!" Dita asked as she looked at Kyo intently, no doubt trying to find ANY physical resemblance between the aged woman and the Gundam pilot. She still could not believe that Magno and Kyo were related, and he was the Captain's…uncle. Though she didn't know what the term meant, she could tell that it told her that Kyo and Magno had a blood tie for some reason.

"I want to know if that's true too!" Jura said as she looked at Kyo, no doubt also trying to find any physical resemblance between him and Magno. The blonde was shocked to know Kyo's past and was happy to see that he was not mopping about it when he was in his Gundam, but to hear that he and Magno were related really threw her on the loop.

"To tell you the truth Commander, I want to know about that too, and I know it's not just me, and Mai, but practically the entire Squadron wants to know if that was true."

Sara replied, her expression mirrored that of Mai as well, the two were somewhat shocked to suddenly find out that their commander and the Captain were relatives, and they too were looking at Kyo very intensely, as if to see if there was any physical resemblance between him and their elderly Captain.

And Kyo knew for a fact that Meia was also looking at him intently, as if she too was trying to find out any resemblance between him and his elderly niece, this had actually been happening ever since the announcement and they were NOT the only ones, practically the entire crew, including his male comrades were looking intently at him, as if they too tried to find any physical resemblance between him and Magno

And to tell them the truth, he was getting rather annoyed by the looks.

"Look, I'll tell you all about it later, right now we've got some work to do."

As the girls realized that they were not going to get anything else out of the Gundam pilot, they left the matter be, allowing the Gundam pilot enough time to digest what was happening all around him, after he and the other senior officers, including Tenmei were done, they set their plan in motion and it had required them to set things up quickly… as soon as he, he had the Crusaders and his fellow Gundam pilots make the lock-down, while the rest of the crew began their work in sealing off portions of the Nirvana and getting ready to be taken away by the Megele military.

However, it certainly wasn't going to be easy for anyone. Having worked together for many months, the crew had gotten very close, in his opinion, the hardest hit were none other than the resident couples from both planets. When Duero and Max had related their intentions, but not revealing the back-up plan they and the others have cooked up, to return and try to reason with their people, even at great risk of being branded traitors, Barnette and Parfait were understandably shocked, concerned, and afraid of what might happen to them. The two couples had grown closer and even though they knew that something like this was bound to happen the moment they were back in the home system of their respective planets, it certainly didn't make parting from one another any easier.

Duero and Max likewise were concerned for the safety of their female companions, since they knew that as they were pirates, they were not the most trusted members of their world, and would be placed in prison, however, they would be in even worse punishment if they began to support the idea of men and women working side by side, the two men could only wonder at how that would be received by the Megele government. Besides that, the two men were not keen on letting them be harmed since that was a very large possibility.

It had taken them some time to consider what they were about to do and Kyo thanked fate that they were able to get ready for this and just see where this would lead. Even Gascogne and Aleck didn't like the idea of the parting since the two had grown somewhat closer than before, though as far as the Gundam pilot knew, they were not THAT close, or he could be wrong.

Kyo quickly shook his head of those thoughts and then thought about his own situation, since he was the inevitable wild card in the plan, Duero and Max have decided to have him and his Gundam stored in the deepest bowels of the Nirvana in order to avoid being detected by either the Talark or Megele military forces, and they would give him a specially modified communicator that he could use to contact them on Talark should things go down south, not to mention the communicator was modified by Gascogne as well in order to listen in on Megele communications, the former Megele military officer had told her that she suspected that sooner or later things might get bad, and even if she had faith in the rest of their pirate comrades, namely the veterans, she was certainly not going to take chances and told Kyo to be ready to back them up.

That part was somewhat confusing and somewhat unorthodox since that meant that if something went wrong with the rescue of the female crew…he would have to fly with the Infinite Freedom Gundam right into Megele space, all on his own to help them out. That part didn't frighten him in the least, it was the possible encounter with the Megele military that made him worry. He knew that there was no way they would allow a man to step into their territory and do whatever he wanted. This naturally meant that even if he had no intention of it, he would have to fight the Megele Navy the moment he entered their space.

Despite his reservations, he decided to hope that it didn't come to that as he went back to the bridge and waited as Magno gave Bart the order to take the Nirvana out of the debris cloud. They however planned to move the Harvester Battle-ship out of the debris field with it's Mirage Colloid systems online and keep it's forces safe, the pirates decided to keep the ship away from the battle until they were ready, they would use the ship later as evidence of the Harvesters existence to the populations of their respective worlds, and as back-up in the coming battle.

For a moment, if the plan to have the veteran pirates on their side worked and with the converted Harvester battle-ship on their side, Kyo couldn't help but feel that they were doing their own version of the Three Ships Alliance that his parents, relatives, and family friends had been part of when the last days of the Z.A.F.T/Earth Alliance War that led to the Second Battle of Jachim Due.

As he looked at the screen of them now revealing themselves to the incoming Megele, Talark fleets, he waited for the rest of the senior crew to drop the bomb load. He only wished Bar would be all right when Buzam…or rather, Tenmei revealed the truth about himself, he just knew this was going to be really close, and really dicey.

--

Later…

"This Talark Home Defense Force… 34th Fleet, Captain Terrance Harden, identify yourselves!"

The Talark Fleet appeared to have changed their designs somewhat as they appeared to have greater armor and much faster turrets on their ships and it appeared that some of the ships were even colored golden, though why some of these smaller ships were in a deep golden sheen was unknown at the time, however these smaller ships appeared to be very well armed and armored. Several large groups of Vanguards were in the area…though they didn't look like the same types of Vanguards as the ones that Crusader Squadron had used before they re-designed them.

The new Vanguards appeared to be even better armored and armed, and it appeared that they now possessed some built-in weapons of their own. They even resembled in some way the GuAIZ model that Aleck piloted, however, they were armed with what appeared to be rail-guns on the hips, in the same design specs as I-Freedom's own folded rail-guns and had what amazing as it sounded, a beam rifle, and what appeared to be a flight-pack to allow for greater speed and flexibility, it seemed to have a back-pack that had a variety of melee weaponry, all of which were very nasty in design and use. There were also heavy assault guns installed on the head and there was even a high grade alloy composite shield. ()

Apparently the pirates were not the only group in the Galaxy who modified the Vanguard designs as the host of Vanguards were now closing in and surrounding the Nirvana, weapons at the ready.

The Megele Fleet however having none of it and deployed their Dreads, and from what could be seen, the Megele ships were now arming up their beam weapons. The Dreads also began to close in on the Nirvana, and they too were ready and willing to fire at both the pirates…and if it came to that, the men of Talark.

"This is Megele Home Defense Force…29th Battle Fleet, Captain Maria Trance, I am warning the Captain of the Talark Fleet not to interfere with this operation, if you do, we will open fire."

"That will be your own mistake if you fire on us then…Captain." The male officer in question said with great venom, as if waiting for any order to open fire on the Megele force, this was the result of the ingrained hatred between their cultures…the very same thing the pirates intended to stop before it destroyed them all.

The male officer then spoke to the Nirvana.

"I repeat, who are you and what are you doing with a ship with the transponder signal of the Ikazuchi?"

Kyo looked briefly at Buzam/Tenmei, and nodded slightly.

The disguised male nodded as this was the predetermined signal for them to implement their desperate gamble. Tenmei/Buzam then pressed the stone on his/her throat and the stone then glowed red and he then spoke in his natural voice…this startled the living daylights out of everyone of the crew, with the exceptions of Duero, Max, Kyo, and Magno, who already planned this ahead.

"This is Tenmei Uragasumi, Commander in Chief of The Covert Intelligence Division. The Ikazuchi has returned and is hereby surrendering."

This was Kyo's cue as he took out some restraints and quickly bound Tenmei's hands and began to escort him to the brig. As the two walked near Magno, she gave them a quick smirk, that both returned as well as they made their way to the brig for phase two of the plan they were placing into action. Magno then replied to both Fleets.

"This is Captain Magno Vivian of the pirate forces, we have declared our surrender, all forces in the ship will stand down immediately. All our male occupants shall be within the brig and will not be harmed."

The Captains of both fleets now knew just who they had managed to capture, and quickly the two began to have an argument on what to do with the pirates, along with the men who they supposed were prisoners of the pirates. This gave them enough time to make the rest of the arrangements.

Bart was flabbergasted at what he had just learned.

"BUZAM WAS A MAN?!"

--

"You ready for this?" Kyo asked as he spoke to Tenmei as he activated the laser bars in the cell. The disguised male spy smiled a bit at the Gundam pilot as he too was getting ready to make his own move.

"I am, I know that you of all people are more than capable at this venture…considering who you are really are and you're blood line."

"Tenmei, let me ask you something…if you found out who I was at some point before all this happened in the journey, and my past, and what I did nearly four hundred years ago, and I asked you to fight the Harvesters…would you do it?"

"What do you mean Kyo?"

"I want to know this…would you follow me because I am Kyo Yamato, the savior of the human race and of what I did as a legacy, or would you follow me because I am Kyo Yamato, and I want to protect the future?"

Tenmei thought about that and began to understand what Kyo was pushing towards. The Gundam pilot and Coordinator wanted to know if he would follow him to defend the future out of merely obligation or of his own free will. Kyo had just shown to him that he wanted people to fight with him not because he was a historical figure, a legend and the one who they owe their lives to, but because he was doing the right thing and wanted to protect all life and the future.

Tenmei nodded and replied with an answer.

"I would follow you Kyo, not just because you are Kyo Yamato, the man who saved humanity nearly four hundred years ago, and allowed me and my people to be borne…but because you are my comrade, and a friend."

Kyo smiled and saw the arrival of Duero, Max, Aleck, and Bart, he then faced Tenmei and nodded grimly.

"You ready to implement the plan we have…just in case things don't go very well?"

"Yes, I know that Bart and the others will have to be interrogated and no doubt kept in prison…if the Government has truly been hiding the information concerning the Harvesters, I'll get them free from there and meet up with the rest of the crew…though hopefully I can get into contact with men who might be able to help us, since part of my job back then on Talark was to locate anyone who might have doubts about the war with women...even Duero and Max's Alpha, though we never made a move on them at all."

Kyo nodded once more and went over to Duero and Max, and replied to the two of them.

"It's time to begin…see you guys later."

Kyo made his way into the bowels of the ship, towards the only location where he could avoid being found by any member of the crew from the Talark or Megele forces. He had managed to hear just what the terms that were decided upon by the Captains of both Talark and Megele Fleets, the men, including Tenmei were to be taken by the Talark forces while the women were to be taken by their Megele military brethren, as to the final fate of the Nirvana, since it was the Ikazuchi, part of the Talark military, and the pirates being nominal enemies of both sides, the ship would be impounded by the Talark military and kept in an orbital docking station between the Megele/Talark border.

As he arrived, he used the modified communicator to keep track of the activity on the ship as he kept an eye on his Gundam unit. The communicator finally told him of the arrival of both Talark and Megele boarding parties, this was a very risky plan he and the senior officers had come up with, and he only hoped that it would succeed.

--

Later…

Whump!

"Don't move!" The slightly muffled and altered voice called out as the women military forces, wearing the frightening body suits and face mask began to take over the female section of the ship.

Meia grimaced as she was quickly taken down as she tried to protect Lacus and Ezra from being manhandled by several of the female soldiers…but she could do little as the one who had knocked her down aimed a laser rifle to her head. Despite her instincts telling her to fight back and protect both the mother and her baby, her practical side told her that she would accomplish nothing if she tried to fight back…and thankfully, the female soldiers didn't hurt Ezra or Lacus.

However, as she got to her feet with the assistance of the soldiers, she could tell that many of her fellow crew-mates were also being herded towards the docked shuttles, all of them would no doubt be flown directly to a military vessel under heavy escort and then taken directly to Megele to stand trial.

All throughout the ship, the pirates were quickly being rounded up by the female soldiers, Dita had managed to pack away the boxed lunches she had prepared in advance for Buzam, Kyo, Duero, Bart, Aleck, and Max, before she, along with Paiway were herded away, Jura and Barnette managed to seal away their most valuable possessions, along with the 'other' items they had collected, that spoke of the relationships that could bloom between men and women, however Jura still insisted on brining the book that spoke of co-gender procreation, Parfait and her engineers had enough time to ensure that the Paeksis would still be working fine once they were allowed to go back, just before they were taken by the guards, Gascogne managed to lock down the Register, along with the help of Sara and Mai before they too were taken away, the security forces of the pirates were forced to lock away their weaponry as they were taken away, along with the Dread pilots who had also managed to security lock their Dreads, the Crusader Squadron pilots had to bid their Crusaders farewell as the Mobile Suits were in the Hangers where the men were going, the female Mobile Suit pilots hoped that they would see their beloved Mobile Suits soon as they were also being herded away towards the shuttles. By then the women were already being taken away as the shuttles, under Dread escort, left the Nirvana to meet up with their main ship.

The men on the other hand were already inspecting the former Ikazuchi and were naturally surprised by the changes done to the ship that was once part of their first fleet into space, they however were told to keep away from the sections that were taken over by the women pirates and focused on getting to the location where Tenmei, Duero, Max, Bart, and Aleck were being held 'prisoner' so to speak, the men however were surprised to see the collection of Mobile Suits that were part of the Nirvana's defense forces, including the Gundams that were there, namely the SwitchBlade, Morpheous, Templar, Crimson Edge, Silver Lightning, and the Azure Angel, along with the Crusaders. They never expected to see such formidable looking machines of war to be in the possession of the women and their crews planned to have the units analyzed to see just what sort of units were these, and to get combat data that could truly help Grand Pa and their war with the women…however, the men were finding it hard to even access the basic functions of the OS of each machine as Kyo's instructions to the pilots to security lock their Mobile Suits proved a very strong deterrent to the male engineers that tried to get past the security and access the OS to make the Mobile Suits and the Gundams work. Thus the men had no choice but to leave the Mobile Suits alone, and this was a strong blow to their pride as they had not found a single trace of their trusted Vanguards…what had happened to the Vanguard compliment of the mighty Ikazuchi when the women had taken over it?

(Unknown to them all, the Crusaders WERE the Vanguards that they were looking for…just in a whole new body design.)

The other groups of men had much better luck, relatively speaking as they were able to get to the brig and begin to free Tenmei, Bart, Duero, Max, and Aleck. The younger soldiers and officers congratulated the five men and told them how lucky they were that they were still alive and breathing, and had their livers intact. The five men (albeit one of them looked more like a woman than a man) merely nodded and agreed, and as they were directed to the shuttles awaiting to take them to their home-planet of Talark, the men who were part of the plan mentally ran over it once more, and sadly, the only one of them who was not in the loop was Bart who seemed intent on trying to avoid looking at Buzam/Tenmei.

The Talark spy however noted the look on Bart and seemed concerned somewhat at the bald navigator, though he knew just what was up with Bart, he could do little as they still had a plan to accomplish…along with a back-up, just in case things went wrong.

Back in the Nirvana, the men were able to use the auto-pilot function to guide the ship to a nearby dry dock port and lock in the Nirvana, this allowed the engineers and techs of the male forces to make their studies of the ship in relative peace. Near it were several cruisers and those acted as a screen to ensure that no one would try to take the Nirvana…despite the fact it no longer resembled the ship that they had last seen before the pirate attack and after, the men still saw the Ikazuchi as sovereign property of Talark and thus were not willing to give it back to the women, however it appeared that the women's forces were only interested in taking the pirates and as such, didn't bother taking anything that belonged to the women from the ship.

--

In the bowels of the Nirvana…

"Okay…let's see if we got it right…there, that should do it."

Kyo Yamato smiled as he finished his work on the communicator so he could hack into the comm.. network of the Talark men and keep track on how things would go for the guys down there, he hated not telling Bart about the plan they had cooked up in the Conference Room, but time was against them and that meant that it had to be made on the fly.

Right now, the Gundam pilot was with his Gundam in the lowest levels of the Ikazuchi and yet close enough for him to access a nearby launching deck that appeared to not be used by anyone, not even by the pirates or the men, but thankfully it was in good working order and he didn't have to worry about clearing any debris and give away his position. He disliked the idea of not having anything to do while he was in the ship…but they had a plan going and he could only hope that things were going to work out, if not, then it was going to have to be Plan B, and get ready to face the Harvesters in combat, though hopefully, they would have a chance to convince at least SOME of the men to side with them, along with some of the women. However, that would depend on a lot planning and coordination.

He decided to stay and wait, and listen to what would be happening down there.

--

On Talark…

"Good work Commander Tenmei! All the data you have sent us has proven to be very helpful in keeping things stable here on Talark for the past year, we were surprised when you had somehow disappeared and now you have returned, alive and safe no less."

The Prime Minister, the very same one who was in command of the Ikazuchi nearly a year ago was the one who was briefing Tenmei, along with several key military officials, one of whom happened to be the very same portly, balding older officer who was his second in command.

"Yes sir! What happened was unexpected but I have managed to send as much data as I could, which is why I would like to inquire on the status of several message pods that were sent here by me previously…have they been received?"

Tenmei was currently in his older but still well made and pristine officer's uniform that was sandy yellow and the badges of his rank and station as Commander in Chief of Talark's Covert Intelligence Division. However the picture of the male dressed back in his older uniform…coupled with the surgical alterations made to make him look for female than male was a little…distracting, so to speak. Namely with the new medal he had on the left side of his uniform.

"Hmmm…unfortunately we have not been able to recover any message pods from you lately, as we have been rather busy with other matters, neither have our scouts been able to report any message pods from you in the last year…are you sure that you have sent them?"

Tenmei kept his expressions on neutral the whole time…something was not right.

"I believe so, the pods were launched a few months before, when I was able to evade detection and send the latest data, I also sent more pods to Talark high-lighting the encounter with an unknown force, known to me as the Harvesters."

The portly officer raised an eye-brow at that statement.

"Harvesters? I am afraid that we are not entirely aware of what you are speaking of Commander, without the pods we have no idea what they are….I want you to file a full report on you're time in the Ikazuchi while being in the pirates today, as of now, you will have time to take some shore leave and get used to being home again. Is that clear Commander?"

Tenmei realized that something was indeed happening here, during his time back on the Nirvana he had been able to talk with Aleck and learned enough of the previous state of the planet and the populace. He hoped that the people on his world were told about the threat of the Harvesters and got ready for them, however, the actions he saw and what the officers said told him that something was not right. However he knew enough of his world to know that talking now would be useless until more evidence was shown. This made him wonder about the message pods and the rest of the data, but he had little time now to file a report…considering that the Harvesters' advanced fleet was soon to arrive.

"Yes sir!"

The Prime Minister then spoke to Tenmei.

"Once you're done with you're report, I think it would be best you report to Medical and have those removed soon, it is rather distracting for you to be wearing the uniform with those on you're chest."

Tenmei knew what he was referring to and merely nodded.

As soon as he was out of the room, he headed to his quarters at the best speed he could manage without causing disturbance, as soon as he was in the room, he quickly made his way to his personal console and began to type in his name and pass-word. The console flashed and he began to search for any mention of the data pods that he had sent before. However, much to his surprise, even with his rank and security clearance, there was nothing in the archives…it was only when he used another high level pass word that he found out the fate of the message pod he had sent before…

It had been received, but had been deleted…by the order of the First Generation, namely Grand Pa himself. He then searched for any mention of the other pods, and found out that they were sealed away, not to be opened by order of the First Generation.

Tenmei shook his head, the data he had sent had indeed been ignored, and even if he could point out their existence, there would be no doubt that the data would be destroyed, without that data to support his part in the plan and his arguments, there would be no way he could convince his fellow men of the danger. He then decided to hack into the data feed and eavesdrop on the Prime Minister and his officers.

He found that the Prime Minister and the rest of the generals were going to be having a discussion in a meeting room, and thankfully, as the Commander of the Covert Intelligence Division he still had the authority to covertly watch the proceedings. He did so and sure enough, he was now allowed to listen and witness the meeting without being detected.

--

In the meeting room…

"So what do we do about the Ikazuchi, our reports tell us that there is no way to remove the features the women have placed into the ship…it's a big annoyance at best."

One of the officers commented. However, another one then spoke out.

"That will be handled at another time…we must discuss the facts that the men we have rescued from the women had now been talking about the Harvesters and the threats they pose…not to mention, they have been speaking about working together with the women to face this threat."

The Prime Minister snorted and looked at the group of his fellow officers.

"I will not allow such talk of aligning with the women in this room. As for the men in question, they have no doubt been polluted by their time with the vile pirates, and have to be re-educated into not forgetting their loyalties and allegiance to Grand Pa! This threat of the Harvesters will be handled by us men! To prove ourselves better than the women of Megele, we will face these Harvesters when they show themselves…once that is done, we shall deal with the women. What of the machines our techs have found in the Ikazuchi?"

"The techs report that the machines are highly advantaged units but have some vague similarities to our new Vanguards, we believe that these units were once Vanguards themselves, however, several of the units appear to have come from other places and three of them seem to be extremely powerful. However…"

"However?"

"They appear to have very advanced security locks on their programming and operation systems, we have not seen anything like them and our engineers are having a hard time breaking past the defenses in order to get any relevant data that we can use. It may take a few weeks or months."

"Keep the Ikazuchi in dry dock then, until we get past those safe guards, I want every scrap of combat data those units have so we can use them to crush the women."

"What of the men sir? If they cannot be re-educated?"

The Prime Minister looked at all the data and then brought up images of Duero, Max, Aleck, and Bart, the five men were already being interrogated and were being beaten by several of their re-education specialists. The Prime Minister sighed as he looked at the events, it was such a pity, they were good men, but they were too far gone, having gained so much vile ideas, and spreading them to anyone they could on their world…it was a heresy that they had to correct, but the men were very resistant.

"If we cannot save them…then terminate them."

Tenmei realized that his part, and that of Duero, Bart, Aleck, and Max in the plan they had come up with back on the Nirvana had failed and they had to go with Plan B. He quickly connected his communicator to the Talark communications net and typed it to the frequency that Gascogne had given him…it was time to contact an old friend.

--

In the Nirvana…

Kyo listened in as his communicator beeped a few notes which told him that it was Tenmei on the line.

"Tenmei, I'm here, go ahead."

"The part we have played in Talark has failed Kyo, I've just learned that they have indeed deleted the data I sent here a few months before, and the secondary batch of data I sent has been locked away by Grand Pa…I can't access it as only the First Generation can do that."

"Damn it…there goes the neighborhood, how about the others?"

"They are in the interrogation center, being re-educated as we speak, and it seems that soon, they will be terminated."

"Crap! We can't have that Tenmei!"

"I know…I'll contact some people I know of who might be able to help me down here in Talark to rescue them, we'll have to meet back on the Nirvana, it seems we'll have to go with Plan B."

"Looks like it…good luck out there, I'll keep watch on the Megele side of things."

"Understood, Tenmei out."

--

Talark…

Tenmei realized that what he would do would no doubt brand him as a traitor to Grand Pa…but with what was coming towards them all now, he had no time to think about these things. He quickly began to type in several communications codes and he managed to contact a certain someone.

"Greetings Commander Tenmei…what do I owe the pleasure of this call?"

"I'm afraid this isn't a social call Instructor Hiryu McFile, this concerns you're sons."

"I'm listening."

--

On Megele…

"This is…this is…sacrilege!!"

The voice belonged to a woman who appeared to be wearing robes of a judge and right now it seemed that she was about to lose her cool the hard way…considering the fact that she was holding a book which spoke of a VERY interesting topic. She placed the book aside and glared at the people she was judging, and they were none other than Magno Vivian and her fellow pirates, right now, the one being trialed was none other than Jura Basil Elden. Misty was among the women due to the fact that since the former resident of Mars was a female she too was mistaken as a pirate.

The judge glared venomously at Jura and her fellow pirates, she had expected a quick trial, but the very second she had began to judge the pirate crew on their crimes, including piracy, and political dissension…they began to talk about their encounters with the Harvesters and…told her that, in order for the women of Megele to survive…they would have to…work together with the men of Talark…work with men?! It was an insult and a spit in the face of Grand Ma! But what this blonde…witch had just told her and shown her beat everything she had expected…

The thought of having a child….with a…with a…MAN was too disgusting for her to swallow.

"HOW DARE YOU SPREAD IN THIS COURT SUCH HERESY?!"

Jura however was NOT going to back down despite the arctic glare the judge was giving her.

"That is NOT heresy! That is the truth and I stand by that!"

"So do I!" Barnette said, rising from her chair, despite the fact that several female guards, armed with laser rifles were now aiming those same weapons at her, threatening her with bloody force if she tried anything. Barnette however was not going to relent until Gascogne grabbed her hand and gave her a shake of her head.

Barnette was resistant for a few moments and growled as she sat back, prompting the guards to lower their weapons and step back.

"HOW CAN YOU EVEN SUGGEST THIS GARBAGE?! This BOOK is nothing but a pack of lies, and yet YOU believe them?!"

"I do!"

"So…you're willing to give birth yourself to such an…ABOMINATION?! Then you are a witch!!"

Jura got even angrier. Misty couldn't help but smile at the way Jura was standing up to this harpy judge and whispered to Meia, who was nearby.

"I have to admit…that blonde certainly has guts. I never knew she was that determined."

" Neither did I…" Meia said as she looked at Jura, with wonder and pride.

"Witch?! You've got some nerve!!"

"I have had enough of this farce!! TAKE THEM TO THE ASTEROID PRISON COLONY AND LET THEM ALL ROT THERE!!"

Jura glared as she and the pirates were taken from the court room and were to be taken to a nearby prison colony near the debris belt. That was the same place all female criminals and political dissidents were sent in exile, it seemed that Megele had truly turned a blind eye to the truth they had with them and a deaf ear to their words. Magno sighed and realized that they would have to go with plan B.

--

As the convoy ship that carried the pirates docked with the prison colony, the pirates were able to glimpse the facility where they would be placed in for the rest of their lives, they have heard much about these stations and Meia herself shuddered a bit, as when she was younger, and was still a thug on the street, the mere mention of the asteroid prison made her shiver. However she knew better than to let her fear crowd around her now. The guards in the shuttle were dressed with normal clothes and carried heavier laser rifles, showing that they were not in the mood for the pirates to try anything anytime soon.

As they entered the corridors and soon arrived in the main cell blocks, which for some reason or another were not like the ones in the Nirvana which had energy bars but rather pure metal, it didn't take long for the rest of the colony's prison population to notice them…however, instead of welcoming them in a very hostile manner, as prisoners would normally do, the women in the prisoner blocks were surprised and awed.

"Magno?"

"Magno Vivian…here?"

"She's really real!"

"Captain Magno! Here! Help me get out of here!"

The guards however were not going to let this keep on happening at all.

"Quiet! Any more trouble from you and you're food will be cut!"

The other guards also went on to enforce the order for silence among the rest of the prisoners, with threats and promises of retaliatory action for their words. However, those threats were not enough to quiet the prisoners who saw Magno and her crew as they continued to shout out to Magno…it seemed that Magno and her fellow pirates, both the ones from the Nirvana, and the veterans left in the asteroid base on Megele have become quite the icons of resistance among those who had grown tired of the trivial competition and pettiness on Megele..

"Take us with you!"

"We want to join you're crew!"

"Please help us out of here!"

"You're real heroines!"

"I can't believe she's really real!"

Magno couldn't help but slow down a bit and so did the other pirates as the cheers, greetings and pleas for their assistance filled the entire area, and it did not lower down in both scope and power, even if they were now placed in the prison cells of their own.

However, Magno had faith on a lot of things, one was that they had a plan to help them all now, even if the first part of the plan had failed to come to fruit, the second was that the rest of their pirate crew, namely their veterans would be on the way to rescue them…and third was the fact that just in case the military had a plan to trap the pirates all together, then her uncle would be the one who would rescue them all.

--

True to Magno's suspicions…

"Ma'am, we are in position and ready to move on the prison colony, just in case the rest of the pirates intend to save their comrades."

A brunette female officer spoke to her Captain as she and the rest of the crew in the main command ship of what appeared to be a large Megele battle group of at least six medium class cruisers and one larger battle-ship, the very same command ship the officer and her superior were in.

The female Captain, with dark black hair and metal grey eyes nodded in satisfaction as she and the rest of her crew were ready, along with the other ships that were under her command, she was assigned this post when the pirates that were captured were sentenced to be thrown into the prison colony, and the Intelligence Bureau on Megele told them to prepare, just in case the rest of the pirates show up, it was time to end their resistance to Grand Ma and capture them all in one fell swoop.

"Good, have the rest of the fleet be ready to cordon off the area the very moment the rest of the pirates make the strike to rescue the others, the intelligence bureau agent has told us that the rest of the pirates will no doubt have received a distress call from their comrades before they had been forced off the ship that they were in. And once they are all here…we can capture them all."

"Yes ma'am, did you hear what those pirates aid during their trial…about those Harvesters and the idea of men and women…working together?"

"I have…and I think it's nothing but a pack of lies! Nothing but lies, why should we work with the men to deal with these so called Harvesters?! We have far greater weapons and technology than those foolish, idiotic, and inferior barbarians, so why should we have to work with them?"

"One of the pirates…even suggested…that it was possible for…"

"Don't even say those things, such an act is an unforgivable insult to all our fellow women and daughters! I will not have any mention of such things on this ship…is that clear!!"

"Yes ma'am…forgive me!"

"Done…make sure that the trap will be set before the pirates arrive, and tell all our forces to remain out of sight until the time to strike has arrived for us."

"Yes ma'am!"

--

Unknown to the female officers however, a certain someone had been able to hack into their communications and found out about their orders and objectives.

Kyo swore and got his Gundam ready, just in case. However he had one problem, if Tenmei didn't get enough support in case things go wrong with his rescue of the others in Talark, then he would have to go down there and help out as fast as he could, but that would cut down the time he had to get to Megele considerably to help Maggie and the others from being captured. So all he could do was wait as much as he could and wait for a good result from Tenmei's plan to bust Duero, Max, Bart, and Aleck out.

--

To be continued…

--

Looks like the plan was busted…and now the rescues begin!!


	26. Chapter 26 Lemon

GunDread SEED The Second Stage

Disclaimer: VanDread and Gundam SEED belong not to me but to their respective companies…so don't send any lawsuits my way.

Chapter 10

Part 2B

Consequences

( ): Thoughts

--

The Interrogation Center back on Talark…

The Interrogation center was one of the most well protected complexes in Talark, and for good reason, it was used to gain information from captured prisoners and also served as one of the stations that worked with Talark's prison system, as the men had their own undesirables to deal with, just like any other human colonized planet. They had them all, thieves, murderers, arsonists, runaways, ID runners, you name them, Talark had them. And it was here that they were forced to confess their crimes and were given their sentence, under the seal of the judges assigned to their respective case.

But one of their most difficult problems were the small bands of men that they called the 'Betrayers of Grand Pa', these were men who didn't believe in what the Government and Grand Pa had written and they were the men who often were malcontent with their already structured lives, they challenged the system in many ways, both open and covert, and it had been the jobs of those in the Interrogation Center to make them change their views through 're-education' and rejoin their fellow men in their Empire, and their war with the vile monsters known as women…sometimes it worked, and sometimes it didn't, when it didn't, the Betrayers were sentenced to die in the desert, without any food pills, water, and other needed tools for survival, and to ensure that they would not be able to survive, these Betrayers were often so badly beaten and wounded that they would die within hours of being left in the desert, and if not by the elements…then the predatory creatures that roamed the wastes beyond the borders of their cities would do the dirty work for them. Despite these actions, there were always rumored cells within Talark society that comprised of these Betrayers, some of the rumors were false, but the men of the center were always ready when the time came.

For now however, they had four men to re-educate, and these four men proved to be two things, the most stubborn of them all so far, and also the most…heretical, they were saying that the women were not vile monsters and were not the real enemy of men, but these so called Harvesters, and they must work together with the women in order to survive the incoming force. The men were very much an odd mix, two of them were brothers, 1st Class citizens, and both were elite class medics, it was a shame that the two were of such high rank, and of such reputation, both once thought lost, but it was now that they had changed and now they had to be brought back. The other two were also of great stature and rank, the bald one was once the heir to the Garsus Foods and also a 1st Class citizen, it was a shame, however the records once showed that he was not really mentally or psychologically fit for combat duty and had only been in the Ikazuchi's forces due to his father's position, but he was a lot tougher now and seemingly more courageous…a shame, his Alpha would have been proud of him. The other one had once been suspected of being a Betrayer himself, but his record was unsurpassed and being a top combat instructor for the Vanguards, and a pioneer of the Vanguards at that.

Whatever it was that had happened in the times they were considered lost to Grand Pa, that had to be corrected so that they could once more be men of Talark.

"Women are the enemy aren't they?"

Duero didn't cry out in pain as the whip lashed his torso once more. The elder McFile was now bearing the wounds of a severe beating as welts and bleeding wounds were on his body. On another side was Bart as well, he too carried the signs of a beating, but unlike before, when the thought of being injured terrified him, Bart didn't even budge, even more so when one of the so called 're-education' specialists was punching Bart hard and making the bald youth cough out some more blood from his mouth.

As soon as he recovered, Duero answered back…

"No, they are not the enemy…they…never were."

"Wrong answer!"

Duero flinched as the whip slashed yet another bleeding line on his body, but despite the pain, he was not going to betray the beliefs he had learned ever since the fateful day he and the other men had been with the women.

Aleck shook his head clear of the sensations of pain and he was also being beaten up by another 're-education' specialist as beating the tar out of him with several powerful punches to the stomach and head with some hard leather gloves, his face was battered and he had a few cuts on his face and lips. But the elder male was not going to budge…no matter how much he wanted to retaliate against his tormentor, he was chained to the wall and his hands were restrained. He had bruises and no doubt some internal blows, but the battle hardened man was not going to give up at all.

"You want to go back to Talark right? Then all you have to do is take back what you said about women not being the enemy, after all, it is the truth."

Aleck looked at the man and snarled.

"That was nothing more than a bloody lie…and I gave my word NEVER to believe another lie ever again. Because I am a man!"

"Liar!!"

Aleck felt more pain as another punch connected to his stomach and face.

Max likewise was being beaten up but he was lying on his stomach and was being hit by a long, yet hard rubber rod, and despite the fact that it wasn't metal, the hard rubber was knobbed and filled with sharpened edges, ensuring that not only did the it leave bruises and large welts, but also cut deep into the said injuries…making them hurt even more.

"You used to hate women don't you? Then it should be easy for you to hate them again."

"P…P…P…Part of me once…hated them…but not anymore, no matter what happens to me, I told the truth, and that's all you're getting out of me…women are not the enemy!"

"Fool!"

Max gripped the chains that held him even tighter and bit on his own teeth hard as the beating continued.

Bart opened one very badly cut eye as the 're-education' specialist placed the whip under his chin and forced him to look at the man's grinning face.

"You are tough, it's a shame you think women are allies…will you change you're mind?"

Bart growled. "Never…"

The man torturing Bart growled in anger and got ready to lash Bart once more, but stopped along with the rest of his comrades as a certain silver haired man made to look like a woman came into the chamber. The one who was torturing Bart then saluted Tenmei along with the rest of his comrades.

"Sir!"

Tenmei merely saluted back and looked at all four of the men, betraying no emotion and then spoke to the lead specialist.

"How is the 're-education' going?"

The man growled angrily. "These men are really stubborn and they still won't change their minds, I'm starting to think that they really have been corrupted by all the lies and venom those vile women have given them. I think it won't be long before we send them into the desert to die the way of all Betrayers."

Tenmei nodded and made his way to Bart, smiling coldly, making Bart even more angry…along with being hurt and betrayed. He however didn't even utter a word as Tenmei looked him over.

"What's the matter Bart? You usually have something to say, whether anyone asked you or not, what happened?"

"Nothing…nothing at all."

"Really? Are you sure about that?" Tenmei replied as he forced Bart to look at him.

Bart glared. "I thought that I knew you, but you were a lie."

"Oh?" Tenmei said with a sneer.

"For the first time, in my life I liked someone, a woman, and it turned out that person was nothing but a spy and a man."

"You were foolish then."

"Maybe I was, but in all the time I was on the Nirvana I began to like you are a woman, and, but now, I don't even want to look at you, if you're here to torture us, by the order of the government, then do it already." Bart said with a slight growl, but was somewhat half hearted as he still cared for Tenmei, even if Tenmei was a man and not a woman despite the look he had.

"Why you arrogant…!"

One of the 're-education' specialists raised his whip and lashed Bart on the back with it, Bart gritted his teeth and glared at the floor, the pain of the blow registering in his body and eyes. But Bart didn't make any noise of pain at all, right in front of Tenmei's face.

Tenmei made no comments, but kept on his sneer and then smiled wickedly as he signaled for the specialist to stop his actions.

"Sir?"

"I'll deal with this one personally."

The man smirked, no doubt having heard of Tenmei's proficiency with the whip. So did the rest of the men as they decided to witness the whip master of Talark's Covert Intelligence Division. Tenmei was considered a master with the whip and in reality, while in the guise of Buzam A Calessa, he/she was considered to be a rarity as the whip was not normally seen in the hands of women.

As Tenmei took the whip, he smirked and unfurled it to the ground and then spoke to Bart.

"I'm going to help you get over you're disappointment."

As he got the whip ready, Tenmei then gave a glance at the rest of the specialists and smiled as he got the whip ready to strike Bart, giving Bart enough time to look at Tenmei and waited for the strike to his form.

"Now guys, this is the real way…"

The men were smiling, but the smiles lasted only for a few moments when Tenmei suddenly faced them and lashed out with the whip! One man barely had any warning when the whip struck him hard on the neck, it wrapped around him and Tenmei used his exceptional strength to force the man forward and hit the floor, unconscious. Tenmei wasted no time as he then loosened the whip and he then lashed out at the one with the rod and whipped the weapon out of the man's hand, the man shouted in unexpected pain and barely had time to react when Tenmei launched another whipping strike and knocked him out cold. The third had only enough time to gap and barely ducked to avoid the whip but not Tenmei's kick to his head that knocked him out like a light, and the last man barely had enough time to run and hit the alarm when the whip wrapped around his neck and he was dragged off his feet and hit his head on the ground, falling unconscious.

"…to use a whip."

Tenmei finished, and his once dark sneer disappeared with precise military intensity as he rushed forward and checked the pulse and breathing rates of the knocked out men and sighed in relief as he found out the men were merely out cold.

"What the?" Bart was flabbergasted with what he had just witnessed, he had expected Tenmei to whip him hard…not knock out the men who were in the room.

Aleck merely looked at Tenmei and laughed a bit.

"What in the name of Grand Pa took you so long Commander?"

Tenmei gave a look of apology.

"Sorry about that, I had to go get some help in springing you guys out."

Before the others could ask what sort of help Tenmei was referring to, a tall man with dark tanned skin, dressed in Talark combat fatigues stepped into the room, armed with a pair of knives, a pistol, and a Talark assault rifle. His hair was in a long wolf tail style and had a pair of short bangs on the sides of his face…his eyes were deep onyx black and he had the look of a rugged soldier and teacher. His eyes looked into the room and fell on Duero, Max, and Aleck, and he had a smile of recognition…all four of the men who were part of the Nirvana's crew recognized him very quickly.

"Well, well, I should have known you'd come here to spring you're sons yourself Hiryu."

Aleck said with a grin as the Alpha of Duero and Max McFile. The elder McFile shared several traits with both his sons and it was not hard to see where Duero and Max got some of their similar features. Hiryu looked at the state of his sons, and Aleck, and growled in disappointment at the way his boys and good friend were treated, just because of saying what they felt was right.

"I did, no way am I going to let my sons be subjected to this kind of education. You boys okay?" Hiryu asked in fatherly concern as he reached his sons.

Both Duero and Max smiled in relief as they greeted their Alpha.

"I'm still okay, but it hurts like hell…could have been worse though." Duero replied truthfully.

"Same here… I could really use time in a Medical Bay." Max replied.

"All right then…hang on, I'll get you two out of here once I free Aleck to help me."

Hiryu then faced Aleck and released the restraints from his fellow male. Aleck moved his arms a bit to remove the stiffness in them and also to test if he had any broken bones in very vulnerable places, finding that he was going to be okay, he turned and nodded in appreciation to Hiryu.

"Thanks…now let's get to freeing you're boys."

As Hiryu and Aleck went to free Duero and Max, Tenmei went to Bart and helped him from his restraints…since Bart, like Duero had been suspended in the air, the shock of now being on his feet made Bart stumble and he fell on Tenmei, who still supported him. Tenmei smirked a bit and whispered in Bart's ear.

"You know…I'm lucky you've kept in shape Bart, otherwise you would have grown fat and weigh a lot more."

"What is going on?"

Tenmei then gave Bart the short version of the plan that he and the other senior officers had made when they were all in the Conference Room…and to say that the bald navigator was surprised and shocked would have been a serious understatement.

"You mean…you guys planned this? Why wasn't I told about this?"

"We barely had enough time to tell you Bart. For that I am sorry."

"Huh?"

Tenmei then helped him to his feet and then checked his wounds and bruises. Tenmei looked on in concern and spoke to Bart.

"Can you still move? We've got a lot left to do."

Bart nodded a bit, despite the blood and cuts on him and a large bruise on his face, but as he tried to walk, he felt some more pain, but managed to bite it back and made a few steps.

Tenmei smiled a bit and helped Bart to his feet and helped him walk. The Commander in Chief of the Covert Intelligence Division then whispered to Bart.

"You however weigh a bit more, you nearly crushed my breasts back there and that kind of hurt a little."

"You mean…?"

"They're real all right, not fake, though surgically placed. And just so you know Bart, I do like you, you've turned from being a coward to a strong and honest man, and that was no lie. Now come on…we've got to hurry, it won't be long before we're discovered and we might be stopped from making it back to the Nirvana."

Bart felt something good hit him and he grinned a bit in pain.

"Don't worry about me…a few minutes and a bit of medical treatment I'll be good as new."

Tenmei smiled a bit as he and the rest of the group began to make their way out of the Interrogation Center, there, several men greeted them, but they didn't stop them but instead helped them out. Tenmei had not just contacted Hiryu, but several other men who were close friends of Hiryu, and were Betrayers themselves. He had to take some time to reason with them, and thankfully it had paid off.

As soon as they were able to escape and get to a cable car to a shuttle launching site, several men reached for a medical kit as they, he, and Hiryu began to patch up his fellow crew men of the Nirvana. The men who were with them shared the same distrust with the Government in many things, and despite the fact that some of them were not very comfortable with the idea of aligning with women due to the ingrained mistrust that still lingered, they decided to follow Hiryu out of loyalty and friendship.

As soon as he was sure that Bart, Duero and Max would be all right, he reached for his communicator and contacted the shuttle launching platform control center.

"Launching platform Beta-7. This is Commander Tenmei Uragasumi, I am on my way with a selected crew of techs and engineers to help with the data retrieval efforts."

"Understood Commander, please send over voice recognition code and we'll have the ship ready in three minutes, just needs to fuel up and run a systems check."

Tenmei then spoke through the comm-system his name, rank, birth-date, his basic bio-stats, blood type, and serial number, it was basic requirements for any high ranking officer to follow in order to make a request. He had done this many times, but for now, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear as he worried that someone might have found the unconscious men in the Interrogation Center and revived them, allowing them to tell the military what just happened there…that was going to be a serious problem.

"All data checks out Commander Tenmei, would you require and escort?"

"Negative Control, this is routine work."

"Understood Commander, shuttle is already fueled and checked out."

--

Later…through the distance between Talark and dry dock that held the Nirvana…

"Wow…I never thought this was what happened to the Ikazuchi a year ago, and you two were on it for how long?"

Hiryu asked his sons as they all gazed at the Nirvana. Tenmei gave a slight smile as he saw the ship, and then called in his codes and information, plus his intentions to the small force of Talark ships and Vanguards that were assigned to act as security for the ship itself.

As soon as they were all clear, he used the communicator and contacted Kyo.

"Kyo, this is Tenmei, do you hear me?"

--

In the Nirvana…

Kyo was already suited up in his pilot suit and had his Gundam's OS on standby mode, along with power and communications, he waited and hoped that sooner or later, he could get a signal from Tenmei on how the operation went. He recalled in his past life, that he had been in a few hair raising missions as a youth, and had to recall some ways to keep him calm in them, that was why he made routine checks on his Gundam's core systems and managed to relax. It was when he heard the beeping on his communicator that told him that Tenmei was on the line that he once more became alert. He switched on the communicator and then patched it into his Gundam's own comm. System for a visual picture…to make sure that it really Tenmei. And to his relief, it was him.

"I hear you, do you have Bart and the others?"

Tenmei nodded and showed him the shuttle's video feed, which he also patched into the communicator to reveal the four men safe and sound, although they had to change their appearance somewhat. Despite the time constraints, Tenmei and Hiryu were able to disguise Duero, Bart, Max, and Aleck. Duero's disguise was simple as all Talark men took the simple approach to anything. The elder McFile sibling had his hair in a wolf-tail series of braids, and had his face revealed, but had colored contacts that made his eyes look dark blue than his normal onyx black color. Max was also disguised, his hair was done in a ponytail and he too had colored contact lenses that made his eyes to be in the color and forest green, than the normal amber color. Bart was also disguised, thankfully, his injuries were patched up, though the bandages were going to be a bit of a problem, his eyes were also disguised by a pair of contact lenses, making his eye color amber than blue. Aleck however decided only to have contacts and his eyes were now in the color of grey. It was then that Hiryu came on the screen, surprising Kyo very quickly.

"Who are you?!" Both men asked at the same time.

"His name is Hiryu McFile…he's Duero and Max's Alpha…first father."

"Really?" Kyo then looked at Hiryu and saw that he did have some similarities to both Duero and Max, and before he could say anything. Hiryu beat him to it.

"So you're the one Tenmei told me about, you're Kyo Yamato, right?"

Kyo nodded and before anything could happen, Tenmei came into the picture.

"As much as it would be good for you to meet, we've got to get moving, any word on the others back on Megele?"

Kyo then told Tenmei about the planned ambush by the Megele Navy and Tenmei gave a very troubled look, and then told Kyo why he looked like that.

"The others are not going to be ready for such an ambush, the prison colony has several small asteroid belts nearby that the Navy could use to ambush the other pirates."

"They plan on waiting for the others to free Maggie and the others, and when that happens, they'll close in and catch them all."

"Does that mean you're going to actually?" Tenmei looked on at Kyo and surprise.

"Pretty much."

Hiryu looked at the two men who seemed to have made a decision and then spoke out.

"What are you two talking about?"

"Kyo's going to go into Megele space in his Gundam…and help rescue the others from the prison colony, along with the other pirates."

"Wait a minute Tenmei….are you telling me that Kyo is ACTUALLY planning to fly into the territory of the Megele Navy by himself to rescue you're fellow comrades?!"

A nod from Tenmei make Hiryu look at Kyo with surprise, awe, and shock.

"No offense to you Kyo, since from what Tenmei, my sons, Bart, and Aleck have told me about you, you're a man with exceptional fighting skills, both by yourself and with that…Gundam you pilot, but you can't seriously mean to go into the territory of the women and rescue you're comrades all by yourself! That move is considered very much both foolhardy and suicidal…even by the standards of the most fanatical members of the Talark military!"

"Don't worry Mr. Hiryu…I know what I am doing."

Hiryu was about to argue further since he wanted to know just who Kyo was and why his sons spoke so highly of him, along with his old friend Aleck, but Tenmei sighed and grinned a bit, unlike Hiryu, and like Duero, Max, Bart and Aleck, he had seen already what Kyo was very capable of with the I-Freedom Gundam and knew that if Kyo was going to do this…it would hardly qualify as a suicide mission. After all…Kyo took on quite a number of foes in his time…he recalled the awe he himself had when he took on the Behemoth Gundam, and several Dominion Gundam units.

"Good luck Kyo, but try to make sure that you don't cause too many losses for the Megele Navy, we still need them all, along with the men's Navy. We need every able bodied man and woman, along with every Vanguard, Dread, and ship we can muster…and let's hope that the rest of our allies in the Resistance will be able to arrive in time…we're going to need all the help we can get if we have to face off with the soon to come Harvester Invasion Fleet."

"Don't I know it…you guys be careful, you'll need to guide the ship of the dry dock, I'll leave you the access code that can allow you to unlock the systems and get the ship online. Once you're done with getting the Nirvana out of dry dock, you'll have to move fast and pick us all up at the determined vantage point where…we've got little time left before the Harvesters' advanced fleet arrives."

"What's the access code?"

"The name of a ship that I rode in with my family and friends…Archangel."

With that, Kyo activated the code he gave to Tenmei and accessed the operation system of the Nirvana's computer core…and then typed in the command to open the door of the launching bay. In a moment, the doors opened and sure enough, since the area was not used at all…the pull of the vacuum worked on the area and the junk nearby was pulled out, though the Nirvana's computer (inhabited in the words of the Paeksis by an AI program based on Lacus herself) made sure to seal off that area from the rest of the ship. In a moment, the Gundam was pulled out with the rest of the junk. He intended to use the junk as a shield to hide his Gundam until he was in the clear.

Since a large portion of the Talark techs and engineers were only concerned with the acquisition of data concerning the weapon systems of the Crusader units, they made only a passing check at the situation and noted that section of the Nirvana had already been sealed off, they decided to mark it as a mere glitch to be fixed later, maybe by the incoming group of techs being led by the Commander in Chief of the Covert Intelligence Division.

Kyo scanned the Nirvana and smiled as he was not yet detected and as soon as the junk was out of the way from the Nirvana and a good distance from the patrols, he activated his Gundam, the I-Freedom glowed for only a few seconds and was now in the normal scheme of red, white, and blue, showing that it's Prominence Phase Shift Armor system was now online and ready to rock and roll. He smiled at the old Earth term he heard when he was a kid and then got his Gundam to head off for the location of the asteroid prison colony. The I-Freedom Gundam then opened it's wings and out from the wings came the signature crystal feathers erupted from the wings and the Gundam quickly moved out of the debris…using the speed and acceleration of the enhanced and evolved Gundam, Kyo avoided most of the patrols and stayed out of their sensor range. As he was told that he was now in the clear of the sensor net of both the roving Talark ships and the floating mines, he wasted little time and punched all the energy from his nuclear/Paeksis hybrid reactor into speed and moved closer to towards the Megele/Talark border.

He had no doubt in his mind that with their advanced technology, the women of Megele would soon see him and his Gundam…and now that he was passing some Talark sensor outposts…the men would eventually find him out. In a way…he might be able to use that to his advantage though he knew he was going to get into some serious trouble with either side. He hoped that he had managed to learn enough about the ship layout of the Megele cruisers to as to minimize the risk of killing too many women, though he knew from his time in the Guardians and from his relatives and parents that sometimes things can happen, even if he didn't intend on that happening, he could only hope for the best.

Tenmei sighed and got the others ready for their takeover of the Nirvana, they had to make sure to get the already present Talark men off the ship…without them finding out that they were going to steal the Nirvana.

--

And true to Kyo's expectations…

In the area of Talark space…a nearby sensor station, manned only by a few men and several automated computer systems managed to track the energy silhouette being emitted by the I-Freedom Gundam. Despite the speed the Gundam was going, it was releasing a strong stream of energy, therefore it was somewhat easy to track the general direction of the approaching Gundam unit…but the energy coming from the Gundam was very strong, that it took a few minutes for the sensors to adapt to them.

"What's going on?" One man, dressed as an officer asked one of the operators of the sensors as he heard the incoming alarm.

"I don't know sir, the sensors are picking up a powerful energy signature coming this way at high speed."

The officer looked at the scanners and his eyes widened at the sheer amount of energy being released by the unknown source, Whatever it was, it was very strong.

"Can we get a visual of it?"

"I can try sir, we'll have to re-calibrate the sensors to a higher setting. I've never seen any power source like it before, it's nearing the same output as a medium class cruiser of our own fleet, but it seems to be coming from a smaller form."

As the technician finally managed to make the right calibrations and tests, he and the officer were shocked as they were now able to get a energy signature reading and a silhouette profile of the source itself.

"A unit the size of a Vanguard?! There's no way a Vanguard could have that kind of a power reactor, the frame and systems would fry themselves trying to use such a power source! Is there some kind of malfunction in the systems?"

"Negative sir…all the systems show no malfunctions…the power source is inside a vanguard…but it's far larger than any normal one…could it be a new weapon sir, one the Science Ministry is field testing?"

"I don't think so, if it was, we'd have gotten a notice, and as far as the sensors can tell me, that one is not using a Talark transponder frequency…where is it heading?"

"Sir…it's heading straight for Megele space…and we'll see it in a few seconds."

The men in the station looked and sure enough, they spotted the incoming Vanguard…but it was NOT like any Vanguard they were familiar with. It looked more like an armored warrior angel with four glowing blue crystal feathered wings than any Vanguard prototype they knew of. The machine was also larger, but showed a sleek and deadly amount of sheer combat power that told the men that this was not something ANY of them would look down on.

As soon as the strange angel like Vanguard flew over them and entered the boundary of Megele space, the officer then looked at all the men under his command of the station.

"Get me a secure line to High Command immediately…I don't care if you have to bust a few comm.-relay dishes either! Just get me a secure line and begin sending all relevant data we have of that…Vanguard or whatever it was now!"

As the men rushed to fulfill the orders of their superior officer, they realized that they were not the only sensor station that detected the Vanguard's powerful energy signature…but they were the only station close enough to actually get a visual ID of the unit as the mentioned stations were also heard in the communications network. The commander of the station near the Megele border could only shake his head and look at the direction of the now fading trail of the angel like Vanguard.

Whoever it was in that…Vanguard…he must be either the bravest man he had ever seen…or the most suicidal of them all…what was he planning to do once he was in the territorial space of the women? Fight their entire Navy and forces by himself?!

In Megele space…

"Ma'am…I'm picking up something weird on the scanners."

A high ranking Megele officer strode towards her subordinate who was currently running a routine scan as the two of them, along with several other women were assigned to keep watch on the outside borders between them and the men of Talark, though she followed the orders without any qualms, she still couldn't help but wonder just what would be the point of keeping an eye on the borders. Even if the men would indeed attack their world, their advanced forces were far more capable than the men's forces, the men were inferior after all, and they barely had any worthwhile technology to equal their own fleets.

"What is it?"

"It seems to be a massive power source…unlike anything I've seen before, it was picked up by one of our sensor probes just a few seconds ago…and it is accelerating at a rapid pace."

"Can you isolate it and determine what it is, and what sort of ship could be using such a power source?"

"I can try…but the power readings are unbelievable! The numbers indicate that it rivals even the reactors we use in our medium class battleships…wait, the sensor probes are getting us a rough visual profile."

As the women looked at the incoming information, the women were stunned. Even more so was the station commander, she had thought that the men would have no worthwhile technology to equal her home-world's own forces, but what she was now looking at began to make her change her mind.

"That…that is impossible…the scanners must be malfunctioning, there's no way a power source THAT strong could be used by the men…especially in one of their ugly and weird Vanguards!"

"I am afraid that the scanners are functioning normally Ma'am, the power readings are coming from a Vanguard of the men…but it appears to be far larger than any Vanguard we have been able to detect, plus…it appears to not be using a Talark transponder frequency we know of.."

"Do we have a visual?"

"We should see it…"

The women were suddenly stunned out of their wits as their station was suddenly greeted by the sight of the I-Freedom Gundam. The women were able to get a glimpse of the machine that they thought was a male Vanguard. The machine may have some similarities to the Vanguards used by the men, but that was only in terms of basic humanoid form, the machine was not like the ones they knew the men were using…it looked like a four winged angel of red, blue, white, and green. It had yellow eyes that flashed brightly and the four wings on it's back moved like a bird in flight…with glowing blue crystal feathers, and the appearance of it showed great power, the glance was brief, and the women could tell that this was no ordinary Vanguard they had just seen, as the strange angel like Vanguard began to vanish, several of the women turned to their officer.

"Ma'am….should we alert Fleet Command?"

The officer shook herself out of her own stupor and nodded quickly, she then faced her subordinate, the one who had detected the strange Vanguard.

"Do you have any indication if it came from Talark?!"

The woman ran through the data and then computed the information to the star map they had, which had their world and it's territorial space, and that of what they had gathered to be the overall territory under the male fleet and home world.

"Yes ma'am! We have confirmation, it has indeed come from Talark space!"

The officer swore and gave out a pair of orders.

"I want a full priority alert to be issued to Fleet Command and alert any and all ships in our area of this unknown Vanguard….and I want all sensor stations to try and figure out just where will this Vanguard be going, that….machine and it's male pilot didn't even bother to hide himself, he must be up to something!"

Another woman turned to the officer, and she appeared to be a Dread squadron officer.

"Ma'am…we can scramble after that Vanguard and get rid of him, after all, he's just one male."

"One male that has a machine with a power source that is the same as the ones we use in our battle-cruisers, and is not using any known Talark transponder signal, I will not take any chances, I want Fleet Command on the line now!"

In the I-Freedom…

"That now got their attention." Kyo said to himself as he guided his Gundam to the known location of the asteroid prison colony. He had no doubt in his mind that in the next few minutes, the other members of his niece's pirate forces would have already begun their rescue of their fellow women. He hoped that he would get there in time before the trap was sprung, but he rather doubted that, if that was the case, then he would have no choice but to take the fight to the Megele Navy to free his comrades.

--

Sure enough…

"Alert! All security forces prepare for engagement! Enemy forces have breached the outer perimeter and are entering the colony!"

Several female guards, armed with laser rifles rushed out of the security station that they were assigned in, but they were too late as they were suddenly struck down by laser bolts, but none of them suffered deadly or fatal injuries, rather it appeared that whoever had shot them had set the energy weapons to only stun them as they were bathed in arcs of energy and fell to the ground unconscious, but not before giving out shouts of brief pain and shock as the energy lanced over them in arcs. It seemed that the other veteran pirates were already on the scene to free their fellow women.

On the outside of the prison asteroid colony, several defense ships were floating, disabled and very much intact and unable to help at anything, near the area was a Megele cruiser, of the very same make as that of the cruiser the pirates had when they made the raid on the Ikazuchi, but it appeared to be colored in deep emerald green and it seemed to be doing the very same thing that the pirates had done before, when they attacked the Ikazuchi.

Inside the colony, several small groups of the pirates…dressed in the same disguises that both they and the military used to frighten the men and hide their real forms and faces began to secure the area. As they entered the main holding section, the female prisoners were stunned and surprised…however, the pirates being held in the prison were not surprised, but were happy to see their fellow pirates.

Misty however was confused as she saw the strangely clad people arrive, along with several of them making their way to their side of the prison cells. Seeing Dita's happy face and hearing her cheer the strangers' arrival made the former resident of Mars realize that the new arrivals were friends, but it certainly didn't mean she was not going to ask just who they were.

"Who are they?"

"They are the other pirates, the veterans we left behind at the base." Dita explained as the senior women pirates, who had now began to take off their disguises, greeted them.

One young woman, with brown skin, deep red hair and reddish eyes, and dressed in what appeared to be a dark red, and light red version of Meia's own flight-suit smiled a bit as she faced the aqua haired girl in question.

"Nice to see you again Meia, you all right?"

Meia smiled back a bit and greeted the new arrival. "Nice to see you too Varoa."

Magno then smiled to two other pirates, one of whom removed her own disguise and revealed a tall woman with long green-grey tresses and dark blue eyes.

"You certainly took you're time Rebecca."

"Sorry Captain, we had some difficulty realizing you were back after nearly a year…where is Ezra?" The woman asked in great worry.

"I'm here."

Ezra replied as she carried Lacus to face Rebecca, from the way the two acted and looked when they saw each other, it became apparent to both pirate crews, but more to the Nirvana, that Rebecca was the Ohma of Ezra's baby.

"Ezra! Thank goodness you're all right!"

It was then that Rebecca spotted the young baby Lacus, who apparently was just about to wake up, naturally, she was not yet aware that Ezra had given birth, and therefore was surprised.

"Ezra…who is this?"

Ezra smiled as Lacus looked at Rebecca and recognition dawned on the child's face.

"Lacus, this is Rebecca, you're Ohma."

Lacus smiled a bit with a yawn and tried to reach for Rebecca, who smiled in pride and was nearly in tears as she looked at her daughter.

--

In the hidden ambush site…

"Ma'am, the pirates have made their move!"

"Spring the trap….now!"

--

The pirates, along with all the prisoners, had managed to evacuate to the shuttles, though Rebecca had asked where Buzam was, Magno merely replied that she would be joining them very soon, as she had some matters to attend to. As they were getting ready to leave the asteroid station in Rebecca's cruiser, the Paradise and clearing the field with Varoa and her fellow Dread pilots and the Dreads providing a screen, they were surprised to suddenly detect several incoming cruisers and several squadrons of Dreads…apparently the ambush was now underway.

"Darn it! They must have lowered their energy and electronic signatures!" Rebecca said as the forces she saw before them were considerable, not something her force would fight with without incurring losses and she was not in the mood to have that, as she cared for her comrades and her newborn daughter.

"Captain, we're getting a hailing call from the leader!" Varoa replied as she picked up an incoming call from the lead Megele cruiser.

"Put it on screen." Magno said wearily as she and Rebecca looked on. The image showed a smiling female officer, the very same one who had been assigned to capture them the moment the rescue occurred.

"This is Captain Mara Jensan of the Cruiser Diamond, we have you surrounded and out gunned, we've been waiting to capture you all for quite a long time and now there is no escape or reinforcement for you pirates. Unless you plan on fighting a losing battle, I recommend you all power down and surrender. Now."

Rebecca grimaced as her ship's scanners picked a large number of Dreads, and more coming, far larger than the Dread squadrons she and Varoa had with them. It seemed that they were soon going to run out of choices.

It was then that something else was detected.

"Captain! I'm picking up a powerful energy signature coming this way!"

As Rebecca and Varoa wondered what else was going on, Dita, Meia, and Jura suddenly closed their eyes and then each of them smiled a very warm and sincere smile. The pirates of the Paradise was curious what was going on with the three women, but it seemed that their fellow pirates, the ones they had rescued seemed to recognize just what was going on.

Dita naturally reacted first.

"Mr. Alien! He's on his way here!"

"About time Kyo showed up!"

"He certainly knows when to come in when needed!"

The Nirvana crew were elated and smiling warmly as the news of Kyo's arrival came around, while the pirates of the Paradise were still very much confused, even more so to see their fellow pirates elated by the arrival of just one man. Rebecca looked at both Ezra and Magno.

"Who's this Kyo that the others are talking about?"

"A very old friend." Ezra said warmly at the thought of her daughter's godfather coming to their rescue.

"What do you mean?"

"He's come all the way here to help us out of this mess. Don't worry, I doubt he'll be in real danger." Magno said reassuringly to her fellow pirates.

"But how can one man take on this Megele strike force? He's got to be either brave or crazy, and there's no way one lone Vanguard can do any damage to a fleet like that."

Varoa said as she showed the number of Megele cruisers, which numbered to be around six and the Dread squadrons which numbered to be around eighty.

"With that particular Gundam he's piloting? It's going to be the other way around." Barnette said with a smirk.

"Gundam? What's a Gundam?"

--

In the Diamond's Command bridge…

"Captain! We're picking up a very powerful energy signature heading our way at high speed!" One of the Diamond's bridge crew reported as her scanners picked up the signature of the I-Freedom Gundam's Paeksis/nuclear hybrid reactor.

"Do we have a visual? Is it one of our ships?"

"No Ma'am…it appears to be…humanoid in shape…like a Vanguard of the men…but…"

"A male Vanguard?! Here in Megele Space?! The nerve of that barbarian!! Get me a visual of this intruder now!"

"Yes ma'am!"

The crew of the Diamond, including Mara, and several of the other officers from the rest of the five other Megele cruisers trained their sensors and scanners to the direction of the incoming power source. As soon as the Gundam was in their visual range, the female leaders and their crew, including the leaders of the Dread squadrons got to see the Infinite Freedom Gundam, and they decided that compared to the pictures of the ugly and drab male Vanguards that they had seen in recon pictures…this one looked very different.

The strange Vanguard looked more like an armored angel with four wings that had glowing blue-green feathers, and it was not in the drab or dark colors men were known to use, but had a combination of red, blue, white, yellow and green. The form was powerful and yet both graceful and deadly and the wings seemed to move like that of a bird. This strange Vanguard certainly didn't match any Vanguard the women were very much aware of. It then stopped a good distance from them and seemed intent on waiting them out.

"Is that a real Vanguard? It certainly doesn't look like one the men would use."

"It must be some sort of new weapon the men have come up with, whatever it is, we'll…"

"Ma'am…you're not going to believe this…but the pilot of that Vanguard is hailing us!"

"What?! How does a man of Talark know a Megele transmission frequency? Never mind, put him on the screen. "

The screen on the Diamond turned on and before them was a man wearing a flight suit and helmet, in several shades of white, green, blue, and grey. The pilot of the strange Vanguard appeared to be a man around the age of twenty and seemed very serious. Mara growled a bit and spoke to the pilot.

"This is Captain Mara Jensan of the Megele Cruiser Diamond….whoever you are, you inferior male, you've got some nerve coming into our territory! Tell us who you are before we blast you and that Vanguard of yours into space dust!"

"I am Kyo Clyne Yamato, pilot of the Infinite Freedom Gundam, Commander of the Nirvana's Crusader Squadron, and member of Magno's Pirates. I came here to bring them back to the Nirvana alive and safe. I do not want to fight needlessly with you Captain Mara, so if you value the lives of you're ships, crew, and pilots you will stand aside and let them pass!"

Mara growled angrily.

(The nerve of this man! Does he think that he could just come here and make demands to the daughters of Grand Ma?! I'll make him pay for it!)

The rest of the crew of all the cruisers and the Dread squadrons were also sharing the same thoughts and were priming their weapons, ready to attack this man who came into their space and dared to give them orders!

"And what will you do if we decide not to just let you come in and take them eh?"

Kyo sighed. "Then I will be forced to disable you're cruisers and you're Dreads."

Mara laughed. "All by yourself?"

"Pretty much."

Mara's smirk turned deadly.

"Let's see you try you male! Dread Squadron Alpha…take out this pest!"

She then ordered the feed to be cut.

As the pilots followed the orders and several Dreads headed straight for the I-Freedom, Mara and the rest of the crew sat back to watch. They decided to not get involved and let the Dreads handle this mission, after all, their Dreads were the pinnacle of their technological advancements, and nothing of the men could equal them, and even if this strange Vanguard is a new weapon, they thought that all of the designs were for mere intimidation, nothing for them to worry about, what can one Vanguard do against a strike fleet anyway?

--

In the I-Freedom…

"Why do they always want to do this the hard way?"

Kyo asked himself as he spotted the incoming Megele Dreads, he could tell that they were planning to merely blast at him with their beam weapons and missiles, since they thought he was nothing more than one man…he didn't like the fact that he would have to be forced to fight the women of Megele, since they needed everyone on both that world and the men on Talark to face the Harvesters…but unless he helped the crew of the Nirvana, who were his friends, family, and loved ones, the plan would never get off the ground, plus he was not going to lose anyone precious to him, no matter what.

His Gundam's systems glowed a bit and his OS told him that the Dreads were now arming up their missile systems, apparently, they were expecting this to be a very short match. Kyo sighed a bit and smiled a little.

The women who were about to attack him were going to be in for a big surprise.

--

In space…

"All Dreads! Lock in on that Vanguard and blast him out of here! We'll show this man the mistake of entering the sovereign territory of Grand Ma!"

"Roger!"

As the Dreads closed in, the women in the fighters couldn't help but like the more interesting appearance of the unknown Vanguard. It's pilot might be the most arrogant man they had ever met or seen, but the Vanguard was indeed a very attractive piece of machinery. Too bad that they were going to wreck it, but this man was about to get what he deserved for daring to threaten them and their forces.

"Do we have permission to fire?"

The Dread leader looked at her sensors and they told her that the rest of the Dreads were now in optimum missile firing range. They decided to use only missiles since they didn't want to waste the energy to try and finish off this Vanguard in one fell strike.

"Yes, all Dreads! Open fire now!"

The Dreads unleashed a massive barrage of missiles that streaked towards the Gundam, Kyo didn't even bother to move, after all, his Gundam was not using normal armor to begin with. The missiles slammed into the Gundam and exploded…unleashing a violent cloud of destruction that engulfed the Gundam.

The Dread pilots smirked at the sight and their leader replied.

"So much for male arrogance and pride."

Mara smiled at the sight of the explosions engulfing the strange Vanguard, along with the rest of her crew. And in the communications network, the other female officers of the Megele strike fleet were also happy to see that man disappear in a cloud of debris.

"So much for that male and his attempt to intimidate us, now we can focus on the pi…"

She and the rest of the crews on the cruisers were stunned to suddenly see Kyo Clyne Yamato's face back on their view screens, and so were the Dread pilots who fired the missiles.

Kyo's image gave them a shake to the side and spoke.

"Did you honestly think that it was going to be that easy? I guess I should tell you this then….missiles like yours are worthless against Phase Shift Armor."

The women then saw the strange Vanguard reappear from the fading explosion of dust and light from their missiles…without a single sign of damage…nothing…not even a dent was seen, no limbs were gone, no gaping holes, or even sparking wires…the Vanguard was not harmed in any way, shape, or form from their missiles…it was like the missiles were nothing but duds!

"Im…Impossible! There's NO way a Vanguard can be hit with that many missiles and still be intact!!"

"I am not using a Vanguard Captain Mara, I am using a Gundam…since you fired at me and therefore decided to fight, I guess I have no choice but to disable you're fleet…including you're Dreads."

With that, the Gundam pilot took out his Gundam's beam rifles and charged right into the force before him. Kyo wished it didn't have to come to this, but it seemed the female soldiers gave him no choice or options to work with.

--

The Dreads of the ambush force…

"GET HIM!"

The order given by their team leader, broke the female pilots out of their stunned stupor as they managed to move in formation and used their beam cannons, having been given a very effective demonstration of the futility of using missiles on a Gundam armed with a highly advanced form of Phase Shift Armor and armed with a powerful power supply source. The Dreads then used their range advantage to bombard the Gundam with beam bolts, but Kyo was able to evade their barrages with little effort.

Several beam bolts passed harmlessly overhead as Kyo guided his Gundam upward with a burst of the engines and wings, and then dived right into the Dread group that formed a wedge, scattering them, he then twisted his Gundam in mid-dive and aimed with his beam rifles and CIWS head and shoulder mounted guns, the beam bolts and bullets already did their work and took out several Dreads. Kyo targeted the Dread's key weak points, but mostly aimed for their engines and maneuvering thrusters. The impacts were felt by the female pilots as their CPU systems warned them that they were now completely unable to move at all, leaving them dead in space.

Kyo then fired several more salvos from his beam rifles, scattering the incoming Dreads, allowing him to take out his beam sabers, startling the women with the appearance of the cylinders that revealed high powered energy blades. The Gundam pilot used the beam sabers to block several more beam bolts and even send a few right back at the women. A female could only scream in terror as the Gundam slashed at her, but the pilot aimed for the wings, and not the cockit, disabling the Dread, and with another passing slash, cut right through the engines, leaving the pilot unharmed, but still scared out her wits.

Another female pilot tried to shoot the I-Freedom Gundam down with her own barrage of beam bolts, but didn't even come close to grazing the Gundam, she could only eep as the Gundam suddenly disappeared below her Dread and a powerful strike shook her Dread and her cockpit was red with warning lights as the computer showed her that the male had managed to strike her Dread's engines, maneuvering thrusters, and also took down her Dread's weapon control system, without harming the rest of the systems, leaving her drifting in space, unable to move and even fight back.

Kyo guided his Gundam in battle, and then jetted away as the Dreads and their pilots managed to fire several more missiles at him. The Gundam pilot then made his Gundam move in an elaborate twisting and dodging pattern to evade several missiles and then turned in mid twist at one point with explosions happening behind him, he then locked on with the surviving missiles that came at him and fired several accurate bursts of his CIWS guns to shot the missiles down. The bullets were dead on as the missiles exploded, without even getting within a good distance from the Gundam. As soon as the smoke cleared, the Dreads were caught off guard as the Gundam came out of the cloud, and then blocked their retaliatory beam strikes with it's wings, that acted like shields as they covered the Gundam, forcing them to scatter once more.

This however allowed Kyo the time to place aside his beam sabers and take out his Gundam's beam rifles, and then activate HiMAT mode. The wings glowed even more when the system was activated, and the Gundam moved even faster, startling the female pilots as the Gundam seemed to literally streak out like a blur of light and color at them and firing all the while, hitting and disabling even more of the Dreads.

The squadron leader could only stare in shock as this lone male was making mince meat out of her entire squadron and the rest of the other Dread squadrons!

"What the heck is he ma'am?!" One pilot said in panic as the Gundam attacked a few more of their comrades with deadly and precise shots from his weapons. The result was several more Dreads being disabled, their engines totaled and their wings blown off with deadly precision.

"I don't know…but I think we're dealing with a cyborg and NOT a real man!"

(There's no way a male could have that kind of speed, skill, or reflexes…he must be some sort of robot!)

The women tried to fight back, but with their usual air of superiority and confidence shattered by the Gundam pilot's assault on their ranks, they were unable to work well as a group, and Kyo exploited that with efficient precision. Kyo then used his beam sabers a bit more, slicing off engines and wings with a surgical precision, avoiding the key systems that if destroyed would kill the Dread pilots. In a few more seconds several Dreads were now disabled and joined the ever increasing bunch of floating and helpless Dreads that Kyo had already disabled.

Kyo then decided that now was a good time to end this.

He activated the command and the I-Freedom then activated the fused plasma cannons and rail-guns…along with the feather cannons. The women could only gulp and stare in fear at the massive cannons, and their fear grew even more as the crystal feathers broke and became metallic, and flew out like miniature missiles from the wings and then…they were greeted by a massive energy barrage as the Gundam fired all of it's ranged weapons at them. The beam bolts, bullets, and rail-gun rounds sliced into the Dreads with amazing precision, destroying their engines and thrusters, leaving the pilots totally stranded in space and unable to escape, but yet alive.

Captain Mara and the rest of her crew, in the Diamond, along with the other officers of the five other cruisers could only watch in horrified disbelief.

They looked at the chronometer and were even more shocked at the outcome of the fight between their best pilots and this one lone male.

"Two and a half minutes?! That…that man disabled all of our Dread squadrons in two and a half minutes?!"

"Ma'am! He's heading right for us!!"

Mara could only look in horror as the Gundam, now armed with a pair of massive energy edged swords came right at them. After seeing what this Kyo could do with the energy sword he used to disable the Dreads, she didn't even want to guess what would happen if he got close enough to use those new weapons on their ships.

"Lock all main guns! Fire all of them! We can't let him get closer! SHOOT HIM DOWN!!"

The Megele cruisers began unleashing a massive storm of beam fire, the barrage would have destroyed a massive number of Vanguards and severely damaged several Talark cruisers, but the Gundam and the pilot of the Gundam were not easily hit. The gunnery computers of the cruisers tried to lock in on the elusive Gundam, but still had no luck at all as the Gundam moved at a rate that even their advanced systems could not calculate so easily.

Kyo then jetted his Gundam to the sides, evading the massive beams with amazing skill, he then looked on and spotted the opening he was looking for. He guided the I-Freedom upward in a high speed cork-screw upward and once he reached the top, unleashed his Gundam's feather cannons. The female crews of all the cruisers had only seconds to gape…as the feathers once more burst from their crystal mode to that of their cannon modes and fire off from the I-Freedom's wings and then aim right at them…and fire.

Lances of light was the only viable description of the storm of beam bolts that came from the cannons. The women could only watch as the beams cut deeply into the cruiser right next to them and the other, in less than a second, several explosions on sections of the cruisers shook all six ships with tremendous force.

Kyo then dived in his Gundam fast and hard, and then attacked the still functional engines of each Megele cruiser with powerful swipes, making the ships shake and shudder even more.

Mara looked to see her entire bridge in a dark shade of flashing red as klaxons and warning sirens filled the air in the bridge. Seeing that she and the rest of the crew were still alive, she quickly managed to get her wits about and start issuing out orders to the rest of her group.

"Damage report!"

The crews then checked the systems and what they learned was shocking.

"The port and starboard maneuvering thrusters have been totally destroyed, along with the stabilizers! We can't move around Ma'am! The cannon ports from the front to the sides have been totally destroyed, along with fire controls, we can't fire them at all! The main engines have been totally destroyed and we have no thrust power…we're totally defenseless!"

"The Gem, Pearl, Rose, Golden Star, and Flamingo also report massive damage to all of the same systems Ma'am, they can't move or even fire their weapons…the entire fleet's been totally disabled!!"

(Impossible…this can't be happening….no way!)

Mara then realized that in their states, the Gundam, and it's pilot Kyo Clyne Yamato might still be out there, waiting for the right time to strike. She knew that they were in so much bad shape that if this male…decided to change his mind and finish them off, then nothing would be able to stop him, but she was not going to go down without a fight.

"Find that man and his machine! We can't let him take us all out like this...Find him!"

"You don't need to look for me Captain Mara….I'm right here."

Mara turned and gulped as she and her crew found themselves looking through the view screen…at Kyo's Gundam pointing the anti-ship sword right at them. In a serious battle, the Gundam would have the perfect chance to kill the entire crew as it was very close to the bridge…one swing of the beam edge would have sliced through the bridge and killed the crew.

However, the Gundam jetted back and placed away the anti-ship swords to the back. Kyo sighed as he spoke.

"I wished I didn't have to do what just happened Captain…and I have no doubt that a few or more of your crew would be needing medical attention. But that isn't my concern…a war is coming…and it has little to do with the war between Talark and Megele…but the survival of every human being in this galaxy, and it doesn't matter if you're a man or woman. Now I'll be escorting the pirates, since I have no doubt you have other things to worry about."

As he moved towards the pirates, he got into contact with the Paradise and was greeted by Magno, who smiled at him.

"What took you so long?"

Kyo grinned back as he positioned his Gundam next to the other Dreads of the pirates, all of whom didn't hesitate to clear a space for the Gundam. Varoa looked at the Gundam with awe and a slight amount of fear, having witnessed Kyo's decimation of the Dreads and then the cruisers.

"Had a bit of a run-in with the sensor nets of both Talark and Megele….we don't have the time to chat though, we've got a lot to do right now."

Parfait then recalled something.

"Where's Pyoro?"

"He's back in the Nirvana, I had him hide in the bridge and wait for the arrival of Tenmei and the others, Duero, Max, Bart, and Aleck were beaten up in interrogation and their dad is with them, but they seem fine, we don't have that much time though, we've got a lot to do."

Parfait, Barnette, and even Gascogne gave looks of worry at the thought of the three men being badly beaten and the looks of concern were noted by the others. Kyo then smiled as he spotted Jura, Meia, Dita, Sara, and Mai were fine, along with the rest of the crew.

As they pulled away, with Kyo and his I-Freedom Gundam taking the point, and the Dreads providing a screen, the pirates went off to the Nirvana.

In the Nirvana…

"How are you doing in there Bart?" Tenmei asked as he worked on the console.

"Doing okay, the good news is that no one tried to reboot all the systems and give them a clean slate, otherwise we'd be in real trouble…we're only a few minutes from the meeting sight though."

Tenmei nodded in relief. They had managed to convince the techs already onboard to head back to Talark with the data they had gathered, and once they were in the clear, they and the others, including Hiryu got to work and began to move the Nirvana out of dry dock. Thankfully, his codes for the release locks worked, meaning that no one had discovered what had happened in the Interrogation Center yet. And they were extra thankful that since the Nirvana by default was the Ikazuchi, none of the Talark forces dared to open fire and damage the Nirvana.

Pyoro was assigned to monitor duty and the Navi-robot compiled, only hoping to be reunited with Lacus again.

"Pyoro 2….I'm coming."

Bart was not in the mood for more of the non-sense and growled at Pyoro.

"Hey! Will you quit worrying about Lacus and concentrate on keeping the power flow to the Navigation Well?!"

"All right already!"

--

In the Nirvana…

As the crews of the Nirvana and the Paradise arrived in the ship, the crew began exchanging stories and some of the other crew were busy with other matters, the Engineering detail under Parfet worked in checking the systems and making any needed repairs, and also helped in readying the Crusader Mobile Suits and Dreads for combat operations. The others were busy getting used to the changes, Barnette also went to the Medical Bay, along with the bespectacled engineer to check on their objects of affection and even helped check their injuries, this made Duero and Max a bit embarrassed, but they hardly complained. Gascogne and Aleck were busy taking care of distributing supplies, and munitions to the soon to assemble units for the inevitable conflict with the Harvester forces.

However, five of the Nirvana's crew had other things on their minds as Meia, Dita, Jura, Sara and Mai were with Kyo in discussion on what was their plan to fight in the soon to come encounter with the Harvesters. However since Rebecca was with Ezra and Lacus, he had a feeling a certain floating robot was going to appear…

And sure enough…

"PYORO 2!"

Pyoro quickly made a beeline towards Ezra and Lacus, managing to avoid the women who were in the area, including the pirates from the Paradise ship, including Varoa. However, before the Navi-robot could come close enough to hug Lacus, a certain woman stopped him with her hand on his face display and held him back.

"AAACCCCK!"

"What the heck are you?!" Rebecca said in surprise and dislike, the way this floating egg shaped robot was going towards her daughter made her uneasy. She then glared at Pyoro with an unfriendly look, which Pyoro responded back to with a glare as he tried to get past Rebecca.

"I'm Pyoro 2's father!" The robot replied with even more force.

"What the heck is Pyoro 2?!"

The two glared and Rebecca struggled to keep the over eager robot from her daughter, and it seemed that Pyoro was adamant to get close to Lacus, as Ezra watched on. The gentle bridge officer watched as her daughter's Ohma tried to keep Pyoro away and she hoped that somehow, someone could put a stop all this nonsense before the rest of the crew were going to get into real trouble, however it didn't take long for someone to get involved.

Rebecca was still holding on to Pyoro's face when Kyo came from behind and turned Pyoro around. The defiant little machine stopped and floated as Kyo glared at him, the Ohma of Lacus watched in surprise at the sudden change in the defiant Navi-robot when it was now facing the pilot of the Infinite Freedom Gundam.

"Pyoro…just how many times have I told you not to call Lacus by that name…not to mention the fact that Rebecca is her Ohma and not you?"

The Navi-robot looked on and Kyo sighed once more and then glared.

"Listen here Pyoro, you can keep you're part as Lacus' baby sitter, that's fine by me. But don't think for even five seconds that you're her father, cause the second you try that, I swear that on that very moment…I'll re-program you into thinking you're a dog, and this time…I WON'T re-program you back, are we clear?"

"Yes." The Navi-robot said sullenly.

Kyo then faced Rebecca and bowed.

"Sorry about that Miss Rebecca, he still doesn't get the hint he's not Lacus' parent."

Rebecca as a bit silent then replied.

"That's all right, but how can you know my daughter's name?"

"Because Kyo was the one who helped me give birth to our daughter Rebecca…and he gave the name of his own mother to our child."

Ezra explained to her mate as she walked over to them and smiled warmly at Kyo, who smiled back at both her and Lacus. Rebecca then noted the reaction Lacus had when she saw Kyo. The baby smiled and cried with glee as she tried to reach out for him. Kyo however turned to Rebecca and spoke.

"If it is all right with you, I'd like to hold Lacus for a few minutes before I get back to work for the battle to come."

Rebecca was a bit uneasy with her daughter being held by a man, for one thing, despite not living in Megele, she still thought that men might have germs and Kyo might not know how to properly take care of a baby, so she was not yet sure of the idea…however it was then that Belvedere, Amarone, and Celtic arrived, the dark skinned bridge crew member smiled at her, along with her comrades.

"Don't worry about Kyo, he knows what to do with a baby Rebecca…he sometimes baby-sits Lacus too, and Ezra allows it."

Rebecca looked at Ezra and then gave a slow nod, and Ezra then handed Lacus over. She smiled at her daughter's joy to be reunited to her godfather, and giggled a bit to see Kyo smile and laugh, along with her daughter as he made some funny faces to Lacus. The baby smiled and giggled happily and reached out to touch Kyo's face and grasp some of his hair. Kyo didn't mind at all as Lacus snuggled closer to him.

The sight stunned the other members of the pirates, namely those of the Paradise and the veterans, including Varoa and Rebecca. Ezra's daughter was enjoying a man's company and he was enjoying hers as well. Back then, the mere thought of a female baby being held by a man was unthinkable, but here it was, they were seeing right in front of them

It was there that Ezra told her mate and some of the crew, including Varoa about the time that she had suddenly suffered the pain of delivery and being trapped in the elevator with Dita and Kyo. She told her comrades about how Kyo stood by her and helped her deliver Lacus and gave her to courage to pull through, and she told them of how she had given Kyo the honor of naming her child as Lacus, and she considered Kyo as Lacus' godfather.

Rebecca looked impressed and then saw Kyo walk over to her, with Lacus in his hands, in the manner needed to hold a young baby. Kyo then handed her daughter over to her and Lacus smiled and snuggled back into her own arms. Rebecca could tell that Lacus loved Kyo a great deal, and after learning what had happened on the day Lacus was born, she couldn't help but be thankful for Kyo assistance during that time of crisis for both Ezra and Lacus.

"I'm sorry if I acted a bit out of line…I want to thank you for being there for Ezra and Lacus when they needed help. And I thank you once more for helping us out of that mess."

"No problem Rebecca…I have to go and take care of other matters before the Harvesters arrive, it has been a pleasure and honor to meet you."

With that, Kyo turned and headed off to the Meeting room to speak to the Crusader pilots, it was time to make some plans.

Little did he know that a certain band of women had plans of their own for him…and one of them had just gotten the go-ahead by Magno herself!

--

In the Medical Bay…

"So who might you two be?"

Barnette and Parfet gulped a bit as they were now facing the father of the two objects of their respective affection. They had been in the Medical Bay, fusing over Duero and Max, despite their assurances that they would recover well enough before the fighting began. And they had been able to talk about what had happened n Talark with Duero and Max, but that was when Hiryu arrived, at first the two of them wondered on just how this tall man with a much darker tan was, until Duero and Max bowed and called the man their father. The women were now face to face with Duero and Max's only parent. They also saw this as a chance to get on the good side of the father of the brothers, since they were quite close to her sons, they wanted to impress him enough so he would not mind their presence with his sons.

"My name's Barnette, Barnette Orangello…it's a pleasure to meet you."

"My name's Parfet, Parfet Balblair…it's a pleasure to meet you."

Hiryu nodded at the two women and as he recalled seeing them fuss over his two children and seeing that there were signs of relationships between the women and his sons, he was rather intrigued. Ever since meeting the pirates, he began to see just how wrong the propaganda films were on how women looked. He had not believed that women were monsters for a long time, since no one had given a very accurate description on them and there were no records of any female corpse being captured and examined, the propaganda ministry only concerned themselves with portraying women as monsters. Hiryu however thought otherwise, and now his teachings to his sons on the matter were proven true.

"I see, and you two are close friends of my sons?"

Parfet and Barnette nodded and the first to speak was the bespectacled chief engineer.

"I…worked with you're eldest son when he needs help in the Medical Bay…"

"Really now…are you skilled as a Medic?"

"Not really, I am the head engineer on the Nirvana, and I help in repairs in the ship and also here in the Medical Bay, just in case the computers here in the Medical Bay begin to have technical problems."

"I see, you are a doctor in the engineering sense then, then it would mean that you have been working with him for almost an entire year, ever since the raid of you're crew on the Ikazuchi. Are you both very close friends?"

Parfet nodded with a slight blush and twiddled her fingers and looked at Duero, who also blushed somewhat at the double meaning in his Alpha's inquiry, that fact was not lost to the elder McFile, and while he was still somewhat curious on as to if it was true for men and women to work and live together, he could tell that the friendship between his eldest son and the head engineer was more than what it seemed.

"I see…well then, I do not see anything wrong with it, though I would like to speak to my son about this matter as well soon… Now then…"

Hiryu then turned to face Barnette and studied the young woman carefully, he could tell that she was a combat pilot and from the way she would move told him a lot about her level of expertise. However, he decided to ask just how did Barnette had met his younger son and Duero's younger brother, and since he learned from Max about his time with Aleck in a covert ops project of their world gone wrong…he figured that this would be a good one.

"So Barnette, exactly how long have you worked with my younger son while you and he were together in the Nirvana?"

Barnette replied in full honestly towards the elder McFile, since she didn't like the idea to lie in front of the man she wanted to make a good impression towards.

"I met you're son on a mission to a desert planet…at first, we didn't get along very well since I…I still believed men were the enemy of my people, but on a mission to go to a nearby base, you're son was able to save me…from my own mistakes, but he nearly lost his life to save mine…"

"I see…"

"And now, I want to help him and repay him for helping me see that men and women were better off working together than against each other in fighting the Harvesters."

Hiryu then turned to his two sons and saw the two of them looking at the women with affection, further intriguing the father of the McFile siblings. This was getting to be a very interesting day for all involved and he was even more interested in finally learning just what women really were, and in the case of the two women before him, the idea that men and women working together certainly seemed possible with his sons and their female friends…but he still couldn't shake the feeling that there was more than friendship between his sons and the two of them.

"Well then, I'll have to take my leave, I've been assigned by the Captain to work in the Register under Gascogne Rheingau, so I'll be right back to catch up with you two, and I suggest that we all get to our stations."

As soon as Barnette and Parfet left the room, Hiryu looked at both his sons and seemed intently studying his off-spring…and after a few moments, he spoke to them.

"I can tell that something very important has happened between you two and those women, though I am not sure what it is, it seems to be very strong, therefore, I would like to know just what has happened between the time you both were gone to you're time here on the Nirvana, is that understood?"

Duero and max looked at each other and were at a loss for words. The times they had been…intimate with Parfet and Barnette respectively was something they wanted to keep to themselves since they were still not quite used to such feelings and emotions with women, yet they knew that it was the time their relationships with the two respectively had taken the ultimate level. And despite the fact that they were talking to their Alpha, they still found it hard to describe just what they had felt when the incidents happened…however, they knew that Hiryu was not the kind of man to keep secrets from.

"Well…father, it's kind of hard…to explain really."

Duero started as he tried to recall the time he got intimate with Parfet in the room that was assigned to him while he and the others were with the Resistance forces. The moment he did however, his cheeks reddened at the memories of the event.

Hiryu had to admit, to see his son this flustered was a first, when he raised both Max and Duero, Max was a bit more emotional while Duero was the more analytical of the two, and to see his eldest son act this was a first.

"Oh?"

He then looked at Max and the look on his face told his son that he also wondered what had happened between him and Barnette.

Both brothers looked at one another and decided to at least plan out their explanation of the things they had been feeling towards Barnette and Parfet respectively, and though they knew their Alpha the open minded type of man, the 'attraction' between men and women might be too hard to describe to him since they themselves were still not used to it either. Part of them wished that someone would come in and help them with the explanations, namely Kyo or even Magno herself.

However, it seemed that fate would smile on the two as a certain elderly Captain came into the Medical Bay on her walking cane and Tenmei who had now discarded his Talark uniform and took on to wearing the old harem outfit he wore as Buzam, and he was now using the voice box to make him sound like a woman once more.

"Hello there Mr. Hiryu McFile, did I come in at a bad time?"

Hiryu shook his head amiably and replied.

"Not really Captain, I was just curious about the relationships my son s have with two members of you're crew, namely the head engineer Parfet Balblair and one of you're Dread pilots, miss Barnette Orangello. The four of them seem to be very close, and I am merely wondering just how far their relationships have progressed since I last saw my sons. Though from the way my sons seem to be rather…shall we say, reluctant to tell me all the details."

"Really? Well then, even if we don't have a lot of time, I am rather curious about how their relationships have progressed myself, so if it does not bother you, I would also like to join into the conversation."

Hiryu shrugged and both the elder woman and the older man then looked at the two and is put both brothers in the hot seat, literally. However, Magno then decided to put the two men at ease, not to mention she would also explain the details on whatever they might speak of to their Alpha, or rather their father. She told the two brothers that since she KNEW about the intimate parts of male/female relationships, she would explain to their Alpha anything that might be too hard to understand.

However, she had a fairly accurate idea on what might have happened between the McFile siblings and Parfet and Barnette respectively since she had been familiar with it, after all, she did have a son and husband years before. This was going to be an interesting one.

However as she thought of a very interesting situation…she already knew of one that was about to befall her uncle…namely when one of the girls that were after him had now decided to act on her feelings…and despite the disappointment of the others, they decided to allow it since she voiced in her approval of the idea…though as to how Kyo will react to the situation he was going head first into was still up for debate.

(I wonder just what uncle Kyo's feeling right now?)

--

In Kyo's room…

Kyo was tired and decided to take a break, it was only a few more hours once the general alarm would be sounded, this break however was going to be short. He knew that despite the fact that the main Harvester Invasion Fleet was not yet going to be their foes, seven Harvester battle-ships were still a big threat, he had known that since these were not retrofitted ships, they would be the basic models, he could not try the same stunt as before when dealing with the ships that were using Mirage Colloid.

The pirates had gotten word that the ship of the Harvesters that they had been able to convert to their side had been able to receive a signal sent by the bridge crew and was now meeting up with them to get ready for the battle, but he still had doubts, the only thing he hoped for now was the arrival of the reinforcements from the Resistance that were on their way, thankfully he hoped that sooner or later, things might look up for all of them. For now he had to take a break and clear his head of his current issues and…

"Hello Kyo…"

The Gundam pilot froze, he apparently had been so busy with his thoughts that he was not aware that someone was in the room with him. He had already removed his uniform previously, so that left him with only his normal clothes on… he looked to note that his room was still in the dark, and when he turned on the lights….he saw her…

Kyo realized that now, he was going to be in a very serious situation.

A good distance from the Nirvana and the Paradise…

"Sir…we've tracked the Ikazuchi to this spot and we are ready for you're orders."

An ensign reported to a Talark Fleet officer. His unit had been assigned to act as part of the security detail fleet around the Nirvana while it was in dry dock…however, when the ship moved out of the area suddenly, he was forced to break away from patrol and take his forces out to try and recapture the Ikazuchi. One of his subordinate officers asked if they were to use the ship's weapons to stop the Nirvana to which he objected greatly.

Despite the radical changes the old colony ship had undergone in nearly a year before it was lost, and the time it was boarded by the female pirates, it was still the Ikazuchi, and as such, any attempt to damage it would ignite Grand Pa's wrath on the unfortunate officer who ordered the shooting, and he was not going to risk both his neck and his career on that plan.

"Now what in the heck are we supposed to do here?"

He looked and spotted the pirates once more board the Ikazuchi under the escort of a large number of female piloted Dreads and the strange angel like Vanguard that the Fleet Command had just gotten word of. He didn't know what was going on, and although he was head of a rather large fleet himself, he was in no mood to go in unprepared for battle.

He then thought of what was going to happen to the men on the Nirvana and the strange angel-like Gundam. He quickly imagined them being subjected to pain and torture, and shuddered at such thoughts.

If he only knew just what was happening in there right now.

--

In Kyo's room…

"M…meia…what are you…uh…"

To say that Kyo was stunned would have been a vast understatement at this point as he gazed at the aqua haired female as she was not wearing either her usual circlet, which he saw was on the table in his room, and she was not wearing either her normal jumpsuit and padding, or her custom made Mobile Suit piloting uniform. She instead was wearing sleeveless body suit with shorts for the lower portion and now gloves or boots.

The body-suit was thin and therefore hugged her frame…including her much larger than before, but not too large, bust…adding to that was the fact that the suit had some open patches on both the chest and her sides…revealing strategic parts of Meia's form to get Kyo's attention. And the suit did it's job well enough, making Kyo's body ignite with desire, which he tried to suppress, since he was still not very comfortable yet with his situation with her and the other females who had his affections. The fact that they were going to soon face the Harvesters' advanced forces was the next reason that managed to wake Kyo out of his stupor. He tried to back away and reach for the door, however, he had taken a wrong turn and found himself nearing the wall of the room, all the while, trying to come up with any words to reason with Meia.

Meia on the other hand, didn't respond and walked slowly…and sensually towards Kyo, making sure to move in the right way to hold his attentions only on her and her alone. She had recalled seeing a few of the women in several videos do this to the men they were seeking to become intimate with and she was willing to try it. She had long since admitted that she felt love for Kyo and it was in her discussion with Magno, along with Dita, Jura, Sara, and Mai that she finally gained the courage to go through with this. Ever since her first viewing of how men and women…had…sex, she couldn't get those images out of her mind, namely where she was in the woman's place and Kyo was in the man's place. At first, the images were shocking…namely when she saw the man's…tube being placed into the woman's most private place. At first, she thought that it was very uncomfortable and VERY painful for any woman have such a thing…inside of her.

But the woman in the video…and the women in the other videos did not show pain or discomfort…they rather showed pleasure and joy as the thing…the tube of the man was moving in and out of them. They were moaning and screaming in pleasure and joy, no matter how fast the men moved that tube…and in whatever position they were in with their male partner. Though none of them knew what to make of it, it was Magno's advice and Jura's words that told them and her most of all, that what she had seen was how men and women had children and how the two would show how much they loved one another. The images of what she had seen were so rooted in her brain and now she was going to do it…she was going to take the nest and most important step in her relationship with Kyo, because she loved him.

She loved everything about him, his smile, his joy, his strength, his courage under fire, his will, he determination…everything…even his bad traits as well. The memories he had and his past, she accepted them as well, they made him the person she loved with all her heart. For a former street thug like her, love was nothing but a word, nothing more, she had one night stands before and never thought much of it, but as a way to relieve her stress and forget her pain, but this time…she was going to do something historic in her mind and no doubt the minds of her fellow Megele comrades.

She was going to make love to a man…and not because she wanted to relieve her stress, or whatnot…but because she cared for him and loved him with all her heart. After all, considering what was awaiting them in the soon to come battles…this might be her only chance to feel what women felt when they made love with the person they loved. She wanted to really feel what love was, and if love would not just exist in the emotional level…but in the physical level between men and women.

It didn't take long for her to reach Kyo, who stood there like a statue, entranced her beauty and sensual approach, back then, he did find Meia cute, though her personality back then was hardly pleasing, but after all they had been through together, and his learning of her past made him see her in a far more positive light, however, this still didn't mean that he was all that ready to go to the intimate level, despite his heart to heart talk with her once. However, she took the initiative and hugged him by the head and kissed him right on the lips.

Kyo was stunned as Meia deepened both her embrace and her kiss, making his male instincts burn even hotter, but even as a few seconds passed, a large portion of his brain was falling to his male instincts, he managed find the will and composure to break the kiss and look at Meia.

"Meia, we…we're…"

"I know…but I wanted to do this for some time, and, I know that we're going to fight the Harvesters soon."

"So why?"

"Because I love you, I always wondered after the first battle with the Harvesters' battleship why I felt this way towards you now…and now that I know, I want to show you, just how much I love you."

"But…I can't just, it's…"

"I know…but you and I can't be sure, and I talked with the others, and we talked with Magno, and we decided, it doesn't matter, because we know we love you no matter what, we're here for you…"

That statement stunned Kyo, since it seemed that the women who were after his heart had no decided to share him…and before he could say anything, Meia took the initiative and kissed him again, but this time she made sure to keep him from trying to deny her this chance. And as far as things were looking, it seemed she was already doing a very good job and keeping his attention on her, and her alone. She deepened the kiss and reveled in Kyo's taste, as soon as she used her tongue to run over his lips gently, he parted them and she ran her tongue once more over his teeth, making Kyo moan, and open his mouth somewhat…that was Meia's cue.

Kyo looked at her wide-eyed as she gently prodded into his mouth with her own tongue, and that was the last straw for the Gundam pilot as his hormones finally overwhelmed his senses, and along with his morals on the matter. Without anymore restraint, Kyo reciprocated Meia's actions and hugged her back, with a fierce yet gentle grip. He had retained enough common sense to not frighten or hurt Meia while they were doing this. He moved his tongue with Meia's, both of them caressed each other, with his hands skimming the surface of her curves and swells, while she took in his hard contours and strong warmth.

The kiss deepened even more as they moaned in each other's mouths, and they held the kiss until they had to break off to get air, very reluctantly as well. Both lovers looked at one another, Kyo couldn't help but smile at the look of utter joy and embarrassment on Meia's blushing face. While Meia herself smiled at the blush staining Kyo's own cheeks, the picture of this man blushing because of her seemed to tickle her senses in a very good way.

It was then that Kyo looked at his bed and then to Meia, and she knew what he had in mind, and nodded.

--

(This is the lemon for this part anyway, so for anyone here who's not in the right age, please leave the room and don't read this number. For those who are in the age, please read on, I am new at writing lemons and this will be long, so please bare with me here.)

--

Meia reached over and began to remove the buttons that held Kyo's shirt on and quickly removed the shirt, but not before she kissed Kyo on the lips gently afterwards. Kyo was starting to like this side of Meia a good deal and reciprocated with finding the zipper of her upper body suit and then began to take it off as well. They both removed the articles of clothing and as they did so, they kissed each other deeply as they now exposed themselves to each other.

Meia reached forward and ran her hands gently on Kyo's chest, feeling is slightly rougher but smooth, warm, and strong skin, there were traces of some scars there, but she was not paying attention to them as she ran her hands over Kyo's chest, she looked at saw his face, his eyes looking at her with lustful desire and pleasure, and realizing that she had been stripped of her upper body suit blushed brightly. Kyo however laughed gently and rang his hands gently over her shoulders, up to the length of her neck and then kissed her, but not before saying something.

"You're so beautiful Meia Gisborn."

The way Kyo said that statement made Meia blush even more, but made her feel very proud of herself as she kissed him back.

Kyo moved towards the bed and then leaned towards it, taking Meia with him to the mattress, she squealed a bit at the sensation, but felt empowered to know that she was in the dominant state of the situation. Meia looked at Kyo and his nod as she began to kiss parts of his body and face. She kissed his lips once more and both of them open their mouths and their tongues did the touching until she continued to kiss his face, starting with his lips, his cheeks, and then his neck, she kissed the place where she could feel his pulse, and then ran her fingers and lips on the outlines of his collar bones.

Kyo looked at her, and the sight of Meia on top of him, half naked and looking very sexy was so strong an influence that he swore that he would have orgasmed right there and then, so much was his arousal. They kissed once Meia was done examining his own exposed upper form and Kyo couldn't help but moan as he felt Meia's breasts on his chest, since they had grown somewhat larger than before, requiring her to modify her normal padding to deal with the increase in cleavage size, Kyo certainly didn't mind in the least. His desire won out as he gently yet swiftly changed placed with Meia, and then moved her and himself into the bed.

He rose up and while Meia moaned sadly at the loss of contact, she blushed even more as Kyo intently gazed at her, starting from her face which he touched gently and reverently, all the way to her chest, her stomach, her hips, and finally he arrived at the rest of her form, the one hidden by the remaining piece of her body suit. Meia cursed herself silently for forgetting about that part and tried to reach for it, but Kyo stopped her, making her look at him curiously, and therefore noticed the look of utter sexual mischief that he had on his face.

Kyo, despite being still a virgin for all his late teen life, and after being freed from his crystal prison, had still been a virgin for nearly four hundred years, was still like any other teen his age. That meant that he had seen a good number of videos, including the one Jura had, and recalled quite a number of books he had read. Plus his parents did teach him about the facts of life once he was older, the same way they had taught Mira about it as well. He recalled enough of them materials he had both read and seen to as to make the right moves. He wanted this to be a worthy experience, for both him and Meia…and he was not going to be charging forward needlessly at all.

For all intents and purposes, every woman from Megele, with the exception of the First Generation, were virgins and innocent in the ways of sexual inter-course with men, but that certainly didn't mean that the ancient feelings and instincts disappeared entirely as Meia felt her body react in very interesting ways towards Kyo's very detailed examination of her nearly exposed form. She didn't know how this would end, but that uncertainty was not enough to dissuade her from trying it out regardless.

Kyo ran his hands over Meia's face gently and then began to kiss her cheeks, and ran his tongue over the place where her pulse was. He then ran his lips over her collar bones and then made his way to her chest, she moaned deeply as Kyo caressed her breasts, feeling them in his palm. He grinned warmly at her and kissed the pale white skin of the fleshy mounds and then took the right breast into his mouth licking and suckling on the right nipple and ran his tongue over aureole gently. Meia moaned and screamed in pleasure and Kyo did so, while he massaged the other breast gently and carefully.

She gripped Kyo's head closer to her chest, hoping that he would not stop his actions, she never felt this way before, it was as if a fire was in her chest, starting from her nipples and flowed through every fiber of her being, and the sensations filled every part of her, even to the tips of her toes and her hair. Meia then felt her heart beat faster as Kyo continued his motions and actions on her breasts, it was amazing, and she had an idea on how it would feel if she had a baby to take care of herself, it was as if Kyo wanted to take in her entire essence into his bones forever.

As soon as Kyo was done with Meia's right breast, he gave the same treatment to her left breast, making Meia moan even more. He liked this passionate and wild side of the aqua-haired woman and planned to see just how far he could take her. He reached down with his other hand and found the catch of Meia's lower body suit and opened it. He however, didn't stop his treatment of Meia's breasts as he alternated between the two, licking, gently biting, and gently blowing on them, making them even more sensitive. He then kissed her breasts and then licked the valley between her boobs and then made a line of kisses, licks and light nips on her skin, all the way to her stomach, and then to her navel.

Meia looked at Kyo who stopped his actions, her face beet red at all the wonderful sensations Kyo was giving her. Every nerve on her body seemed to tingle in anticipation until Kyo took off her last article of clothing. She swore she would die of utter embarrassment as Kyo looked at her lower form, taking in her long and smooth legs, and then her most private place, and she tried to cover up with her thighs, but Kyo's gentle yet very strong grip stopped. Kyo then looked at her with calm and soothing eyes.

"You don't need to hide from me Meia….you are beautiful after all."

"I…"

Kyo then caressed her things gently making Meia squirm a bit more, much to his delight and her pleasure, he then kissed her navel and that acted like a secret button and she parted her legs, allowing him to look at her sex. She had a patch of the same aqua-blue hair on her most private place, and it looked so appealing to Kyo at this point that he couldn't resist teasing her, he kissed the skin and flesh above the patch gently and with a parting lick, that Meia moaned loudly, and despite the safety of the room, she couldn't try and keep her voice down.

(I…I…I…I never felt like this before….I've done this before with other women….but with Kyo, it's so wonderful, it's strange, and odd, but yet….it's so natural, and so wonderful! I….is this how the women of the past felt when they made love with the men they cared about? Because if…this is how they felt…I don't ever want to give it up!)

Meia's eyes opened wide as she looked and saw Kyo between her legs, she was stunned as Kyo looked at her sex so intently, as if she was an exotic creature he had never seen before, she couldn't help but blush even brighter at his very intense inspection, hundreds of thoughts flew through her head in a fraction of a second. And she began to fear that she might have something that might make her look ugly. Kyo however allayed her fears as he smiled and then spoke to her.

"How do you want me to touch you here Meia?"

"W-What?"

Kyo grinned a bit and replied.

"I'm going to touch you here, and more…but I want you to tell me if you like it, I want to make you happy Meia."

Meia didn't know why, but she felt even happier, Kyo's didn't just care for his own pleasure, but hers as well, so she decided to nod to give her consent and brace herself for what was to come. She had an idea of what to expect as she bucked in pleasure at the feel of Kyo's hot breath on her moist sex.

Kyo felt his manhood harden like a collection of steel rods as the scent of Meia's wet sex filled his nose, his pants already painful on his erection…however, he held that back as he admired the slit that led to Meia's vagina, he then came closer and smelled her musky but very arousing female scent. He then saw some moisture coming out from the slit and licked it, touching the outer lips of his lover's sex. Meia cried out a bit and Kyo took that as a good sign as he began to lick and suck on the lips of Meia's sex.

"T…T…There! Ohhh!"

Kyo then got Meia to scream out her pleasure after a few more licks and then pushing his tongue into her wet sex, past both the outer lips of her pussy and into the inner ones, the sensation was shocking and very arousing to the aqua-haired woman, she gripped Kyo's hair in her hands and despite her painful grip, Kyo didn't stop, and neither did he relent as he moved his tongue in thrusting and circular moving motions, taking in her smooth liquid velvet feel and her honey as well. He was enjoying this VERY much and so was Meia as she continued to moan, scream, beg, and struggle. She tried to get the words out on how she wanted to be touched and succeeded, though partially. Most of the time she was in heaven as Kyo licked and touched her innermost core and the very proof of her femininity, making her squirm.

Her sex released more of her fluids which Kyo loved to taste and he then touched what appeared to be a light barrier, and he knew just what that was, the proof that Meia was a virgin, he knew what that meant, but put that aside, as he stopped and looked at one part of Meia's sex that he had overlooked

The clitoris, or the clit, if he remembered his sex-ed classes right.

The teachers he had back then in sex-ed class told him that it was the most sensitive part of a woman's sex and it had to be gently touched and stimulated to avoid hurting the woman. He put those lessons to heart as he began to kiss and lick it gently. The results were obvious as Meia screamed out her pleasure once more. Kyo placed her legs on his shoulders and held her hips tightly to hold her in place as he continued to lick and caress her clit, he even pressed his tongue over the little bulb and Meia cried out even more, he then alternated his actions to both her wet pussy and her clit, making Meia absolutely blind with desire and burning with pleasure.

Kyo then decided to use his fingers, and used one of his hands, namely his left hand and had to release Meia's hips in order to balance himself more effectively. As he did so, he used his thumb to push on Meia's clit, making her scream out in surprise. He however didn't stop yet as he licked and touched the bulb with strong, gentle and patient strikes, thanking his teachers for the education, though he was still not all that skilled yet.

Meia however didn't seem to mind that as she tried to hold back her feelings of pleasure, but she was so close to coming to orgasm, she couldn't help herself. She spread her legs even wider and reached out to Kyo's head, telling him that she couldn't handle anymore. But he wanted to see his lover in the throes of pleasure and release, and therefore slid his first digit in gently and slowly.

Meia opened her eyes wide, she had felt that before, but this was very different from those times and she tried not to lose it, she would not give up yet…

--

Kyo was in awe at how sleek, wet, tight, and soft Meia felt inside her sex, the thought of how his manhood inside her warmth and heat was enough to make him go nuts in that very second, but he bit it back, he was not going to lose now, not until he saw Meia in the looks of passion. And he went at it, slowly pulling out his first finger, looking that the shaking tension and the sweat flowing out of Meia's body, along with her fluids from her wet sex, and then pushing in back it, Meia cried out in pleasure, and the crying out became even louder as the two went at it. Kyo continued to lick and suck gently but strongly at Meia's clit, while moving his finger in and out of her soaking pussy, and then he then added another finger.

"I…Kyo! I…I can't…!!"

"Go on Meia, I want you to." Kyo replied as he went on with his actions.

Meia moved her head from side to side, sweat coating her forehead and running down her face as she bit one of her fingers in an effort to control her screams, her heart was beating so wildly, and the pleasurable heat and sensations flooded every inch of her body and heightened her nerves. But try as she might, she couldn't stop herself as she came…hard and strong, the results were amazing as she arched her back and was so tense she would have snapped, the aqua-haired teen felt like she was floating in heaven as her body absorbed every sensation like a sponge.

Kyo looked at his lover with a smile of awe and wonder as he had finished lapping up her juices, released from her orgasm, Meia looked so exhausted, weak and yet so beautiful as her face was covered in sweat along with her body from her head to her toes, and the sweat glinted like liquid mirrors reflecting the light from the room's lighting systems, Her heaving, sweat drenched form was exquisite, and he loved this side of her. As soon as she opened her eyes, she smiled at him in a very desirable way and he kissed her.

Meia didn't mind the fact that she could taste herself with Kyo's own, in fact it made her even hotter. Kyo then decided that his pants had to go, as his was already feeling pain from the tightness in his groin. Meia was confused when he got off the bed, but quickly was stopped as Kyo finally took off his pants, and boxers. And Meia realized something…

"Kyo…you…you're…big, more so than the last time I…" (Referring to the Nirvana communal bath incident.)

Meia didn't know why, but she blushed furiously as she gazed at Kyo's manhood, it was so…

Meia then realized something else…can it really fit in her? The thought of feeling pain was not new to her, but the pain Magno had explained to her felt so terrifying that she nearly blacked out. However Kyo noted the change in Meia's demeanor and reached out to her, sitting on the bed next to her.

"If you…if you don't feel ready for this Meia, I won't hold it against you…I don't want to hurt you."

Meia smiled at Kyo's gentleness and concern, but shook her head, she had gotten his far and there was no way she was going to change her mind no. She then looked at Kyo, silently asking if she could…

Kyo wordlessly nodded and Meia took that as her go-ahead signal. She slowly touched Kyo's penis…feeling the skin, and marveling at the hard but yet soft feel of the strange organ she had seen before, she couldn't help but blush and smile at the throaty moans Kyo would make as she ran her hands of over the shaft gently, she could feel it pulsing, shocking her a bit as it reacted to her touch, she moved back, but when she was assured by Kyo that he was not in pain and enjoyed her actions, she continued them, feeling the smooth skin and veins once more. The mere act of touching Kyo's manhood made her even more wet as she made it to the base and then to the strange sac the men had. Kyo however was nearing the end of his rope and gently stopped her before he lost control of his own physical needs.

Meia was stunned, but not for long as Kyo whispered in her ear while he nibbled her earlobe gently.

"It's time…I can't handle it anymore. I love you…and I want you…now."

Meia smiled back and both of them kissed as Meia leaned back onto the mattress and opened her legs once more, allowing Kyo to position himself between her thighs. The two kissed once more, feeling each other's warmth and tasting each other with hot and deep kisses.

As Kyo broke away he took his manhood in one hand and guided it to Meia's hot, dripping sex and rubbed it on her outer lips to get lubricated, he knew the mechanics in this stage, and what had to be done, as soon as he had his penis well covered and Meia was ready, he pushed it into her sex, trying to control his inner urges as he felt her wet velvety tightness surround his cock. Meia likewise was in tension, feeling this intrusion into her most private place, it felt different, but very natural, as if a part of her was coming back to her.

Kyo kept on pushing until he met the proof of Meia's virginity…her barrier. Kyo was not very happy with this as this told him point blank that no matter how gently he would go at this, he would still cause pain to Meia, and he didn't want to do that at all, but he knew that that there was no other way.

Meia likewise felt some pain as Kyo's penis touched her barrier, and realized that this was the moment of truth, she looked at Kyo with understanding eyes and nodded. She then held the sheets tightly to at least try and ignore the pain. Kyo shook her head with a slightly sad smile at Meia's bravery and then pulled back a bit…

(Forgive me.)

And pushed in…hard, and quickly, he felt the barrier give way and Meia's inner sheath began to take in his size and length.

Meia cried out in pain as she felt her barrier break and tried to struggle, but Kyo held her back and gently hugged her, she tried to struggle from the pain as Kyo kissed her and whispered lovingly in her ear.

"I am so sorry…I wish there was another way, but I…I will not move until you are comfortable."

True to his word, Kyo didn't begin to move quickly at first, but stayed there for a few moments, waiting for her to catch her breath and calm down her body. In a few moments, the pain subsided and the pain was then replaced with a throbbing ache, a sensation that seemed to grow even more intense as she could feel Kyo's cock inside of her pussy. The ache became unbearable and she spoke to Kyo.

"I feel fine, but I feel so…strange."

Kyo took that as his cue and slowly began to move. He pulled back slowly at first, for Meia to feel the movements and Meia did, as her wide eyes could attest to the fact. As soon as he was nearly out, Kyo pushed back it, holding back his own pleasure at the smooth, soft, tight, and wet feel of Meia's sex all around him, Meia also moaned loudly at the sensation.

"Oh….my…it was."

"Describe it to me then."

Kyo began to move slowly and surely, to ensure that Meia felt every movement and sensation and Meia's increased breathing and wetness told him volumes on how she was feeling, but she tried to speak either way.

"I feel…like I'm…flying on clouds…like I am coming apart…everything feels so…good. I want more!"

Kyo didn't say anything else, no words were needed from him as he continued his motions, as he moved in and out of Meia's wet sex, she looped her legs on his waist and backside to prevent him from leaving her as he drove deeper and harder into her sex, picking up speed and power. The results were obvious as Meia was now screaming out her pleasure and joy, while Kyo did likewise, no longer wanting to hold back at the sensations as he and Meia screamed and moaned their desire for each other.

Meia felt like she was drooling in pleasure as she held on for dear life, feeling every thrust of Kyo's cock into her pussy even more. She never felt anything like this in her entire life…it was so new and yet so natural, and so wonderful, nothing in her mind could ever take this pleasure from her at all as she held on for dear life.

Both of them could hear the wet sounds of their sweat covered flesh hitting each other and the feel of their sweat covered forms rubbing each other was so strong and erotic that it added fuel to the fires of their passion. Kyo then went to worship her breasts once more, taking the fleshy orbs and their pink tips into his mouth, he suckled on them and licked them as well…adding even more fire to her passion.

"KYO! MORE! OH GRAND MA! THIS FEELS WONDERFUL!!"

"MEIA!"

The two then kissed each other deeply as Kyo continued his thrusts into her sex. Meia didn't want this to ever end, if this was how men and women had children, and how they expressed love for each other, then she vowed never to let Kyo be alone in his life ever again!

The two continued on, and then Kyo lifted himself and Meia upwards, and they were now sitting on the bed, with him holding Meia in his arms and her sitting on his lap. She continued to move along with Kyo, heightening both their pleasure as she bounced hard on his manhood, Kyo could feel Meia's sex releasing more fluids onto his cock and it was heaven to him. He held Meia closer and kissed her, both of them moaned into each other's mouths and their tongues did the same thing their sexes were involved in, further adding to the sheer pleasure they were feeling.

They broke the kiss and Meia held on for dear life to Kyo, she moaned and groaned out so many pleasurable sounds into Kyo's ears that it helped him carry on his actions on her, the sounds of pleasure and joy coming from his lover urged him on to make her scream out even more. He grabbed her hips and helped her in her movements, further adding to their respective pleasure…

"I…I…I CAN'T!! AAAAHHHHH!!"

"MEIA! I CAN'T EITHER!!"

Meia knew that she had reached her limit and she was about to cum…hard and fast and she wanted it, she wanted to feel the end of the pleasure with Kyo.

"PLEASE!! COME WITH ME!! KYO!!"

Kyo said nothing but continued on and with one final thrust…both of them came…at the very same time.

"MEIA!!"

"KYO!!"

Both lovers held each other tightly as their respective orgasms flooded them, Kyo had no warning as his cock tensed and then released his essence right into Meia's unprotected womb, he felt so happy and felt a massive burden was finally removed from his shoulders. He felt more of his seed shoot into Meia's sex, and her orgasm milked him hard, making him even more aroused as he released even more seed into her, what they had done, he knew would change them both, and he hoped that when they time was right, the two of them could work together to make a compromise for the future. He knew that this did not mean that Meia would be pregnant now, but if she did have his child, he would stand by her and protect her with every fiber of his being.

Meia's feelings of her orgasm were intense, she felt like she had been shattered and scattered in a wind of pleasure and sensation, it was more powerful than the ones she once had before, and then she felt the heat from Kyo's seed flowing in her sex, into her womb, to feel that was a sensation that she had never known before. She understood that what she was feeling was Kyo's release of his seed inside of her. It felt as if a part of his very soul was inside of her…calming and soothing her and telling her that he would always be by her side no matter what dangers were there. To feel a man's liquid passion inside her most private place was so wonderful, even more so since she loved the man who she had made love to. She knew that this did not mean she would be pregnant now, but if they did this again and they would soon have a child, she was ready to raise that child to the best of her ability, not caring if it would be a boy or a girl, and she would not be afraid, as long as Kyo was beside her to raise their child together with her.

The two lovers held each other tightly as their orgasms subsided and then as they looked at each other, they smiled and shared another deep kiss. And after a few more moments, they knew that they would have to get ready for the coming battle. They separated reluctantly and got dressed…but before Meia left for her room to change into her uniform, Kyo turned her around gently and they shared another fierce kiss and then she left…leaving Kyo to think about the meaning of this and as soon as he was ready…he got to his locker and took out his uniform.

Looks like he had more to live for in the future after this war with the Harvesters.

--

As for the rest…

Hiryu couldn't help himself as he looked from Captain Magno and Buzam, to his sons, his expression, that of total surprise. Of all the things he expected to happen to his sons fro the past year, what they had told him was certainly not what he expected!

Duero and Max were also very much silent as they waited for the reactions of the people in the Medical Bay, the only consensus that the two of them had for this very interesting meeting was the fact that Paiway was not with them all…as she had been assigned to other duties by Magno, plus she did intend to contact her Ohma and Fahma as well.

Magno had a smile on her face and she was enjoying the situation. She suspected the increase of emotional closeness between the brothers and the respective women who they were close to was due to an event happening between them, but what they told him was volumes worth enough. She cleared her throat and spoke.

"That sort of thing does happen back in the old days…my husband and I were very much like that before the whole separation mess…and before I had a son. By the way…I've been meaning to ask you something Hiryu McFile."

Hiryu managed to shake of his stunned state and face the Captain and the Commander.

"What is it Captain?"

"Do you know anyone by the name of Kusanagi?"

Hiryu thought it over and replied.

"I know of only two men who carry the name Kusanagi, Commander Van Kusanagi who leads one of our elite Vanguard Squadrons, named the Sword Riders, and one rumored to be none other than old man Jin, they say that his last name was Kusanagi. Why do you ask?"

Magno smiled warmly and replied.

"It seems that my family are still alive after all. I nearly lost all hope that they were still alive."

"Captain…are you saying that Jin Kusanagi and Van Kusanagi are you're…" Buzam asked in surprise.

"They are my husband and son respectively? Then the answer is yes….I nearly thought that they had passed away, since it has been so long since I ever heard from them, but now that I know that they are alive…then we have an even greater chance to try and sway the men of Talark to fight the Harvesters. We can only hope that time is still on our side."

The people nodded in agreement, but Hiryu then spoke to his sons.

"You do not need to worry, I may not know the two of them very well….but I am not blind to the affections between you two and them. To tell you the truth, I want to see just how far things will get between you two and them. Thus, as long as you are willing to deal with the consequences of what will happen between you all, then I will support you all no matter how this battle with the Harvesters will turn out. "

The brothers were relieved, they had expected their Alpha to not agree with the affections they shared with Parfet and Barnette, but it seemed that he was not against the idea, at least not completely since he still wanted know just who the two were. Duero and Max however then had to ask an important set of questions to their Alpha.

"Are you going to remain here on the Nirvana?"

Hiryu knew that question was directed to him and he replied to his sons.

"Yes, the Captain was kind enough to have me assigned as part of the Register under Gascogne Rheingau, and I will be here until the end of the battle with the Harvesters. I need to get ready for the battles ahead so I will be very busy, you two do you're very best, no matter what."

Both Duero and Max nodded, they knew what they would need to do. Duero had to remain in the Medical Bay and his brother Max would work with him and Paiway. Despite the fact that Max had fully regained his edge as a pilot and his Templar Gundam's fire-power would be an asset, the crew agreed that his medical talents would be better than his piloting skills since this was a crucial battle and even his brother would be swamped if he didn't have any help. Duero recalled the times he was nearly overwhelmed with the number of wounded and injured that he had to deal with in the battles with the Harvesters, and to have some needed support was welcome.

Max himself didn't complain, but he however asked to leave the room and head off to where the Dread pilots were going to meet. He had something to do before the battle started and it involved a certain emerald haired woman.

--

As Kyo made his way to meet up with the rest of his crew, namely the other Gundam pilots, and the Crusader Squadron, he began to wonder on what he and Meia had just done…

They had just made love to one another, and it was very intense, how was he supposed to know that on this very same day he would be losing his status as a virgin, albeit a four hundred year old one?

However this still did not make things any easier for him, he still had to many questions in his mind concerning the effects of what transpired. He didn't deny that he enjoyed it, but how would the other women react if they knew that Meia and him had just had sex? That was one thing that bothered him still. He wondered what meia said to him….about she and the others discussing the situation with Magno and decided to find out how the others felt about this situation.

He entered the elevator and decided to think not of that, but of the soon to come battle. However, the elevator stopped and in walked Dita dressed in her own Gundam pilot uniform and her helmet, the redhead smiled at Kyo and hugged him, stunning him slightly. He had expected that she would have glomped onto him like she normally did, but the redhead had grown up in a few more ways and merely hugged him instead….and to really shock him…

"How are you Kyo?"

(Kyo?! She's not calling me Mr. Alien anymore?!)

"I…I'm fine Dita…how are you also?"

"I'm fine! I'm ready to fight the bad aliens now!"

Kyo, still reeling from what happened between him and Meia was very aware of his body's immediate reaction to Dita's closeness. Her smell was in his nose as he got a whiff of her scent and the smell of raspberries in her hair, no doubt from her shampoo. That was enough to get his body up again, thankfully, he was already wearing his uniform and therefore, his body's reactions were hidden somewhat, though his body's reactions did pain him as his manhood reacted to Dita's presence, he however squelched that and hugged Dita back.

Dita smiled at his show of affection and whispered to his ear.

"Do you like it when I say you're real name?"

Kyo looked back and nodded.

"I do, I wasn't expecting you to be calling me by my real name now of all things…but yes, I am happy that you are finally calling me by my real name Dita."

"I'm happy then, I want to know something Kyo?"

"What do you want to know Dita?"

Dita looked back at Kyo and twiddled her fingers a bit. She was so adorable and for some reason, she was blushing, as if she was afraid of embarrassing herself in front of Kyo, which in his mind was somewhat a first for the bubbly redhead.

"Do you love me?"

Kyo was stunned that Dita was asking him such a very intimate question, and considering his current train of thought before that was heard, he was in a bit of a blind spot on how to answer the redhead.

"Well, I did say I care about you a great deal before and you've done a lot…so I…"

"Do you love me Kyo?"

Kyo was getting even more uncomfortable by the second and realized that this was the most important thing for Dita to know, if he told her the truth, then who knew what would be the outcome between the two of them, and if he did it wrong, it would result in him hurting Dita's innocent heart. This was one thing he didn't plan on having to deal with, but he knew, or at least, a part of him knew that he would have to deal with this soon.

The truth was, that he did love Dita, the redhead was the first girl who was always beside him, and she always was concerned for him, making food for him, giving gifts, and always there for him. Granted that in the beginning, he found her actions, which was fueled by her belief of men being aliens and her curiosity about him, very annoying and also getting on his nerves. But her heart was in the right place, and her innocence, purity of heart, and kindness won him over, and the following times they had been together, Dita showed a beauty that he would have to be a fool to deny or throw away. The fact was that before Jura, Meia, Sara, and Mai ever came close to him and developed into being very important people to him…Dita was the first woman to befriend him, at first only to learn more about him, but now she did it because she cared about his well being and happiness. That kindness, affection, and nature, coupled with her other positive traits…and as much as he tried to ignore it, her well grown form made her an important part of his life…and she did hold a place in his heart, a strong part.

(This is going to sound kind of mushy…but it's the truth after all.)

Kyo reached out for Dita and then walked over to her and then, Dita blushed as Kyo hugged her and she dropped her helmet, as Kyo did as well to hold her. Both pilots held each other and Kyo spoke to her after several moments passed between them.

"I do love you Dita, you've done a lot for me ever since I came here…and I can't repay you enough for being there for me…even if at times I didn't want you to."

Dita cried a bit and hugged him back, looping her arms on his neck and holding him tight, and she whispered to him.

"Thank you Kyo….I love you too, and I had a talk with the Captain and the others."

Kyo looked at her.

"You did? You really talked to the Captain about…well, being in love with me?"

"Yes…and I know that I am not the only one…"

"Dita…I…"

Dita shook her head and smiled once more.

"Don't worry Kyo, I understand and they are my friends, and I know that I…have a special place in you're heart. It's hard, but I know why they love you like I do…and I don't mind you being with them."

Kyo was still stunned somewhat, and when he got his voice back, he asked.

"Are you…okay with this…I mean, knowing that I care about others as well as you Dita?"

Dita nodded and with an air of passion that seemed very much unlike her innocent nature, she reached out and kissed him slowly and yet innocently on the lips. The kiss lasted as the elevator reached the destination assigned to it and the door opened, just as Dita broke her passionate yet innocent kiss to Kyo, she then blushed brightly and bowed.

"Yes…because I love you Kyo…and maybe when the fighting ends for now, I can show you just how much I love you."

Kyo couldn't help but stare as Dita picked up her helmet and leave the elevator as it had arrived and it would only a short walk to the Hanger Bay, right where the others were waiting. Dita left first and then gestured to Kyo, who broke out of his stupor, grabbed his helmet and followed Dita.

(Of all the things I expected to happen…what Dita had just told me was certainly not one of them!)

Kyo shook his head and couldn't help but feel that this was going to be an interesting future for him. But for now, he had to focus on defending that very future. As he rushed towards his Gundam, he looked to see Jura, Meia, and Dita, all three dressed in their piloting uniforms, look at him with warm smiles and he smiled back, he then spotted Sara and Mai, both of whom smiled as well. He sighed and got into his Gundam, it seems that at least his problems with the women who held places in his heart was settled, and now, once the war with the Harvesters was ended, he could focus on that for now…and make a future for himself…and he was very certain that he was not going to be alone in making that future.

Once he was inside, he powered up the Gundam and he looked for the box of mementos that his parents had left behind in his supposed grave. He rummaged through the box a bit, moving aside the items carefully and reverently as they were the only physical treasures he had. And then found a small case that he left alone for a long time, but with his memories back…he knew just what was in the case. He found the latch and took out a picture of his graduation from school, years after he left the Guardians to pursue a normal civilian life with the rest of his family. It was in that picture where he was dressed in the graduation uniform, his parents were beside him smiling, his sister was there, along with his brother…and even his aunt Cagalli, uncle Athrun, and his cousin Kyra were there.

He looked at the picture with a smile and placed it on the cockpit with the use of a small magnetic clip. He looked hard at the picture, and knew that his parents and relatives made the future he lived in as a child…and he defended the human race four hundred years ago…allowing them to grow and reach beyond the stars.

Now it was time for him to stand up with the others who were now his friends, family, and loved ones to defend the future, not just for themselves and all humanity, but for those who would soon be born. As he checked his Gundam's OS and saw that all systems were green light and the power systems were all good, he then activated his P-Phase Shift and sent out the signal that he was ready to head for the Launching Platform. It did not take long for him to see Meia, Jura, and Dita, in their respective Gundams leave their paddocks to follow him, along with Sara and Mai leading the Crusader Squadron into battle.

Kyo smiled as he got his Gundam ready for battle. However, he decided to soon find out just WHAT sort of conversation the girls had with his niece Magno to make them decide on sharing him, this he had to find out soon so he could make SOME sense of it.

--

In space…

Barnette was busy readying the rest of the Dreads and get them into combat formation, and she was going to make sure that all the Dreads under her command were ready for the soon to arrive encounter with the Harvesters.

"A-Team, move to front and be prepared for contact, B-Team, move to the left flank and prepare for contact, C-Team, move to the right flank and prepare for contact, and D-Team, be in the rear to reinforce the other teams and protect the Nirvana from the rear. All Dreads are to engage the enemy on sight but do not break the defensive lines."

It was then that another Dread arrived alongside her own, along with another wing of Dreads. It didn't take long for the emerald haired Dread pilot to recognize the lead Dread to be that of Vaora. It didn't take long for the veteran Dread pilot to speak to Barnette, and she was naturally surprises since she was not yet aware of Meia's reassignment as a Gundam pilot under Kyo's direct command and supervision.

"Barnette? Why are you leading the Dreads and not Meia?"

Barnette then told Vaora of what had happened to Meia's Dread nearly several months ago when they were ambushed by the Harvesters Mirage Colloid equipped forces. She had been in the scene to watch the transformation of the former Dread Squadron Leader's interceptor into it's Gundam mode. And to say that Vaora was surprised was an understatement.

"The Paeksis transformed Meia's Dread into a Gundam?! You mean…just like that guy Kyo's own Gundam unit was transformed?"

"Yes, I was there to witness the whole thing Vaora, it was amazing and since it happened…Meia's been under Kyo's direct training and leadership in order to learn how to use her Gundam properly in battle."

"I see…is Meia okay with it…I mean, she might not show it, but she loved flying in Dreads and the idea of her flying of those Gundams is a little hard to swallow."

Barnette had to agree, it had taken Meia quite a while to get used to flying a Gundam unit, but like she had seen in the past, meia was a very quick learner and she absorbed Kyo's training like a sponge and the training had certainly helped her out a great deal in the recent battles they had with the Harvesters and their ever evolving forces. If it hadn't been for Kyo's training and lessons, Meia would have been in rather dangerous territory.

"She's a fast learner Vaora, we both know that, she's already very skilled in using that Gundam of hers and she's not the only one learning under Kyo as well."

"Oh?"

"Jura, and Dita's Dreads were also transformed by the Paeksis and have turned into Gundams as well, both of them are also under Kyo's direct command and training. And as far as I can tell, they are certainly doing very well as Gundam pilots…and they're not the only ones, Max McFile took lessons from him on how to pilot his own Gundam, the Templar better, Sara and Mai, along with the other members of his Squadron train with him every day on how to pilot their own Mobile Suits…and even me as well."

"Wow…a lot has changed…wait a minute…you take lessons from him too? You own a Gundam yourself?"

Barnette then told Vaora about what had happened on the desert world she and the rest of the pirates were trapped in and how they had worked together on how to escape, she then mentioned that it was where she met Max McFile, Duero's younger brother and how he saved her life…and all the other times she had learned a lot from the younger McFile and how she learned a lot on how men really lived. Vaora was looking at her as if she had grown another head the whole time.

"What?"

"Is it just my imagination Barnette…or do you….like this man?"

Barnette blushed a bit and looked a bit guilty.

Vaora couldn't help but gap at Barnette, unable to believe that the former man hater had turned into this woman who cared for men and working together with them, which was still hard to swallow. But it was even more shocking to her to see Barnette being…very caring for this one man.

"Did anything happen between the two of you or something?"

Barnette blushed even harder as she thought back on a conversation, a very important conversation with Max back on the Nirvana before she had taken off to work with the rest of the Dread pilots.

--

Earlier…

Barnette was already on her way to her Dread as the battle plans had been made in the planning room, as she had been placed in command of all the Dread Squadrons she was the one to take the lead of the rest of the teams, but a part of her was elsewhere…

She hoped that she had made a good impression with Max's Alpha, Hiryu McFile, since she had gotten very close to Max himself, she wanted to make sure that Hiryu was all right with her closeness and relationship with his youngest child. Another part of her was thinking back on that intimate situation she found herself in with Max when they were with the Resistance a few months before, she blushed brightly at the memory of it and what it had done with their relationship. She recalled the videos she had seen with Jura…about how men and women had children, and how it had made her blush…instead of being shocked and horrified by what she had seen, the images made her feel hot and also she couldn't help but imagine herself and Max doing those very same things, and when she did, her blush grew even brighter.

She however was not sure if Max himself was ready for such a thing, and she wondered if Max would even agree to doing those things with her, and most of all…she wondered how Hiryu would accept them if they actually did those things. It was difficult to imagine but she wanted to know just how it would feel if she and Max did have sex, not just because she wanted to know how it felt…but because she was in love with him. It was hard to admit at times, but she did love Max for all the things he had done, and she wanted to show him just how much, but since they were at war with the Harvesters, and she was still not sure about his feelings for her that stopped her.

She shook her head and went on towards the Dread Hanger to board her Dread, as soon as the first battle was over, she would get a chance to talk about it with him.

"Barnette! Wait up!"

She turned to see none other than Max rushing up to her, she stopped and faced the Talark male as soon as he was beside her.

"What is it Max?"

The Talark male then sighed a bit and also to catch his breath, as soon as he caught his breath, he spoke to Barnette.

"My Alpha said to me that he…doesn't mind the two of us being close friends, but he still wants to know more about us…and he said that he is interested to see just how far things will develop between the two of us, the same way he is interested to see just how things will turn out between my brother Duero and Parfet. So you don't have to worry about him not being in agreement with…well us being friends."

Barnette felt relieved and smiled at him. Max then thought about his situation more carefully, he had made peace with his past relationship with Claire and he had felt a great burden being removed from his shoulders now that he was able to express his feelings about the relationship he had with the now deceased Megele female. A part of him worried that he might not see Barnette again however…this was a very serious battle they were all going to get involved in and if anything were to happen, then…he was not going to lose Barnette the same way he lost Claire's mother Fiona, and then Claire herself. But he had to remain behind in order to assist his brother in the Medical Bay and not fly his Gundam, unless things were dire. He decided to speak his feelings now and then the two of them can figure the rest out together once the battles were over.

"Barnette…I've been…uh, meaning to say something to you."

"What is it?"

"When you come back…I want to talk to you about…us." Max said slowly so as to be careful with his words, hoping that Barnette would understand his current state of mind concerning their relationship.

Barnette's heart stopped for a moment and beat faster again, she never expected such a thing to come out from Max and she was very much unable to answer. Max took this a bit on the wrong side and suspected that he had really caught her off guard…but he continued since this was too far gone already so he should say his piece and get to work.

"I…I once made a pledge to Claire's mother Fiona that I would watch out for her, when she died back on that desert world. That I would protect her with my life…but I failed. And it was only after losing her that I realized that I…loved her for all the time we had to work together to survive. It was the hardest thing I have ever felt in my entire life and I hardly ever spoke of it all since her death. But now…I met you and I felt it again, the same feelings I had for Claire…but this time…I know what they are. You are so much like Claire…but yet you are not. I want to say this straight and without any sugar-coating. I care for you and for who you are… not because you are like her in some ways. You are yourself, you have your own strength and will, and…well…you're beautiful in your own right. I want to make this…friendship, or rather…uh, relationship work out between us."

Max sighed and took his breath in and continued.

"I want to say that I care for you Barnette and as much…as I don't want to see you go into battle without me beside you…I believe in you and you're skill and courage. But I want you to know that I love you for who you are…and I don't want to lose you…ever. When you come back I want to know…if you feel the same way about me. And if you do, then I will try to make things work out between us…no matter what others will say about it… either those from you're world of Megele, or mine of Talark. I wish you…"

Barnette didn't waste any more time and glomped onto Max and held him tight, the force of her action forced Max to hold onto her and both of them hit a nearby wall, with Max cushioning their landing with his own body. He immediately felt his body react to Barnette's closeness. And before he could say anything…Barnette kissed him…fiercely, this was enough to stun and silence Max. Any other words he planned to say died in his mouth as he slowly responded to Barnette's sudden lip lock.

The seconds passed until Barnette released him and smiled at his stunned and flustered expression, and it matched her own expression as well. She then smiled and spoke to Max in a hushed but happy tone.

"I was hoping that you would say that, I want to tell you something too…I had a hard time with it myself…but I love you as well. And I promise you…I will come back…and when I do."

She then posed a bit seductively before Max and that had an effect on him as he blushed even more at seeing Barnette act in a very strange but very interesting way. She kissed him once more and replied.

"I have every intention of showing you how much I want you."

With that, Barnette bid Max farewell and headed back to the Dreads to launch off into battle.

--

Back among the Dreads…

Barnette smiled warmly at the memory of the conversation and replied to Vaora's question.

"That's private Vaora."

Vaora tried to get more details, but her line of question stopped before it even got started as she spotted the I-Freedom Gundam fly out from the Nirvana and was now being escorted by three other Gundam units…namely the Azure Angel, the Silver Lightning, and the Crimson Edge. All four Gundams were then followed by the Crusader Squadron pilots and their own Crusader Mobile Suits…all ready for combat.

Kyo smiled as his Squadron got ready for combat and all his team-mates were ready for the encounter. The only thing left was to wait for the arrival of their third guest, the Mirage Colloid equipped Harvester Battle-ship they had converted to their side. It was time for it to reveal itself to the people of both Talark and Megele…as living proof of the Harvesters' existence and the threat they posed to all humanity in the universe. If this was not going to convince the two governments of the true threat of the Harvesters…then maybe the battle to come would.

This was the only time Kyo disliked the course of action he was taking, along with the others, they were going to be cutting it real close this time. The only thing he could hope to at the very least make things better was that someone would have the chance to talk to all the leaders of both Talark and Megele…not the governments and their blind zealot followers…but the original men and women of the Ikazuchi.

--

In the Medical Bay…

Duero got his gear and equipment ready for the soon to arrive casualties in this important battle with the incoming advanced Harvester Fleet, Paiway was also tense, as she knew just how serious this moment was going to be for her and everyone else on the ship. And max prayed a prayer of protection in his planet's native tongue for everyone in both the Paradise and the Nirvana…

But he made another special prayer for Barnette and implored his home-world's Gods to protect her no matter what the situation.

--

In the bridge…

Magno looked at all the preparations of her forces and the arrival of Rebecca and her own ship, along with their own forces. She had wanted Rebecca not to get involved now, but Rebecca was not backing down, and asked permission to fight alongside them, besides, she had a daughter to protect and she could hardly do that if she was just sitting pretty on the sidelines…besides, she said that she might as well be around or else Magno was going to complain just in case they were not around to begin with when she needed them.

"How impudent you've become Rebecca." Magno laughed and Rebecca followed suit.

As she looked at all the things that were happening before her. The elderly niece of Kyo Clyne Yamato and granddaughter of both Kira and Lacus Yamato decided that it was now time to get the older generations involved in this war, she knew that there was not much chance of her crew to convince the current governments of their respective worlds…

So now it was the right time to involve the very people who founded both worlds.

"BC…I want you to use the Genesis Line to both Talark and Megele."

Tenmei/Buzam knew what she was talking about…the line the old crew of the Ikazuchi had not used in nearly a century.

"You want to talk to both Grand Ma and Grand Pa… Captain?"

Magno nodded.

"It's high time they got to be involved in this…it is time for them to see the future that they have made."

--

On the surface of Talark…

An old, but tall and well muscled man in a tight green shirt, pants, boots, and glasses, made his way into the bowels of the capital city of Talark. He had much to do with the heads of the Government, not with the current leaders…but the Council of Seven, events have already been set in motion that no amount of propaganda could stop. Things were changing for the better in a way, but they were now on a knife's edge, any misstep could end the future and plunge the whole of humanity into darkness. In his hands was a small cloth wrapped bundle…to others it could have been anything…and it could be nothing but junk…but to him, it was the sign of things to come.

Their world was changing…and now the time had come for his people…and no doubt the women of Megele to change and prepare.

Old man Jin…who was really Jin Kusanagi, member of the old Ikazuchi crew…and husband to Magno Vivian Yamato, moved through the crowds and passed several security checkpoints…

To visit the Council…and Grand Pa.

--

To be continued…

--

Author's Notes:

Hi there…

I'm back and here is the latest part in Chapter 10…hope you don't mind as we have some hurdles for Kyo to overcome, and the battles and the lemon I promised will be ready soon.

The chapter is finished!

--

(1) Based on the Z.A.F.T GuAIZ R model.

--

For those who are somewhat new to Phase Shift Armor and are confused by why Phase Shift on Mobile Suits can't block beam fire and beam weapons, but stations like the GENESIS can withstand the fire-power of the Eternal and most beam based weapons. There are some good reasons.

The first is the power requirements, the fact is that Phase Shift can withstand beam weaponry quite effectively, however in order for that to happen, it would require a massive flow of power to maintain the effect.

The Aegis, Buster, Blitz, Duel…and the Strike Gundams were the first generation users of Phase Shift, and it had been determined that Phase Shift could be overwhelmed by beam weapons since at it's first design, the Earth Alliance were the first to use beam rifles and beam sabers and therefore considered only using general shields with anti-beam coating to protect the G-Weapons since Z.A.F.T still used conventional solid projectile weapons and melee weapons in all it's Mobile Suit forces, and that was in the belief that with the Z.A.F.T forces still using ballistic weapons, the Phase Shift armed Gundams would have a chance to tip the scales in the favor of the Earth Alliance, and it was only when Z.A.F.T commandos stole the four Mobile Suits and acquired the designs for beam weapons that beam weapons became the soon to be seen norm in some of the new generation of Z.A.F.T Mobile Suits, thus the G-Weapons now faced a dire problem.

The second fact was that since all five mentioned G-Weapons used battery reactors which had limited power reserves, there was no way they could both maintain Phase Shift AND have enough power to increase the defensive properties of Phase Shift to withstand beam fire, and it was only when Neutron Jammer Cancellers were used that Nuclear power once more came into play. Nuclear power would allow any unit, whether Mobile Suit, station, or ship armed with both that and Neutron Jammer Cancellers unlimited power…case in point, the three Z.A.F.T Second Generation G-Weapons, the Justice, the Freedom, and the Providence Gundams, and the GENESIS itself.

Now the next question is why is it that even with both a Nuclear Reactor and a Neutron Jammer Canceller installed in all three units, the Freedom, Justice, and the Providence Gundams still get destroyed or damaged by beam fire?

The second is safety controls. Even if a Nuclear reactor is present, a Mobile Suit with Phase Shift would have to retain the original settings and therefore still retained vulnerability to beam weapons, so if it needed more power to the Phase Shift Armor, the pilot would have to make adjustments to the Voltage Settings, and that would be a dangerous move to the OS, namely in the sense that the OS would have to be reformatted back to basic settings, and such changes made in a battle field situation was asking for disaster.

And the nuclear reactor has one flaw, it can go critical if it overheats or is badly damaged. To add to the point, using the Gundam's power settings to drain more power into Phase Shift to combat beam weapons would drain power from both Gundam's own beam arsenals, and the rest of it's core systems, such as navigation, propulsion, communications, OS, and also decrease it's mobility and combat effectiveness, a dangerous move in certain combat conditions, and most of all… if the nuclear reactor is pushed beyond it's normal power distribution limits, then it would go critical and cause dangerous internal damage and even kill the pilot. That was why the Freedom, and the Providence were damaged in their fight, and even the Freedom got a lot of damage when it faced off with the Earth Alliance's 2nd generation of G-Weapons, the Calamity, Raider, and the Forbidden despite the fact that despite them using an advanced form of Phase Shift Armor yet retaining the battery reactors.

In the case of the GENESIS, it was armed with powerful nuclear reactors that had large scale safety features and the Neutron Jammer Cancellers, therefore it could handle diverting massive portions of it's power to the Phase Shift Armor to render it immune to both beam and ballistic weapons, and still have more than sufficient power for it's weapon systems, Mirage Colloid stealth systems… and naturally the gamma laser. Thus it required Athrun's sacrifice of the first Justice Gundam by self destruction to damage GENESIS hard enough for it to be severely damaged in the nuclear reactors that it used and the resulting explosions destroyed it from the inside out.

I hope that answers some questions.

--

Kind of sad huh? Now if this situation doesn't make sense at first, answer this question.

How would you feel if you suddenly remembered you're past and found out that the people and places you all knew and loved were already gone, and you are still alive?

Not very easy to live it, let alone come to terms with, now is it?

I dislike too much drama, but I think that this should be enough for now, I don't want to be teary-eyed all the time anyway.

Comments and reviews please?

--

There seems to be some confusion as to what my previous statement was regarding on the case of nuclear power and Phase Shift. I think I should clarify something.

The question was on WHY Mobile Suits armed with Phase Shift, Nuclear Reactors, and Neutron Jammer Cancellers could still be damaged by beam weapons even if in theory, the unrestrained nuclear power would allow greater energy allocation to Phase Shift, thus allowing it to deflect or nullify energy weapons-fire. That was applied to the Freedom Gundam piloted by Kira Yamato, the Justice Gundam piloted by Athrun Zala, and the Providence Gundam piloted by Rau Le Crueset

Here is a short line from an information source on Phase Shift when it had nuclear power that was protected by Neutron Jammer Cancellers, and this applies directly to the GENESIS.

-With the tremendous amount of energy made available through the use of nuclear power, even greater amounts of energy could now be allocated to PS armor. 'GENESIS' allocated so much power to it's PS Armor that it was able to nullify direct energy beam attacks from the Eternal and the Kusanagi, including the Kusunagi's 'Lohengrin' positron blaster cannons. –

And here is a brief description on GENESIS.

-GENESIS uses multiple nuclear devices with Neutron Jammer Cancellers to produce a massive burst of gamma radiation, which is reflected back by an external alignment mirror and focused on a secondary mirror into a laser beam.-

My point is that I brought this question up on the question as to why Mobile Suits with Nuclear Reactors, Phase Shift Armor, and Neutron Jammer Cancellers were still damaged by beam fire and that question alone.

I am familiar with the GENESIS and on what it's systems were, the devices would have to be either nuclear weapons or reactors, though I believe that nuclear reactors are the devices… since nuclear missiles were never seen in the possession of the Z.A.F.T, only in the Earth Alliance military, so it would make sense that nuclear reactors could be the devices mentioned, since in a practical stand-point, if the Z.A.F.T had nuclear weapons of it's own then why didn't they use them on the EA military the same way?

And it has been shown that Z.A.F.T pioneered nuclear technology, namely with the creation of devices such as the Neutron Jammer, the Neutron Jammer Canceller, Neutron Stampeder, and naturally the GENESIS Cannon, along with systems such as the Deuterion Beam Energy Transfer System, and the Hyper-Deuterion Nuclear Reactor. But it was never mentioned the existence of nuclear missiles in their arsenals. Plus nuclear weapon explosions are uncontrolled and last only a second, plus the damage caused by nuclear weapon is too horrific to be contained easily, while a nuclear reactor can simulate a nuclear explosion but it's controlled and sustainable, plus with the safety features, it is less likely to go critical unless severe damage occurs. Thus it would make sense that Z.A.F.T scientists would have found a way to channel the gamma radiation made in the simulated nuclear reaction and use it to act as the main component of the gamma laser.

However, let's not all forget that the reason the topic was brought up in the first place was the question as on WHY the Freedom, Justice, and Providence Gundams were still damaged by beam weapons even with the facts that they have Nuclear Reactors that provided unlimited power and were protected by Neutron Jammer Cancellers.

I hope that clears it up.

--

Heh…I bet no ever saw that one coming….Kyo is Magno's great-great-great-grand uncle…what does that mean now for the crew…and to Kyo in particular?

The possibilities…as one once said…are endless.

See you later…

--

It has finally arrived….the first of the series of lemon parts I will be writing in this part of Chapter 10, and for the other parts and even in Chapter 11 itself, and might even be seen in Chapter 12!

Now then, unlike the Teaser Chapter that I made last time, this one will be with ALL the details, so expect things to get a little bit... heated…(), but since we're having Kyo go first and five women are after him, and one of them has finally been given the go-ahead by Magno herself, here's one interesting question for you all.

Who's the lucky woman who's going to lose her virginity to Kyo…and take Kyo's away from his as well?

The answer to that will be shown to you all very soon, until then, you are all free to come up with your own guesses.

Have fun!

Don't forget, that sooner or later…we'll have the other resident couples take a shot at the lemon bits too, so stick around for that as well!

--

So…how was the first lemon of GunDread SEED? Good? Bad? Needs more work? If any of you pick one of the three, please send me a comment or e-mail.

FLAMES are NOT welcomed!

--

I am here to state that this part of Chapter 10 is now officially complete!

You'll have to forgive my rushing of idea lately, I've had a lot on my mind and therefore, need a bit of a break, this chapter will be it for now until all my ideas are once more organized, in the mean time, I will be waiting for more comments and reviews from you all, my readers.

As before, please do not hesitate to offer ideas, comments, constructive critiques, reviews and suggestions, which I will read and consider. Any worthwhile ideas and suggestions that I find, will incorporate into the coming chapters to make the story more viable and effective for all the people involved.

More lemons are yet to come by the way, so please send you're suggestions on the topic as well.

However, I will not tolerate Flames and I will ignore them and remove them eventually so don't even bother sending any my way. All you will be doing is wasting my time and yours if you still send them my way.

I will see you all later once my self-imposed break is over and I have organized my ideas. Onwards to Chapter 10-Part 3 First Strike!


	27. Chapter 27

GunDread SEED The Second Stage

Disclaimer: Okay, I don't own anything made by GONZO or Sunrise, namely Gundam SEED, and VanDread. Happy now?

Chapter 10

Part 3

First Strike

( ): Thoughts

--

The space in the front of the debris belt was alive with Dreads, and unknown Mobile Suits, and two large ships. One was a Megele cruiser in green and red color scheme, while the other was a unique ship that comprised of an old colony ship and a red Megele pirate cruiser. The unique ship was the Nirvana and the green and red one was the Paradise. Before it was a massive number of Dreads and Mobile Suits, and in the front of such a massive combat force were four powerful looking mecha.

They were Gundams…and in the lead was the angel like Gundam, the Infinite Freedom Gundam and it was piloted by none other than Kyo Clyne Yamato, the famed son of Kira and Lacus Yamato, former Guardian counter-terrorist unit member, and now a historical legend due to his actions four hundred years ago.

Kyo however was not concerned with the historical legacy he had unwittingly earned. He didn't so what he did for fame or a legacy, he did it because he wanted to do the right thing and protect his family, friends, loved ones, and the future of the human race on Earth. Though the pirates knew just who he was now…and sooner or later, the other pirates would know…he had more important concerns than fame. However, he knew that he would have to rely on it when the time came, since his niece contacted him and told him of the plan she had in mind to contact the leaders of Megele and Talark.

--

Flashback…

"You want me to talk to the Leaders of Megele and Talark?"

Kyo was a bit surprised that Magno contacted him with the idea of him helping to open up the dialogue between the two sides, and if he could, help them see just what was happening out there and the soon to come battle with the Harvesters.

"Yes, I know that it's a long shot uncle, but we're not going to talk to any of those zealots in the government…but to the First Generation. If we can convince them to listen to us…then we might have a chance to turn this whole thing around before the Harvesters come."

Kyo knew that Magno's idea had merit and he didn't see anything wrong with the idea. However, he had a feeling that things were not going to be as simple as it sounded. The facts were that even if the First Generation would be a bit more reasonable than the current heads of government….it was still not going to be easy convincing them that they had to put aside the differences that exist between their worlds, people and cultures.

He knew how hard it had been for him and his own comrades in the Guardians to convince the extremists to stop their actions at times…and the results of the attempts…sometimes it worked and bloodshed was averted…other times, it was not and then battle came. He knew that it was a risk, but they were running out of time.

"I'll do it…but I can't do it alone."

"I know…I'll be right with you."

"One question…if I recall the data I had on Talark society before…the only other way you can contact the First Generation is through a special communications code since seeing them in person is prohibited for all except the highest officials on Talark. No offense meant…but I don't exactly see how you could talk to them and the First Generation women of Megele. How do you plan to do that?"

Magno nodded and smirked a bit.

"You're right about that, normal communications frequencies won't help us in this plan uncle…but the Ikazuchi sections, both this one that makes up the Nirvana…and the one on Megele do have a common frequency…and I know about it…after all I was part of the Ikazuchi's crew a long time ago."

Kyo thought about that and nodded.

"Let's do it then."

"I'll start first uncle…and if things get really bad…then I guess you'll have to step in."

--

End of Flashback…

(I hope that plan Maggie has in mind works out. Time is still against us.)

Kyo then checked out a pair of data files he had, the ones Rabat had given him when he was able to regain his memories and before they left the debris belt. He decided to run them through the OS and plan out a possible strategy should they get a chance to engage the Harvesters' super weapon. As he looked at the plans, he saw just how big a task they had on their hands, the machine that the Harvesters had was huge… the image of what it did to Melanos and what it could do to Talark and Megele were terrifying to him. He looked through all the plans and hoped for a way to settle this battle with the advanced fleet. However, he prayed that something would happen before the invasion fleet arrived…if they came in the middle of the battle they had with the advanced fleet…then they would be hopelessly…

Kyo shook his head and focused himself.

(I'm not going to start getting depressed and despondent! I won't do that and further degrade morale and cohesion in the pirates! I won't give up…there has to be a way to beat them!)

Kyo however was then contacted by Sara.

"What is it?"

"I'm picking up a lot of activity from the Talark Fleet that followed us Commander…it seems that they're waiting for reinforcements, I think we'd better be careful, they might try and blind-side us or something."

"True…but we can't afford to throw the first punch Sara. I want a small team to keep an eye on them just in case they try something. But remember, do not fire unless fired upon, if they throw the first punch and not you, then fight back."

"Yes sir!"

Kyo sighed and looked at the assembling number of Vanguards from the male fleet. He noted that the Vanguards had indeed underwent a massive overhaul in all of their systems, even their outside appearances had been altered, they had better weapons, though as far as he can tell, the men were still stuck on using melee weaponry, they had better armor, power packs, thrusters…and several other upgrades to boost overall survivability, protection, speed, and combat potential. Some of the upgrades were the same that Parfet had given the Vanguards of the Nirvana before they were all re-designed into their current Crusader Forms, and Kyo knew that such upgrades were a must…but even he had doubts of what the outcome would be if the Vanguards were to face off with the Harvesters' new weapons and their Gundam units.

For the moment however, all they could do was watch and wait for their other ally to arrive.

--

The Talark Fleet…

"What are they all doing there?"

An ensign asked as he viewed the screen that depicted the pirate forces as the Nirvana, and the Paradise were all in position. It hardly made any sense why the pirates had concentrated all their forces towards the debris belt instead of them. What the heck were they doing? Were they mocking them, and Grand Pa?

"I don't know…but considering their combat formations, I doubt they're doing it for show." The Captain answered back as he too wondered just what was going on. This was certainly unexpected of the pirates, instead of fighting them, the women were preparing to fight something else…even the Ikazuchi appeared to be facing towards the debris belt as well.

"They might just be mocking us and Grand Pa, sir…maybe we should send them a warning?"

"No…until I know just what is going on, not one shot will be fired…is that understood? There's too much going on here that makes no sense. Any word from High Command about our report, along with the images of this?"

"Nothing yet sir, there's no word from High Command…except that we must expect the arrival of the elite squadron the Sword Riders."

The Captain sighed…if the Sword Rider Squadron was being called into action, whatever was going on must be big for them to be called out. They normally were not called upon unless things were really bad…or were going to be bad in a few minutes.

What was happening?

--

Naturally….it wasn't just the men who were curious what was going on…

"Any sign of the pirates?"

The Megele Frontier 2nd Fleet, the second largest collection of Megele's finest ships has been called upon to track the pirates after word of their escape reached high command. Captain Heidi Reynard was head of the Fleet and was a close friend to Captain Mara Jansen, and naturally she was now on her way to avenge the humiliation that her friend had endured.

The crews of the Megele ambush force were able to send word out of the I-Freedom Gundam's attack and rescue of the pirates they had intended to round up. The rest of the Megele Naval Command were unable to believe their eyes as they watched the Gundam rip right through the strike group like they were tin foil. The sight of the Dreads being torn apart and left adrift, and their cruisers being taken out in such a fashion had spread disbelief and anger in the ranks of the female military. They were not going to let this slide, and thus several of their finest pilots were called in to take down the Gundam, along with their best ships and Dreads.

Mara had requested, though very reluctantly to have her crew transferred to another ship after the strike team was rescued, and all crews recovered, including the Dread pilots. She and her crew, along with the other officers of the ambush fleet, and their own crews were dying to get their hands on the pirates for the humiliation they had suffered. Even more so for Mara and her fellow officers, they had great pride in their ships and crew…to have both defeated by a male was an insult that they were NOT going to forgive.

"Yes Ma'am…they appear to be forming up a defensive force near the debris belt. But…it seems that the men of Talark are also near the scene. If we go further, we risk entering the territory of the men."

Heidi weighed her options, if she decided to halt the advance, this would be a sign of hesitation and might be used by her rivals as an excuse to have her removed from her position, and that was one thing she didn't want, she struggled all her life to reach this level of command and to earn her position as the 2nd Fleet's overall commander and she was not going to lose this position she had earned with her own merit. The second option was to enter the territory of the men of Talark…which while an act that most women had talked about doing more than once to show the men just why women were better, they were forbidden by Grand Ma to try it. They had only done this once to capture the pirates and bring them to trial, and the men allowed that…for now, but doing it again…especially with a Fleet this size, was tantamount to an invasion…which could spark an all out war.

"What are you're orders Ma'am?"

Heidi thought it over and replied.

"Do we have visual range of the pirates?"

The subordinate officer checked her scanners and the data and nodded.

"Yes Ma'am…we are in visual range of the pirates through our long range sensors, though we cannot gain a full picture of their activities."

"Good…have the visual feeds on, what are the pirates doing here in the space of the men is the question that has to be answered first. And why has there been no action by the male fleets on them, yet another question that has to be answered."

The crew and Heidi watched as they spot the pirates take up defensive positions as if they were getting ready for a fight, but to the surprise of female soldiers, they were not facing the men of Talark, they were facing the mines and the debris belt instead, as if there was a coming threat in that area. This made them even more curious, what was it out there that merited the pirates' full attention than the male forces that were already gathering behind them? This was getting to be even stranger than before…either the pirates had lost their senses…or was there more that it seemed out there.

Heidi's eyes narrowed as she spotted the I-Freedom Gundam and was tempted a considerable \deal to try and take the machine of the picture…but it and it's pilot seemed more concerned with the placement and distribution of both the strange Vanguard like machines that she saw were being supported by the pirate ship known as the Nirvana, and even the Dreads…this was getting even more confusing….sure, the women were pirates…but for them to take orders from a male pilot was even more bizarre.

(What the heck is going on here?)

"Ma'am…what are you're orders?"

Heidi shook her head at the call…this was getting to be too complicated as a revenge mission, the pirates ignored both them and the men and were focused on something more important it seems, but what was it? She then made her decision

"Have the rest of the Fleet on combat standby for my order, and have the images transmitted to Megele as quickly as we can."

--

The men certainly in the Talark forces didn't know what was going on with the female pirates…and neither did the women of the 2nd Frontier fleet….but that certainly didn't mean that some people on both planets DIDN'T know just what was happening.

--

A pair of guards were protecting the inner chamber of the main administration center of Talark itself, unlike the other men, the two were armed with both heavy assault rifles and armed with both combat knives and a pair of high density spears…both of which were very sharp. The men were also wearing heavy combat armor covered in white clothing and grayish plate. These were the elite guards of the chamber to where the Council of Elders were. It was their job to make sure no one without express clearance was allowed into the chamber with Grand Pa and his fellow First generation comrades.

The two quickly heard footsteps and in came a tall, but well muscled old man, the men quickly pointed their spears at him, telling him without words that he had better show some clearance or else they were going to throw him out. They however spotted a clothe wrapped package and realized just who this man was and quickly went back into combat attention and placed aside their spears. They then quickly opened the doors and the man went into the chamber.

The main meeting hall with the First Generation had the symbol of Talark placed upon the floor and there were several lights, showing men with robes on them. In the room was also a single torch that had special long lasting fuel to burn as brightly and as long as it was needed. The elder males then looked squarely at their visitor, showing that they were curious as to what was so important that they all had to be assembled today of all days.

The man in question unwrapped the cloth and revealed a gardening pot and in the pot…amazingly enough was a slowly growing but yet healthy looking plant inside of the pot and the man smiled slightly.

"Look, something is finally growing outside of the city…and in the wastelands no less….a sign of things changing."

"You haven't lost you're whimsical talents at all Jin…then again…you never did, but you had better tell us what exactly is the reason you've decided to contact all of us to gather here of all things."

Grand Pa looked at Jin with expectant eyes, along with the rest of the men who were in the chamber. They knew Jin was not the kind of person to partake in matters within the Talark Government, despite his vaunted status as a First Generation of Talark. Jin was assigned a special duty and that was his primary task, apart from other important duties he had, despite his hermit like status among the Talark citizenry…for him to come forward now…was a very strange sign…though his maverick ways, even at his age, was cause for concern.

"I'm here to find out why you all have not told them people of the danger of the Harvesters…you know how dangerous they are...you yourselves have seen the data we have gained from the pirates."

"How did you come of this information?"

"Despite my reluctance…you know that like you…I have clearance to see the information as well. I know that what we have seen…is horrible, but all the data we have seen from the pods that came are true…Earth is gone…and now we are about to be attacked."

"And what do you suggest we do then? Throw away all that we have done…we made a mistake…an error in judgment. And we have paid for it many times over…our actions, and that of the others as well have made this situation. We cannot go back, we persevered to colonize this world…despite the dangers, and now you come here and say that all we did was for nothing?! That what we did for the spreading of humanity was for nothing?! And that we should now destroy the people left behind on that destroyed world of our ancestry?"

One of the elder men spoke with strength at Jin. Jin however didn't back away from the threat and glared at the man in question.

"We cannot change what we did anymore, but we know that all that we have seen in those records was no lie, Earth is gone and those that were left behind after that disaster are not human anymore, they have already butchered other worlds of their people…treated them like livestock, and vegetables…how long will it be before both our world and that of the women will be next? We were supposed to spread out the seeds of humanity, for the future of our race…not stand by and let them all be harvested and slaughtered like cattle. The people on Earth…they are not human anymore, no human would willingly butcher other human beings for their own survival. We cannot stand by and let this pointless gender war be the focus of both worlds now that we know of such a deadly threat coming towards us."

Grand Pa thought it over. He knew Jin had a point…but things have gone too far for them to just undo a hundred years of propaganda and cultural training….and many of the younger generations were still set in their ways. In truth he himself silently encouraged the dissidents of their world but he knew that they were only a very small minority on Talark.

"Are you suggesting what I think you are suggesting Jin? That we call for an alliance with the women of Megele…this will not be as easy as you'd expect. Things are too far gone for the idea of an alliance now."

That was when another voice came on the line.

"I agree…and after this stunt that you're forces pulled, I doubt that any in the Megele Navy will agree to what you're suggesting Jin."

The men turned and a screen came to life…to reveal none other than Grand Ma herself as she looked sternly at Grand Pa.

"I have not used this line in nearly a century…but I demand a very important explanation for what had happened in Megele's territory a few hours ago."

Grand Pa and several of the men…including Jin were confused by the statement, and the leader of Talark was the first to comment on the words Grand Ma spoke of.

"What exactly do you mean by that Anya?"

The leader of Megele scowled and showed them a video clip…of a certain Gundam as it tore through the Megele strike group that was about to ambush the pirate forces after Magno and her crew were rescued by their veterans.

"This…strange Vanguard had just broken through our sovereign space with little to no warning…and took out six Megele cruisers and eighty Dreads…amazingly none of the women in those said ships were killed and the Dreads, along with cruisers have been salvaged. This however is still a great deal of concern to me, if this is some sort of attack you have cooked up…"

Grand Pa shook his head.

"We did not give authority for any attack to be made…and we have received reports from our sensor net stations at the border about this unit previously…I can say that it is not our forces and neither is it's pilot a member of the Talark military."

Jin however smiled somewhat.

"So…this means things are changing after all. And this means that he has finally found himself. This will certainly mean we can entrust the future in his hands."

"Do you something about this Jin, and do you know who was the pilot?!"

Jin smiled wider and spoke.

"I know who that pilot is…his name is Kyo, I found him wandering our world brother with his memory lost, but he is not one of our people here in Talark…he came from the outside and I helped him integrate into our society. I also helped him hide his machine in the Ikazuchi."

"Why have you done such a thing?!"

"Because he alone holds the key to the defense of the future…he has done it before…and after what I have seen…it must mean that he has regained himself at long last."

"What do you mean by all this?!"

It was then that another voice came on the line.

"What that means is that there is someone who wants to protect the future for humanity…namely from the enemy we are now about to face as they approach the area of our respective worlds."

The people then turned to see none other than Magno Vivian Yamato appear in a screen before them. The men were stunned that another came on the line and they quickly managed to try and find an answer to what exactly was going on here. Anya however knew just who she was after all.

"Magno Vivian…Yamato, leader of the pirates…why are you here?"

"You forget Anya…I am a First Generation myself, as are the rest of you…however, I did not stand by and let time pass me by at all. It's about time all of us, including you all, get off those chairs and get involved with what is happening out there in the rest of the Galaxy, it's also time for things to change."

"How rude you are!"

Jin growled a bit and spoke.

"You will not speak about my wife in that manner ever again."

Jin then faced Magno's image and his once hard and old features softened somewhat as he gazed at his wife from many years ago…how long had it been since he had seen her? It hardly mattered to him how long it had been and how old she had become…she was still beautiful to him.

"It's wonderful to see you again Maggie…"

Magno likewise smiled warmly at her husband…whom she herself had not seen in how many years as well. Despite the age he now had, she still saw the same man she had married many years ago in her youth and how much time they had spent together before the separation between men and women due to several severe disagreements…and circumstances as well.

"It's wonderful to see you too Jin…I've missed you."

Magno then faced Grand Pa and her smile didn't change too much as she looked at Grand Pa.

"It's been a long time Talen…you've certainly changed since I last you."

Grand Pa, who was also known as Talen Kusanagi looked at Magno and sighed a bit.

"Nice to see you too…sister-in-law…though I hoped that it was under better circumstances."

"I hoped for that as well…but things are already moving and it is time you all came to a decision, I and my husband will participate in this for the first time ever since the separation of the Ikazuchi nearly a hundred years ago. And I am asking that it is time we try to undo the lies and secrecy that have been the barrier between men and women in our system for too long. Both our sides may have survived and thrived…but now has come the time for both men and women to stand united once more…we have to…if we want to beat the Harvesters that are coming this way."

Talen thought it over…

"The reason we have sealed or deleted them is the fact that we have never seen these Harvesters before…despite the data you have shown us, we are not about to set all our people into mass panic. The reason we have made the propaganda and lies, for both sides is that it would give our people something to dedicate their passions in fighting with so keep them motivated…but to suggest that their ancestors are now their enemies will throw them into confusion and panic."

Magno sighed at that moment.

"I guess then that the only way for you all to change you're minds and see just how important it is for men and women to unite to face the Harvesters, is for you to meet them. Look through the view screens, and see just what you will be facing first. We will show you just what it is that is coming this way that threatens all of us."

--

At that exact moment on the Nirvana…

"Commander…the Harvester ship is now in range, and awaiting orders."

Belvedere reported as they were told that the converted Harvester ship that they controlled had now reached their location and awaiting orders.

Buzam/Tenmei nodded as s/he looked at everything and gave the order…it was time for the men and women of both worlds to see just how they were fighting.

"Order the ship to deactivate it's Mirage Colloid systems and unleash it's support fleet."

Buzam/Tenmei then checked to make sure that what Magno had as part of the plan worked well. It was time for both sides to see their real enemy…without being misled by their leaders, and having the signal jammed.

It was also the cue that Kyo and Magno had worked out in case he had to speak to the leaders of both worlds…and also to the people of both worlds to try and galvanize them to fight.

--

Much to the shock of the men and women of Talark and Megele military forces, they bore witness to a strange and frankly stunning sight as a massive sea cucumber like ship seemed to materialize right out of deep space itself alongside the Nirvana and the Paradise…the armor was gold and reddish in design and it seemed to have strange seed like protrusions on the sides arranged in a pattern of four seeds.

In a moment swarms of strange octopus like fighters appeared from the ship's sides and large numbers of the seeds suddenly were released. The Seed Ships then flew in as cover for the Harvester battleship and then began to unleash cubes that broke into more of the strange octopus like fighter units.

In less than a few moments….both fleets, and crew were treated to their first actual sighting…of a Harvester Battleship…with a full escort fleet.

--

In both Fleets…

"WHAT IS THAT?!"

Every enlisted man on Talark, and every enlisted woman of Megele were stunned at the massive ship that seemingly had evaded all of their sensors and had now a massive fleet right on their doorstep. Rumors began to abound as the two military forces tried to make sense of just what was going on.

--

Gasps of shock and disbelief filled the buildings and streets of both worlds as men and women on either planet, who were doing day to day things, walking on streets, watching TV, eating, drinking, and whatever social event they normally did, now got a glimpse of what appeared to be an organic like battleship that had somehow evaded their military's knowledge and was now in the sovereign territory of the solar system they are in.

The people of both Talark and Megele could do nothing but stare helplessly at what they were seeing as the massive…alien-like ship moved in with the rest of it's massive forces alongside the pirates.

--

The leaders of the two worlds were stunned…even Jin was surprised as he and the others, including Grand Ma got their first glimpse of the main battleship of the Harvesters. Only Magno didn't seem surprised by the sight as she knew what it was…after all, her crew had fought with them before and knew the weak points at the very least.

"What is that…thing?!" the elder leaders asked

Magno spoke to them with a calm but stern and serious voice.

"This is one of the Harvester Armada's battleships. This is the image of the Harvesters my crew and the rest of humanity outside of the debris belt have been fighting with for the past year. My pirates were able to cripple this one from an ambush fleet that nearly destroyed us. We salvaged it, reprogrammed it, repaired it, and got it to function once more. We rebuilt it for two reasons, to support us, and to act as our physical evidence to prove to you all here and now that the threat of the Harvesters is very real. We also have gained the records of it's operations…namely records on the number of victims this particular ship has claimed in the drive to harvest organs before we disabled it. That too will serve as the proof of the Harvesters and their intentions."

"This image is already being seen by every person on both our worlds."

"What?! Give the order to jam that transmission! We cannot have mass panic on our hands at this point!" One of the Talark elders ordered.

Magno however stopped him with a stern command.

"You will do no such thing! The time has come for them to see their real enemies for what they are! There will be no lying or deception, the time for the truth to come out has come, and none of you have any say on the matter. This is not for any trivial reason, this for a chance to prevent our respective annihilation."

"Unlike the films you've forced you're respective sides to watch. This is the real deal, this image shows our real foes…and there will be no hiding the truth this time either. The Harvesters have only one goal now part from harvesting us…they intend to wipe us out, they do not care about the genders at all."

The leaders could do little but watch as the massive battle-ship got ready to face off it's former masters, alongside it's new masters, the pirates.

Magno turned for a bit and smiled slightly.

"There is someone who wants to speak to you…he is Kyo himself…and he has something important to say to you all, including the people in both worlds."

It didn't take long for Kyo to appear in a third screen communication himself, and the Gundam pilot and former Earthling looked at the leaders of both Talark and Megele…he then looked at Jin and smiled.

"It's good to see you again Jin, it's nearly been a year since I saw you hasn't it?"

The elder man nodded as he looked at the young man he had met, who had wandered into his area and became his guest in his house for some time, and what he learned about the man that prompted him to help Kyo settle in Talark was still there. He then looked at his wife's image and asked.

"Is he?"

Magno nodded with a serene smile.

"Yes, he is."

Jin smiled warmly at that, making the other men, including his brother, and Anya even more curious as to who Kyo was for the two First Generation members to act this way towards him, there must be something in this Kyo individual for the two to act this way. That was enough incentive for both Grand Ma and Grand Pa to direct their respective looks at the Gundam pilot. Kyo noted their scrutiny and looked back at them.

"Yes?"

"Who are you young man?"

Both Talen and Anya asked him as they wanted to know just who this Kyo person really was and why it seemed that the two former life partners seemed very happy to see him. Kyo then gave a glance at Magno who smiled a bit at him and nodded, as if assuring him that it was all right for him to speak out.

"My full name is Kyo Clyne Yamato…I am the son of Kira and Lacus Yamato from Earth, I was born in September 23 Cosmic Era Year 72 on Earth. My name should be familiar with you all since you are part of the original crew of the Ikazuchi that left Earth."

"Yamato? As in the blood line of the Yamato family…wait, you're name sounds familiar…"

"As well it should be brother…before you stands none other than Kyo Clyne Yamato…the very same young man of my wife's family line that prevented a disaster with the previous Paeksis prototype nearly four hundred years ago…it was through his sacrifice of his own self that all humanity from our world, to that of Megele, and those of the other colony fleets that left Earth exist now. It was he who ensured that we all would be born into this universe."

To say that both Grand Ma and Grand Pa…along with those in the Council of Elders were stunned would have been a vast understatement. They were unable to believe that this young man before them all was THAT person who became a historical figure. The man who helped usher in the Colonization Era and ensured that their very civilizations would be born.

They however were not the only ones…every citizen from Megele and Talark heard that announcement from Jin Kusanagi and were stunned to see a historical figure they heard about but never knew in truth…was now alive and breathing before them. For the men of Talark, the name of Kyo Clyne Yamato was known to them and they respected the name, due to him being a man of history and importance, and to see that very same person very much alive and well was a stunning turn of events to say the least. The women however didn't know who he was and thus were stunned as to why there was a man in their screens.

Kyo however was all on business as he showed images of the ship that had just appeared before the people of Talark and Megele…including the members of the military fleets that he knew would no doubt be watching the whole event on their own screens.

"This ship is one among many that have been released by the people of Earth…who now call themselves the Harvesters…for the past year ever since I was with the pirates…they have been attacking outlying colonies of humans and harvesting them of their organs in order to survive. This ship, along with many others like it have already visited several others that were once filled to the bring with thriving civilizations…and destroyed them. They butchered all the human beings in those worlds…not caring if they were men or women, old or young…they killed even children and babies without a second thought. Several of those once thriving centers of humanity are now nothing more than desiccated wastelands and grave-yards. I don't plan on showing you all the images of what the Harvesters did to those people both men AND women, but I can show you the worlds that they have already 'harvested'."

True to his words, Kyo began showing planets that were turned barren and lifeless, there were dead bodies there…people who died fighting rather than being captured. He then showed images of the Cube Fighters ripping ships apart and he also showed images from the Harvesters records they had found over the times they had traveled…with extensive work and effort, along with the records of the Harvesters that he had requested from the Resistance archives, they had build a solid video record of every world that the Harvesters had ever attacked, and they included eye-witness reports of survivors from the raids…including the accounts of his two comrades, Liz and Patch…along with the accounts given by the people who lived on Delta 6, and finally those of the other members of the Resistance. It had taken a LOT of coaxing for Liz and Kyo to make the people of the station tell their accounts and it hurt them to have to do it…but it was the only way to convince disbelievers of the authenticity of the Harvesters.

By the time the reports were done, Kyo could tell that he had his audience eating out of his hand and he was going to keep it that way, hook, line, and sinker. It was time to tell them just what was about to happen in the next few minutes.

"As of right now…an advanced fleet of seven of the Harvester battle-ships are already making their way through the debris belt and will soon be within this solar system. As you have seen, they have a massive support fleet each and they will have only one goal…to eliminate both you're civilizations and strip you of every organ you have…namely you're reproductive organs. The Harvesters are no longer human beings. They do not care about you're petty gender wars…they are not beings you can bargain or reason with, they are no longer human…but inhuman monsters who care more for their own survival than your own…and they see you as live-stock and without will of your own."

The Gundam pilot then gave a look that made sure to hold his audience, namely those of the military branches, on his side.

"Now is the time for all of you serving in the military…to make the right choice…and prove them wrong. I won't force anyone here to side with me, but you all have two choices. The first is to put aside whatever ingrained hatred, distrust, and bigotry you have for the other gender and fight with us to stop them from wiping you're respective worlds apart. The second is to deny what I have told you all, ignore all the evidence before you and do nothing about this soon to come invasion, and continue this pointless war with the other side. But know one thing…they are coming."

--

As he cut his line of communications with the people of Talark and Megele…along with their leaders, the Gundam pilot hoped that he managed to convince the two worlds that siding with each other was far more preferable than trying to fight the Harvesters by themselves just to show the other side up. The two fleets had to work as one or else they would all be wiped out by the Harvesters quickly. He then gave a quick look at the Vanguards that were gathering before the Talark Fleet and could see that these guys were even better armed than the other Vanguards…and judging the type and number of weapons they had with them…these were elite pilots….Talark's best soldiers and Vanguard operators.

Whether that was a good sign or not was still up for debate. He however had no time to worry about it as he made one last check. It was then that he got a communiqué from Jura. He opened up the comm-link to speak to the blonde Gundam pilot.

"You really had them by the ropes Kyo…but do you think that it will work?"

"Honestly…I have no idea Jura, we've got no choice, but hope for the best."

The blonde pilot nodded and then spoke to Kyo.

"Kyo…I…want to tell you something."

(Uh oh…why the heck do I feel like I'm getting into something I might regret later on?)

"What is it Jura?"

Jura was blushing…he could tell since he could see the shades of darkening pink on her cheeks through the protective screen visor of her helmet. She however shrugged it off and looked at him point blank.

"I know that now…isn't the right time…or the place for this sort of thing…I know how the last time I tried this turned out. But right now, I don't care…because I know that after all this, there's a chance we're all going to make it."

"Of course we'll all make it Jura, don't ever doubt that we won't even for a second…what exactly are you talking about anyway?"

Jura smiled and replied.

"I once said I wanted to have a baby…remember?"

That made Kyo nervous very quickly.

"I do…so?"

"I want to have a family…with you once all this is over…that's why I want you to promise me you won't get yourself killed trying to be a hero…and that you come back alive and safe."

"Uh…But Jura…didn't I tell you before that I…?"

"I haven't forgotten that…I know that there are others that you care for too but we've talked about that…we've decided to stand beside you no matter what happens. Thus, I don't think you need to worry about it too much."

"Yeah, about that, are you really okay about…well…"

Jura blushed even harder and replied.

"Are YOU okay with it?"

"Uh…I…uh, it's not exactly…easy to learn that you….and the others agreed to that kind of situation you know…and…"

"For me…it's not easy either Kyo…but I love you…and I want you to be happy, and when I get the chance…"

This was the time that Jura's uncharacteristic embarrassment faded and she smiled seductively at Kyo…making him wonder even more just what was going through the blonde Gundam pilot's mind as she looked at him that way.

"I'll show you what I can do…after all, I've learned a LOT from those videos I saw."

With that, Jura blew him a kiss and bade farewell as she got into her own location. The meaning of her words quickly hit Kyo right in the gut as his two sides….his moral side, and his male side were once more at war…one side, namely his morals telling him to keep his mind in check and really find out if the women were really agreeing on this kind of relationship he suspected he was about to be introduced to…while his male hormonal side was shouting for joy and jubilation at the thought.

There was only one thing that registered in his brain at this point and time, concerning the upswing on his relationships.

(That was…That is it! No matter what, I am going to find just WHAT sort of conversation they had with Maggie to agree to this kind of change!)

With that thought in mind…Kyo placed his thoughts on his relationships aside as he readied his Gundam for the encounter with the enemy forces that he knew were already on their way through the belt. He then spotted more Vanguard forces assembling with the Talark Fleet, and he hoped that his message had once more worked.

--

The captains of both Talark and Megele fleets had a lot to think about as they absorbed just what they had seen. The fact that the ship of the Harvesters was right before them and seeing it's forces made the two respective captains wonder what they were doing to do now. The images of what the Harvesters had done to other worlds, the accounts of the survivors of those very same worlds, and the fact that seven of that very same ship were now on their way here into their systems to do the very same thing to them was placing quite a choice on their respective shoulders. If they decided to side with the pirates, then they would have to be ready to face the consequences, and if they chose not to do anything…then would they defeat the Harvesters by themselves…without any aid.

Right now…the foundations of both worlds were thoroughly shaken by what they had just witnessed and the governments, had a LOT to deal with. The male leaders of Talark had a very hard time trying to control and answer the myriads of questions their planet's citizens, from all three Classes were asking. While on the side of the women, their own government was trying to quell the number of reporters that were hitting government offices…asking about the truth and what the Megele Navy would do now…considering what they had just been told.

Suffice to say…the announcements made by Magno, her pirates, and Kyo about the Harvester forces had really thrown both planets and their people in the loop!

--

Magno looked back on the soon to come fight…and knew that they time had indeed come…she parted from the leaders of Talark and Megele, telling them…along with her husband that the future was no longer in their hands, but in the hands of those who lived now…and they are all that stands between the future…and annihilation. But before she left, her husband Jin told her about their son, Van, who at this very moment was also considering what he should do with his life.

Like his parents, Van was older now…nearing his late forties and had earned his rank with grit and determination. That, plus his exceptional skills as a Vanguard pilot made him the prime leader for the elite Sword Rider Squadron, one of Talark's elite Vanguard teams. However, he had always wondered on why he didn't find it in himself to hate women the way the other men did, and that had been his problem when he was young. Thus, his father Jin, taught him to hide his doubts and merely follow orders. That teaching, he kept close…but when he was with his Alpha, he was more open about it…asking why they were at war with people had not met before.

Over the years, Van accepted his role as the leader of the Sword Riders, and kept his personal opinions to himself, namely about women and merely did what had to be done. But now…he too, like the leaders of the fleets from both his world, and Megele had a choice to make…and they had to do it now.

--

It was at that very moment that the pirates, and the two fleets began picking up signals…faint ones, the fleet officers didn't know what they were at first, but the Nirvana's crew did…they knew the signals to be that of the Harvesters. The bridge crew gave the word that in less than ten minutes…the Harvesters were about to arrive.

--

And it was at that very same moment….that the two fleets, their officers, and the Sword Rider Squadron's own leader made the decision.

--

In the bridge…

Ezra looked at her console and was surprised at the data transmission that was no coming in. Buzam/Tenmei, and Magno quickly noted the surprise on the gentle bridge officer's face.

"What is it Ezra?"

"Captain…Commander….I'm getting a coded transmission from…well…it's in the language of the men of Talark. Give me a moment to translate it."

The silver haired officer however shook his head and replied.

"No need for that…I'll translate it."

As the silver haired officer read the incoming data quickly, in the hopes that the translation didn't take long before the Harvesters came. The disguised male then gave a sigh of relief and smiled at Magno.

"What is it?"

"Our plan worked after all…we've got an incoming transmission from one of Talark's Fleet Captains on the line…he wants to speak to you in person over the monitor."

Magno smiled, the men were willing to see and listen to them, and that was a very good sign that their very dangerous gambit had finally managed to hit pay dirt. The men of Talark once believed, listening to women would make your brain and ears rot, and looking at one would rot away you're eyes. The fact that the leader of the Talark Fleet wanted to see them as well as speak to them was a very welcome thing indeed.

"Tell him that we are willing to hear and see him."

In a moment, the man who was the leader of the very same fleet that was once guarding the Nirvana appeared and he offered the pirates a salute.

"I am Captain Felix Deckard of the Talark Navy battle-ship, the Desert Pride, and of the 3rd Mobile Fleet Group…I came here to offer my support in the battle that is to come between you're forces and the Harvesters. Though I and my crew, and that of the ships under my command may be committing treason in the eyes of my other fellow officers…we are doing this because we wish to know the truth and we are ready to fight alongside you to see that truth with our own eyes and to defend our world."

Magno smiled at that and was then told that the Sword Riders were going to fight alongside the Crusader Squadron as well, as well as some smaller Talark cruisers. This meant that although the rest of the Talark Forces were not on their side now, at least there were those who listened to their call to stand united.

It didn't take long for the pirates to gain another bit of good news….as the bridge crew intercepted another incoming transmission…from the women of their world.

"This is Captain Heidi Reynard of Megele's 2nd Frontier Fleet. I don't know for sure if all this is true or not…but I am willing to find out and as such, my fleet will now side with you're forces…and that of…the men. I still do not trust them, in truth…but if this Harvester Fleet is truly here to attack…I am not going to stand by and do nothing. And that very same sentiment is with my crew as well."

Magno and Buzam/Tenmei looked at each other and sighed…not exactly what they had in mind from the female military, but for now…it was enough to know that not all of the women of their world were going to turn a deaf ear and blind eye to what was about to happen.

--

Kyo and the other pirates, from both the Paradise and the Nirvana breathed sighs of relief as the two fleets from both Talark and Megele began to close in and without hostile intent. Though the Gundam pilot knew that he had really stirred up a hornet's nest and no doubt would make the Captains of both respective fleets look like betrayers, he knew that they had made the right decision. He only hoped now that their numbers would be enough to face the coming wave of Harvester units that were already breaking through, and in time for the arrival of the Resistance…who he also hoped were on their way now with whatever forces they could spare to help them in the coming battles…this might be a first strike for the Harvesters…but if their newly assembled fleet didn't hold the line…then they would truly be in danger.

As the signals of the Harvesters drew ever closer and were now stronger and leaving the debris belt…he and the others tensed up as they saw the first groups of modified Cube Fighters break through the debris belt…followed by the forms of Seed Ships and Space Urchins. The mine belt of Talark, and the automated security stations would have to be their first line of defense…and once that falls…then it was time to get up close and personal with the Harvester Fleet.

It didn't take long for the orbital mines and automated defense stations to pick up the Harvesters and their Ai forces…and since the Harvesters kept on coming, the mines went forward to do their work…while the automated gunnery stations activated their weapons and open fired.

The Cube Fighters smashed into the mines without any hesitation…even the most fanatical of the soldiers and pilots on either the side of Talark or Megele were not that crazy…but then again…the Cube Fighters were all machines driven by their AI programming…despite their losses, they pressed onwards..even as the mines tore through their current formations…and even when the automated gunnery stations unleashed massive barrages of weapons fire that further devastated them…they still kept on coming, breaking through the mines and destroying the automated stations either by blasting them apart with their own weapons…or simply ramming into them. The surviving Cube fighters pressed onwards, bolstered by the reinforcements of their own kin who were released from the Seed Ships and by the Space Urchins.

Kyo and the others looked on and waited as the Harvesters pressed onwards. Soon the explosions ended and the clouds from the explosions were filled with the wrecks of the first waves of the Harvester Armada. However it didn't take long for the next waves to appear…Cube Fighters in the front, along with Space urchins, Seed Ships in the rear…and sure enough…out came the first pair of Harvester battleships.

That was the signal Kyo and the others had waited for. In less than a moment…Dreads from the pirates and the Megele Navy…along with Crusaders and Vanguards from the pirates and the Talark Navy charged…with Kyo and his fellow Gundam pilots, Dita, Jura, and Meia in the lead, with their weapons already in their hands. The I-Freedom Gundam had it's beam rifles ready, so did the Azure Angel, and the Silver Lightning, while the Crimson Edge had it's beam sabers in beam whip mood, ready for battle. It didn't take long for the Dreads to unleash their missiles and beam cannons at the Cube Fighters, while the Gundams with their beam rifles as the ready fired as well, along with the energy weapons of the Crusaders…and the Cube Fighters responded with their own volleys of energy weapons fire and the Space Urchins unleashed their spines…that filled the space between the surging forces with missile trails and beam bolts.

The First Battle for Talark and Megele was about to begin…

--

(The next few pages will be battles between the advanced Harvester Fleet and the newly formed force of the pirates, Talark and Megele. Thus, expect some very long battle sequences and vivid descriptions of fighting. As to how it will end…I will keep that part as a surprise.)

--

The battle grew in intensity as all sides continued to attack one another. The pirates and their new allies unleashed all of their current fire-power…while the Harvesters continued to press the attack.

"Captain…torpedo tubes 1 to 7 are ready to fire!"

"Understood…begin logging in a firing solution and fire at will…aim for the hose clusters of fighters!"

After the use of the Murasame torpedoes on the Ikazuchi nearly a year ago…the men decided to use smaller but more numerous and still lethal torpedoes in ship to ship engagements. The weapons were smaller, but required less fuel and loading time and were easier to use in firing solutions…allowing the Talark ships more flexibility in combat. The Talark ships and their crews had learned their lessons well as their armor plating held on despite the barrages being used on the by the Cube Fighters, and the gunnery turrets had improved greatly as hordes of bullets and explosive rounds were unleashed, cutting down the Cube Fighters foolish enough to get into the firing range.

"Captain! Firing solutions are complete and torpedoes are fully fueled!"

"FIRE AT WILL!!"

The Talark ships then unleashed a swarm of the torpedoes and the results were spectacular as several clouds of Cube Fighters were quickly blown apart, several Seed Ships were also not as lucky as they were severely damaged by the barrage along with some of the Space Urchins foolish enough to slow down.

The Megele officers in their own ships were just as busy…

"Captain…all weapons are ready to fire!"

"Fire!"

The Megele ships unleashed a storm of beam fire from their main cannons and the results were just as spectacular as more Cube Fighters were blown apart and several Seed Ships were blasted to smithereens. The Megele officers then concentrated their weapons fire on the much larger congregations of the Harvesters to further remove them from the battle-zone.

The Vanguards and the Dreads of both sides were also busy attacking the Harvester forces before them. The Dreads relied on their usual tactics to keeping their distance and bombarding with beam weapons and missiles. The Vanguards relied on their close combat weapons along with their armor and agility to get close enough to take out their targets with their preferred style of combat. The two sides managed, thankfully, not to hit each other, but it certainly didn't mean that they liked working with each other. In the lead of the Vanguards were the Sword Riders and they lived up to their name as they were first to attack.

The pirates were not far behind as their Dreads and their Crusader units…led by Barnette and Vaora, and by Sara and Mai. The Crusaders were able to switch their Form packs on the fly adding to the confusion to the Harvesters, and the flexibility of their forces, the ones that followed the Templar provided the heavy ranged fire and overall multiple fire support. The Crusaders based on Barnette's SwitchBlade Gundam were the fast and agile units, transforming to their Mobile Armor Mode to support their fellow pirates, and getting into the battle-zone areas where support was needed quickly, and used that mode to harass the enemy and then switched to their Mobile Suit form to further add to the consternation and woe of the Harvesters…fi they were human that is.

The converted Harvester battle-ship was also getting into the act as it's support fleet clashed with the forces of it's former masters. Cube Fighters from the converted ship traded blaster volleys with Cube Fighters that were still programmed by the Harvester forces, and when they were close enough, the converted and un-converted Cube Fighters clashed and tried to rip each other to shreds as quickly as they could. The converted Space Urchins

However, the Harvesters began to unleash more than just their normal forces, the battle-ships opened up several openings on themselves…and sure enough, out from those openings came large groups of GunDread Clones and sure enough, out came more Dominion Gundam units…all of which decided to really get into the fight.

Their arrival was further increased as more of the Harvester battle-ships unleashed even more Dominion units and GunDread clones…soon enough there was a massive army of the two types that began to rival the numbers of Cube Fighters being unleashed by the Seed Ships…sure enough the numbers were very intimidating to the pirates and their allies.

But that was hardly enough to frighten the pirates at this point…namely one of their number.

The I-Freedom Gundam was using it's beam rifles to cut down and destroy the Cube Fighters that tried to swarm him. The Cube Fighters attempted to shoot him down with a massive hail of beam bolts that would have destroyed normal pilots and their machines…but the Infinite Freedom Gundam was no ordinary machine…and neither was it's pilot. The Gundam pulled off several dodging and weaving maneuvers that would have been considered impossible if not for Kyo being a Coordinator…and as the son of the Ultimate Coordinator at that, plus being boosted by the Paeksis' evolving energies gave him the edge he needed. That and the Paeksis' own enhancements to his Gundam made him very hard to beat in combat.

Kyo moved his Gundam through it's paces…his SEED mode already active as he used his abilities to rapidly determine the best course of action in his battles with the hordes of Cube Fighters that were attempting to finish him off. Apparently the Harvesters considered him and the pirates a major threat, but he deserved a lot of the attention as the Cube Fighters were literally blasting each other apart to try and take him out, and he used that to his advantage as he fired more blasts into the number of Cube Fighters…allowing the others to take their spots and get the right openings to do the most damage. As soon as he was able to reduce several squadrons into scrap. He placed aside his Gundam's beam rifles and took out the Gundam's anti-ship swords and began to dive into the clouds of Cube Fighters. Even his wild strikes struck home…so many Cube Fighters were in the area. Several were even sliced into two in one swing as they tried to attack Kyo. The Gundam swung it's beam edged sword, cutting apart several more Cube Fighters as he made his way to face off with the massive number of GunDread Clones and Dominion Gundam units…These guys were a big threat already…so it was time to thin them down a bit.

Kyo looked at the numbers before him and activated his HiMAT system and unleashed his fused plasma cannons and rail-guns, and his beam rifles as well. He then included his beam rifles and the feather cannons made their appearance. He looked at his systems and the OS told him that all targets had just been locked on and ready to fire. The feather cannons glowed and unleashed their own spread of beam fire, along with the fused plasma and rail-gun cannons.

The massive barrage of weapons fire from the I-Freedom had some very interesting results as a large number of GunDread Dita and Meia Clones were hit hard and suffered massive damage…the Dominion Gundams that were not able to get their shields up to block the incoming attacks were either now missing their heads, had gaping holes in their chests, lost arms, had other parts blown off, or lost their shields or rifles. There were those that blocked the attacks in time, but even they were not that lucky as glowing welts and half melted sections of their bodies were present. Due to the enhancements given by the Paeksis and his own personal upgrades over the months, the weapons the I-Freedom had could have far greater power than before and could inflict far more effective damage on his foes…and considering the massive numbers of enemies they would be fighting, he was happy that he had made the changes…

He braced himself and fired another massive salvo…demolishing more of the GunDread Clones and more Dominion Gundams as several GunDread Jura Clones activated their shields and managed to deflect the barrage, protecting more of their fellow units and Dominions from the withering barrage. Kyo then moved back as he needed more fighting room as several squadrons of Dominion Gundams made their way towards him…their own beam weapons at the ready, including their beam sabers. The Dominions were the same as the ones that he had fought with on the desert world before, but from the number of small thrusters that their beam edged shields had, these were modified for space borne combat.

The first pair of Gundams that attacked used their beam sabers and tried to slice his arms off. He quickly jetted backwards and before they could do anything, the feather cannons that were still in the area re-appeared and were now in their beam saber configuration and slashed off their arms that held their beam sabers. The two could not have enough time to recover as two more feather beam cannon/sabers came right at them and stabbed right into the head. Kyo then took the chance and used his own beam sabers and sliced both of them in half.

He wasn't the only one getting the action however…

Kyo turned and spotted several Dominion Gundam units using their plasma cannons to try and shoot him down, but before he could do anything to defend himself, a long flexible beam whip lashed out from the left and slashed the cannons, resulting in severe damage to the Dominion Gundams. He didn't need to make a guess as Jura jetted in and then lashed out with her other beam hip…the weapon slashed through the legs of the Dominion Gundams. And that was the opening the blond Gundam pilot waited for as she reverted her beam whips back to beam saber configuration and slashed the heads off the Dominion Gundams while in her own SEED mode.

Kyo and Jura then fought with their backs to one another. Jura used her shields to absorb a massive barrage of weapons fire from the incoming units. Once her Gundam had been able to store enough power, the blonde wasted little time and unleashed the energy in several controlled but large bursts, taking down several GunDread Dita Clones, several small groups of Cube Fighters and damaged a pair of Dominion Gundams. She then moved away as she fought with a Dominion Gundam.

Jura kept her head cool and focused on defeating her foe, knowing that Kyo was nearby to back her up just in case. The Dominion Gundam used it's beam edged shield to block several of Jura's attacks with her beam sabers, along with it's own beam saber. Jura waited for the right opening and when the Dominion tried to use it's beam edged shield to slash at her with the ignited beam edge. She was able to evade the attack and aimed her Gundam's hidden beam weapons and fired at the shield…making the Dominion Gundam move backwards, and she took that advantage and slashed with her beam saber…cutting the right arm of the Dominion Gundam and followed up with a stab at the torso.

Kyo had decided to teach the three former Dread pilots on how to kill a Gundam unit in combat, namely he went as far as to train them with sparring matches between them and him previously and it seemed that the training was starting to pay off as Jura blocked another close attack from the next Dominion Gundam and blocked with her Gundam's shield system. She then retracted the beam length of her left beam saber and slugged out a punch, concealing the beam saber…and as the Dominion Gundam moved back to get an opening to finish her off with it's own beam saber, she quickly whipped her Gundam's left arm back…with the beam saber at full length and that caught the Dominion Gundam off guard and it's head was slashed off by the surprise attack. The blonde then placed aside her left beam saber and then took out one of her Gundam's anti-ship swords. The weapon was activated in time as she lunged her Gundam forward…and impaled a GunDread Dita Clone that was about to attack her with it's arm blades. Jura wasted no time and quickly pulled out the sword and then used it to cut down several GunDread meia clones that tried to evade her attack, but could not due to the number of units in space. Jura then used her Gundam's own speed to her advantage as she jetted past several GunDread Dita Clones and slashed them in half. She then placed away her anti-ship sword and used her beam cannons to unleash more fire-power at the incoming forces threatening to swarm her, namely the Cube Fighters as they moved in, however, Jura was more than ready as she moved towards them dodging their shots and using her shields for both offense and defense as she then used her beam sabers to attack the enemy. As soon as she had an opening, she quickly made her way towards a pair of Seed Ships that were about to unleash more Cube Fighters to support their forces…she didn't give them any time as she took out both her Gundam's anti-ship swords and with two powerful slashes…she sliced them into two halves…along with the Cube Fighters who barely had the time to break apart. She quickly placed aside her anti-ship sword and used her beam sabers to fight off several more Cube Fighters.

Dita took to the stage as she used her Gundam's shield emitters to block several attacks and used her Gundam's own speed to her advantage as she dodged past several squadrons of Cube Fighters, as she did so. She fired her Gundam's abdomen cannons, reducing the Cube Fighters into scrap before they could rally and retaliate. The redhead Gundam pilot then used her beam rifles to shoot down several Cube Fighters and also used her beam rifles to attack several Dominion Gundams. She used her shields to block their attacks and then retaliated when she saw them make a mistake she made them pay for them as several Dominion Gundams lost their arms, legs, or heads to the accurate shots made by the redhead. Dita had been trained by Kyo on how to accurately take out targets with her weapons and how to hit the right weak points.

She quickly paced aside her beam rifles and used her beam sabers as several GunDread Dita and Jura Clones came at her. She evaded the GunDread Jura Clones as she knew that her beam sabers won't have enough power to take out their shields…so she focused her attention on the GunDread Dita clones. She blocked their attacks and dodged the others and then closed the distance. She moved away from a beam shot from one of the clones, and she quickly slashed off the beam cannon on the shoulder and before the clone could recover she moved away as another fired it's own beam cannon, the shot ripped the head off the GunDread clone Dita had defeated previously and she quickly came in with a powerful punch to the GunDread Clone…after she knocked the GunDread Dita clone back…she activated her Gundam's rail-guns and fired at the clone…further damaging and knocking it back, allowing her to fire her Gundam's abdomen cannon , that blast, coupled with the already inflicted damage of the rail-guns literally tore the clone apart…allowing the beam to damage another GunDread Dita Clone. She then took out her beam rifles and combined them to form the combined beam cannon and fired a powerful beam that severely damaged a GunDread Jura Clone's shield system…shorting it out…allowing her to finish it off with another blast.

Dita then took to the open area of space as she faced off with another GunDread Jura Clone, she used her beam rifles to hit it and then fired her abdomen cannon and rail-guns. The combined assault forced the clone back and that was when Dita attacked with her beam sabers, striking the still recovering shield, the attacks weakened the shield and allowed Dita to slice the GunDread into two. She then flew upwards and activated her Gundam's own HiMAT system and evade a massive barrage unleashed at her by the GunDread Dita and Jura Clones, she then unleashed her Gundam's own beam cannons and then with her rail-guns, abdomen cannon, and beam rifles ready she used her own SEED mode and unleashed a massive beam barrage that decimated the Harvester Forces gathered before her…several GunDread Dita Clones were severely damaged or destroyed by the incoming barrage…several other Cube Fighters were also destroyed in the attack…and some of the GunDread Jura clones were able to erect their shields and evade the barrage, but even then are badly hit and had to pull back…allowing Dita the chance to unleash another withering barrage to further damage the Harvesters, several Space Urchins were also hit by the barrage and were badly damaged as well. She then used her beam shields to block several retaliatory strikes and moved back in order to further aid the rest of her comrades, including her friends and Kyo in particular.

Meia likewise was inflicting massive amounts of hurt and grief on the Harvesters in her own way and with the use of her own Gundam's unique abilities and weapon systems. She used her collapsible shield to block several more attacks and then used her own plasma cannons with her beam rifle to destroy several more Cube Fighters that tried to attack her quickly. As soon as she had an opening, she activated the energy field emitters that her Gundam possessed and then went to dashing into the groups of Cube Fighters and other units that were before her. They didn't last very long as the energy fields that surrounded her Gundam were like that of a beam shot and they couldn't touch her. The silver Gundam smashed through several more cloud formations of Harvester units before she deactivated the field and then unleashed her plasma and rail gun cannons, along with her beam rifle and her Gundam's own HiMAT mode and unleashed another lethal barrage that decimated more of the Harvester forces…destroying large numbers of Cube Fighters, damaging several more Dominion Gundams and even destroyed several GunDread Dita and Meia Clones.

She then took out her beam katanas and retracted her shield as she faced off with a pair of Dominion Gundam units. The first fired it's beam edged shield at her, she managed to evade it, but barely evaded being impaled by the second's beam saber, she evaded the two and used her CIWS guns to slow them down, she then quickly used her Gundam's speed to get past them and then slash off their shield arms as they tried to block her attacks. As they tried to recover, she turned her Gundam around and slashed off their legs on the next pass. And then fired her rail-guns at them…further damaging the Dominion Clones, until they exploded…she then faced off with another GunDread Dita Clone and blocked a few of the beam shots with her katanas and then charged, dodging a blow and slicing off the right arm of the GunDread Clone and then introducing her other beam katana into the chest of the Clone and with one sweeping upwards pull…sliced the GunDread Clone cleanly in half. She moved away and went on to fight with the others.

Kyo and his fellow Gundam pilots and their Paeksis enhanced Gundams were raking in the kill rates as they tackled the far more dangerous numbers of the Dominion Gundams and GunDread Clones…lessening the danger posed by the units to their comrades and their new allies.

But that certainly didn't mean that the other pirates and the newly combined Talark Megele forces didn't have impressive kills of their own to add.

Barnette gritted her teeth and guided her Dread into several impressive dodging moves and evasion patterns…while unleashing several of her Dread's missiles and destroyed several Cube Fighters that tried to take her out with a combined attack, the Cube Fighters were destroyed and she quickly evaded their wreckage, she then was accompanied by several of the other Dread forces of the pirates and even some from the Megele military forces. She then used the experience she and the other pirates had to destroy several Seed Ships before they could unleash more Cube Fighters to reinforce the rest of their forces. The Seed Ships had no warning as the beam bolts and missiles from the Dreads slammed into them in full force…further damaging them, Barnette then called in another strike from her other comrades as several other Dreads came in and unleashed their own barrages, destroying even more Cube Fighters and destroying any Seed Ships that were still recovering from the barrages.

The new Dread squadron leader of the pirates then redirected her fighter to engage several more Cube Fighters and destroyed them quickly as she looked at the situation through her tactical scanners. She then saw that she still had some missiles left and then aimed them at several more Cube Fighters. The Dread pilot evaded several more attacks and fired her missiles, destroying several more attackers until she was forced to use her beam cannons as her missile stores were running low. As she took out more of the Cube Fighters, she then checked her Dread to see her status and noted that she would have to move back soon, in order to replenish and re-supply her Dread before going out again.

"All Dreads, report status!"

She looked through the scanners and found that a good number of her fellow Dread pilots were soon to be running low on munitions and she quickly decided to plan out a retreat order for re-supply, while the other Dreads covered them with their own attacks.

Sara was using her Crusader's two cannons to blast apart several more Cube Fighters and then faced her first Gundam opponent…she braced herself and used her beam saber and sonic resonance sword as the Gundam charged at her with it's own beam saber, as she managed to evade the first attack, she had to jet back as it used it's beam edged shield like a boomerang to slice her Crusader in half as it tossed it at her. She recalled the first time she had faced such a unit on the desert planet, but remembered that unlike before…this time she would be personally facing one. She then ducked her Mobile Suit and slashed off the connector cable with her sonic resonance sword and then charged with her beam saber, the Dominion Gundam blocked the attack and kicked at her, knocking Sara aside, but that gave her the time to ready her rifle as she was knocked back, as the Dominion pursued her to finish her off, she quickly aimed her rifle and fired a blast at the Dominion…at point blank range in the chest…severely damaging the Gundam, and allowing her to move in time to slice off it's head with one deadly swing of the beam saber.

She then combined both her beam and rail gun weapons and fired at several more formations of Cube Fighters to damage them and used her beam shield to block several retaliatory attacks made by the Harvesters as she moved back to get more fighting room and to lead the rest of her unit into combat.

Several of the Crusader pilots were using their Schneider Form Packs to slice down several more Cube Fighters and even took out a pair of GunDread Jura Clones with a combined assault and then moved away to take out more of the Cube Fighters, another group used their Aero Form Packs to gain the speed advantage and to rapidly engage several more squadrons of Cube Fighters before they could break through and cause more damage to the rest of the forces.

Mai was also busy cutting her way past several more groups of Cube Fighters with her sonic resonance katana and also used her beam rifle to further add to the kill rate of Cube Fighters and even some foolish Seed Ships. One Seed Ship was about to unleash more Cube Fighter reinforcements to aid their attacks, but she fired several of her knives at the released Cube, damaging them and then getting close enough, she stabbed the Seed Ship from behind…damaging it badly and then slashing quickly to further damage it, she then used her beam rifle to fire into the open wound and cause even more havoc to the internals of the Seed Ship. She then moved away and fought with a GunDread Dita Clone, evading the attacks, but got slightly damaged on the torso by a beam bolt, but the armor held and allowed her to slice off the cannon with her katana, and then used her beam saber to stab the Clone in the back…destroying it.

The rest of the Crusader pilots were using the other Form Packs, namely the Galahad, Koenig, Kaiser, the newest Form Pack developed by the Resistance and Raiha to further add to the consternation and woe of the Harvester Forces as the number of beam bolts, missile trails, rail-gun slugs, and more filled the void of space. The Dreads were also adding to the mayhem with their own coordinated attacks.

"TAKE THIS!"

Bart shouted out as he unleashed another massive plasma barrage right at the massive number of Harvester units with the Nirvana's plasma cannon batteries. He then coordinated another beam strike and managed to avoid damaging any of the other pirates and the newly allied Talark/Megele forces. The men and women were in awe at how accurate the plasma bolts were and how well they avoided damaging their forces while laying waste to the Harvester Forces.

The Talark Vanguards were using their close combat design orientation to further add to the fighting as they used their spears, swords, chain saws, and ranged weapons to deadly effect, though they didn't rely on beam weapons and too heavily on missiles, that hardly meant that they were far from helpless in long range combat. They used missiles to deadly effect, and used the wreckage of the Harvesters to launch ambush attacks on the Seed Ships and GunDread Clones. Several GunDread Dita Clones were caught off guard as Vanguards appeared out of nowhere and began to hack and cut them apart. GunDread Meia Clones were able to evade the attackers, but several more used the debris to shield their presence and cause more damage and destroy them. Cube Fighters were unable to maneuver well as the storm of weapons fire limited their movements along with the debris. This allowed the Vanguards to catch them off guard and tear them to shreds. Several Seed Ships were also beset by Vanguards before they could either release more Cube Fighters, or seal themselves up within their armored hulls. Even the Dominion Gundams were hard pressed as the Vanguards continued their assaults.

The entire region of space was filled with the wreckage of the Harvesters as large numbers of Cube Fighter wreckage coupled with Seed Ships, Space Urchins, GunDread Dita, Jura, and Meia Clones, and that of several groups of Dominion Gundams.

But that didn't mean that the Harvesters were always on the receiving end of the fighting…

Despite the newly combined forces of the two planets and civilizations, plus the battle hardened pirates, they were still out numbered as the Harvesters had the numerical advantage as more and more Cube Fighters were being unleashed by the newly arriving Seed Ships, along with more unleashed GunDread Clones, Space Urchins, and more Dominion Gundam Clones. They were like a massive swarm of locusts, the more that were killed, more seemed to keep coming.

The Harvester battle-ships also got involved in the fighting as they unleashed barrages of torpedoes and energy blasts… and while the ships' AI systems were still not using their heavy weapons, their current arsenals were more than enough to cause severe havoc on their foes. And the results were evident as several Talark cruisers and several more Megele cruisers were hit, despite their armor and shielding. In those ships…pandemonium reigned supreme as damaged sections were sealed off to prevent further damage to the ships, along with saving whatever they could, crew members were taken to the Medical Bays of the ships for serious and often critical injuries, while the Captains of either vessel type tried their best to hold on and keep their crews from getting killed. Some of them were sadly forced to order the full evacuation of their ships as they were sometimes too badly damaged to keep on fighting. Thankfully they were evacuated to safety, while others were not so lucky as some of crew, regardless of being men or women died in the attacks.

The Vanguards and Dreads were not better off either as many of them were badly damaged, and some were out of ordinance. The Dread pilots of the Megele military often found themselves running low on their ordinance and learned first had how vulnerable they were in close combat as Cube Fighters continued their relentless and merciless attacks. Several pilots were killed in the fighting as their Dreads were torn apart, either by the Cube Fighters, and other Harvester units who attacked them in close range, or were blown to bits by the ranged attacks of the Harvesters. The Vanguards also found themselves being severely outgunned as they were shown how vulnerable they were in long range battles against such a relentless foe…who unlike the women who would retreat if they lost too many, cared little for their losses and continued their brutal attacks…several Vanguards lost their limbs or were destroyed outright by the Harvester Forces.

Other pilots were rescued in time and evaded their bloody fates but they had to be rushed out of the combat zone before the Harvesters came after them. The Re-supply shuttles that were normally used to ferry supplies to Dreads had to be used to evacuate the wounded and save as many of their fellow women as they could…while freshly armed Vanguards had to both fight the Harvesters, while rescuing their comrades before they were either killed or captured.

On and on came the attacks of the Harvesters and it didn't take long for space to be filled with the wrecks of Vanguards, Dreads, and Talark/Megele ships as well…showing that even if the Harvesters had lost many units, the combined forces of Talark/Megele and the pirates were also going to suffer losses.

The pirates however were a bit more lucky as most of their wounded were rescued in time before they were caught, and despite the large number of wounded heading into the Medical Bay on the Nirvana, both Duero, Max, and Paiway were able to handle the situations that came before them. Paiway had grown up and was no longer afraid of blood as she moved on to help her fellow pirates and keep them alive. Duero was thankful that he had learned enough on how to treat the women to make sure that they would recover, while Max was working just as hard, using his own knowledge to help his brother and Paiway in treating the wounded…the only thing he was happy for was the fact that Barnette was not among the incoming wounded that were now filling up the Nirvana's Medical Bay.

The one thought that the pirates had was this…

(We need back-up soon!)

--

Kyo then made the call to the Nirvana to send out the Liberty ATCISS, and in doing so, he jetted back his Gundam towards the Nirvana as the pirates covered him, namely Dita, Jura, and meia. As soon as he was able to connect to the Liberty, he unleashed a massive barrage with everything he had in his Gundam's arsenal. The pirates and their allies could only watch as beam bolts and missiles slammed into the clouds of Cube Fighters, Seed Ships. Space Urchins, and GunDread Clones. Kyo then used the massive beam cannons in their beam saber configuration and dived into the mess of the Harvester units, the massive beam sabers were able to slice down Cube Fighters while they struggled to escape, the Dominion Gundams fared little better as their shields couldn't handle the massive power from the massive beam sabers…several Dominion Gundams were literally cut in half, along with their shields as Kyo slashed to the sides…along with impaling the Dominion Gundams that were in front of them, once he did that, he merely moved the cannons in any direction and sliced the units in half.

The damage was not limited to the Dominion Gundams as Seed Ships were also sliced into halves by the massive energy blades, the blades sliced through their armored hulls like a red hot knife through butter. The sliced units glowed briefly where the beam sabers had slashed them before the detonated…Kyo guided his Gundam through the massive barrage of the Harvester units who tried to take him out and continued to move his massive beam sabers through them…cutting down m\unit after unit, and squadron after squadron, namely the fighters that came too close to the beam weapons.

Kyo then slashed both weapons upwards…cutting several Space Urchins in half as their spines bounced of the combine P. Phase Shift Armor of his Gundam and the Liberty unit. He then brought the beam sabers downwards and slashed several GunDread Dita clones from head to groin with deadly precision. The Gundam pilot then switched the cannons to basic beam cannon mode and blasted through another formation of Cube Fighters with his fused plasma cannons, rail-guns, and feather cannons that he released…the end barrage devastated even more Harvester units and left the entire area of space before him filled with the wreckage of the enemy forces.

Dita, meia, and Jura were not far behind as well as they lent their support to Kyo as he led the counter attack at full throttle. The Dreads and their pilots on the Nirvana quickly rallied behind the Gundams and so did the Crusaders. The wedge led by Kyo's Gundam did even more damage to the Harvesters, slicing past their walls of units, and that allowed the pirates and the allied Talark/Megele forces to dive in and cause more havoc.

The pirates and their allies then took the fight to the harvesters as long as the opening lasted, as their ships came in and fired their own arsenals to support their forces. Freshly re-supplied Dreads were re-deployed to aid their beleaguered comrades, while newly re-fueled and re-armed Vanguards, along with fresh replacements came out to aid the Vanguards who were still in the fight.

Kyo then diverted his attention to a single Vanguard in particular as it attacked a GunDread Meia Clone.

"TAKE THIS!!"

The Vanguard had what appeared to be a power fist style weapon that had special firing rods filled with explosives…which seemed very much true as the GunDread suddenly exploded underneath the Vanguard. It had the markings of the Sword Riders, but the extra armor and weaponry, plus the boosted systems told Kyo that this guy was a high ranking leader. The Gundam pilot quickly disengaged his Gundam from the ATCISS and caught the Vanguard as it was propelled away from the exploding Harvester unit.

"You all right?"

Van turned and faced his rescuer and nodded, though why he suddenly felt a strange shiver of recognition in him when he saw Kyo was something he decided not to dwell on.

"I'm fine…thanks for the assist."

Both pilots then turned as they were suddenly surrounded by four GunDread Dita Clones, all of which were arming up their beam cannons. As the beams were fired, both pilots did very different but very effective maneuvers to defeat their foes.

Kyo used his P. Phase Shift Armor to nullify the beam attacks and took out his anti-ship sword, he then combined them into their staff form and with one powerful swing, aided by his wings and thrusters, slashed one GunDread Dita Clone cleanly in half and then with some maneuvering avoided the attacks of the second Clone and then disconnected his anti-ship swords from their staff formation and then combined them together into their twin sword formation and with one piercing stab, gutted the GunDread Dita clone…he then disconnected the anti-ship sword and with powerful outward pushing motions, cut the GunDread Dita clone in half vertically.

Van used his remaining missile pods to fire the last of his remaining ordinance to disrupt the GunDread Dita Clones' use of their beam cannons, he then used his own anti-armor spear and charged in through the clouds and then gutted the first GunDread Dita Clone with a stab right through the torso, and followed it up with another powerful punch to the head, still using the power fist with the injection style explosive charges…ripping the head clean off. He then faced the other one, but quickly released all the outer armor and weapon components as the beam from the second clone he was facing came at him. The beam vaporized the released parts, leaving the Vanguard with it's basic armor and weapons, but that hardly troubled Van as he grabbed his spear and then tossed the weapon like a javelin, the weapon buried itself into the GunDread Clone's shoulder, forcing it back and that was the opening the elite Vanguard pilot needed as he released the hidden chain-saw blade in his Vanguard's fore-arm and then smashed the blade right into the chest of the GunDread Clone…and the laser sharpened blades did their work and cut through the armor plating and cutting into the power core of the machine…he then jetted away while regaining his spear.

Kyo saw the whole thing and was impressed, though he also wondered why he felt some sort of familiarity with the elderly but highly skilled Vanguard pilot.

"Nice moves you've got there."

"Same to you sonny…but now's not the time for chit-chat we've still got more of those enemies to deal with. I need to head back and re-fuel…I'm running low on power already."

Van said as he checked the power core readouts of his Vanguard and found himself already running low on fuel…even his back up power supplies were low, along with the fact that he had sacrificed his spare power pack to distract the last opponent he fought with. He needed to head back soon, and thankfully a pair of his fellow pilots came on the scene to escort him. Kyo then turned and re-connected his Gundam with the ATCISS. In the battle's intensity the pirates, and the combined Megele/Talark fleet were being watched by the citizenry of their respective worlds and they were looking on, trying to come to terms with what they were looking at. The others however were already taking action as large numbers of the viewers began to cheer their respective sides on.

The media was having a field day on either planet as many reporters and private media companies filled the streets clamoring for answers as to what was going on. This situation was best seen on Megele as the reporters continued to barrage their government officials and the officials' representatives on what the Megele Navy was doing…even the best efforts of the propaganda ministry on the all female world to try and turn this situation around and deny the truth were wasted as the transmissions continued to be broadcast and they were not able to alter them. The same thong could be said on Talark as mass numbers of citizens began to question what was going on as they watched the screens, they tried to figure out exactly what was it they were witness to and also sought answers for them, they called to their leaders and also to Grand Pa for answers.

In the Chamber that housed the elder men of the planet of Talark, they could do nothing but bear witness to both the battle in space before them. They could now tell that things were no longer going to be the same and much was happening and now no longer in their hands…even the two leaders, Talen and Anya could do nothing and watch as their respective people were now caught in the whirl-pool of events.

Naturally some of the men were not willing to just stand by and watch all that they had accomplished be undone…no matter what the situation may be.

"Jam that transmission! We cannot allow this to be seen anymore, if we do we'll have a planet wide riot on our hands!"

Jin however would have none of it as he looked at the men, stopping him cold. Jin then looked towards the hall and faced the hidden cameras that acted as the only link the men who had the highest security clearance levels.

"You will NOT stop that transmission!"

Jin then looked at both his brother and his sister in law. His once hardened expression softening as he gazed at his family members and spoke.

"The time has come to put aside the past, we have to do so in order to help our people survive…and the time has come for men and women…on both our planets to begin the task of mending and building relations with one another. It will be a long and harsh path, of that I have no doubt, and neither do you two as well. But we have to do it, for those who are still in cold sleep and for the new generations that are soon to be born into this universe. The time is now and the choices will be yours…you all can see this can't you…those who are fighting out there…they will need you're help…here and now…will you come to their aid and prepare to fight for the future of the human race, the UNITED human race as we should have done and we can do it again…or will you cling to the past and do nothing?"

Talen and Anya looked on as they realized that now, they had to make the right decision and make it soon, they could already see that despite the best efforts of the pirates and the small combined fleets from both their planets they were still outmatched. If they fell, then nothing would be able to stop the Harvesters from completing their objectives. Both husband and wife made the decision to seal away the information, in disbelief that the people of Earth had become so monstrous…and the sets of pods that soon followed continued to frighten them…but they denied the truth and they were now in this mess. The choice was indeed theirs and it would decide the fates of not just their worlds and people…but the very future itself.

It didn't take long for them to make the decision.

Both of them spoke immediately and their commands were heard.

"Connect me directly into Fleet High Command."

--

"Damn it! There's so many of them!"

Jura shouted out in frustration as she took out several more Cube Fighters with her Gundam's hidden beam cannons and solid weapons, but even more of the Cube Fighters kept coming.

"No kidding! We're going to need some serious fire-power soon if we're going to pull through on this mess!"

Meia commented as she used her Gundam's beam katana and shield to face off with two more GunDread Dita Clones that came right at her at full speed.

"The bad aliens are so many!" Dita said as she used her Gundam's rail-guns to destroy several more Cube Fighters and then her beam sabers on the others that came at her.

Kyo could tell that his comrades were getting tired so he decided to do as much damage as he could and to even up the load. He had done this before and now was the right time to finally get rid of one of the Harvester battle-ships. He the called in the Nirvana…namely Bart who was still peppering away with massive plasma beams at the Harvesters that were in his line of fire.

"Bart!"

"Go ahead Kyo!"

Kyo then made some rapid calculations and went ahead with the plan, this was going to be rather close though…he had never done this before and it was rather risky to say the very least.

"I want you to unleash a full barrage right into the harvester Forces protecting that Battle-ship…it's time we take one of them out of this picture!"

"How do you propose to do that?"

"Trust me…just give me a clear path into the Harvester ship's perimeter."

Bart didn't know just what Kyo had in mind, but if he knew one thing with absolute certainty, Kyo was not the kind of guy to make a request if he didn't have a plan in mind. And from what he himself had seen, those plans worked beautifully when done at the right time and on the dot with Kyo's orders. The other pirates knew that to be true as well and quickly agreed on what Kyo was going to do. Bart wasted no time as he began to lock on to the large number of Harvester units that were protecting the battle-ship that Kyo had in mind to hit…and it was the best target right now. It was aiming to destroy several ships, namely that of Talark and Megele and the ships were barely able to get a good lock on the massive battle-ship, because of the fact that the support fleet of the ship acted as it's physical shield and the men and women were being hit hard, they didn't have the fire-power…nor the forces needed to do any damage to the battle-ship that was trying to blow them into scrap.

Bart looked on as he locked in the right coordinates for the massive barrage that Kyo had in mind so they could eliminate the enemy forces that were shielding the Harvester battleship…Kyo likewise outlined his plan to his fellow Gundam pilots…and they were stunned at what he had in mind.

"Are you sure that would work Kyo?! That sounds like suicide!?"

Meia said with surprise and concern evident on her face. The same expressions were also present on the faces of Jura and Dita as they too thought that Kyo was planning a too risky move…this was even more dangerous than the one time he snuck into the very jaws of the enemy back on that desert world that they had been trapped in a few months before.

"I know…but we've got to do what we can to stop the Harvesters…and with one of their ships down…we may do just that, with one down, it's fleet won't be able to come to the aid of the other ships and that might make things a lot easier for all of us."

"But still!"

Kyo smiled at them and replied…"Don't worry, I'll be fine…besides, I will need all of you're help as well."

"Us?"

--

In the Command Centers for the respective Talark and Megele Navy…

The Grand Admirals of both Fleets were busy trying to figure out what they were supposed to do. They were tasked with fleet command and were under the direct authority of the Government, however, the battles that they were now looking at appeared to have thrown the entire chain of command out of whack. There had been reports about an unknown Vanguard flying towards the Megele territory and right past the Talark and Megele sensor network stations, scaring the living daylights out of the two sides. For the women however, the reports of the strange machine disabling six of their fellow officers' ships and defeating their Dreads with seemingly no effort was a blow to their pride as women of Grand Ma and Megele.

However, the sight of the strange machine fighting against these alien-like invaders alongside the pirates and even some of the new and strange Vanguards was enough to stun them…they were even more surprised to see that some of their forces have just joined the fighting and the reports of civilian unrest was certainly going to be a big problem for home-world security. The Grand Admirals on both planets were unable to determine what they should do…not because they lacked initiative…but because they were still worried about what would be the ramifications if they got involved with the fighting. The last thing they wanted was to go on without making sure that they had all the bases covered.

It was then that their respective aides got a message and they both gasped as they read just what was coming on their communication systems. As they read the data, they quickly turned to their superiors and then to the rest of the command staff.

"Ma'am…we're receiving a personal command communiqué from Grand Ma!"

"Sir…we're receiving a personal command communiqué from Grand Pa!"

--

At that very same moment…

Bart smiled as he locked in all the data and saw the targeting systems under his command give him the go ahead for the strike, but he held back the attack…he had to wait for Kyo's order to unleash the barrage.

At that very moment Kyo had finished his plans and then gave the signal to Bart to go ahead with the strike. Beside his Gundam and the ATCISS were Dita, Jura, and Meia within their own Gundams…ready to put his plan into action. Kyo knew that this plan was going to be dicey…but if it worked, then the balance would at least tip in favor of the good guys and not the Harvesters…and that was going to be worth the plan he was about to pull.

"TAKE THIS!"

Bart then unleashed a massive plasma beam barrage right at the clouds of enemy units and the results were explosive…and it was also there that the four Gundams made their move…following behind the barrage by a few good dozen meters.

Cube Fighters were blown apart, Dominion Gundams were also severely damaged or outright destroyed, Seed Ships were turned into burning wrecks, Space Urchins were blown apart and reduced into floating junk, and large numbers of GunDread Clones were either destroyed or severely damaged and unable to fight at full strength. In the once vast cloud was a massive hole filled with wreckage and still exploding units of the Harvester battle-ship's support fleet.

That was the opening the four Gundam pilots were waiting for.

The four Gundam rushed in as quickly as they could manage to break the distance. Kyo unleashed a barrage of missiles from the Liberty's stores and caused even more losses for the Harvesters. However, several surviving units began to attack with their own beam attacks, it was at this point that Jura got involved as she activated her shields…absorbing the weapons fire. The blonde Gundam pilot then checked her OS readouts and then noted that her Gundam's shields have absorbed the right amount of power…and in that same moment, Dita combined her Gundam's beam rifles, while Meia released her Gundam's plasma cannons and rail-guns, and Kyo finished it off by over charging his fused plasma cannons and fused rail-guns, along with the other beam weapons of the Liberty…along with his feather cannons.

The four Gundams then unleashed a massive barrage that punched right through the clouds of Harvester units before they could move in and close the gap. The Gundams rushed through the hole and their attacks continued along and smashed right into the Harvester battle-ship…causing massive damage as the Harvester ship's armor broke under the combined assault. The blast blew a massive hole in the ship…similar to the very same one that the pirates once used to get into the control battle-ship of the Mirage Colloid equipped Harvester Fleet. This was the opening Kyo needed as he pushed the Liberty to full power…but not before saying to his three female comrades…

"Wish me luck!"

"Good luck!"

With that, the three girls moved away and re-engaged the Harvesters but not before escaping the area before the hole was re-sealed by the Harvester forces that managed to rally themselves. They only hoped that Kyo was right on his plan…but they knew that he had done a lot of impossible things, and despite their reservations on the matter…this one would be no different.

--

Kyo guided his Gundam right into the maw and was now making his way into the area where the control node of the ship was. The design was still similar to the very same one he and the others had infiltrated months before. But he knew not to get comfortable as he powered up his Gundam and the Liberty's P. Phase Shift Armor system to the highest settings, which was no danger due to the enhanced systems and the Paeksis/nuclear hybrid reactor. The internal defense systems of the Harvester battle-ship wasted little time in trying to slow down and destroy their unwanted visitor as lasers and even solid steel spikes were fired at the Gundam at high speeds. Kyo evaded most of the attacks, but his maneuvering options were very much limited due to the size of the tunnels, the defenses and their fire-power, and the presence of the Liberty ATCISS…however, her certainly wasn't going to give up just yet as he moved through. He used his fused plasma cannons and rail-guns, along with the feather beam cannons to blast his way through the mess. Several newly installed sealing doors begin to close…but they are either passed through by the Gundam due to being unable to move fast enough, or were blasted aside and damaged severely by the Gundam's weapons fire.

It didn't take long for Kyo to now find himself inside the vast chamber and right in front of the Harvester battle-ship's main computer node…he however wasted little time as panels opened up around him as Cube Fighters, GunDread Clones, and Dominion Gundams appeared and surrounded him. Kyo however was not spotting as his SEED Mode went to the second level…leaving his eyes glowing brightly, and it seemed that the I-Freedom's own SEED Mode Program was online as it's eyes also glowed and the Paeksis crystals that were located in strategic areas glowed as well. The Gundam pilot then locked all his weapons on both the Harvester battle-ship's main AI core node and the forces around him. The Harvesters quickly charged…hoping to kill Kyo before he could unleash the attack.

But they were too late…

The I-Freedom fired all of it's weapons, and so did the Liberty. The entire chamber was filled with massive explosions as Harvester units were consumed by the maelstrom of weapons fire from the Gundam. Kyo then amplified the beam cannons of the Liberty and fired them…but unlike the powerful beams that were used in cannon mode, or the constant but lengthy beam blades used in the beam saber configuration, these beams were constant and at high intensity. Kyo guided them right into the AI core unit and incinerated the AI CPU, right past the synthetic fleshy covering that gave the impression he was in the gullet of a massive creature. The beams burned right through the AI Core unit and right into the wall causing massive damage…and at the very second. Kyo placed the beam cannons on either side and with his Gundam's entire beam arsenal going at full tilt and that of the Liberty unit as well.

The constant beams were so powerful they literally exploded right through the inner workings of the Harvester battle-ship and right to the sides…making it appear that two lances of pure energy were appearing right outside of the Harvester ship. Inside of the still explosion filled area…Kyo then moved his Gundam, namely on a rotating position as the constant beams began to slice through the walls…while still firing his arsenals.

The end result was that the beams were cutting the Harvester battle-ship on the sides internally. The areas where the beams had done their work were glowing red hot due to the sheer power and intensity of the beams that hit through it…that plus the massive barrage that Kyo's Gundam was unleashing inside of it, made sections of it's form appear to be bulging outwards. The beams moved on, cutting through the ship's innards and right out through the body, right to the front near where the main cannon was and all the way to the engines in the rear, and then to the other side of the ship. The beams completed the cycle a few minutes later as the beams stopped their actions and faded away.

The women of Megele and the men of Talark could only gap in mute awe as the effects of the attack inside the alien-like Harvester battle-ship were seen as the support fleet of the Harvester battle-ship suddenly ceased functioning and were now adrift in space…and soon enough the ship began to explode…the areas where the beams had cut through exploded violently and the sheer destruction that occurred inside the ship finally escaped and explosions occurred everywhere.

The three female Gundam pilots and their fellow pirates, including Sara and Mai who witnessed the whole thing, waited and were rewarded as their sensors picked up the transponder signal of the I-Freedom and the Liberty through the explosions and they saw Kyo and his Gundam appear out of the exploding inferno at high speed, evading the explosions and appearing from the wreckage.

Bart shook his head in awe at the sight.

"Man…with him on our side…it's no wonder why might have a chance in this battle after all."

Magno smiled at the sight of her uncle as he went back into the fight, while Buzam/Tenmei looked on in great respect to Kyo's efforts.

The three women in their Gundams were glad that Kyo escaped without injury and quickly flew alongside him as he contacted them and smiled weakly.

"Told you it would work…now let's get back to the fighting!"

That was also when the pirates and the combined fleets began to pick up signals coming from both Talark and Megele. Buzam looked over the language of the men and was in awe at what s/he was reading, the disguised male officer then faced his/her commanding officer and replied to her.

"Captain…I've just picked up a fleet transmission signal from the communication waves of the Talark Fleet Command…Grand Pa himself has given the order for the entire Talark Naval Fleets to engage the Harvesters…alongside us!"

It was also when Belvedere, Amarone, and Celtic picked up another set of transmissions and these were not coming from the men…but from the women…and it was in standard Megele Naval Fleet code. They didn't take long to see what was happening.

"Captain!"

"What is it?"

"The entire Megele Naval Fleet…every ship that our world has, have just been ordered to mobilize themselves and engage the Harvesters alongside us, as well as the male fleets of Talark…and it's under Grand Ma's direction command!"

That was wonderful news to the pirates as they realized that their desperate gamble to warn their worlds and make them see the value and importance of fighting side by side had finally paid off.

"Captain…it appears that we've done it." Buzam said with a smile.

Magno nodded with her own smile…

"That we did BC, that we did…it seems that my brother and sister in law finally made the right decision…though the men of Talark may not like fighting alongside our fellow women from Megele all that much…it may take time…but this is the right direction for all of us…I just hope none of them do this out of pride or arrogance."

Buzam nodded as he/she could see just where that comment was going…the men and women may be following the orders of their supreme leaders…but that certainly didn't mean that they were all for following the idea of working side by side with each other all that much.

--

To be continued…

--

Looks like the gambit has finally paid off and the Talark and Megele civilizations are now mustering their military to fight the Harvesters…but will they work well together and what kind of new abilities did both military forces come up with while the pirates were away?

Find out next time!


	28. Chapter 28

GunDread SEED The Second Stage

Disclaimer: VanDread is not mine, and the same goes for Gundam SEED

Chapter 10

Part 3B

First Strike

( ): Thoughts

--

In the newly arriving Talark fleets…

"I can't believe we're actually going to help the women!! We can handle this mess on our own right now! Why the bloody hell should we help the very enemy we have faced for generations to beat these intruders?!"

One of the Talark officers asked heatedly as he looked at the screens to see the fighting and the soon to arrive detachment of the Megele Navy. The other men who were there also expressed similar opinions as they disliked the very idea of men and women working together. But they knew that the orders came directly from Grand Pa, to assist the defeat of the Harvesters even if it meant working alongside the women to do it.

"Doesn't matter…if we win this battle, we can bring more glory to our empire and show those monstrous women just what sort of enemy they have with us!"

Another officer commented with arrogant pride as he looked at the fighting going on before him, while the other men agreed with his statement. He believed that once the fighting was over, they would finally make the traitors pay for disobeying and defying Grand Pa by siding with these vile female pirates, and then they would show the women the true fighting spirit of the men of Talark.

Once that was done, they were going to prove their manliness to all those who dared to enter the Talark empire and attack them…it was a shame that there was no intel on where the leader of this Harvest Armada was, if the leader of this fleet was present, then they would take that person out and show their strength to all…including these invaders. The chance to show the women up was too good an idea to resist for them all.

They were not aware of the fact that the women on the side of the newly arriving female fleets had similar ideas as well.

"I can't believe we're actually fighting alongside the men…the idea is so…disgusting!?"

Another high ranking female officer on the fleet command ranted as she recalled the orders handed to them by their Grand Admiral…straight from Grand Ma herself. She and several others looked at the screens to witness the fighting between the combined fleets of their world and that of the men, and the pirates. The very notion of fighting alongside the men was repugnant to her was sickening to say the least…but they could hardly disobey the orders since it came directly from Grand Ma herself.

"Let's not worry about that…if we win this battle…then we can prove to the men just how inferior they really are and show to them how superior women really are!"

Another officer said, amidst the cheers of the other women who were beside her. She and the others believed that once the fighting was over and they had defeated far larger numbers of these Harvesters then they could finally prove to the men just how much better women were compared to men, and give more glory to the lands of and people of Megele.

Once that was over, they were going to make sure the ones who challenged their government would finally be jailed and kept silent. And they were going to show to others, including the Harvesters that they didn't bow down to any outsider. The only thing they didn't like, apart from the part of working with the women, was the fact that the leader of this invasion force was not present since intel was scarce on that person…if they were able to kill the leader before the stupid and barbaric men could try it…then they would truly prove their superiority over the men for all to see. The chance to do that was something they would do anything to try.

In the meantime however, they would have to deal first with the Harvester forces that were already in the area.

Unfortunately for the officers and those male and female soldiers who thought those ideas…namely the one on them killing the leader of the Harvesters to prove their respective superiority over the other side…they were about to get their wish as the Harvester Invasion Force closed the gap between them and the debris belt. And the said leader was now listening to a current report from one of the clone operators.

--

The Harvester Invasion Force…

"What did you say?" The Harvester leader asked with an upturned eye of curiosity at the clone operator speaking to him.

"My Lord…despite the interference from the debris belt surrounding Talark and Megele…we have been able to receive and decode garbled transmissions from the advanced Fleet, it appears that they have encountered the Nirvana, along with elements of the pirates' veteran forces, and the converted battle-ship that they stole from us, and it appears that a small combined fleet from both Talark and Megele are alongside them. The battle-ships have engaged their forces and have suffered significant losses…however, things have taken a turn for the worst."

"For them…or us?"

"I am afraid for us my Lord…"

"Really? Then tell me what happened."

"It appears that the pilot of the I-Freedom Gundam was able to coordinate a concerted attack on Battle-ship X-78A and broke through it's support fleet with support fire from the other Paeksis enhanced Gundams and the Nirvana. The I-Freedom then proceeded to infiltrate the ship and break past the inner defenses and attack the main CPU Core of the ship….we do not know all the specifics, but it appears that he tore the ship literally in half from the inside out with his beam weapons. As such, that ship and it's support forces have been permanently disabled…limiting their numbers. And now it seems that the second wave of transmissions tell us that the two worlds have authorized the rest of their fleet forces to align with the pirates to fight us…under express orders directly from their leaders."

The leader looked on impassively, and then sighed.

"That is not very surprising…still, taking on one Harvester battle-ship and ripping it apart from the inside out is a good feat. How soon will we be able to enter the debris belt?"

"With the continued drone interference of the Resistance and their forces…at least several more days, due to some of our ships still needing some repairs my Lord. The fleet however can make due and attack immediately, all you have to do is give out the order."

"Tell the fleets to begin ship repairs quickly, we however will not strike yet…so tell the fleet to hold their position. We will test their mettle by seeing how they handle facing off with the rest of the advanced fleet. However…I will go ahead and see just what is happening there…prepare the E.Vendetta for combat flight…tell the fleet to hold their position and await any orders from me…just in case I need some support."

The clone operator obeyed without question as the leader smiled and left the Command center…no doubt to get his piloting uniform. As he did so, he then entertained a very dark thought.

(I think that the time has finally come to find out just WHO these pirates really are…and to finally meet Kyo Yamato face to face!)

In a few minutes…the Harvester leader was now in his Gundam and awaited the order…once he was given the all clear to launch from the main battle-ship, he took his Gundam through the launching deck and activated the Endless. Vendetta Gundam's P. Phase Shift Armor and it's powerful wings. In a few moments the once dull gun metal grey Gundam glowed it's blood red eyes and was covered in the deadly color scheme that it normally had and it's blood red crystal feathers were released from the now unleashed wings.

The Gundam quickly jetted it's way into the debris belt, unmindful of the massive debris and energy storms hitting the place. The leader didn't care about all the chaos around him in the debris belt…in his mind, he had far more important fish to fry.

--

Meanwhile…

(Man…I can't believe that it's started already…I've got no time to waste…I've got to find Kyo quickly.)

Rabat commented as he looked through his Mobile Suit's scanners to try and locate the I-Freedom and it's pilot while trying to evade the incoming enemy forces. His Mobile Suit may be armed with Mirage Colloid to stealth through the morass before him and evade detection, but he was not going to take any unnecessary risks on his very person. However, he doubted that he could remain hidden forever. However he too wanted revenge for what the Harvesters had done to him so he was also planning to get involved in the fighting.

However, he pushed such thoughts out of his mind as he concentrated on locating Kyo and warning him about the blood tie that existed between him and the Harvester leader…and why it would seem that he was coming to both Talark and Megele personally to kill the Gundam pilot with his own hands with the aid of his Paeksis enhanced Gundam. This was important…more important than his own desire for revenge…and in this case atonement.

As he scanned the area…he was frustrated since the massive number of explosions unleashed various amounts of energy waves, and the massive number of communiqués flowing through space made it impossible for him to isolate and speak to Kyo personally…along with the pirates on what they have to get ready for…so that meant that he would have to dive into the very thickness of fighting in order to accomplish his goal.

He only hoped that he had enough time…

--

Back to the fighting outside the debris belt…

Kyo and the other pirates were leading yet another assault towards the Harvesters and they were getting better at it, due to their much greater experience in fighting with the Harvesters than their allies from either Talark and Megele. The experience included when the Harvesters would release more Cube Fighters, how to destroy the Seed Ships before they could unleash more reinforcements to their side, how to defeat the Space Urchins in combat, the weaknesses of the individual GunDread Clones, and the ways on how to eliminate the Dominion Gundams.

As the pirates continued to fight, they knew that casualties were already mounting on their side, many of their pilots were now in the Medical Bay for treatment and Duero was already working non-stop, along with his brother Max, and Paiway to deal with the numbers injured in the fighting. The pirates of the Paradise fared little better as they had their own wounded to deal with in their own Medical Bay. Vaora and Rebecca were doing their absolute best alongside the others, including Barnette who was still flying her Dread, despite the fact that it was already running low on power and ordinance. The green haired girl then decided to make an important call to Gascogne and the Register as she scanned her Dread to see that a good portion of it's systems and functions were reaching their breaking point and she could not afford to leave the other Dread pilots behind for repairs…it was time to call in her back-up unit.

"Gasco! I'll need the SwitchBlade Gundam pronto!"

Gascogne nodded as she received the communiqué from Barnette.

"Get the SwitchBlade into the Dreki and load up all the ordinance we have left to refuel the Dreads! And how many times must I have remind everyone…the name's Gascogne….NOT GASCO!"

Vaora managed to destroy a trio of Cube Fighters and then found herself right next to Meia's Gundam. It was still a great surprise for her to see that Meia was piloting such a strange Vanguard…though she amended herself that this machine was no Vanguard, but a Gundam unit. The machine also seemed to be sleek and powerful, and the same could be said for Jura, and Dita's own Gundams. She quickly contacted meia so as to be sure that it was indeed Meia who piloted the Gundam and not someone else. And sure enough, she saw that it was indeed Meia who piloted it.

" Meia, is that really you flying that thing?"

"Yes, Dita and Jura are flying the others, what's wrong Vaora?" Meia asked patiently as she looked over the area and took out another pair of Cube Fighters.

Vaora was about to speak, but Kyo spoke instead.

"Now's not the right time for that kind of discussion, we still have to deal with the enemy forces…even if one of the Harvester battle-ships is no longer active, we still have six more to deal with here."

The pirates agreed and got back into the fight, however, with the arrival of the full Talark and Megele Fleets, and their complements of Vanguards and Dreads…things were looking up, as their forces began to push back the Harvester Fleet. Even with the combined might of their respective arsenals and that of their support fleets…even the mighty Harvester battle-ships couldn't face a massive fleet this size. The Megele military used their battle-ships to provide heavy support fire and used their supply shuttles to reload their Dreads in the middle of the fight…and due to their numbers and over-all ranged fire power, the two sides had an edge over the Vanguards who still had to rely on getting closer to unleash their full power…however the Vanguards' ability to wield spare power packs, increased armor, improved maneuverability, and their still present effectiveness in close combat made them far more lethal in such situations, where the Dreads were limited in confined battle-grounds.

The Talark battle-ships and their gunner crews also provided a massive wall of suppression fire and their new technology came into play…much to the surprise of the women. The Talark Fleets now had a select band of modified battle-ships, which still possessed close combat guns and a small compliment of Vanguards for escort and close range defense, though of a smaller profile, but these ships were now armed with two powerful Magnetic Accelerator Cannons, these massive weapons came in pairs on either side of the ship and fired a heavy bullet like solid round comprised of high grade tungsten at a faster speed than those of normal coil-guns.

The Talark engineers had found ways to further upgrade the once considered outdated coil-gun technology of Earth, and modified it even further with the advent of improved magnetic coupling systems and controlled magnetic flow fields, allowing the tungsten round… which the Talark men had been covertly harvesting from the other side of the debris belt in the meteors…away from the Megele Military's prying eyes, far better speed and acceleration, which further improved it's punching power overall…making the Talark MACs VERY deadly to most ships. The end result were smaller but lethal ships that were armed with cannons that possessed enough fire power to punch a hole right through a meteorite…or cause massive structural damage to a large ship. Apparently these ships were to be used as stand off units to bombard the enemy while the much faster and more versatile ships did the close in fighting…as the ships were not very fast…however, they had better armor and due to the efficient use of all resources and lack of waste in terms of production and manufacturing, countered for the great cost and the need for a vast power supply, which might sound wasteful, but their power was very impressive…and that fact was brought out to the plate as the small MAC ships began punching holes into the clouds of Harvester units, slaughtering the smaller units through sheer kinetic force, and even damaging the Dominion Gundams despite their Phase Shift Armor as the Phase Shift system couldn't handle such a big round moving at high speed and with that much kinetic power and force. The Harvester battle-ships felt the overall impact of the solid weapons…and while they didn't have the overall heat and energy damage of the Megele battle-cruisers' energy cannons, the sheer physical damage had a very lethal effect nevertheless.

These ships…plus the overall barrage of long range cannons, torpedoes and more from the other Talark Battle-ships proved to be a deadly force to be reckoned with as the men continued to unleash the punishment on the Harvesters.

Kyo and the other pirates were impressed at how much the men had improved over the last year. The sheer amount of fire-power, weaponry, and unique technology the men now wielded, along with the show of the newly upgraded Vanguards.

"Those guys certainly have been busy, I'll give them that." Kyo commented with surprise.

"That's for sure…" Jura said as she looked at the MAC ships firing more tungsten rounds into the Harvester forces…shredding more Cube Fighters, Seed Ships, Space Urchins, GunDread Clones and even Dominion Gundams into confetti.

"That's how we men of Talark fight…give us an object lesson and we can learn and grow from it quickly." Aleck said with some pride as he saw how far his fellow men had gone in the art of war.

"Wow! The aliens have really changed!' Dita said with her usual brand of cheerfulness.

Sara and Mai also voice their own comments as they saw the men bushwhack the Harvesters in very brutal and efficient patterns…showing just how far their fleets and forces had adapted in just one year. The rest of the Crusader squadron also offered their own voices of agreement as they witnessed the men do their share of damage on the Harvester forces.

Meia and Barnette also admitted that the new male forces were a far out-cry from the forces that they had dealt with nearly a year ago. The Vanguard pilots were better trained and more disciplined than the trainees they fought with when they took the Ikazuchi, the ships were now armed with far better weapons and their stand off engagement weapons were very effective, and those new ships with the MAC cannons…

"The men of Talark have changed a lot in just one year…have to give them credit for that." Barnette said as she was now in her SwitchBlade Gundam after leaving her Dread in the Dreki for it to take repairs. She had to admit that the men were certainly not the types of cowards she had thought them to be…and since she no longer had the ingrained hatred of men, and no longer considered them inferior, the sight of their forces causing horrendous damage to the Harvesters further reinforced her new outlook of the men.

"I don't even want to guess how we would have faired if we raided the Ikazuchi if they were already like this a year ago…I seriously doubt we would have the success we had then." Meia said with conviction as she saw the men continue the fight, and the others agreed wit her, both the Crusader pilots and the Dread pilots. They knew that if they were dealing with the men of Talark on the day of their raid on the Ikazuchi way they were now than the way they were then…then they would not have been as successful.

The pirates quickly placed those thoughts aside as they engaged the Harvesters and this time, the rest of the Harvester forces now found themselves on the receiving end of the attacks and the pirates took advantage of that and continued to inflict even more damage. The Crusader pilots used the smart magnetic adhesive systems of their various Form Packs to further cause massive damage as they switched the various Form Packs…further causing confusion in the ranks of the Harvester Fleet. Cube Fighters found themselves facing Mobile Suits that while lethal in their own right with normal armaments, were twice as deadly with the various Form Packs that allowed them fit into various combat roles very quickly. The Templar Gundam based Crusaders provided massive support fire alongside the Crusaders armed with the Kaiser, Raiha, and Koenig Mass Production Form Packs, while the Crusaders that were armed with the Aero, Schneider, and Galahad Mass production Form Packs, and the newly made Form Pack designed by Parfet and the rest of the Resistance techs.

The women were not going to let themselves be out-classed by the men however, and while their ships were not as energy efficient as the men, they certainly made up for it with speed and maneuverability, being able to maneuver at more effective firing angles and using those same angles to inflict even more damage to the Harvesters. They may not use too many torpedoes in their ships, but the beam weapons they had more than made up for it as the beams tore through the Harvester ranks, while the Dreads attacked and inflicted more serious damage in close ranges.

This style of attack, plus the Dreads' high speed and acceleration made it harder for the Harvesters to catch up in certain combat scenarios. Since the women preferred to engage their foes at long range, they were able to compensate for the Dreads' weakness in close combat with a withering barrage of missiles and beam weapons that did a great of damage to their foes…just they way they liked it without getting their hands dirty.

The casualties mounted on either side, as the men of Talark, and the women of Megele suffered both casualties and losses as many of their pilots were either injured or lost, along with crew members on their ships who were there when the Harvester struck back hard, but due to the increase of their numbers, the Harvesters were now hard pressed to rally their numbers and reinforce themselves. The attacks began to weaken them much faster than they could recover and this allowed the Dreads and Vanguards the chance to close the gap and attack the Harvester battle-ships themselves. The fighters of both fleets attacked quickly and swiftly and their handiwork was already being seen by all the observers in the area. One more Harvester ship was felled by the combined attacks from both the Vanguards and Dreads as they overwhelmed the defenses and bombarded the machine with massive fire, the ship couldn't hold on to the barrage and suffered a full system shut down, leaving it completely powerless.

Another began to suffer heavy damage from the constant impact of the MAC rounds that smashed into it and turned the hull into swish cheese, and that was enough to allow massive numbers of Vanguards into the ship to cause even more havoc inside the thing. Although a good number of the Vanguards were lost due to the internal defenses of the Harvester battle-ship, the ship nevertheless was torn apart so badly that it exploded internally, no doubt due to the fact that the Vanguards had used another deadly tactic when they found the ship's main power relay systems. It seemed that the Vanguards took off any spare power packs and converted them into portable explosives, they left behind explosive primers on the power packs to initiate the detonation, and when they did, the results were deadly as the power relays were totaled and the sudden loss of power flow, including the damage sent the ship to the scrap yard, while the Vanguards that made the attack came out.

The next ship fell to the combined assault of the Talark and Megele Fleets, with most of it's forces already demolished by the two forces and the pirates who then finished it off along with the battle-ships of both sides as Bart fired the plasma cannon batteries at full power. The ship couldn't stand up to both beam attacks, solid rounds, torpedoes, and finally plasma bolts and the surface exploded, ripping out hull armor and exposing the inner workings of the Harvester ship…which the combined Megele/Talark forces wasted little time to rip apart with more concerted barrages of their weaponry, the ship tried to recover…but the barrages finally did it in as it exploded….unleashing a massive flash of light as it exploded.

Three other ships were still in the fight, but they were not going to last very long as their four comrades were now wiped out and this time…it was the Harvesters who found themselves out numbered…but they were not going down quietly…and this time, they were not going to hesitate using their ships' main cannon. The three ships quickly got into a firing pattern and unleashed massive energy beams right at the combined fleets of Talark and Megele…causing considerable damage and killing several smaller ships and also catching and killing several groups of Vanguards and Dreads when they were unaware of the powerful long range attacks of the Harvester battle-ships.

That was where the pirates…namely a group of four Gundam pilots decided to throw in their ace in the hole.

Kyo looked over at the carnage and saw that the Talark and Megele Forces were now being pounded hard by the Harvester forces, and unlike before, despite their loss of the numerical advantage, the Harvesters had inflicted significant casualties to their allies and they had to make sure that the men and women wouldn't suffer any more unnecessary losses so they would have to unleash their best bet in finishing off the Harvester battle-ships for good. He then wasted little time and contacted Meia, Dita, and Jura.

"It's time we use the Super GunDread!"

All three women nodded in agreement, though Vaora and the rest of the Paradise crew and the Dread pilots of the Paradise had no clue as to what the four were referring to. However they were about to get a full scale eye view of just what the Super GunDread was as they saw the three Gundams piloted by the three former Dread pilots suddenly transform back into their Dread forms and then all three converted Gundams flew in a triangle formation with the Liberty in the middle, now detached from the I-Freedom Gundam, while the Gundam piloted by Kyo was in the front.

"What the heck are they doing Barnette?" Vaora finally asked as she was still getting over the shock of seeing the Gundams piloted by her comrades suddenly revert back to the Dread forms, in nearly the same fashion as Barnette's own Gundam, the SwitchBlade could revert to it's Mobile Armor Form and it's Mobile Suit Form.

Barnette smirked a bit and replied.

"Wait and see."

In a few moments, the five machines suddenly unleashed beams that seemed to connect them all together and the five machines glowed with a bright light and suddenly came together. The brightness forced many of the onlookers to shield their eyes…namely the pirates of both the Nirvana and the Paradise, along with the people on the Talark and Megele forces, either in their respective ships or their Dreads and Vanguards, and even the people on both Talark and Megele, including the leaders of both worlds, had to shield their own eyes at the sudden brightness.

They then saw to their vast amazement the form of the Super GunDread…even by most standards…the thing was a behemoth and seemed to bristle with massive fire-power, and overall destructive force. The women and men were stunned to see the result of the Dreads and Gundam fusing into this massive angelic form. The people watched as the GunDread opened it's four massive wings and took flight as the crystal feathers also erupted right out from it.

The four pilots wasted little time as they then showed what else the Super GunDread was very much capable of. As soon as they got in front of the combined Megele/Talark Forces they blocked with massive energy shield the incoming weapons fire from the three harvester battle-ships. As soon as the shield absorbed the weapons fire, they unleashed their own weapons as the Super GunDread fired back with it's own massive cannons…incinerating the clouds of Cube Fighters, Space Urchins, GunDread Clones, Dominion Gundams, and Seed Ships. That was when the three Harvester ships decided to unleash another surprise…three Nirvana Clones, and these quickly transformed into the Gundam versions and now surrounded the Supper GunDread, intent on ripping it apart.

Kyo and the three women however were more than ready and in that very same moment when the Nirvana Clones revealed their own hidden beam sabers, attached to their forearms…they activated their Seed Modes at the exact same moment, the Super GunDread reacted in kind as it's crystal sections glowed brightly in following the activation of the pilots' Seed Modes. The Super GunDread released it's own beam sabers and ignited the weapons and just in time as two of the Nirvana Clones attacked with their fore-arm beam sabers. Kyo and the other Gundam pilots blocked the attacks and then with the same skill Jura had as a fencing champion, along with Kyo and Meia's own martial arts skills the Super GunDread side stepped the first Nirvana clone and then kicked the Clone aside and then engaged the second Nirvana Clone in beam saber combat. The Nirvana Clone held it's own for a short period, but it wasn't going to last as the Super GunDread managed to parry the left arm beam saber and then slashed with it's own beam saber and slice the left arm clean off and then stuck with both beam sabers right at the thin waist of the Nirvana Clone cutting it in half. The first Nirvana Clone used it's ranged weapons with the exception of the massive energy cannon on the chest to distract the Super GunDread. But the Super GunDread's armor held the attacks and with one powerful swing, the Super GunDread's beam sabers cut right through the shoulder armor….but before they could finish off their enemies, both the Nirvana Clones backed away and were next to the surviving Harvester ships, both the Clones and the Harvester battle-ships powered up their main weapons…intent on finishing Kyo and the others off. Kyo, Dita, Jura, and Meia however were not backing down at all as they unleashed all the beam weapons, including the massive feather cannons of the Super GunDread and aimed it right at the last remains of the Harvesters' advanced Fleet.

BOOM!!

In a few moments the Super GunDread unleashed a powerful barrage that tore the two Nirvana Clones to pieces and the Harvester battle-ships fared little better as their armor was literally burned off by the intensity of the blasts, and then they were quickly finished off by power beam saber slashes as the Super GunDread dashed in and finished them off. The men and women of The combined Talark/Megele Fleets watched in awe as the Super GunDread reverted back to the three Dreads, which converted back to their Gundam forms, the I-Freedom Gundam and the Liberty as both the ATCISS and Gundam combined once more as the burning ruins of the last of the advanced Harvester Fleet lit up space…

The first battle of Talark and Megele was over.

Both sides of the combined Fleets cheered as the citizens of both worlds cheered as well, not everyone however were cheerful. Kyo and the other pirates knew that this was merely seven ships, and there was still a far larger force waiting to strike and now was the time to tell the leaders of both Talark and Megele the importance of signing an alliance with each other. It was then however that Kyo spotted a Mobile Suit appear in the area and head for him, it was not a Dominion Gundam, but the Mobile Suit Rabat piloted when they met again.

The other pirates…having seen Rabat were stunned as to what the former Harvester agent was doing here of all places. Some of them wanted to force him out, but Kyo stopped them, wanting to know what was going on here.

"Rabat? What the heck are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be with Diego and Tao?"

Kyo was stunned to find Rabat was with them in that Mirage Colloid armed Mobile Suit of his. He had expected that the mercenary would spend his days in exile to redeem himself…he certainly was not expecting the man here of all things.

Rabat however replied quickly, showing that he had something of great importance to say to the Gundam pilot.

"There's no time for me to explain all the details right now…I forgot to give you another data recording…and this is concerning the Harvester leader. I'm downloading a copy of the data to you now…I don't know why I'm giving it to you, but I can't help but feel that you'll need it."

"What are you talking about? Why would I need data on the Harvester leader?"

"Trust me on this one…you will."

Kyo was about say something else…but suddenly felt a shiver of recognition that felt like a flash of lightning, and he even saw that very same flash appear in his vision. He wondered what that was until he felt the presence of someone…someone of great power and skill…equal to his, but was darker and more cruel than anything he ever felt before. It was then that a voice came on the line…and this time he could tell that it was a transmission that was on every frequency.

"So…I finally get to see the enemy that has plagued my forces for an entire year…and I finally see the Gundam of my prime target."

"He's here…" Rabat said with a tone of great fear.

Kyo and everyone turned to the burning wreckage of the last three Harvester battle-ships and found themselves staring at none other…

…than the Endless Vendetta Gundam.

"The leader of the Harvester Council." Rabat said with the barest of whispers. The rest of the crews of the combined Fleets of both Talark and Megele, their pilots, the pirates of both the Nirvana and the Paradise, and most all Kyo…finally got to see their very first Harvester from Earth, and not just any Harvester…

But the supreme leader of their Council and their entire Invasion Force.

--

In the Infinite Freedom Gundam…

Kyo couldn't help but look at the image of the Harvester Leader and his apparent Gundam. He had seen the records on how much destruction the Harvester Armada's own Paeksis enhanced Gundam and it's pilot was capable of doing when it led the attack on the people of Melanos. The Gundam looked to be a demonic angel in black, it's wings still folded behind it and not releasing the crystal feathers. He also knew for a fact that he was not the only man who saw the face of the E. Vendetta Gundam's pilot.

The Harvester leader looked as he smiled at Captain Magno…but his calm and whimsical smile was downgraded by the sheer aura of blood thirsty malice and near psychotic hatred he seemed to radiate…even Buzam/Tenmei…who was a tough person by heart, body, and mind…felt shivers run down his spine as he looked at the Harvester leader.

He looked to be wearing a uniform similar to Kyo's own suit, but it was in black, red, gold, and grey and his helmet…while having a transparent visor seemed to be more…evil in a way of design. He was certainly not what they expected from the leader of the Harvesters…he looked more fit, physically tougher, stronger, healthier, faster, and for more capable than normal. He didn't have any trace of life support on him or any manner of device to keep him alive…he seemed to be in the prime of human health and vigor…just like Kyo Yamato.

His dark eyes were tinged by irises of blood red, no doubt an effect of being influenced by the Paeksis. By most standards…he was a handsome sort of fellow, around the same age Kyo was biologically, but there was something odd about him…more than odd…but something more evil and cruel.

The Harvester leader then spoke to the assembled forces before him and he smirked at the pirates of the Nirvana.

"So…you're the vaunted Megele pirates? The very same ones who have done so much damage to my automated armadas and for the Harvest? I must admit…I'm a little disappointed, I expected you all to be more, impressive…though it is true that you cannot judge others merely by outside looks. Not to mention that you're track record of successes against us on Earth and our forces, certainly speaks volumes of you're skills."

"So you're the leader of the entire Harvester Armada and their Council back there on Earth?" Magno asked pointedly as she looked at the man before her.

"Very perceptive…you were expecting a wizen old man with a long beard, white hair, wrinkled skin, skinny limbs, tired eyes and life support devices on his body? Then I am sorry…if I disappointed you as well. Or were you all expecting an old woman with the same conditions? Then that means that you are the leader of the pirates who have done quite a lot of damage to my forces…what is you're name?"

"Why should I answer that question?"

"Call it…mere curiosity. I simply wish to know the name of the leader of the group that has been a big threat to my people back on Earth."

"Fine, the name's Magno Vivian Yamato…"

"Yamato? Really now? I take it that means you're related to Kyo Yamato then?"

Kyo then spoke into the conversation before things got really out of hand. There was something very strange about this conversation and he didn't like the looks of utter malice and hatred that the leader of the Harvesters had on his face as he glared at Magno.

"You had better stop what you're doing…you harm a single hair on Maggie's head, I'll do whatever I have to in order to stop you."

The Harvester leader laughed out loud at that. After a few moments, he looked back at Kyo and glared.

"You have NO idea how long I've been waiting for the chance to settle old scores with you're bloodline Kyo, and to know that yet another lives with the very same blood in her veins…as do you, then killing you will be all the sweeter as one of your line can finally be around to watch you die!."

Kyo was not liking the train of conversation one bit as he could see that the Harvester leader seemed more sadistic when he spoke that way…what exactly was the deal with the Harvester leader…it seemed that the leader of the Harvester had a very serious axe to grind with him and his family, but why was it that there…something that seemed very familiar between him and the Harvester leader.

Before he even saw the leader and his Gundam, he felt a strange feeling of recognition run through him, so he had tried to locate just where the sensation had come from, but it was only when he saw the Harvester Leader and his Gundam that he felt the sensation grow in intensity and even more so when he finally saw him. The sensation died as quickly as it came to him, but he was filled with even more questions than answers.

"What the heck are you talking about?!"

"Do you want to know what exactly I am talking about Kyo? Very well then, I want you to know this…. YOU are the only reason I've decided to have my Gundam…the E. Vendetta Gundam built. And YOU are the only reason I have decided to have the Invasion Fleet assembled, and to lead this fleet personally! And do you know why I personally went through all this trouble? All for the express purpose of killing you…and crushing all traces of rebellion to Earth…along with the Yamato line!"

Before Kyo could say anything and try to find out just what was the deal with what the Harvester Leader was saying…several people from the Talark and Megele sides got involved.

"So you're the leader of the Harvester forces?" Both officers spoke with arrogant disdain.

The Harvester leader merely looked at the two officers, one a man of high rank, and another, a woman of high rank. The leader merely smiled back and replied.

"That I am…who are you and what do you intend to do about it?"

The male Commander, a tall man with the same tanned skin as Duero, Max, Hiryu, and Aleck, with dark red hair in a long set of braids and deep green eyes replied back with a smile of pride.

"I am Commander Derek Harbrooke of the 3rd Talark Mobile Fleet group 'Wolf Pack', and I'm here to tell you that you have made a very serious error in coming into our territorial space alone. I don't know if you have any other ships or forces with you…and I frankly do not care. You may have that strange Vanguard as you're weapon of choice…but you are alone, you have no support and no reinforcements to help you in any way…therefore you have two choices…you can either surrender and call off you're forces and never set foot on Talark space ever again…or you can stay here and fight our full might… and when my forces defeat you…we will bring you before Grand Pa in either chains…or in a body bag!"

The female officer however was not going to be left out of the loop as she also spoke to the Harvester leader with the same arrogance and air of confidence.

"I am Commander Elise Morgana of the 4th Megele Frontier Defense Force, I am also here to inform you, that you have made a serious error in coming here and…forcing us to fight alongside the men…and you being a man is even worse. We don't know if you still have any more of those things that you command and we do not care at all, none of them will stand against our forces forever. And even if you have that strange Vanguard that resembles the one being piloted by that man…Kyo Yamato, I doubt you can beat a fleet this size. You have no back-up and support…so you've got only two options…one, you can surrender and call those idiots of yours off…and never come here again. Or you can stay and fight us all…either way…you're either going to surrender like the inferior male that you are, or you can just die here and now!"

The Harvester leader looked on with a calm and impassive looks, and then looked downwards as if contemplating his options, much to the curiosity of the onlookers…Kyo however could tell that the Harvester leader was NOT going to agree to the terms given to him. He was the leader of one of the most dangerous forces in the universe, he was not going to bow down to anyone.

And true to Kyo's suspicions, the Harvester leader merely laughed back at the two Commanders…and their forces, and laughed…his laughter grew and had a very amused, but yet sadistic and brutal tone to it…along with a mocking feeling. He then stopped laughing and sneered in a very evil way at the commanders and their forces.

"Do you honestly expect me to bow down to either of you and you're precious leaders…the ones who have hidden the truth about you're two sides for a long time, nearly two generations worth with lies, propaganda and deception? Don't make me laugh again you little brats, you and your leaders…and all of your people are jokes, trash, refuse to be incinerated. You have lost the truth about the human race and the gifts that you all have…do not presume to think you're pathetic threats can bring ME down."

The commanders were livid with rage, but the Harvester leader didn't care and replied.

"You both…and all you're foolish subordinates have absolutely NO idea just who you are messing with do you? Then show me the vaunted talents you're pathetic civilizations have! Show me the vaunted superiority of Megele here and now! And show me the supposed manliness of Talark this instant! For I promise you this…both of you and everyone under you're respective commands…"

He then gave a stone cold glare to the commanders and the forces under their command and finished his speech with a voice devoid of any other emotion but anger, rage, and the desire for death and destruction…hidden with a calm and serene facade…a very chilling combination.

"…will all die!"

Kyo realized that the Harvester leader had every intention of goading the two commanders and their forces into a fight. Normally the idea of one lone Mobile Suit taking on one fleet was considered insane, but the idea of that very same Mobile Suit…or rather Gundam taking on TWO Fleets was very much unheard of. Even his father had nearly died when facing both fleets near the end of the Second Battle of Yachim Due and he was using the Freedom Gundam at the time. The Megele Fleet under Elise Morgana comprised of over twelve Megele Cruisers and over six hundred Dreads…while the Fleet under Derek Harbrooke were comprised of eight of the normal ships, and three of those MAC ships…along with nearly eight hundred Vanguards in tow…a VERY deadly pair of fleets by all normal military standards and foes only an insane or suicidal person would take on in just one Mobile Suit.

However…he had seen the videos high-lighting the massacre of the Melanos forces that engaged the E. Vendetta Gundam..and how much damage that lone Gundam unit could cause…and from what he could sense, this Gundam was as powerful as his own…almost like anti-form, and FAR more lethal than the Dominion Gundams ever were. The E. Vendetta Gundam was also evolved by the Paeksis…and he had seen the videos that told him that the Harvester leader KNEW how to fight with that Gundam of his. He didn't want to witness the soon to come genocidal massacre that was about to take place and quickly contacted both commanders…he then started with Elise Morgana.

"Commander Morgana! Do not attempt to take this man on your own…you have no idea who you are about to fight with…if you value you're fleet you will not attack without…"

The female commander however snorted and replied.

"I will NOT take orders from anyone but the Grand Admiral and Grand Ma, and I will most certainly not listen to a man…no matter his so-called bloodline."

She then smiled smugly at Kyo with arrogance and pride and then spoke further with the same tone of superiority.

"For a man, you fight very well, but this is where we women of Megele will show you men just how superior we are to you all. I and my forces will face this…arrogant man and make sure that not even his molecules will be left behind! Now stand aside!"

Kyo tried to reason once more with Elise, but the Commander cut off his link, making him turn his attention to Derek Harbrooke, which he hoped he would have more luck in convincing.

"Commander Harbrooke…do not attempt to…"

However, just like Elise, the Talark fleet officer was not going to listen to the advice Kyo was trying to tell him…the same advice that could save his life and that of his crew.

Derek looked at Kyo with a disgusted expression and also sneered at him.

"Why should my men and I listen to a man who associates with women? You may be their friend…but you are not mine of the crew's so we have no need nor desire to listen to you're advice. We take orders only from our higher ups on Talark…not from a man who associates with women."

"If you were not on their side, I would consider you as the prime example of how a man should fight and survive. But now move aside and watch how we men of Talark fight, and maybe when this pompous leader of the Harvesters is dealt with, we can talk about you siding with your own kin to fight these women."

With that, the Talark man closed his connection to Kyo and ordered his fleet to move out and attack the E. Vendetta Gundam…with the women not far behind, each commander had every intention of beating the other to the target and getting all the glory and to show the other side up.

(They're out of their minds!)

Kyo couldn't help but look on in shock at what he had just seen, however he managed to shake himself loose from the shock as the E. Vendetta unfurled it's wings and the blood red crystal feathers appeared as the Harvester Gundam left it's normal posture and then charged towards both fleets. The two commanders and their soldiers might be out of their minds, but no way was Kyo going to stand by and let them all be destroyed.

As Dita and the others tried to follow him, he gave them a warning look to stay back. They tried to reason with him, but he wasted no time as he detached his Gundam from the Liberty and made a high speed beeline towards the two fleets as they got ready to engage the E. Vendetta Gundam. He only hoped he would make it in time to stop the carnage.

Instead of stopping Kyo, Rabat powered up his own Mobile Suit and followed the Gundam pilot…no way was he going to let Kyo get himself killed at this stage of the fight. The Harvester leader was far more than what he seemed, that much Rabat knew of and letting Kyo die by his hand was a disaster the former Harvester agent was keen on avoiding at all costs.

--

In the E. Vendetta Gundam…

"So you all plan to fight…then die!"

The Harvester leader wasted little time as he accelerated at high speed, and catching the Vanguards and Dreads before him totally off guard, as the Gundam's acceleration was near to impossible at such a pace, A pair of Vanguard pilots tried to use their missiles and fired a massive barrage at the Gundam, but the E. Vendetta merely moved out of the way and evaded the missiles with deadly precision…stunning the men and women. Before the two Vanguard pilots could do anything, the Gundam streaked back towards them and took out both beam rifles and then jammed them right into the bodies of the two Vanguards…skewering both the vanguards in the chest…and right in the cockpits of their pilots.

The two men barely at time to scream out in shock as the massive rifles skewered right through them, blood flowed out the massive gaping wounds as the men died…at the very same moment the Gundam fired both beam rifles…destroying the Vanguards instantly. The Gundam then began to fire it's beam rifles at high speed at the incoming forces, and the shots hit home…but unlike Kyo who shot only the areas that could cripple but not kill his opponents…the Harvester leader made no distinction.

Vanguard pilots watched as their Vanguards were being decimated and could only scream as the beam shots ripped right into the power plants of their machines…ripping them into pieces from the explosions, or they were blown apart as the beams struck their cockpits. Several squadrons of Vanguards and their pilots died instantly as the Gundam moved at a very rapid pace, therefore out-matching them in speed, and attacking before they could do anything to fight back. The Gundam then attacked another pair of Vanguards and blasted away their arms, leaving them helpless. The pilots could only watch in absolute horror as the E. Vendetta took out it's beam sabers and slashed them in half from the head to the groin…the pilots were cut in half by the blades and died instantly. Three more Vanguards were destroyed as the Gundam sliced them in half, their pilots unable to do anything as the Gundam was like a blur.

Three Vanguards managed to get close enough and attack the Gundam, but their weapons were not able to block the beam sabers and those spears and swords were destroyed, they tried to use the hidden saw blades, but could only watch in horror as their deceased comrades as their weapons were unable to pierce the P. Phase Shift Armor of the Endless Vendetta Gundam. Unlike their attacks on the Dominion Gundams, who's Phase Shift Armor, they managed to overwhelm, the Paeksis boosted Phase Shift Armor was far stronger. The saw blades broke under the pressure and the three pilots were cut apart with expert swings by the beam sabers as the weapons sliced into their cockpits and killed them instantly. The three Vanguards exploded violently as the E. Vendetta continued to attack the remaining forces that were before it, and this time…the women were next.

Several Dreads who's pilots were looking at the slaughter with shock were stunned to the point that they barely had enough time to defend themselves as the Gundam came right at them. The women tried to fire their weapons, but were too late. One of them barely even had time to scream as the Gundam attacked with one fist and crushed her cockpit…killing her instantly. The Dread exploded violently as the other two tried to fight back and evade the Gundam, they fired their beam weapons, but the Gundam's beam sabers blocked the shots and sent them away, the women died instantly as they Harvester Gundam unleashed several waves of bullets from the head and shoulder mounted CIWS guns, that brought them off balance and tore through their armor…namely in the cockpit areas…shredding through them and killing the pilots inside.

The others tried to avenge their comrades and fired several missiles, but like the Dread pilots who tried to use missiles on Kyo's Infinite Freedom Gundam, they too found their weapons ineffective against Phase Shift Armor, namely the type boosted by the Paeksis…as the Gundam kept on coming through the smoke. The Dreads tried to escape in time, but two of them were cut in half by the beam sabers as the Gundam slashed own hard…the women screamed in terror as the beam blades sliced into their cockpits, through them and right through their Dreads, making them explode as the Gundam moved away from them from below. The E. Vendetta Gundam then released it's own plasma cannons and fired right when the remaining Dreads turned around for another attack run, several of the Dreads were hit in the power plants and exploded quickly as their pilots were cut down by the explosions and shrapnel…or both from the attacks…others were instantly incinerated when the plasma beams struck their cockpits…killing them quickly.

More Dreads attacked, their pilots intent on finishing him off, and then fired a massive bombardment of missiles right at the Gundam, but the Gundam flew in and fired it's CIWS guns and with a deadly precision destroyed the missiles while evading the rest, dodging, side-stepping and flipping with unnatural speed and grace, the same way the I-Freedom was able to do. The Gundam then fired several barrages of it's plasma cannons, disorganizing the Dreads for a few moments, causing them to break formation, while some were hit, though not fatally. However, they were far from lucky. One Dread pilot tried to get her Dread to work, but suddenly looked up horror as the E. Vendetta smashed into her Dread and stabbed it's beam saber right into her cockpit…killing her as the beam blade came through the cockpit and stabbed right through her. The Gundam then jetted away as the Dread exploded…another female Dread pilot was about to move away from the scene and fight back, but the Gundam didn't her escape at all as it turned and fired it's rail-guns, the weapons' rounds tore through the rear of the Dread and right through the front…destroying it and making the female Dread pilots hear the screams of death from another of their comrades over the communication lines. Another Dread was about escape, but the Gundam beat her to it and sliced it's beam sabers right into the Dread's cockpit…again killing the woman before she could even escape.

The E. Vendetta then turned as it spotted the charging Infinite Freedom Gundam approaching. The Harvester leader smiled grimly and laughed once more…letting the people on the two Fleets and the pirates hear his voice.

"Ah…the hero coming in to rescue the misguided and arrogant ones from suffering the full effects of their foolish mistake…how…heroic…as much as I would love to kill you now Kyo, I am having some fun here showing these arrogant whelps just who they are fighting with, and I dislike interruptions…no matter how tempting they are…so how about I send you a few play-mates to keep you company?"

(What the hell is he talking about?!)

Kyo's mental question was answered as three new forms appeared from the debris belt…Gundams. The Infinite-Freedom Gundam and it's pilot now found themselves facing with none other than the Wyvern, Devastator, and Hellfire Gundams…and from the looks of the newly arrived Gundam units, they were ready for combat. Kyo realized that he would have to fight the three in order to get to the rest of the Talark and Megele Fleet to save them. He quickly maneuvered his Gundam away from several blasts from the Devastator Gundam's beam cannons and the Wyvern's weapons barrage.

The Harvester Leader grinned a bit and faced the rest of the forces before him.

"Now where were we? Ah yes…you all dying by my hands!"

"BASTARD!!" Pilots on both sides shouted as they attacked.

A large band of Vanguards came right at the E. Vendetta Gundam with all their weapons at the ready, intent on avenging those men that died by the Harvester leader's hands. However, they were not going to succeed in that, but they would succeed in dying as the Gundam took out the anti-ship swords it had and combined them into their own twin edged sword form and quickly dived and cut down several of them…killing the pilots instantly with several deadly swings as the beam edges cut through their Vanguards' armor like it was paper.

Two more Vanguards were trying to attack the Endless. Vendetta Gundam but the Harvester Leader separated his Gundam's anti-ship swords and stabbed them both in the chests. The weapons tore through the armor and then the Gundam yanked out the anti-ship swords and swung them at high speed in a circle and cleaved the two vanguards into two and he then stabbed forward to skewer two more Vanguards. The Gundam suddenly moved forward and impaled several more Vanguards, leaving their impaled forms on the anti-ship swords. On the weapons each, were four Vanguards and their pilots looked on in horror as explosions happened in their cockpits, as the Gundam unlocked it's plasma cannons and fired the weapons in point blank range…ripping the heads off of all the Vanguards and killing their pilots as they were blown out of their cockpits and killed by the blasts…their remains floating in space, burned and charred beyond all form of recognition, as the Vanguards exploded.

This was enough to surprise several more Vanguards as they came closer to see if the Gundam was destroyed, but they were greeted by a spinning weapon, the weapon turned out to be the anti-ship swords of Gundam, combined from handle end to handle end. The weapon sliced several Vanguards apart and destroying them. The E. Vendetta Gundam leaped out of the debris of the previously skewered Vanguards and caught the weapon and sliced three more Vanguards diagonally…and then turned his attention on the Dreads. He took out his combined antis-ship swords and then attacked the Dreads as they tried to evade him, the Dreads managed to escape, but the Gundam's acceleration was far greater than their own and they were not able to escape in time. One Dread had it's wings sliced off and the Gundam fired it's rail-guns right into the cockpit, destroying the machine and it's pilot, the Gundam then used it's anti-ship swords in their current combat formation and sliced down another pair that tried to escape…the women could only watch as he sliced another Dread in half, separating the cockpit from the rest of the exploding body. The Gundam then caught the severed cockpit, and then let the other women listen to the screams of terror of their comrade inside as he crushed the cockpit, their communication systems picked up the cries for help from their comrade, along with her fear and panic…and then her screams of pain and death as the sounds of flesh and metal meeting were heard…all the while, they could hear the laughter of the Harvester leader, who after making sure to wring another loud batch of screams from the woman in the cockpit…then crushed the cockpit into pulp…killing the woman and then tossing away the crushed cockpit like a used toy.

The once confident female Dread pilots became so distraught with rage that they no longer cared if they died, they were going to make this animal pay for his crimes against their people. They unleashed whatever weapons they had, but to their dismay, their missiles proved worthless against the Prominence. Phase Shift Armor being used by the Endless. Vendetta Gundam, the machine then disconnected the anti-ship swords and returned them into their basic formation and charged in. The women's anger, though justified was uncontrollable as they charged…leaving them open to attack as several more Dreads were sliced in half by the massive beam edged weapons. As several more Dreads and their pilots were killed. The Harvester Leader then goaded the female officers under Elise's Command, along with the surviving Dreads.

"Come now…is this really the so called superiority you pathetic females value so highly…you can't even stop one 'ordinary and inferior' barbaric male like me from butchering you're daughters like cattle? You are truly pathetic…as high tech as you're forces are…they are NOTHING to me…show me you're power…you pathetic females!"

The women were further goaded into making more rash actions as they continued their assault intent on making the bastard stop his slaughter. The only thing the succeeded in doing was add more corpses to the floor…

The Gundam placed away it's anti-ship swords and took out it's beam rifles and unleashed another whittling barrage…killing even more Dreads and their pilots as the fighters exploded under the assault, the Gundam then unleashed all of his beam weapons and the women and men on both fleets, the pirates, and the planets saw the feathers of red crystal suddenly break free in the same way the feathers on the wings of Kyo's own Infinite Freedom Gundam would…and soon enough the feathers, freed from their crystal casings, became beam cannons. The Harvester leader's eyes suddenly changed as the systems of the E. Vendetta showed him all the Dreads that were within the parameters of the firing range. In a second, he unleashed all of his Gundam's own weapons.

The end result was the destruction of several more squadrons of Dreads. The beam bolts, rail-gun rounds, and solid rounds ripped into the Dreads like hot knives through butter, the powerful beams tore through the plating and killed the women and destroyed their Dreads quickly. The moment the beams passed through the Dreads, the interceptors exploded…showing that there was no way any of their pilots could have escaped in time. In less than a few seconds, at least sixty Dreads and their pilots were all reduced into floating debris in space.

The Vanguards took this chance and tried to attack the Harvester Gundam while it appeared to be still…no doubt the pilot was busy savoring the carnage he had inflicted on the women only a few moments before…the men guessed that if they were able to catch the leader of the Harvesters off guard, then they could attack it enough to weaken the armor system and allow their fellow men to finish the Gundam off. Several of the pilots of the Vanguards fired their remaining missiles at the Gundam, hoping to damage in any possible way…

Only to see the missiles explode as the feather cannons suddenly flew into their path, some of the feather cannons fired their beams to destroy a good portion of the missiles, while the others opened up on the top and somehow…glowing diamond shaped shields of energy. The shields blocked the missile attacks and the weapons exploded harmlessly without even coming half the distance to the Gundam. The men had little time to vent out their frustration as the other feather cannons that didn't unleash their beam shield emitters fired into their ranks, slicing off limbs and parts of the Vanguards…catching the pilots off guard…while others could stare helplessly as the feather cannons moved at high speed to firing angles that they could not defend against…and their Vanguards were blasted apart. Several small squadrons of Vanguards were obliterated in a few moments, and the survivors were no better. The E. Vendetta Gundam used it's beam sabers to attack the Vanguards that barely evaded the feather cannons, the pilots who tried to calm down as they had barely evaded the attacks could only look in terror as the beam blades flashed and cut deeply into their Vanguards…they were either cut down by shrapnel and explosions or both from the beam sabers biting into their Vanguards and causing irreparable damage to the systems…or by the beam sabers themselves when they slammed into them. More Vanguards were destroyed and then the Harvester leader then turned and taunted next the men of Talark.

"Is this really the vaunted manliness of the proud men of Talark? You're nothing more than arrogant windbags without a single ounce of true power to you're names. You're an affront and insult to true men of war…wasting you're energy on such a fruitless and petty war with the women…who are actually humans like you all…you've accomplished nothing in my eyes. And you're sons are all dying like swine, and that to me is a sign of your weakness!"

The men were further enraged as they ordered their forces not to retreat at all, but instead die fighting to both avenge their fallen comrades…but to avenge the insults hurdled to them by that butcher. This also broke their cohesiveness as an assault force as their pilots charged into battle with reckless abandon. That worked greatly to the advantage of the Harvester leader as he sliced through the Vanguards with ease…the pilots were blinded with anger, rage, and grief by the slaughter of their comrades, and that made them lose their heads.

Two Vanguards were about to stab the Gundam, but their spears and their arms were sliced off by the beam sabers and then they were cut in half by the rail-guns as the rounds tore through them. The Vanguards exploded as the Gundam streaked past their wreckage and then struck down another Vanguard, slicing off the left arm completely with the beam saber and with a powerful punch to the chest section, severely damaging the Vanguard as the fist smashed through the armor and crushed the power planet, The E. Vendetta continued it's offensive as more Vanguard wreckage and destroyed Dread hulks littered the battle field.

Elise Morgana and Derek Harbrooke, along with their forces could do little but watch the carnage and death before them…none of them could order their forces to pen fire as the fighting had become so fierce that if they tried to get involved, the weapons fire from their ships' arsenals would have also taken out their own forces and further added to the carnage. The crews of all the ships in the separate battle-groups could only bear witness to the slaughter and hear the cries of the dead and dying as the Harvester Leader and his Gundam unit ripped apart their comrades and their machines like a rabid beast, hungering for food and blood.

The people on both planets and the pirates watched on in horror as the leader of the Harvester continued on with his brutal savagery on the forces before him. Magno gritted her teeth and clenched her fists as they could not attack the Gundam as he was too deep in the ranks of the Dreads and Vanguards for a clear shot. She could only hope that her uncle could fight his way past his Gundam opponents and rescue the people before the Harvester leader in his Gundam, the Endless vendetta slaughtered them all.

(I'VE GOT TO STOP THIS!!)

Kyo thought quickly as he blocked with his Gundam's beam sabers, the beam spear that the Wyvern Gundam used to attack him, The two Gundams fought one another until Kyo was forced to back away as the Devastator fired it's beam canons and missile launchers at him. He fired several beam shots at the heavily armed artillery style Gundam to distract it, and it responded by using it's shield and blocked his attacks, however, the Gundam pilot had learned enough on how to stand up to the three new Gundam models….back in the past, they had been able to catch him off guard, and they came close to finishing him off, but not this time. He then charged and as the Devastator tried to fire it's chest cannon, the I-Freedom Gundam' launched a powerful kick to the chest…forcing the Devastator back and spoiling the attack. The Infinite Freedom Gundam then moved aside from the beam fire as the Devastator recovered, but the harvester Gundam was not prepared to suddenly be fired at by the rail-guns of the I-Freedom, and while the Phase Shift Armor of the Devastator held on, the hit was enough to force it further back…and that was the opening that Kyo was hoping for. The Gundam pilot took out his beam sabers and charged, right into the cloud of the explosion, and appearing before the Devastator Gundam…just as it was about to leave the cloud itself and get a lock on him with all of it's beam weapons…including the beam bazooka. The fact that he was able to close the gap before the Devastator could sense him allowed Kyo the chance to use his Gundam's beam sabers to destroy the beam bazooka and take out the beam cannons on the shoulder, he then fired his Fused plasma cannons as both his Gundam and the Devastator backed away from each other, the attack caught the Harvester Gundam off guard and caught the left arm that held it's shield. The blasts might not have hit the intended target of the Gundam's chest to finish it off quickly, but the blasts severed left arm and made the Devastator Gundam lose it's only form of protection. However, before Kyo could finish off this Gundam unit…it's other companions got into the act…still reminding him that they were both still around and intent on stopping him from interfering with their master's slaughter of the two fleets.

The E. Vendetta Gundam then used it's anti-ship swords to skewer several more Dreads…right in the cock-pits…killing their pilots and then fired it's CIWS guns to shoot down several missiles fired in retaliation by the other Dreads. The Gundam then unleashed it's plasma cannons and rail-guns in free fire and destroyed several Dreads…the beams and rail-gun rounds ripping right into the Dreads and tearing them apart. The Harvester leader laughed the whole time and then ripped out the anti-ship sword and cut down the wrecks that were still impaled on it. The feather cannons then unleashed another devastating barrage into the Dreads and the Vanguards…the beams either ripped through the Vanguards and Dreads' bodies, causing fatal damage or blasting right through the cockpits…more died as a result and the grief felt by the survivors drove them into a mindless frenzy…allowing the Harvester leader a greater chance in slaughtering more of them as their ability to function as an assault force was diminished by his brutal tactics and psychological warfare methods.

In a few more seconds, the massive force of Vanguards and Dreads were reduced to smaller pockets of resistance as massive numbers of wrecks, both Vanguard and Dread filled the area of space. Their pilots still trying to avenge their comrades. But would not get far as they were still too badly disorganized as most of their officers were slain by the Gundam and it's pilot in the progression of the fighting.

The Harvester leader sighed as he looked at the carnage he had inflicted with a slightly bored eye.

"I think now is the time I finished this little game…you so called elite pilots are really boring me to death…maybe you're ships will be a better challenge."

The Gundam then took out it's beam rifles and used it's plasma cannons, rail-guns, and CIWS guns, and unleashed another…more potent barrage, and this time the attacks were too many for the survivors to escape from this time, and the wreckage all over the place added to the dangers and limitations to the battle-field.

The overall result was that almost all the Vanguards and Dreads of the two fleets were wiped out. The stragglers were no better as they were now panicking and terrified beyond belief…some of them were so stunned and shocked that they didn't do anything…allowing the Gundam of the Harvester leader to finish them all off, this meant that now, there were only token resistance from those units that had not launched from their fleet groups. The Harvester Leader smiled wickedly at the carnage and then directed his attention to the battle groups of Derek and Elise…

He then contacted them and laughed in his own calm, yet sadistic manner.

"You're next."

Kyo saw that he was too late to rescue the forces of Dreads and Vanguards that had launched en masse to try and defeat the Harvester leader, though there were still back-up forces with the rest of the fleet that were still in position, his rage built as he decided to finish off the enemy Gundams and stop this massacre before anything else would happen.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY!!"

The I-Freedom charged right at the three Gundams as the three formed a defensive phalanx to stop him, with the still functioning Devastator Gundam firing it's remaining weapons, and the Hellfire blocking the attacks with it's own shields and armor…while the Wyvern Gundam attacked the I-Freedom in it's transformed state, utilizing it's unique weapons and speed to it's advantage to keep Kyo and the I-Freedom from getting closer. However, Kyo wasn't going to give up and dodged the attacks from both the Wyvern and the Devastator. He then fired his plasma cannons at the Wyvern, forcing it to break it's attack run and he took the fight to the two Gundams, he evaded another barrage and then fired his feather cannons. The Hellfire used it's beam deflecting shield arms to block the beam attacks, but as it was about to fire back, it was suddenly attacked by several of the feather beam cannons that have transformed themselves to their beam saber configuration. The Hellfire was slashed by two of the beam sabers and was forced to abandon the Devastator as the beam sabers attacked it, while the unconverted beam cannons bombarded it with more beam shots…the attacks were very much distracting, and that gave the Gundam pilot the chance to use the more powerful anti-ship swords.

With one such sword and it's beam edge already ignited, Kyo decided to knock aside the Hellfire. The two Gundams clashed and the weapons of each Mobile Suit struggled to over-power the other. Kyo then reeled back and the Hellfire's anti-ship scythe missed it's target, the sudden change in momentum was more than enough for the Harvester Gundam to pitch forward and allow Kyo to use the anti-ship sword like a pike and slice past the shield arms and the anti-ship sword ripped off the right shield arm…Kyo had to retreat as the Devastator came at him, firing all it's weapon systems that still remained with it. Kyo then moved quickly through the battle and used his rail-guns. The rounds forced the Gundam back and it was then that all of the feather beam cannons, which were now in beam saber configuration attacked…and the Devastator, was suddenly stabbed by over fifty beam sabers. The feather cannons retreated and Kyo finished off the Devastator Gundam with both his anti-ship swords, which were now in their double edged form. The Gundam pilot guided that attack and then struck with a downward diagonal overhead cut that struck the Devastator right near the neck and slashed the Devastator clean through the Phase Shift armor. The Gundam then exploded as the I-Freedom went on to face off with the still functional Hellfire and the Wyvern Gundams.

The Harvester leader wasted little time to watch the fight between the three Gundams he had sent to slow Kyo down and his mortal foe. As much as he wanted to kill Kyo himself, he had to send a message to the arrogant men of Talark and overconfident women of Megele. There was plenty of time to kill his nemesis and to end the bloodline of his most hated foe…so why not savor the moments?

"ALL SHIPS OPEN FIRE!! KILL THAT MONSTER!! DON'T LET THAT MONSTER APPROACH!!"

The two fleets fired all their arsenals, as they tried to take out the E. Vendetta Gundam before he would get close enough to attack them…the men knew that since a vast portion of their Vanguards were already wiped out, the remaining Vanguards in their hangers and the surviving reserve pilots were the only measure of defense they had…considering the Gundam and it's pilot's highly efficient tactics in close combat made attacking this guy head on was tantamount to suicide. The same thing could be said for the women as well. Their Dreads were their best weapon at long range and for harassment…and interception. Their ship's weapons were NOT meant to engage man sized targets…that being Vanguards…the Gundam however was no mere Vanguard. They knew that without their Dreads to provide interception power and options…they were going to be under heavy attack.

The MAC ships were called in and they began to unleash massive rounds of fire from their deadly cannons. On massive formations of units, the sheer kinetic power of the massive tungsten rounds would have shredded them all like thin and old paper. However…the weapons were near to useless on foes that were too small to hit. However Derek hoped that the barrage would be enough to make the Harvester leader think twice than try to get too close to the ships, while they rallied whatever remaining forces they had left to deal with the oncoming threat. The eight other ships then broke into two groups, once group, comprising of four ships…the Agrippa, the Fire Blade, the Caesar, and the Thor would sever as the rear guard, while the other ships the Defiant Heart, the Invincible, the Griffin, and the Dragon served as the front line defenders. The ships used a special formation where the normal Talark ships would provide full scale coverage for the MAC ships while allowing them the optimal firing range and room to move.

The Harvester leader evaded several more powerful MAC round salvos and then released his crystal feathers once more and the cannons then opened up and created a massive spherical shield that blocked all the incoming weapons fire from the other ships namely their cannons and torpedoes, while the MAC ships re-loaded, the second the barrage was blocked the Gundam retracted it's feather cannons back to the wing and they were once more covered in crystal.

The Harvester Leader launched his Gundam right at the Dragon as it's crews tried to hold him off, but he dodged the cannons fire and was now too close for torpedoes to be effective. Some of the rounds were able to hit, but were deflected by the Gundam's own P. Phase Shift Armor. The Gundam then spotted the launching area for the Vanguards and quickly jetted right into it…the crews and other pilots had only time to stare in shock as the demon-angel like Gundam was now in the Vanguard Hanger Bay. They barely had time to look as the CIWS guns of the Gundam unleashed a deadly hail of bullets that shredded whatever they hit….Technicians, mechanics, and pilots ran for cover while others of their group was brutally cut down by the massive rounds as the floor was now covered with exploding parts, spilled Vanguard coolants, fuel, metal, bodies, body parts and blood. The place looked like a massacre had just happened. The Gundam then unleashed it's plasma cannons and rail-guns and fired a massive barrage along with the CIWS guns, further adding to the massive damage. The Harvester leader watched the carnage with glee as he continued his internal assault in the Dragon. The Gundam then took out it's beam sabers and began hacking it's way through the ship…ripping the internals of the Talark vessel, killing the crew members it encountered in gruesome and brutal fashions, and the weapons of the security detachments were worthless against the Gundam. The men in the Dragon were either torn apart by explosions, or were incinerated by fire and weapons fire from the Gundam as they tried to escape, others were sucked out into the cold vacuum of space as the blasts ripped through the hulls. It then fired another massive blast and hit the coolant systems, causing the reactors to begin to overheat. The Gundam then fired it's rail-guns right into the reactor. The results were deadly as the Gundam flew out of the massive hole as the reactor exploded and the Dragon was consumed in explosions and flame, and was now a burning hulk of wreckage.

The Defiant Heart fired it's cannons to try and stop the attack, but the Gundam merely locked in all it's weapons…and fired a deadly blanketing barrage of beam fire, and rail-gun rounds. The barrage hit the Defiant Heart with massive force…destroying many of the weapon emplacements and ripping into the hulls. Crew were killed by the explosions, sucked into deep space to die…or were torn apart by the shrapnel fire. The Gundam then unleashed another barrage but this one was a deadly concerted barrage on the left section of the ship…ripping right through the super-structure with deadly results…even more crew members were killed by the resulting explosions, sucked out into space, incinerated by the massive firestorms, sliced apart by the shrapnel, or reduced into cinders when the beams caught them, and the ship suffered even more explosions that tore the hull apart. The combined explosions literally ripped a massive chunk of the ship's hull clean off. The ship's exposed section showed massive internal damage and the Gundam took advantage of the massive damage to go right into it. The Harvester leader moved his Gundam through the burning wound in the ship and used his anti-ship swords to cause even more damage to the dying ship. Men who were on the other sections had no warning as the massive weapons tore through the sealing bulkheads like they were made from wet tissue paper, they were either crushed by the falling debris or cut in half by the beam edge…the Gundam ripped it's way through the ship and was now in the pain reactor room, the crews in the rooms had little time to evacuate when the E. Vendetta Gundam slashed the reactors and used the anti-ship swords to also destroy the coolant systems…ensuring that there was no chance to save the ship. The Gundam then jetted back out at high speed as the ship exploded like a super nova…consuming the escape pods of those crew that tried in vain to escape.

Derek was in a great deal of fear as the Gundam now charged right at his ship next. He turned to his second in command and gave his last orders as his crew tried desperately to fend off the Gundam with a barrage of weapons fire.

"I want you to all evacuate immediately!"

"But Commander!"

"DON'T ARGUE WITH ME! We have lost…and I want you tell Grand Pa that I am sorry in failing my duty and leading our men to needless death…now go!"

The officers tried to argue but they had no choice and they left, and they were already half way to the shuttle bay and Derek gave the order to let them escape through the shuttle…but as Derek turned…he saw the E. Vendetta Gundam rushing right towards the Command Bridge…and with one of it's anti-ship swords, he closed his eyes and waited for the end, that quickly and violently came to him, the weapon tore through the bridge and killed Derek instantly, along with the remaining members of the command crew. The Gundam didn't stop it's violent attacks and then went ahead to gut the ship's body with the anti-ship sword as it streaked over the now exploding command bridge, the Gundam continued to gut the ship and though several of the surviving Vanguard pilots of Derek's ship the Invincible managed to get out and attack him, they were cut down with two swift strokes of the anti-ship sword. As the Gundam gutted the ship it then fired another powerful barrage from all of it's ranged weapons and the beam bolts and rail gun rounds ripped into the exploding gashes the anti-ship sword had inflicted on the ship. The violent attacks destroyed the hull integrity of the Invincible and it exploded completely…consumed by fire and energy.

The Griffin launched several more of it's still surviving reserve Vanguards to try and attack the Harvester Gundam, but that was a weak gesture as the Gundam charged and took out it's beam rifles and jammed the weapons right through the chest armor of two of the six Vanguards and destroyed them with two deadly beam shots. The other Vanguards were cut down by the Gundam's beam sabers in one spinning pass. The torpedoes fired by the Griffin were evaded by the Harvester Gundam and it used it's CIWS guns to destroy the others, along with several of the Griffin's cannon turrets.. The Gundam then began firing beam after beam from the beam rifles and then fired it's plasma cannons on the ships' engines as it passed over the Griffin while evading the retaliatory cannon fire. The destruction of their ship's engines was a great blow to the crew as their repair crews tried desperately to fight the fires that spread on the ship and the engines from the attacks of the Gundam. However the Harvester Leader's Gundam was not done yet. It then used it's beam sabers to rip it's way into the ship and then as it entered it fired off more plasma cannon bolts and as it tore it's way into the main ceremonial hall, the Gundam unleashed it's feather cannons and fired the cannons while they were only a very short distance from their moorings, the beam cannons' beams ripped through the ships' internals and killed countless men as the explosions and beams ripped into the ship. The Griffin then exploded from the inside and out as the Gundam blasted it's way through the bulkheads and escaped from the now destroyed ship.

The Caesar unleashed it's full arsenals…even going as far as the fire it's torpedoes fully armed and primed…but with no made firing solution, thus the weapons were only allowed to detonate once they were in close proximity to the Harvester leader, however, the weapons were unable to effectively stop the Harvester leader as he maneuvered his Gundam away from the paths of the torpedoes or used the shield emitters in his feather beam cannons to block the torpedoes…once the clouds cleared, the Gundam's other feather cannons fired their weapon loads and destroyed the torpedo tubes of the Caesar, causing considerable damage to the weapon banks as they lost their more powerful long range weapon systems to the attacks, the Endless vendetta was then guided by it's pilot to use it's beam sabers to rip into the exploding hulls and then it fired it's CIWS guns on the rows of torpedoes that were still intact. The resulting explosions filled several sections of the Talark ship with tremendous force and killed more men as the inferno consumed them, along with the explosions that tore them all apart like they were living figures made out of toilet paper. The Gundam then slashed it's way through the internal structure of the Talark battle ship. The Gundam then stabbed the beam sabers through the upper hull of the ship as it reached the middle of the vessel. The Gundam then pushed forward in full throttle…it's P. Phase Shift Armor defended it from any form of physical damage and any form of retaliation. The Gundam sliced through the top most armor of the Caesar and then slashed it's way right through the cockpit…the officers screamed for only a few moments as the bridge exploded outward as the Gundam ripped the Command bridge from the inside out. The Gundam streaked out and then unleashed once more the feather cannons and unleashed a deadly barrage right into the still exploding bridge and blew the ship in half.

The three MAC ships, known as the Trebuchet, the Ballistae, and the Scorpion were now very much vulnerable to attack and their Vanguard forces were now unleashed. The pilots who had seen the utter carnage the E. Vendetta Gundam had inflicted on their fellow pilots previously tried their best to destroy him, but they too suffered a great deal of losses as the Gundam tore through them like they were nothing but gnats. Several of the Vanguards were cut down by the beam sabers, and the plasma cannons and the rail-guns.

The Gundam then attacked the Trebuchet first, slamming one of it's anti-ship swords right through the MAC barrel and began to slice it lengthwise…causing severe damage to the first cannon, and the point defensive guns were having an even harder time in trying to hit the E. Vendetta Gundam as the machine was getting too close. The Gundam ran it's embedded anti-ship sword all the way to the main housing where the power regulators for the coils were. The Gundam then stopped and took away the beam edged weapon and fired the plasma cannons right into the housing, ripping through the armor like it was tin foil and destroying the power regulator systems, the end result for the leftmost MAC, was that without a proper power flow, the coils deactivated and the weapon was rendered worthless. The Gundam directed it's attention to the Trebuchet's command bridge and fired a massive barrage of CIWs rounds that shredded the Command bridge killing the crews, but not before the officer in charge of the ship gave the order for their still operational Vanguards and their pilots to retreat back to the planet, as several of the crew managed to reach the escape sections and managed to flee, though much of the crew were all slaughtered as the Gundam ripped the bridge apart and fired another concerted plasma cannon and rail-gun barrage through the gaping wound of the ship. The Gundam then slashed the second MAC with it's anti-ship sword, cutting the barrel in the middle and then it went for the engine section the same way it had done with the Griffin and ripped the engines apart with it's feather beam cannons. The Trebuchet exploded violently, and though most of it was still intact…most of the core systems were already in flames. The only other survivors apart from the escaped crew were a few of the Vanguard pilots that remained alive and managed to evade detection by the Gundam as it went on to inflict more destruction

The Agrippa, another Talark battle-ship approached to shield the other two MAC ships with it's bulk and weapons, it was also joined by the second still functional Talark battle-ship, the Thor. Both ships unleashed all that they had against the Gundam, but the Harvester leader was not going to be deterred, the men were quite resilient, that much he could give them credit for…after he gave them a parting lesson in humility, it was time he gave that very same lesson to the women of Megele. He then aimed his Gundam's beam rifles and rail-guns right at the Thor's weapon banks, and destroyed a large number of heavy cannon emplacements along with the torpedo tubes. The damage to the ship was great and the men barely had time to recover from the explosions caused by the attack…several second later, the E. Vendetta's beam sabers slashed deeply into the front of the ship…killing the shocked crew-members who were there, transfixed in horror by the sight of weapon. The beam saber ripped through the shielding and into the hull and did it's work. The Gundam pilot of the Harvesters then directed his attention to the rest of the ship as he fired his rail-guns repeatedly at the ship…causing more damage, and killing the crew members in large groups…and the Harvester leader was going to do the very same thing he had done to the Caesar as it was about to gut open a massive hole for it to enter the ship and begin his grisly and violent work.

However, his attack was cut short by several torpedoes fired by the Agrippa's back up, the Thor, as the ship came in to rescue their comrades. The Gundam pilot grinned and directed his attention towards the Thor and attacked. The officers…who were still alive directed the evacuation of their forces who survived the attack and they were about attack, but the Harvester leader beat them to it as the feather beam cannons it was able to release focus their fire all towards the engines and blew them all up as the concerted beam attack ripped through the armor plating like it was nothing but soft butter hit by a focused beam of light magnified by the sun. The impact and energy destroyed the engines and the Agrippa suffered a powerful chain of explosions. However, some of the surviving crew were able to seal off the rest of the ship and haul off the severely wounded but still alive members of their crew to safer sections of the ship.

The Thor and it's crew and officers braced themselves for contact and fired all their ordinance and weapon systems. Their officers knew that after seeing the Endless Vendetta Gundam, and the massive loss of all their Vanguards, they would not last very long, but they were not going to back down and give up now matter how powerful the Gundam was. The Harvester Gundam dodged several more massive attacks, as the two surviving MAC ships, the Ballistae and the Scorpion fired their massive rounds, but the ships' gunnery crews, other crew-members and officers knew that it was only to try and force the Gundam away from the Thor as the rounds would harm the Thor if they continued to fire…plus the targeting computers were not designed to track a lone target the size of a Vanguard.

The Thor's crew were hit hard by the incoming force of the Gundam's full arsenals. The feather cannons ripped into the ship like a pack of Sand Panthers after a meal back on Talark, while the rail-guns and plasma cannons hit even more sections of the ship, causing explosions to happen all over the ship as crew members were able to escape and seal off the areas…however, they witnessed many of their younger comrades die in the explosions that engulfed the ship, those who didn't die from the initial explosions, were sucked into space to die. The Thor did what it could but the Gundam's overwhelming attacks were too much as more of their ship was being systematically blown to bits by the attacks. The Endless Vendetta jetted underneath the ship and then used it's beam sabers and cut right into the inner cargo doors, killing the technicians inside and forcing the ship to suffer more damage as it forced it's way in and it fired it's feather cannons all over the ship as it fired it's own plasma cannons and rail-guns…ripping the ship both on the outside and the inside. The crew however were lucky in the sense that the attacks stopped and they were able to disconnect the remaining sections that were still functional away from the critically wounded ship.

The Harvester Leader took his Gundam out of the Thor's crippled form and decided to end this little game with the men of Talark and powered up all of his beam weapons into overcharge mode and fired a concentrated barrage on the MAC ships, namely on their cannons' power regulator section, the super charged blasts did their part and the Gundam wasted no time in dispatching the defending Vanguards with the beam rifles, beam sabers and anti-ship swords…their pilots died fighting as their Vanguards were now nothing more than wreckage, the others however were told by their officers to evacuate and escort the survivors…they were able to leave in time as the now exposed and heavily damaged regulator sections were then attacked by the Gundam's continued barrage…the regulator stations exploded and took the MACs with them as the massive cannons were wrecked beyond recovery and the explosions spread throughout the ships…though the ships remained intact…they were now worthless as weapon platforms.

The Harvester leader allowed the few men to leave…they would serve both as witnesses, and as the ones who would spell to the men their doom…they were to be his messengers to the men about their soon to come extinction.

Now it was time to deal with the women…and give them his own messengers…he faced the Megele ships and called the leader of the Fleet.

"Commander Elise Morgana…pray for oblivion to take you and you're crews…"

"You're next…"

--

Kyo swore as he saw the carnage as he made his Gundam evade another deadly slash from the Hellfire Gundam's anti-ship scythe and the ignited plasma flame that followed him as the weapon nearly cleaved him in half. The Gundam pilot moved away and used his beam saber to block another blast from the Hellfire, while it used the remaining shield arm to deflect the retaliatory shots from his rail-guns and plasma cannons. Kyo gritted his teeth as he evaded a retaliatory barrage from both the Hellfire and the Wyvern. The still transformed Gundam used it's beam spear to keep Kyo on the defensive, but there was no way he was going to remain in the defensive forever though as a plan came into his mind to get rid of one of the Gundams, and then he would deal with the last one and try to stop the Harvester leader from massacring the female forces this time…he was relieved that his Gundam's sensors picked up the signals of Talark units leaving the decimated wrecks that were once part of the Talark Navy, telling him that there were still survivors left and they would make it…now all he had to worry about was how to get his plan into action before the women suffered too many losses to the Harvester leader.

He knew that his best target would have to be the Hellfire Gundam, with that unit out of the way, he would then face only the Wyvern Gundam…but despite the assurance the plan gave him, he knew not to be overconfident with his chances, as that Gundam, along with the Devastator and the Wyvern Gundams nearly came close to seriously killing him and his Gundam…even if he had already destroyed the Devastator Gundam, it was no excuse to get lax and careless.

The Gundam pilot then managed to fire out a massive barrage from his plasma cannons and rail-guns to stop the next attack run of the Wyvern and then took advantage of the Wyvern Gundam's OS protocols to hunt him down and made a beeline towards the clouds of wreckage that comprised solely of the Harvester forces. The Wyvern didn't hesitate to follow the Infinite Freedom Gundam into the morass…leaving the slower Hellfire Gundam behind. As soon as the two entered the wreckage of a ruined Harvester battle-ship, Kyo moved into action and lured the Wyvern Gundam right into the hanger section of the ship...the same kind of hanger that stored the far more powerful machines in the Harvesters' arsenals…and since the place was a very big wreck…this was perfect, as soon as Kyo got inside, he guided his Gundam up towards the roof of the hanger and was followed by the Wyvern, intent on gutting the Paeksis enhanced Gundam like a fish in a barrel…however, the eager fisherman was not aware of the fact that instead of an easy catch he was about to find up in the water as the Gundam suddenly stopped and dropped downwards…the Wyvern streaked past the I-Freedom and that was the opening Kyo needed as he fired his plasma cannons…but not at the Wyvern Gundam…but at the roof where the Gundam was located!

The Wyvern had transformed back into it's Mobile Suit state and was about to strike with it's beam spear at the I-Freedom Gundam, however it was not going to get far as large beams, torn metal, and more suddenly covered it. Kyo then lashed with his Gundam's beam sabers and sent down even more twisted wreckage to cover the location of the Wyvern as it was caught off guard by the debris that smashed right into it due to the explosion, plus more of the same twisted wreckage, slammed into it as Kyo knocked them to it with his Gundam's wings. Kyo knew that it would not be enough to slow down the Wyvern Gundam, but it would be enough to at least keep it from interfering with his chance to take out the Hellfire Gundam. He then used his anti-ship swords to slice down more debris as he guided his Gundam out of the ruined Harvester ship, the extra debris will certainly slow the Wyvern down and the debris outside would give him the opening he would need to catch the Hellfire off guard.

Sure enough, as soon as he was outside, his Gundam's sensors picked up his other Gundam foe making it's way through the wreckage of many Harvester units. Kyo hid his Gundam behind the wreckage of two Seed Ships that were heavily gutted and when the Hellfire was in range, he leaped out and attacked with both beam rifles going all out, along with his plasma cannons, catching the Hellfire totally off guard as it barely got it's shield ready to block the shots, it managed to use it's anti-ship scythe to slice at Kyo and the weapon connected at the I-Freedom's torso…the weapon leaving a powerful shower of sparks on the p. Phase Shift Armor, thankfully the armor system held the blow and Kyo managed to use his beam sabers to force the Hellfire Gundam back and then he blocked the next strike of the anti-ship scythe by using his Gundam's forearm to stop the scythe in mid swing by blocking the middle of the weapon and then he charged right in, used his second beam saber to slice through the Hellfire's left arm and then he kicked the Hellfire Gundam and then stabbed his beam sabers forward…striking the torso and hitting the Hellfire's main power plant. The Hellfire's weapons deactivated and the Gundam was blown in half by the internal and external explosions as it's own Phase Shift Armor went down.

Kyo however didn't have time to relax as his Gundam's threat sensors warned him of an incoming threat and he moved the Gundam away in time as the launched beam spear blade of the Wyvern nearly sliced into the torso of his Gundam…the weapon however bit through the body of the now destroyed Hellfire Gundam and severed the head clean off. Kyo then saw the weapon retract as the Hellfire attacked with a violent swing of it's weapon towards him, he blocked the weapon with his beam sabers.

The Harvester leader smiled with deadly malice as he evaded the beam shots of the ships and continued to close the gap…he released his feather cannons, but turned them to their beam shield formation and there were over fifty flying diamond shaped energy shields that blocked the smaller energy blasts. One ship, known as the Athena tried to stop the Gundam's violent assault. But it instead was an open target.

While the Megele ships enjoyed advantages in terms of speed, better weapons technology, armor plating, sensors, and equipment…they suffered a serious disadvantage when they were attacked at close range…unlike the Talark ships which had massive batteries of their new and improved turrets that could unleash massive barrages of interlocking fields of fire that could shred normal foes to shreds on their ships at any range, including close range…the Megele ships had only two powerful forward facing energy cannons and several more in the front…but they could only fire in one direction…forward…and while that was an advantage in terms of hitting larger targets, and massive clouds of units…the weapons were not effective when they were evaded by the units that they tried to take out…thus the Dread Squadrons that each Megele cruiser had with it…served as an interception force, harassing units, and defensive force…without them…the Megele ships were in essence sitting ducks in close combat. Just like their Dreads were deathly vulnerable in close combat, the Megele Cruisers themselves were vulnerable in close combat…even with their self defense system.

The Harvester Leader fired his Gundam's rail-guns and plasma cannons right into the shields and then used his feather cannons, which had reverted to their beam cannon form and unleashed a deadly barrage into the shield system…the shields held, but that was merely a probing run as the Harvester Leader then directed a powerful concerted barrage right into one section of the shielding system and the combined assault…plus a powerful slash of both anti-ship swords broke through the shields. The allowed the Gundam a direct shot into the Megele Cruiser…the women tried to seal off any access to the inside of their ship…however, the Harvester leader was not going to be denied and attacked the main Dread Launching platform…slicing through the armored doors and entered the Launching tube…while in there. The Gundam pilot used the CIWS guns to cause massive damage to the systems…the girls manning the Register station in the Launching Bay had only time to scream, as well as the rest of their comrades as the Gundam appeared briefly but fired massive rounds into their stations from the inside…killing many of them in both the attacks, the shrapnel, and the explosions. The Gundam then fired it's plasma cannons and rail-guns causing massive internal damage and explosions added to the utter chaos in the ship…women were killed by the explosions, cut down into shreds or pieces by the shrapnel, or were crushed as well. Those who survived managed to seal of the ship, but their ship was lost as the Gundam gutted it, all the way to the bridge. The women in the other ships watched in horror as the Endless. Vendetta Gundam flew right out of the bridge of the Athena…and explosions consumed the ship as it lost all power and died.

The Harvester Gundam then aimed to the next ship…named the Crystal. The Captain of the ship ordered all of her forces to do whatever they could to stop the lone machine from getting to close to them. However, they were now unable to attack properly as the Gundam used it's feather cannons in their shield formation to block the incoming barrage. The women looked on in shock as the energy dissipated from the shields that surrounded the Endless. Vendetta Gundam like a sphere. The shields broke away as the Gundam moved in for the kill….evading the blasts and then smashing through the shielding and attacked the Crystal. The women officers tried to find some solutions to stop the incoming threat, but the Gundam however moved in with both anti-ship swords and then combined them into their staff form and then tossed the weapon right onto the bridge. The women in the bridge were killed as the weapon bit deeply into the bridge and destroyed it…the Gundam then grabbed the weapon and sliced the bridge section clean off the ship. The Gundam then disconnected the anti-ship swords and combined the swords to their twin edged form and then slammed the weapon into the side of the ship and began to gut the ship like a fish. The women inside the ship were killed by the explosions, the shrapnel, and the energy beam edge. The massive burning cuts on the Megele ship exploded and the ship shuddered violently from the blasts and more women were killed as they were unable to escape and were dragged out into deep space to die. The Gundam then used the weapon to slice off the arms of the ship, that connected it's weapon system to the ship. With the arms sliced off, the Gundam then fired it's beam arsenals right into the gaping wounds it had inflicted on the Megele cruiser…the resulting explosions consumed the entire ship and left it as a burning and desiccated hulk as the Gundam pilot then sought out it's next target for destruction.

The Empress managed to fire several beams that managed to graze the Gundam, but it was not enough to severely damage the Gundam itself as the Gundam attacked the Empress with several plasma cannon shots…aimed right at one of the main gun cannons…the impact was enough blast the weapon system to shreds and shake the ship with the explosion…inside the ship…female crew members rushed to save whatever part of the ship that they possibly could, many of their fellow women died from the explosions and many more were lost by the shrapnel blasts, along with being sucked into space before they could escape.

The Gundam then attacked the Empress' second main cannons with several powerful bombarding strikes from it's rail-guns and plasma cannons. The weapon system exploded…leaving the Empress derived of a large portion of it's defensive and offensive arsenals and that was enough for the Gundam to take the fight right to the women, the Gundam then fired a massive barrage from half of it's feather cannons, while the other half of the cannons were in their shield emitter state and blocked any retaliatory strikes from the other Megele cruisers. After rendering the Empress unable to move from the fight, the Gundam pilot then upped the ante by targeting the ship's main power supply center…by ripping it's way into the ship with it's bare hands. The women were shocked as the Gundam merely ripped it's way into their ship and then entered the main power reactor room. The security forces used all the weapons they had in their disposal, but their heavy laser rifles, sub-machine gun style laser and laser rings were as effective as trying to use the bullets of a BB gun to stop a bullet train at top speed. The lasers merely bounced off or dissipated on the Endless Gundam's P. Phase Shift Armor…and the Gundam pilot retaliated with a massive hail of CIWS bullets…the massive weapons shredded into the security forces and tore them apart…blood flowed everywhere, along with severed limbs, bodies, and more gruesome acts as the bullets ripped the women to pieces. The Gundam then smashed it's beam sabers right through the reactor's protective housing and caused severe reactor meltdown. The Gundam then jetted out of the ship and faced off with the other attacks as it's feather beam cannons returned back to it…as the Empress was consumed in flames and explosions behind it…adding a fiery background to the Gundam's profile of being a demonic angel as it's eyes glowed once more.

The Golden Star came in and tried to fight with the Gundam, but it's crew's ability to try and halt the Harvester Gundam's rampage to their fellow ships and crew was cut short as the Gundam charged right for the bridge, after forcing it's way past their shields…evading heavy weapons fire along the way and then firing it's plasma cannons right into the bridge itself…killing the crew quickly and instantly…but the Harvester leader was far from finished with his latest victim. He then combined his anti-ship swords into their staff formation and slashed the ship right in the hulls…directly into the reactor…he sliced the hull plaiting and made his way to the power plant and then a tube cable was released from the Gundam as he guided his Gundam towards the work station nearby…the women security members and the engineers were already slaughtered as he had used his Gundam's CIWS guns to cut them into bloody heaps. The cable connected to a nearby port and directly interface with the power regulation systems…meaning that the Harvester leader now controlled the Golden Star's power supply. He then shut down the power to all forms of life support to several key sections of the ship…including General Quarters, Engineering Bay, Dread Launching Platform, and the Medical Bay. He also sealed off the entrances and exits to those very same rooms…leaving the women trapped in them to die of cold and asphyxiation. The Gundam pilot then set the reactor to full overload and left the ship as sections of the Golden Star exploded into a fiery mess…leaving a severely desiccated hulk in his wake.

The Harvester leader was getting very interested in his game as he continued to seek out his next victim, while still armed with his Gundam's combined anti-ship swords. He then spotted another worthy ship as it continued to open fire at him with all that they could manage to throw at him…while evading the incoming attacks. The Jade Star was next…

The Captain of the Jade Star tried to remain calm in the fight…but her attempts were not working as she now realized that the Harvester leader had turned his attention on her ship and her crew. The cannons of her ship and her gunnery crews tried what they could to hit the Gundam, but it suddenly released the crystal feathers that it had on it's wings and in a few minutes, the feathers went into their beam cannon formation and unleashed a deadly barrage that tore right into the Jade Star. The Captain, her bridge crew… and her officers were shook as the Jade Star was hit very hard. The rest of the crews began giving damage reports and the news was not good. The Gundam had just disabled their Dread Launching Platforms, their right main cannon and demolished the left main cannon as well, the Jade Star also suffered several large hull breaches and fires were breaking out of several decks in the ship, and the crew here doing all that they could to save their comrades and their ship. The crew of the Jade Star were then surprised and horrified to suddenly see the Gundam slice with it's still combined anti-ship swords the lower deck…gutting the Jade Star from the bottom…the weapon sliced the lower section of the ship open and explosions tore the ship apart and then the Gundam tossed it's combined anti-ship sword staff right into the back of the ship….the weapon ripped through the ship and then cut through the front….tearing through the bridge like a hot knife through butter and killing any of the female crew-members who were in the path of the weapon. The Gundam then fired another lethal barrage for all of it's ranged weapons and shredded the ship and turned it into a massive burning hulk of metal and fire…there were no signs of escape pods at all.

The Ruby Shard tried to avenge the other ships but it's crew were not ready for the Gundam's suddenly drop from the weapons fire of their ship, and then charged right towards them with it's beam sabers ready. The Gundam then fired it's rail-guns right at the engines of the Ruby Shard, as soon as it was able to inflict some serious damage to the ship, the Harvester leader slashed it's way right through the ship…cutting in the forward direction and ripping it's way past the Engine Room, to the main reactor, through the Register and out the front end of the ship. The Ruby Shard was exploding from the horrendous wounds it had suffered from the attack of the Endless. Vendetta Gundam in it's own insides, the Gundam wasted little time as it placed away it's beam sabers and took out it's anti-ship swords and combined them into their double edged sword form and then slammed the weapon right into the bridge of the ship…killing the female crew members in an instant as the beam edges melted the bridge and incinerated the women. The Gundam then descended from the bridge to the lower half of the ship. As soon as it reached the bottom…the Gundam then fired it's feather beam cannons and unleashed a powerful barrage all over the ship…creating massive explosions all over the hull. That coupled with the previous attacks brought the Ruby Shard to it's knees as the ship was consumed in a massive fireball.

The Jeweled Sun fired another barrage and amazingly enough…managed to evade a retaliatory blast from the Gundam's plasma canons…with it's shields taking the forward blasts well, while evading the secondary salvo…however, the women were too late to realize that the Harvester leader had lured them into a trap as they were suddenly surrounded by the ruins of many Vanguards and their own Dreads. The women were filled with horror as they saw up close the wreckage of their own forces and that of the men…and paid for it with their lives as the Gundam stuck instantly at their rear with it's anti-ship swords and stabbed the two weapons right into the hull of the Jeweled Sun, the debris and the residual energy from the explosions had already weakened the shields, thus allowing the Gundam the chance to sneak to the ship…making the attack possible, namely in the port hull section and ripped the ship's armor plating aside…the damage proved to be considerable as the ship reeled from the attack…female crew members of every department who were not killed by the stabbing strike, or the beam edge ripping through the decks and halls were sucked straight into space by the massive vacuum to die in the cold void and by implosion. The Gundam then fired it's plasma cannons right into the gash it created…causing a massive explosion deep within the ship….killing even more of the crew and causing even more damage. The officers of the Jeweled Sun tried desperately to recover their ship and save their crew and themselves…but the Endless. Vendetta Gundam would not relent nor allow them any form of escape as it made it's way into the ship…ripping and tearing through the ship's vital internals and systems…and killing any female he came across. As soon as it arrived to the main reactor, the Gundam stabbed it's anti-ship swords right through the reactor's defensive shielding…causing irreparable damage to the power core…as soon as the klaxons in the ship sounded…the Gundam pilot wasted no time and fought it's way towards the Jeweled Sun's engines…and destroyed them as well…showing that there would be no escape for them all…the Gundam ripped through the engines…without a single scratch to it and left as the ship exploded and joined the rest of it's already slain kin.

The Pride of Grand Ma did what it also could to take out the Gundam…but the Harvester leader was able to evade most of their retaliatory attacks with little trouble and fired all of it's arsenals right at the shields, with all of it's beam cannons, plasma cannons, and rail-guns, the massive barrage from the frontal section pushed the shields to their limits…forcing the officers to raise the power of the shields…they knew that if they didn't withstand this and the shields didn't hold, they would be vulnerable. However, while their reactor could provide massive power…it could not match the overall power given by the Paeksis reactor of the Gundam to both it's systems, armor, equipment…and weapons. The attacks continued for only a few moments, until the reactor suffered a power flux and the shields gave way…the Gundam flew through the areas and fired it's feather cannons…aiming at several areas of the Pride of Grand Ma, namely the bridge, the forward main cannons, the stabilizers, several key sections of the ship, and the engines. The women in the ship were thrown about by the blasts and many were also killed by them…along with being incinerated by the explosions, or severely wounded by the fires and shrapnel…some were rescue in time, but others died horribly from their wounds as they were unable to escape in time. The Gundam then didn't waste a second as it fired a powerful concentrated barrage at the crippled ship, and the blast was so intense…it literally cut the ship clean in half as it exploded in the middle.

The Valkyrie was next on the hit parade as the Gundam attacked the ship. It's crew did what they could and their shots struck the Gundam…however, the feathers on the wings managed to withstand the blast and when they tried to fire another volley, the E. Vendetta Gundam fired it's beam rifles and plasma cannons…taking out their right cannon and then it slammed another lethal barrage right into the ship's shields and then unleashed it's feather beam cannons. The weapons unleashed a blanketing barrage of weapons fire that strained the shielding of the Valkyrie to it's limit. The Gundam then used it's beam sabers and plasma cannons in unison to break through the shields…the cannons further damaged the shields and the beam sabers did the rest as the energy blades sliced through the shielding like it was nothing but light. The Gundam then began to dash around the Valkyrie with several powerful slashes along the way on the hull…causing explosions as the beam weapons tore through the armor plating of the ship like it was nothing more than tin foil, to further add to the already brutal carnage was the fact that the Gundam fired it's CIWS guns as well…the bullets did their part and shredded the ship badly…along with whoever was caught in the bullet fire. Female crew members were being killed left and right by the beam sabers, the massive bullets, explosions, shrapnel…or by being sucked into space and imploding in the cold void. The Captain of the Valkyrie and her officers tried what they could to get away from their attacker…but the E. Vendetta Gundam was not going to let it's latest target get away so easily. The Gundam sliced it's way to the left-most cannon…as it reached it's target. The Gundam took out the anti-ship swords and placed away it's beam sabers. The two massive weapons expanded themselves and activated their beam edges…the weapons were then combined into their double blade form and the Gundam hacked off the cannon with several powerful swings…the weapon pod was ripped off the ship and the arm exploded. The Gundam was hardly done as it jammed it's weapon right into the lower section of the arm and then gutted the Valkyrie on it's underside all the way to it's right cannon. The Gundam then hacked that weapon system clean off with several powerful swings. The Gundam then moved upward and to the horror of the women in the bridge…the Gundam used it's still combined anti-ship swords to cut the bridge clean off the ship. The Valkyrie' crew were too late as explosions ripped the ship to shreds as the Gundam separated it's anti-ship swords and took out it's beam rifles to face the next foe.

(DAMN IT!!)

Kyo swore as he and his Gundam fought with the Wyvern. The transformed Gundam used it's beam spear and the fact that it could fire the three bladed beam system like a retractable harpoon to keep him from getting close enough to do the right amount of damage to stop it and destroy it. Added was the fact that it had beam edges on it's wings to make thing a heck of a lot more dangerous for it him to try a forward attack. The two then fought each other up close as the Wyvern Gundam transformed back to Mobile Suit mode and traded blows with Kyo and the I-Freedom Gundam. The weapon's shaft appeared to have some sort of anti-beam coating, this meant that his beam sabers won't be able to slash it in half. As the Wyvern Gundam tried a brutal stabbing attack, Kyo blocks it with his second beam saber and manages to kick the Wyvern away. Seeing that he couldn't use his plasma cannons and rail-guns in such a situation as this, he uses his energy dart launchers and CWIS guns, these being the only ranged weapons he could use where the others ranged weapons were too impractical or worthless. The energy darts and bullets slammed hard into the Wyvern, forcing the Gundam away as the energy darts exploded on the Gundam itself. The Gundam pilot knew that every second he spent fighting with this unit…the more likely more women of Megele would be slaughtered by the Harvester leader…he had to come up with a plan and quickly.

The pirates watched the carnage in horror and although a large number of them wanted to stop the madness. The battles they had seen the E. Vendetta Gundam had been in told them what could be their fate should they attack recklessly, and Magno herself had a feeling that none of them…not even Dita, Jura, or Meia would stand any chance against this blood thirsty foe who was the leader of all the Harvesters. Besides…getting her crew killed was not her plan and her uncle would never forgive her if anyone died needlessly. The rest of the Talark and Megele forces could do nothing but watch as they battle continued…as much as they wanted to get into the fight, they were held back by both the pirates and the resulting battle. They knew that after witnessing the casualties that the E. Vendetta Gundam could inflict on their respective forces…they would accomplish only their deaths should they attempt to interfere…but that certainly didn't stop many of them from crying in grief and rage at the sheer carnage the Gundam had inflicted.

The E. Vendetta Gundam then directed it's attention to it's next victim, the Sapphire. And it wasted little time as it evaded the blasts fired at it by the ship's gunnery computers and crews…it then used the debris to shield it's attacks and the women tried all that they could to flush him out from hiding…they knew what might happen if they were not ready to fight him. But he knew that as well…as soon as they passed several ruined units of their deceased comrades…the E. Vendetta came out of nowhere…right past their shields and slashed it's beam sabers right on the rear. The Gundam cut right into the Dread Launching Platform. As soon as the Gundam had torn it's way right into the ship. It went straight to the top, slashing with it's weapons and firing it's CIWS guns. The women who were there…were killed quickly as the Gundam ripped it's way to the top of the ship and once it burst out from the upper section of the hull…it fired it's beam rifles right into the bridge…killing the officers and crew inside. The Gundam however was far from finished as it fired all of it's current arsenals right into the hole it had left behind. The attacks did their part and caused even more damage to the ship as explosions rocked the ship like it was in water. The Sapphire was unable to maintain it's stability and crashed right into several more wrecks…and the wreckage caused even more damage to the ship and the debris ripped right into the armor like knives…The Gundam then unleashed it's full ranged arsenal as it went to the rear of the ship and fired a concerted barrage right into the Dread Launching Platform and hanger deck…causing massive internal damage and the beams literally tore out through the other side of the ship…the Sapphire exploded violently as the Gundam jetted away and looked for the next target on it's scope.

Kyo managed to fight off the Wyvern and tried to stop the Harvester leader, but the AI Gundam was not giving up anytime soon as it transformed and jetted right after the I-Freedom with it's wing beam edge emitters already online…intent on slicing the I-Freedom Gundam into two pieces. However, Kyo was warned by the danger sensors and quickly flipped his Gundam upward and quickly took out one of his anti-ship swords and once the weapon expanded and it's beam edge ignited, the Gundam pilot then slashed off one of the Wyvern's wings…destroying that part and forcing the Gundam to revert to it's Mobile Suit mode and take out it's beam spear. The two then fought each other and amazingly enough the Wyvern managed to kick aside one of the I-Freedom's beam sabers and it tried to skewer the Gundam with a stab…however, Kyo grabbed another weapon…and it was the anti-ship scythe of the Hellfire Gundam, once he had that in hand, he quickly attacked with the weapon he had gained and the Wyvern had to back away from the arcing slash…that was the break Kyo needed as he make his Gundam jet forward and slam an elbow right into the Wyvern Gundam's chest…and followed the attack with a beam saber stab…right into the chest of the Wyvern, the two Gundams were then close enough for Kyo to recover the lost beam saber and with that weapon in hand and his removal of the other beam saber in the wound of the Wyvern. He dodged another stab by the still functioning Gundam's beam spear and slashed both his beam sabers quickly…cutting the head off the Wyvern Gundam and slashed off it's arms. As he placed the weapons aside…he decided to take the Wyvern's beam spear…it might just come in handy as he charged towards the Harvester Gundam to stop it's rampage.

The Endless Vendetta was now after the next ship, namely the Coral, the ship barely had time to defend itself when the Harvester Gundam unleashed a massive barrage right towards the front of the ship…the beams were at full power and quickly overwhelmed the shields and slammed right into the front bow of the ship…ripping through the metal plating and the ship's front section was blown apart. The ship shuddered from the impact and the Gundam took that as it's attack run and quickly flew right into the gaping hole in the front of the ship. It then fired it's plasma cannons and rail-guns at full power and shredded the way to it's primary target…the reactor room…the women security forces tried to hold the Gundam off, but like before…their laser weapons, despite being more high tech than the Talark assault rifles…were worthless against the Gundam as it's Paeksis enhanced Phase Shift Armor blocked the shots…it was the same as trying to use wet tissue paper balls to stop a raging bull from ripping into a China shop. As soon as the Gundam arrived to the reactor, it quickly slashed with it's beam sabers at the engineering room nearby…killing the crew inside the ship and then targeted the reactor…with one might punch, the Gundam smashed through the shielding and ripped the outer security plating off like paper and fired it's weapons inside the core…ensuring beyond critical damage to the ship's power core…and without any form of power, the Coral's systems were offline…and to make sure it stayed that way, the Gundam then located and destroyed the back-up generator stations in the ship as well. The Coral was consumed internally by fires and power blackouts…and many crew were killed in the long run…allowing the Gundam to continue it's brutal assault on the last Megele cruiser…the Verdant Plain.

The Gundam fired another lethal barrage towards the shields and the shields were once more put to the test, However, the E. Vendetta Gundam directed a concerted barrage at one shield area that weakened the shield and allowed it the chance to close in and attack with it's beam sabers, the weapons did their part and caused several massive gashes to appear on the armor of the Verdant Plain. The Harvester leader then fired another barrage right on the different areas of the ship to cause even more damage. The women who were in the path were unable to escape and died…however, others were able to escape and hide in the sections that were not totally destroyed by the Endless. Vendetta Gundam's brutal attacks as it ripped off the ship's left main cannon with it's anti-ship swords and gutted the left arm section on the top with it's combined anti-ship swords in their staff form. The explosions rocked the ship hard as the Gundam then placed aside it's anti-ships swords once they were now back in their normal form, and fired it's rail-guns right on the engines…causing even more damage…and killing more of the Verdant Plain's crew who were in the area. The Gundam then jetted and aimed it's beam rifles right at the bridge…intent on finishing the ship's crew off.

That was when the Harvester leader was warned by his Gundam's sensors of an incoming attack and had to halt his attacks as a beam spear was thrown right at him by none other than the Infinite Freedom…that meant only one thing to the Harvester leader…Kyo had defeated his opponents and now he was after him…all the better…now they could settle this fight…one way or the other.

Both the Gundams then focused their attacks on each other and were now more than ready to rip each other into shreds. Both Gundams fired their plasma cannons at one another and both dodged the shots well. That was the start of the first battle between the two Paeksis enhanced Gundams, one from Earth, and the other from the past. This allowed the surviving crew of the Verdant Plain to effect their escape as their Engineers managed to repair most of the damage as best they could and allow the ship the chance to limp away from the fighting.

The Harvester leader however was not concerned that his previous quarry was now leaving the battle zone…they were already his messengers and witnesses to the world of Megele…and now he had the chance to settle old accounts now…and this was one opportunity he was not going to waste now…after all, this was just the first encounter…he wanted to see just how skilled Kira Yamato's son really was…

And now was a good a time as any…

--

To be continued…

--

It seems that the Harvester Leader has a serious axe to grind with Kyo…but why is that? What kind of old grudge does the Harvester Leader have towards Kyo of all people? And now the two Gundam pilots…both I-Freedom, and E-Vendetta are about to face each other for the very first time.

Who will survive…this quite possibly fatal battle to the death?


	29. Chapter 29 Lemon

GunDread SEED The Second Stage

Disclaimer: VanDread and Gundam SEED belong to GONZO and Sunrise respectively…so don't bother me about it.

Chapter 10

Part 3C

First Strike

( ): Thoughts

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"YOU BASTARD!! I'LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR THIS MASSACRE!!"

"HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! TRY AND STOP ME THEN!"

Both Gundams and their pilots then took out their beam rifles and began to fire beam bolt after beam bolt at each other, intent on finishing each other off. The Harvester Leader proved that his skills were more than in par with Kyo's own skills as a Mobile Suit pilot. After dodging the beams they fired at each other at high speed, both Gundams suddenly unleashed their respective feather beam cannons and unleashed a massive barrage at each other.

The entire sector of space was filled with massive amounts of destructive energy beams…and the beams slammed into each other as well…the beams struggled to overpower each other and then exploded in a massive number of exploding energy spheres that brightened up the entire battle field. The people on both planets and fleets, including the pirates could only watch as the lights blinded them for a moment and then faded. The people could only see the shadowy forms of both Gundams appear through the fading burst of light…armed with beam sabers.

Both Gundam pilots shouted in fury as their Gundams struck at the very same time with their beam sabers. The energy blades clashed and sizzled as they tried to overpower. The Gundams then powered up their thrusters at full power and tried to physically over power the other. The two then gave up and settled for slashing each other into shreds.

The Gundams both slashed, stabbed, parried and blocked each other's attacks with the power, skill, speed, and finesse of expert swordsmen. Kyo tried a reverse grip attack with his left beam saber and attacked after he blocked another beam saber strike from the Harvester leader. The enemy Gundam pilot moved his machine out of the way and lashed out with a straight stab, making Kyo move his reversed beam saber to block the attack. He then fired his CIWS guns in point blank range…while the bullets were worthless on Phase Shift…especially Phase Shift that was boosted by the Paeksis, the impacts were enough to force the enemy Gundam to back away. Kyo tried to follow up, but the Gundam dropped downwards, making him miss his strike and the Gundam then thrust forward both beam sabers, intent on skewering him the same way he had skewered the vanguard pilots. Kyo however was not going to fall that easily as he used his Gundam's engines to full power and accelerate away quickly, making the beam sabers of the E. Vendetta miss his Gundam. He then righted his Gundam unit and slashed to the back in a twisting motion. The beam saber was blocked by the Harvester leader's own beam saber and Kyo followed up with downward slash with the second beam saber…which was also blocked by the E. Vendetta Gundam's own second beam saber. The Gundams broke away and the E. Vendetta fired it's own CIWS guns, the bullets shook Kyo in his cockpit and he managed to block in time an incoming strike with his beam saber. The Harvester leader however knocked away one of Kyo's beam sabers and launched another attack with his Gundam's own beam sabers. Kyo caught the second arm by the wrist and stopped the attack and blocked with the other beam saber he still had and then kneed the E. Vendetta Gundam, forcing it back and he moved backwards as well, and got the beam saber…and just in time to block and deflect several beam bolts as the Harvester Leader used his Gundam's twin beam rifles to try and finish him off while he was recovering. He jetted away and got his own beam rifles as well and now both he and the Harvester leader traded beam rifle blasts with each other to try and take the other out. The Gundams dodged and evaded each blast they fired at each other with amazing precision and skill…far more skill than the Vanguards and Dreads had when they were facing the E. Vendetta Gundam.

Kyo then used his rail-guns and fired at full power, hoping to stop the Gundam's counter-attack as they got some distance from one another. The E. Vendetta took the blasts and fired back it's own. The rail-gun rounds narrowly missed Kyo, but the second salvo slammed into him, the damage was strong as the OS told him that the rail-guns were amplified by Paeksis energy meaning that they could do some damage even to the P. Phase Shift Armor. That also meant to Kyo that he could do the same damage to the E. Vendetta Gundam as he figured out that since their Paeksis reactors were of two similar but opposing wavelengths, then they would cancel each other out naturally, thus they would lose the enhanced protection and be vulnerable to each other's weapons, and theirs alone…no wonder the Talark and Megele forces were finding it near to impossible to defeat the Paeksis enhanced Gundam of the Harvesters, none of the men's weapons had enough sufficient power to shatter the Paeksis enhanced Phase Shift and even more so for the women's beam weapons… since they needed an energy source that could cancel out or negate the enemy boost given by the Paeksis reactor. of the E. Vendetta Gundam, and only the I-Freedom's own Paeksis reactor had the energy wavelength to negate that power boost given by the Paeksis reactor of the E. Vendetta Gundam.

Apparently, the Harvester Leader noted that fact as well as he took out his plasma cannons and fired another powerful barrage that he managed to evade at the right time as the beams missed him and the I. Freedom. The two Gundams then unleashed their feather beam cannons and fired another massive barrage at each other and the Gundam evaded the other's barrage with amazing speed and skill…the beams barely touched them as they dodged and evaded the attacks. Kyo's feather beam cannons then reverted to their beam saber formation and tried to attack the Endless Vendetta Gundam…only to be blocked by the numerous beam cannons of the said Gundam that were now in their beam shield emitter modes as well. The weapons tried to over power the other, but they could not….this allowed Kyo and the Harvester leader to engage each other directly and equally as well. The feather cannons of each Gundam retracted back to their wings and the metal weapons were once more covered in crystals…that was when Kyo fired a powerful plasma cannon bolt and beam rifle barrage right at the Endless vendetta. The weapons fire slammed into the crystal feathers of the enemy Gundam, but unlike before…where the beams were dissipated harmlessly, the crystals glowed brightly and as the energy faded…he noted that the crystals were cracked and fractured…and took time to reform themselves…showing more proof about the theory that only their Paeksis enhanced arsenals can truly damage them to the point that recovery would be impossible…that both satisfied and troubled the young Yamato very much…but he put that out of his mind as he too blocked an incoming retaliatory barrage from the Endless. Vendetta Gundam and it's pilot…and when he used his Gundam's wings and crystal feathers to block the beam assault…he too saw the same effects on his Gundam. (1)

The Gundam pilots then took out their anti-ship swords and placed them in their staff formation and attacked each other at full tilt. The blows they threw at each other were shocking to say the least as the Gundams both tried to cut each other down…while the rest of the people watching do nothing but watch as both Gundam pilots give their all to finish the other off. The fighting then stopped as the two Gundam pilots moved their Mobile Suits back and placed away their anti-ship swords and putting them on their Gundams' backs after they returned to their normal form. The pilots then went hand to hand as the Gundams began to punch and kick each other briefly and the blows knocked them aside as they then took out their beam rifles and aimed at each other…amazingly, BOTH pilots suddenly revealed that they had SEED mode as well…and it appeared that the Harvester Leader's own SEED mode was very much the same as that of Kyo's own SEED mode. The Gundams then used their HiMAT systems and moved through space like fireflies hopped up on steroids, adrenaline, endorphins, stimulants, and caffeine…all of which were in HIGH doses. The moves they were pulling off were anything short of miraculous as they moved through the debris at high speed, dodging, turning, climbing and diving at high speeds through space and evading the debris.

Both pilots were seemingly even matched that it was thought that only the first of them to make a mistake would die as the beam rifles fired at rapid speed, both Gundams dodged and moved with barely inches to spare…The I-Freedom dodged two beams fired at it, the beams aiming right for the chest and torso section…while the Endless vendetta moved aside as two beam bolts from the I-Freedom's beam rifles came close to blowing the head off. Both Gundam even managed a flip in mid air, activated their plasma cannons…fired fired those with the beam rifles…

Upside down…

Both Gundams then used their wings to block the bolts and this was when the Harvester leader attacked with his Gundam's beam sabers. The fact the Kyo was still about to recover meant that there was not enough time for him to evade the attack completely.

"Now you're mine Kyo!!"

(Damn it!)

But before the beam sabers of the E. Vendetta Gundam could connect to their target, they were suddenly blocked by a massive sword in the style of a Japanese katana…and apparently had been coated by some sort of anti-beam coating as it didn't get destroyed by the strikes of the beam saber…both pilots turned to find a Mobile Suit appearing from the void of space…showing it to be armed with Mirage Colloid systems. Kyo immediately realized just who had come in to save him.

"Rabat?! What the heck are you doing?!"

The Harvester leader however laughed in a mocking tone and sneered.

"Rabat? Well now, who would have thought this mercenary trash was still alive? I had thought you had died already…are you siding with them this time?"

"None of you're concern!"

Rabat replied as he fired his Mobile Suit's CIWS guns to the face of the Endless Vendetta. Rabat knew that there was now way at that his weapons would have any effect on the Harvester leader's Paeksis enhanced Gundam, but he was not going to stand by and let Kyo die now…he knew what he had to do in order for the Harvesters to be defeated, he might not be able to stop the harvester leader, but it would by the others enough time to rally and defend themselves.

"It is actually…you have no idea how much trouble you've caused me. The Harvest has been delayed greatly by you're actions mercenary…and now that you've sided with the pirates…and my most hated foe…I will personally enjoy ripping you apart!!"

The Harvester Gundam then lashed out with a kick that was blocked by the former Harvester agent's Mobile Suit general combat shield system, but it was not enough as the Mobile Suit was sent flying away by the impact. Kyo tried to get involved, but the Harvester leader decided to teach Rabat a lesson in betrayal and blocked Kyo's attacks and forced Kyo back with several attacks with his beam sabers.

Rabat aimed the hidden beam rifle in his shield and fired several blasts…the Harvester Gundam blocked the attacks and charged and forced him to block with his shield, however the Harvester leader had a nasty surprise and quickly took out one of his Gundam's anti-ship swords and threw it right at Rabat's Mobile Suit, the weapon was deflected and Rabat was about to attack, thinking that he blocked the supposed beam saber strike with the shield. But the attack was a ploy as the Harvester leader used his beam saber to skewer the beam rifle hidden on the shield…ruining it. Rabat knew that the shield was now worthless and if he kept it on, the shield would explode…damaging him further. He moved away and ejected the shield in time as it exploded and he was forced to use the shorter sword that he had with him and fought with the Harvester leader.

However, Rabat knew that he was no match for the leader in such a fight and his fears were proven true as the Harvester leader managed to evade a slash he aimed for the head of the E. Vendetta Gundam. The Harvester leader then lashed downwards and severed one leg, the explosions following the loss of the limb was enough to knock the N Dagger N Mobile Suit he was piloting. (2)

He then tried firing the rocket anchor weapon he had and managed to latch onto the arm of the Endless Vendetta, however the former Harvester agent realized his mistake as the Gundam merely yanked him forward and the Gundam fired it's CIWS guns right at the connector line of the rocket anchor…and then it punched the N Dagger Mobile Suit hard in the torso crushing a part of the area where the pilot was. The result was an explosion that wounded the former agent badly as the shrapnel tore into his body and bypassed the armor he had on his suit. Before Rabat could do anything…the Harvester leader recovered his Gundam's anti-ship sword, after he placed aside his Gundam's beam sabers, and sliced off both the arms of his Mobile Suit…leaving him helpless. The Gundam then reversed the anti-ship sword and placed the tip right at the cockpit.

"Now you die!"

"THAT WILL NOT HAPPEN!!"

The Harvester leader turned his Gundam and braced himself as the Infinite Freedom suddenly smashed right into him forcing him back. The harvester leader righted his Gundam and laughed out in surprise.

"I never thought you of all people would bother to save one like him Kyo…knowing very well that man served my forces and allowed us to harvest so many planets and killed countless innocents, how many lives and families have been ruined by his actions for us? He helped us harvest countless planets of the residents organs and their resources…he has allowed us to kill mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, grand children, and more…and yet you save him? You truly are pathetic, like you're soft hearted father."

Kyo growled and replied.

"Don't think for a second I haven't forgotten his crimes you bastard…I have never forgotten or completely forgiven those crimes, nor have I any intention of letting it go…but I will not stand by and watch you butcher another human being like an animal to the slaughter no matter what his crimes!"

"Human being?! Hah! Here says the same man who threatened to kill him before! Never mind…I have had enough fun for today…now the time has come to wipe out these pathetic forces of yours…I must bid you farewell, in a few days I will be at the head of my Invasion fleet…and the end for all the people on Talark and Megele has come…and for you…you will be witness to the fall and extinction of these wretches…they are nothing but spare parts for the true human race on Earth…the ones I will lead to the future, and with our forces…I doubt even you and you're pirates can stop us! Now, to all of you in Talark and Megele…look now on my Fleet…the harbingers of you're extinction!!"

The Harvester leader then showed the Invasion force to the pirates and the Talark and Megele forces…all forty fully modified battle-ships, their massive escort forces, and the main battle-ship…his command ship. He then gave a warm, and yet sadistic smile and spoke.

"Farewell Kyo…and be ready…when I return…I will kill you!"

Kyo realized that the Harvester leader was right as he watched the leader of the Harvesters leave the battle-zone…he was tempted to go after him, but if he did, he would be lost in the debris belt, or wind up right into a massive Harvester ambush. And if he died, then what would happen to the others? They still had to make sure that both leaders on Talark and Megele would come and consider combing their forces to fight this threat… He knew however that even with the combined Talark and Megele Forces, they were still badly out-matched in numbers, and he knew that there would be a really dark possibility that they would have mass produced more of the three Gundams that he had fought with, just like they had mass produced the Cube Fighters, the Overlords, the Nirvana Clones, the GunDread clones, and the Dominion Gundams. Against such forces and a fleet THAT size…there was no way the combined forces could hope to hold them off…and even if the Resistance would be on their way…there was still the chance they would arrive too late….Kyo knew that unless they all did something and quick to hold off the Harvesters…they would be wiped out.

However, someone already had a plan in mind…

Rabat grinned slightly as he ran his hands on the computer in his Mobile Suit…seeing that his body was badly wounded from all the shrapnel and the fact that his Mobile Suit had lost both it's arms and one leg, told him that there was no way he could be able to fight. He knew that the Harvester Leader would no doubt soon lead his assault forces through the debris belt and nothing would stop him once he was clear…and seeing that the Talark and Megele forces were not yet enough to face this threat…he knew that they all needed time to prepare…and he now had only one choice.

"Kyo…I'll take care of this mess."

Rabat, or rather….Samuel then began to type in the code to activate his Mobile Suit's self destruct sequence…along with using whatever power his nuclear reactor could spare in order to move to the debris belt…he knew that the massive amounts of hidden energy crystals and more hidden in the rest of the debris belt, plus the cosmic dust and energy storms that were in there would react to the explosions…this might be enough to create a massive energy storm that could disrupt and disable any ships flying into it…and despite the ability of the Harvesters to reconfigure their systems…it would still not be enough for them as the massive energy waves and storms would still disable them long enough for the pirates and their allies to rally their forces and build their strength…in exchange…he would have to die.

Kyo knew what Rabat…Samuel had in mind…he had been able to see that the Mobile Suit the former Harvester agent now piloted was armed with a nuclear reactor…and if what he could read was true…then the former mercenary was up to something.

"What the heck are you planning?!"

"Buying…you guys time…time to prepare for the battle…you're going to need every second of that…this will keep them away from you all….long enough to build you're strength."

"You trying to be hero Samuel?" Kyo asked…now using Rabat's real name instead of the one he knew of before.

Samuel shook his head and replied.

"I'm just…doing what I believe will help…after all, this is all I can do. You know…I may have been angry at you for a long time Kyo…but…now that I think about it…I should thank you."

"For what?"

"For showing me the truth of what I had become…and letting me see what sins I had made. I know that my death won't bring back the people that died, nor will my death change the fact that I made so many people lose their loved ones, families, and homes…but this will be my way of helping humanity gain it's chance for justice…and for those who died…I know that my death will make them sleep better. I'll see you on the other side someday…"

That was all that Samuel said as the countdown on his Mobile Suit's main computer reached zero…right at the point that he was deep in the debris belt. The moment that the Mobile Suit detonated…the energy released by the nuclear reactor exploding blinded the Gundam pilot and everyone else in the area. The end result was amazing as massive energy storms erupted all over the debris belt…the nuclear detonation had the desired effect as the hidden crystals, isotopes, and, energy storms reacted immensely…and after the flash faded a massive, glowing maelstrom of energy was there where there was once ordinary debris…the remaining debris were so super charged that they emitted massive amounts of the cosmic energy that now made up the glowing barrier that now surrounded the two planets.

As Kyo looked on, he tried to locate Samuel's N Dagger N…but found no trace of it, the Mobile Suit was completely destroyed, meaning that Rabat was truly dead and this time, he had done something that didn't involve money…but his conscience, and his desire to atone for his crimes in some way.

The pirates witnessed the events and were stunned greatly…even Magno and Buzam/Tenmei were at a lose for words. Everyone of them were stunned at what they had been witness to and it was only when the reality of their situation sunk in that Magno began issuing orders for the pirates to return to their base and leave the scene…they had a lot of things to do and consider…plus they had to leave for no telling what would happen if they stayed here any longer.

As the Nirvana recollected it's forces, and so did the Paradise for their respective return to their base, the Talark and Megele forces, namely those who still thought working with each other's civilization was a mistake began to act and were in the process of intercepting the pirates…when they were halted by an incoming communiqué from their leaders, Grand Pa, and Grand Ma respectively.

They were ordered NOT to hinder or harm the pirates, but to return home and save their comrades who had somehow survived the brutal battles and to locate any survivors of the two battle-groups that tried to take out the Harvester Leader and his Gundam unit. They had a LOT to do and decisions had to be made soon. It became painfully obvious that the two governments and their leaders had to make some very hard decisions.

But first, they had to attend to the task of dealing with the dead and wounded and to determine their losses and lastly…

Their options.

--

On Talark…a few days later…

Grand Pa, or rather Talen Kusanagi and the rest of his fellow men, along with members of the Talark Government listened in as one of their most well known officers gave them a total tally of their losses in the battle between them and the E. Vendetta Gundam. The Elder Council and the Talark Government were understandably shook up by what they all had witnessed, and no doubt the rest of their planet's citizens were in shock as well… Many of the Alphas and Omegas who lost their sons in the brutal battle were in mourning for the deaths of their sons…but could do nothing as there were no bodies for them to mourn over. And the people of their world were still trying to recover from the overall shock of what they had seen and known about a few days before.

One of the Harvester Gundams, and piloted by the leader of the Harvester Invasion Fleet had decimated one of their Fleet battle groups and killed nearly all of the crew in the battle fleet…by himself…there were almost no survivors from the attack, and those men were saved by the Infinite-Freedom Gundam when it came in and intervened…fighting back with the Endless. Vendetta Gundam. They saw just how skilled the pilots of both machines were from the display of sheer piloting skill and knew that if that man, Kyo had not come to the aid of the Wolf Pack Fleet, then there would have been no survivors at all. They looked at the officer as he finished reading all the reports on a small hand held computer pad.

Talen looked grimly at the young man and spoke calmly.

"How many casualties did the Wolf Pack Fleet suffer?"

"At least six of the normal battle-ships have been totally destroyed from the inside out…and no longer viable as ships, but spare parts…at least all the crew on each of the ships, the Fire Blade, the Griffin, the Caesar, the Dragon, the Defiant Heart, and Commander' Derek's flagship…the Invincible, were all killed…the only survivors were several members of Derek's command staff, that for some miracle…made it to the escape shuttle and got away in time, when the Gundam used that beam edged sword to slice through the Command Bridge…every other man on the ships, including the others mentioned along with officers are dead. All Vanguard squadrons from the said ships were totally destroyed and…no survivors in every Vanguard Squadron, the only two ships that barely evaded destruction, the Agrippa, and the Thor are too badly damaged to be re-deployed into combat due to extensive internal and external damage, their crews have suffered at least eighty-nine percent casualties, and only ten percent of their Vanguard squadron pilots survived. The MAC ships, the Scorpion, the Trebuchet, and the Ballistae, were also completely demolished and are no longer serviceable…their entire Vanguard compliments have also suffered a ninety-eight percent casualty rate, along with another ninety-nine percent casualty rate on their crew…including their officers. All in all…the entire Wolf Pack Fleet Group have lost over four hundred fifty three thousand and nine hundred forty two crew members, the Vanguard Squadrons of the Wolf Pack have lost all one thousand pilots. Out of the five hundred thousand men in the Wolf Pack, only forty six thousand fifty eight men have returned…and almost half of that same number have suffered very brutal wounds…and are no longer fit for eligible military service…and another smaller portion have suffered significant psychological trauma as well and are not yet eligible for military service until they are all psychologically evaluated by the Medical Division."

The men murmured amongst themselves, horrified by the horrendous losses their forces had endured…the casualties they had gained in aiding the Megele Forces and the pirates during the engagement with the seven Harvester battle-ships were lower than that, though the losses were still high by most standards of war. But to know that one lone Harvester Gundam which that…monster had piloted personally could do this much damage…and the fact that the forces they had faced were merely small fry compared to the massive Invasion Fleet that was waiting on the other side of the now transformed debris belt. The only reason the Harvesters couldn't go in and just finish them all off along with the women was due to the massive energy waves from the cosmic storm that was the result of Rabat's remote detonation of his Mobile Suit's nuclear reactor. The event caused massive damage to the debris belt, releasing large numbers of radioactive isotopes and crystal formations made of crystallized energy…the blast made them react and created the cosmic energy storm that now surrounded Talark and Megele. Though there were still many meteorites and asteroids that survived the explosion due to the fact that none of them had the mentioned elements, they too were so soaked by the energy waves, that they gave off more of the energy themselves, the resulting cosmic storm had acted as a far more effective barrier for the Harvesters as they could not risk going through the cosmic storm without incurring massive damage to all of their current systems. Sadly, the scientists determined that the storm would soon dissipate in a span of four and a half months…once that happens, the Harvester Invasion Fleet would have access to their world and that of the women's home world of Megele…even with the presence of residual cosmic radiation and the surviving asteroids. And after being shown by the leader, before his departure from the battle and before the conversion of the debris belt into the cosmic energy storm belt, the images of the vast armies that were all ready to strike, they had a very serious decision to make.

The moderates in the Talark Government, as few as they were, felt that it was time for them to speak out, considering their world's situations, their leader then spoke out to Grand Pa.

"Lord Grand Pa, this is a very serious matter…we now know what we are facing, and we have lost many of our sons in this battle, and as much as many of us here may not like the idea…we cannot defeat this massive fleet alone…we must consider forming a permanent alliance with the women of Megele…"

However, like all things, there were those people who still disagreed with the idea, and held on to their pride and ingrained hatred of women, and they were in a sense, the majority.

"How dare you spew such garbage before Grand Pa himself?! We will NOT align with those monstrous women!"

"Then what do you propose we do?!"

"We take the fight to these Harvesters directly! Assemble the Fleets and reinforce them with the needed shielding to withstand the storms…then we hit them while they are still resting!"

"Are you insane?! You all SAW the force that's assembled out there…we lost a good number of our pilots, officers, crew, and soldiers in the first battle…and we lost a far greater number when our forces engaged that Gundam of the Harvester Leader…how do you expect our forces to beat such a force that size?!"

"We can beat them! We just need to improve our forces and learn from what happened before!"

"Think about what you are suggesting man! Even if we could inflict enough damage to the Harvester Invasion Force out there…we would still lose many good men and machines to the Harvesters, and once the cosmic storm wall fades…then we would be totally exposed to them, and with all our forces destroyed and with very few reserves…we'll all be wiped out."

"Better to die free and proud than to live in alliance with the women!"

"You have gone insane! You're willing to let all of our people, including the children of the next generation die by their hands…all because of pride?!"

Talen and his fellow elders, along with Jin, saw the results of the nearly one century's worth of propaganda and deception that they had used to guide their people. There were now men willing to sacrifice all of their people, young and old like sacrificial lambs for the sake of their pride as men. The supreme leader of Talark saw that now was indeed the time to truly get involved. He then listened a bit more to the two sides shouting at one another, and then he intervened.

"SILENCE!"

The two factions stopped their war of words at the strong and harsh command of the supreme leader of Talark. The men of the moderates sat back down and waited for the verdict of Grand Pa…hoping that he would make the right but yet bitter decision to align with the women for their mutual survival and the survival of the human race, while the radicals believed that Grand Pa would make the glorious but destructive choice to face these foes alone for the sake of their pride as men, and lose all their people in the process.

Talen then turned to the young combat officer who gave the report, the man's name was Jason Marduke, and commander of one of the fleet groups that did not follow the late Commander Derek on his attempt to kill the Harvester Leader. His group only comprised of two standard battle-ships, one cruiser, and an older model MAC ship, and a small contingent of Vanguards, they were named the Renegades…due to their use of unconventional tactics and unique mode of combat whenever the need arose for such methods. The sandy blonde male who wore his long hair in a mess of braids in a ponytail, and always had a very thoughtful demeanor may have been the youngest member to have earned his position as a battle group leader, but his records spoke highly of his skills and initiative on the field and when leading his teams.

Grand Pa knew that this young man reminded him of the many people who earned renown in unconventional ways in history's long records… and he also was known to a free thinker, and that was rare in the Talark Military, though there were others like him, though they kept their opinions hidden. The elder male knew that he could trust this young man well enough to tell him what he needed to hear.

"Commander Jason."

Jason faced Grand Pa and saluted his supreme leader.

"Yes Grand Pa?"

"I want you to tell me the situation as you see it…and do not use and spin or unneeded frills on your opinion on the matter."

"Grand Pa, if I may be so bold as to ask…what do you mean by those terms?"

Talen sighed a bit and grinned at his brother Jin, and it seemed that there was an unspoken agreement between the siblings. The elder leader then spoke.

"What I mean by those terms is that I need from you a very honest opinion on our choices, and as you might have guessed, the first choice for us is to side with the women and defeat the Harvesters with them…and make peace with them as well, and the second is for us to fight the Harvesters by ourselves, with our current forces…and therefore I want you not to use any soft words or tricks in saying what you decide to say, in more…crude and vulgar terms back on Earth a LONG time ago…I want you to give me a no bullshit assessment on what course of action we will take in order to deal with this mess we're in."

Jason was a bit surprised, along with the other men, even the radicals including the Prime Minister, as they have never heard Grand Pa say such things before. The younger Commander however placed aside his surprise, and considered the information and the facts that they had on their hands…it didn't take long for him to come up with, in Grand pa's terms, his no bullshit assessment and told his supreme leader.

"Grand Pa…in my…no bullshit assessment of all our options and what we have to do…I suggest we align with the women…the sooner the better."

The moderates sighed and nodded in agreement…while the more numerous radicals were very vocal about their disagreement about the idea. The Prime Minister glared daggers at Commander Jason and replied.

"If you didn't have such an impressive record Commander, I would have you demoted in rank and place you back in the Third Class Citizenry where you came from, and then have you cleaning latrines with your own tongue for the rest of you're life! How dare you suggest such a thing…it's against all our beliefs and traditions have stood for!"

Jason replied to that stinging remark.

"With all due respect Prime Minister…we have no time for such matters…as of today we are now at war…not against the women this time…but with the Harvesters, who we have seen intent to wipe us all out and wasting time arguing about such things is pointless…demote me if you want and have me clean latrines with my tongue for the rest of my life if you want Prime Minister, but I stand with my decision."

"You arrogant little….!"

"Enough Prime Minister…Commander Jason is one of our finest officers."

"But he has a record of being insubordinate to some of those who are of higher rank than him, and as of now is uttering absolute heresy! I ask you Grand Pa to not make the decision to align with the women!"

The Prime Minister was still seething with rage as he recalled the time he had been humiliated by the female pirates when they came on their raid on the Ikazuchi. It had been a blow to his pride that he never forgot, he had thought that his destruction of the Ikazuchi than letting it be taken by the pirates…along with their supposed deaths had healed that wound…but now that they had returned and suggested… that he and the other men of Talark must consider working with their fellow women to defeat the Harvesters. It boiled his blood to even think of working with the women who had made a fool and laughingstock out of him in the eyes of his other fellow men so much that he would rather die than work with them at all!

"I have already made my decision…"

"Then you will not consider aligning with the women?"

"We are dealing with a foe that has shown himself and his forces to have no concept of either honor, compassion, mercy, or humanity. We have seen the leader of the Harvesters butcher not just our fellow men in combat, but show no quarter to the women as well. We ALL have seen him slaughter defenseless people like they were animals, and he was like a sadistic monster as he did so…enjoying the carnage he wrought on them. And he intends to wipe us off the map…as such…despite our pride…we must accept that times are changing and we must adapt and be more open minded if we are to ensure a future for our soon to come generations, and those who are still in cold sleep."

"You can't mean…"

"As of today…I have made the decision, for us and our government to begin talks with Grand Ma of Megele and their government on one of our newly constructed orbital command centers, the Fire Point Command Satellite in a few days. We have decided that as soon as the meeting begins… both Talark and Megele will begin talks to cement a military, political, social, and industrial alliance to deal with the Harvester threat…and the post events onwards. Our status of war with Megele is therefore revoked and our military will work alongside the military of Megele to destroy our new and very much mutual enemy…the Harvesters."

"But we can't just drop everything and start from scratch!"

"We must…as we have little time to do so, in four months time, we will face the Harvesters at their full might and we must be prepared to face them, but we must do so with the women of Megele for if we do not, then all of our people will fall. That is my decision, and it is final. And those men who are part of the pirate crew of the Nirvana, Duero McFile, Bart Garsus, Max McFile, Aleck Koubayashi, Hiryu McFile, Tenmei Uragasumi, and their accomplices…shall be given full diplomatic protection and amnesty. As such, any attempts to coerce or intimidate them shall merit swift demotion and exile, under my personal order…is that clear?"

"Yes Grand Pa!"

"Good…we have much to do, and little time do it in…let's get this done. Contact Tenmei and inform him that we need his aid and that of the men of the Nirvana…including Kyo Yamato present to act as mediators on this conference. That is all."

It seemed that the leaders of Talark had now agreed to go all out in making an alliance with Megele to defeat the Harvesters, but there were still elements in the Talark government opposed to the idea, even if Grand Pa himself ordered talks between their world and Megele to begin in the coming days.

On Megele…

Grand Ma and her fellow Elders looked over the tactical data as they spoke with the rest of their council and the government leaders of Megele to discuss the recent events of the past few days. They looked at all the overall reports and namely the casualties suffered by Commander Elise Morgana's forces…including the late Commander herself. The entire Megele Government and their citizenry were understandably shaken by the absolute carnage they witnessed when the Harvester Leader butchered the battle group under Elise Morgana….and mass mourning was seen all over the streets as well as heard on them in the airwaves as the Fahma and the Ohma of every one of the deceased named cried out in sorrow and horror as they learned of the death of their daughter/s. The media were non-relenting in trying to find out just what sort of overall response the Government would implement considering the disaster that happened in the new battle to take out the Harvester Leader. Grand Ma…or rather Anya Kusanagi knew that she must weigh the decision she would make…though she did decide to align with her husband Talen, she must now take that alliance one step further.

They then turned to one of the female officers who looked over at the last results of the tallying of the dead and the losses and saw her inner fear and horror…that told them all that it was dire.

"Commander Heidi…how many of our daughters and ships did we lose?" Anya said slowly as to prod the young woman to speak.

Heidi nodded and swallowed her horror as best she could as she tallied the results and told the Government and Grand Ma.

"Out all the twelve Megele Cruisers that were under Commander Elise Morgana's command…only one made it back, the Verdant Plain, but it is too heavily damaged and will take days or weeks to repair even the basic damage to the super structure, the other eleven ships have all been totally demolished and are barely salvageable at this time, almost all the crew, including Elise herself are all considered Killed In Action or KIA…there are only a handful of survivors who were saved only by the arrival of the Infinite Freedom Gundam and it's pilot Kyo Clyne Yamato. The Gundam of the Harvesters have also decimated the Dread Squadrons…and out all four hundred pilots of the battle-group's ships…not one of them survived the encounter. Out of the crew that survived the battle, they were the crew of the Verdant Plain, and they have suffered at least ninety-nine percent losses…the other ships…the Crystal, the Athena, the Valkyrie, the Empress, the Crimson Star, the Golden Star, the Pride of Grand Ma, the Jeweled Sun, the Sapphire, the Coral, the Jade Star, and the Ruby Shard have suffered a full one hundred percent casualty rate…these are the ships that are barely salvageable. Out all the six hundred thousand crew of the battle group under Elise's Command, they have lost over five hundred ninety nine thousand eight hundred crew in all areas, the Register, the Galley, the Security Forces, the Engineering Teams, the Service Groups, and more…these casualties are also including the Dread pilots. As of now…over two hundred survivors are with us…but nearly half of their number have suffered fatal injuries and our Medical facilities are reaching breaking point to try and save them all, and our nurses are nearing their limits to treat so many wounded…we do not know if even that half will live through the few days left…the other half of the survivors have been badly traumatized by the experience that the nurses believe that none of them are psychologically fit for any combat duty."

The women in the government were stunned into horrified silence…the sheer amount of dead and the severe blow to the morale of their forces in that one encounter was shocking. They had thought that eliminating the Harvester force that came through the fields would end the threat the pirates had told them about, and also convince the leaders of this force to retreat, lest they suffer the anger and strength of their forces…however, their technology, and all their ships, and Dreads were shown to possess great weak points, and the Harvester Leader and his Gundam took brutal advantage of those weaknesses and their forces paid dearly for it and now, there was mass mourning in various parts of Megele and many questions were raised on what the Government and the Military would do to handle this grave threat. The cosmic storm clouds that were now part of the surviving debris belt would act as a shield to keep the full might of the Harvester Invasion Force from suddenly coming in and taking them totally off guard. The cosmic storm would last four months and a half…and when that time frame ended and the cosmic energy storms dissipated…then the Harvesters could have a clean shot right into the system…and with that kind of time frame…it seemed very hard to mount a successful defensive force to fight with the Harvesters, much less defeat the massive Invasion Fleet.

Anya looked at her fellow women and then solemnly asked.

"So what are our options?"

Heidi raised her hand, making Anya turn to her and then give her the signal to continue on what was it she wanted to say before her and the Council.

"Lady Grand Ma…I, I must say that we have at this point only two options…the first is to try and re-build our fleets and recruit more Dread pilots to the forces we have that are still present."

The women who still were not in agreement over the idea of working with the men of Talark…no matter how practical the idea was, smiled and nodded with the suggestion…even if it came from a fellow woman who they believed had made the wrong decision and should be demoted. However another band of female leaders who saw the carnage thought that it was not a viable option…and Heidi proved them right in her next statement.

"However…we are talking about facing an entire Invasion force of at least forty of those battle-ships, and who knows how many more of those Cube Fighters, Seed Ships, Space Urchins, those new forces…and that massive battle-ship that can incinerate an entire world and reduce it into slag…to face such a foe would be tantamount to suicide…or rather genocide."

Anya nodded a bit in agreement, to have their fleets face such foes by itself was a pure suicidal gesture at best…and the death wish at worst.

"As such…even if I know that most…if not all of our people will consider this an act of treason…I must honestly state that the second choice is that we need to align with the men of Talark in order to beat the Harvesters….we simply don't have the time to rebuild a large enough force to face the Harvesters…and even if we could manage to make such a force…we can't fight such a prolonged battle without reinforcements and support for long…the Harvesters at this point…have the advantage, and we do not."

The reaction of the female leaders was very much predictable, as those who saw the situation the realistic way saw that despite their own ingrained hatred and low opinion of men, their culture, technology, and worth, their forces couldn't hope to withstand such a massive force that was waiting beyond the massive cosmic storm clouds, namely a force of automated war machines that would just keep on attacking no matter how many their forces would destroy alone. The other faction were those who took the propaganda to heart and could not stomach the very idea of working with men…no matter what the situation or the foes they would be facing…they stated that there was no way any of them would ever agree to aligning with the men….even with such odds stacked against them.

"We can win this war…we DON'T NEED to ask for him…especially from men!"

"We have no choice!"

"We do have a choice…I say we equip the ships with the right shielding and attack the Harvesters while they are resting!"

"And how do you propose we do that…we don't have a fleet that size to take them on! And if the fleets we send out gets wiped out, what then? Even with orbital defense stations we have…we're defenseless!"

"Then we rig the ships to have nuclear weapons and use those to destroy as much of the Harvesters as we can!"

"Suicidal attacks?! We cannot do that! Have you lost you're minds?! We are dealing with a foe that can replace their losses at a much more rapid pace than we can! We would sacrifice our daughters for nothing if we do that! How many do we have to lose before it's too late?!"

"I will not allow an alliance with the men…it's a blow to our pride as women of Megele to even suggest that!"

"We are not talking a matter of pride here…we are talking about the matter of our world and our people's survival!!"

Anya looked over the two sides as arguments and harsh words were passed back and forth between the two factions. This told her that things were not looking good. However, she knew, nearly a day before she had conveyed this meeting with her fellow leaders and the second Generation, that the alliance between her world and that of her husband Talen was the only chance they all had to pull through this dark crisis and there was little time left.

"Silence"

The women stopped their bickering and sat back on their seats and looked at Grand ma, who seemed to have already come to decision concerning the situation with the Harvester forces. They knew that despite their sentiments of the situation, Grand Ma's word was unbreakable and they would not have a chance to change her mind in the very least.

"I have come to the decision, that we can no longer rely on our technology alone…we have seen how vulnerable we really are…and we facing a sadistic and blood thirsty foe in the Harvester leader…he has butchered a large number of our fellow women like animals, and left numerous fahmas and ohmas grieving for their slain daughters on our streets, he also defiled their memories and spat on their names. And that we cannot allow, but we do not have the advantage…we must realize that we are not dealing with any normal foe…but a horde that intends to not take us into any form of slavery…but to completely obliterate us from this universe. And as we all have seen, he shows mercy to none…slaughtering not just our people like animals…but the men as well…he cares little for our war with the men, and cares only to wipe us all out. Times are changing and we can no longer rely on the past rules as we once did for they will no longer work for us in this situation. We must do what we can for those who are soon to be born and those soon to awaken…even if we must align with those we once see as enemies."

The women were stunned and they knew what that meant, though the ones who opposed it were still in denial on the need to ask for help from the men. However, none of them were willing to voice out their concerns yet as they had to let Grand Ma finish her statements.

"We must now learn to put aside our pride, for the sake of our people and the future of the humans, as such…I have spoken to Grand Pa of Talark…and have agreed to attend a conference on one of Talark's newly constructed orbital command satellites, the Fire Point Command Satellite in a few days to discuss the formation of a military, political, social, and industrial alliance with both our worlds for the war with the Harvesters…and afterwards. As such…our status of war with Talark is officially revoked and is no longer valid, and our forces are now ordered to align with the forces of the men to face the Harvesters."

"But Grand Ma…you can't seriously mean we have to work with such…"

"My decision is final…and it is the only option we have to work with…if we do not do it…we will be nothing but ash when the invasion of the Harvesters begins. As for the pirates, and those of our forces who fought with them and the men, they are under my seal of protection. All crimes committed by the pirates will be removed from their records, and their records as citizens of Megele will be restored, as a show of good faith, as we will need them to act as mediators in the conference. It is a hard decision for me, but I want our people to survive the coming war, and if this is the path that is before us to accomplish that goal…then we must take it…for the other paths will only lead us to extinction. That is all."

The council ended, and though many of the women seethed at the idea of working with the men of Talark, it seemed that they had little choice in the matter.

--

As for the pirates in question…

--

The pirate base known as the Outer Heaven…

The pirates of the two ships, the Nirvana, and the Paradise were currently located in their hidden base and all of their crew were taking the down time to finally unwind after the fierce battle they had just been involved in, though the Nirvana crew needed the off time the most, considering the very much year long journey that they all had been part of and the many battles they had been in. The pirates were overjoyed to finally be back home and sure enough…many people were glad for their return. The men of Talark who were with them ever since the journey saw for the first time the pirates' home and had to admit…it was very interesting.

Despite their status as outlaws, the female pirates had decided to model their base in the same fashion as that of a city on Megele itself, to show that while they were no longer aligned with Megele, they still considered their planet of birth as their home. The massive asteroid that served as their base of operations was quite spacious and could be the same as a large scale city. There were malls, apartments, work-shops, parks, restaurants…you name it, they had it. The women loved the beauty of their world and therefore did their absolute best to preserve and carry that beauty. Special hologram and lighting systems showed the images of a clear blue sky with clouds, while there was the light of the sun. The place was beautiful…and the men knew it. Though the Talark males who were with the pirates…were somewhat shocked at the way the women used such resources, they admitted it made the place feel cozy.

The crew were reunited with old friends, loved ones, and finally felt safe in the base. Outer Heaven…apart from being a massive asteroid, also was armed with powerful but hidden thrusters, meaning that it was a mobile base of operations, thus limiting the chances that they would be caught off guard…and thankfully, the base was nowhere near the debris belt when Rabat had activated the self destruct system of his Mobile Suit. The asteroid base also happened to have special jamming systems, thus limiting the chances that they would be detected by passing scanners from ships from either Talark or Megele. This were the key reasons why the pirates had been able to remain free and undetected for the past many years since their days of operations as pirates. As of right now…Magno, Buzam/Tenmei, and Gascogne were with Rebecca to check on the current situation with Megele and even Talark after the battle with the Harvesters and the brutal encounter with the Harvester Leader and the Endless Vendetta Gundam. As such, the crew were left to mind their own affairs while they were here at the base…and the women were more than happy to have the chance to unwind.

Kyo one the other hand smiled bitterly as he looked at the city while he sat in a park bench in one such park and saw all the people in the city. The scene reminded him well of his child-hood growing up on the capital city of the Orb Union back on Earth. He didn't want to think bitter thoughts in such a relaxing place…but he couldn't help himself at that regard. He had been given the time off to unwind and try to move on after the brutal slaughter committed by the Harvester leader on the Talark forces…he only hoped that he had managed to at least spare more people from dying that day…and though he admitted that the Harvester leader indeed was a deadly threat, he would train himself harder to try and beat that monster in human skin. He then looked at the small technological eye-patch, the same one that belonged to Rabat. Apparently, for some odd reason, it was the only thing that remained of the former Harvester agent. As he thought about it, he realized that maybe Rabat…or rather Samuel Adams had finally redeemed himself.

(It's ironic…the man who I called a parasite and traitor, turned out to be a bit of a tragic hero, and a repentant one as well.)

In that regard…Rabat had been human, he had wanted to atone for his actions, after experiencing first-hand the brutal cruelty, inhumanity, and the ravenous hunger of his former employers, and coming to terms with his own guilt in leading to such atrocities. He then helped him recover who he was, helped them gather information to plot out an attack strategy to finish off the Harvester Invasion Fleet's super battle-ship and the weapon that the Harvesters would use to destroy other worlds… and then at the last hours of his life…the former mercenary gave his life completely by detonating the nuclear reactor of his Mobile Suit in the debris cloud, unleashing a massive energy storm that now served as the barrier that would ensure that the Harvesters would not have the chance to attack and finish them all off at once. The former enemy turned ally gave his life and helped them all have the time needed to finally make the needed decisions and preparations for the soon to come invasion. Kyo had seen the complete data and knew that Rabat…no, Samuel had been able to buy them all four months and a half to do whatever they could to prepare, and in that sense…he had redeemed himself in so many ways…and Kyo hoped that at least…it would be enough to make up for his own crimes.

He clutched his hands on the eye-patch and sighed…making a silent pledge to himself that he would not let Samuel's last act of redemption and atonement go to waste…he would do whatever he could do in order to ensure that the Harvesters would be defeated and their threat to all humanity would be ended. He also vowed to give justice to all those people who gave their lives trying to defeat the Harvester leader, and to give justice to all who died by the hands of the Harvester Council and their minions.

Kyo then recollected himself and then sighed. He had been given an order from his niece Maggie…who by all rights was also his Captain to take a vacation and unwind…and he admitted that she was right…after all that had happened…he had been a ball full of tension and stress. And he recalled in his youth that having too much of both was a bad idea. With that, he unclenched his hands, stood up, pocketed the eye-patch, and decided to take a walk in the park to clear his head. He then smiled a bit and wondered on how his fellow men were dealing with the situations they were in.

--

Speaking of whom…

"Come on Max, there's a really nice place I've wanted to show you!"

"Coming."

Barnette said with excitement as she held Max by the arm as she and her…date toured the entertainment district of Outer Heaven. The Dread/Gundam pilot was finally able to have some alone time with Max and she hoped that it would be enough to help him feel at home while they were here in the base that she and the other pirates stayed in. Many of her fellow women were somewhat surprised to see her with a man, no doubt that long before she had been gone for nearly a year ago, she had been a strong advocate of her world's ingrained hatred and teachings about men…and now here she was, smiling and being very happy in the presence of one.

Barnette understood their surprise but yet ignored it as she had a lot of things in mind to do while there was a chance for her and the others to have a break…and she planned to make the most of it while she was with Max. She had to admit that the way he looked at Outer Heaven…reminded her of herself when she had first came here on the first day she joined the pirates after leaving high school back on Megele. Max had been resting in his apartment and room ever since the Captain had given him and the other men, including Kyo a place for themselves to stay in while they were at Outer Heaven. Max had been worried sick and was very happy to see her back and alive on the Nirvana…she knew that for a fact..even if he remained calm and focused, she could tell that he was very happy to see her safe.

It made her heart glad to know that he cared deeply for her safety. She had made sure to visit him after a few hours to cook him a light meal after he had woken up, and now here they were…heading for the entertainment section of the base. She wanted to do that ever since they had gotten to Outer Heaven, but she decided not to and let Max rest for a bit…he was tired from all the patients he, Paiway, and his elder brother treated for injuries after all.

As the two of them walked together through the place, Max had to admit that the pirate he was in certainly didn't resemble anything in the bases he had stayed in back on Talark and there was very much a large amount of sights, sounds, colors, and people…so much so, he was nearly overwhelmed by it all. It was then that Max was in front of a large restaurant, and the smell of cooking meat, herbs, and other enticing smells suddenly hit his nose.

"Wow…what is this place?"

"This is the place I'm talking about, before I was in the Register, I learned how to cook here, and I learned how to cook a fillet mignon in here…come in, they've got really good things here right now, and I want you to try them!"

Max could only nod as he was shown in by Barnette.

Elsewhere…

"What do you think of this place Duero?" Parfait asked the Talark doctor as they toured the other side of the residential area. Parfet had no doubt in her mind that Duero must be really tired, with all the patients he and his brother had to be treating ever since the end of the battle with the Harvesters. After she had finished her work, she managed to catch Duero in the Medical Bay wrapping up the rest of his work load…she could see how tired the object of her affections was and decided to ask him if he wouldn't mind letting her take him to a place to rest…not to mention to see Outer Heaven.

Duero agreed to her request and followed her to the base, and they were now walking to the large apartment complex in the residential area. Magno had stated that rooms for the men were to be arranged and she had told the men that they now had rooms and a place for them to stay. Duero had followed her to his place and she decided to stay by her very close friend's side as he slept in the bed. It was there that she decided to soon take her relationship with Duero to the next level…after all, she and Barnette had a discussion with Duero and Max's father, Hiryu McFile that was very important.

"To be honest Parfait…I am surprised you all managed to make this place the way it is…no offense meant or anything, but such a massive use of so many resources, supplies, and power…seems rather…"

"Wasteful? Well, I can understand what you mean by that, you're brother, Alpha, Aleck, and the other men said the same thing…but that's who we are at times…though we do try not to use up too much supplies and power."

Duero noted that and smiled a bit…

"Still…to be honest…this place is like a paradise compared to home in a way."

Parfait smiled warmly at the smile on Duero's face, that smile was nice to see on him. As they walked on and both were talking side by side…and with Parfait holding Duero's hand…it was unavoidable that there would be others talking about them. Many of the other pirates were amazed that Parfait, the chief engineer of the pirates under Magno's command, who was always inventing things, and not taking much breaks and hanging out with others outside of work, was now being social, but what made this even more surprising was the fact that her companion was not a woman…but a man. While most of the pirates have no ties anymore to Megele, they were still ingrained to mistrust, and despise men…so for some of the pirates, with the glaring exception of the Nirvana crew, it was somewhat unsettling for men to be on their base.

At the same moment as Parfait thought of the important conversation she herself had with Hiryu concerning the fate of his sons and the relationships she had with his eldest child, Barnette also thought back about that same conversation as she and Max ate their respective filet mignons.

--

Flashback…

"You mean…Max actually did that?"

Barnette asked in shocked amusement as she and Parfait were able to take some time in the Register to speak to the Alpha of both the siblings. Despite what they learned of their respective object of affection, personally, they knew that being told the childhood of their respective objects of affection in the eyes of their parent was far different.

Hiryu nodded with a grin as he drank some water with ice.

"Yes…Max tried to light a fire with some dried brush and flint, but decided to experiment and use some fast burning gun-powder…to try and see if it could work. The idea was sound, but he put a little TOO much and he was rather close…the gun-powder was not very strong and he wasn't hurt, but a gust of wind came in and blew the smoke and fire right at his face the very second the gun-powder ignited. I can say this much…after being forced to look at himself as being blacker than night, tasting the residue of cordite for a few hours… and smelling like cordite for three days…that was the LAST time my boy ever tried that idea."

Barnette couldn't help but laugh at the mental image. It was then that Hiryu then told Parfait about the time Duero decided to play a bit of a joke on some of his fellow class-mates as retaliation for being always picked on by the said class-mate…and naturally got into big trouble afterwards. It was there that Parfait learned more about her object of affections.

"He actually did that to his senior?" Parfait asked with raised eye-brows.

"Yep…this one senior was always harassing Duero one time, and kept on at it…but my boy had a plan…as he always did, just like his little brother. He managed to find himself a good store of rotten and unprocessed water, filled it in a bottle and set up a small packet of blasting powder in a water proof plastic bag, and one of our special heating tabs…which we use to heat water if we need to…he then set it up right in the kid's room at the door on a table, and when the boy opened his door, the trap was sprung, the heating tab was ignited as Duero rigged it with an electronic activation tab, complete with laser pointer to activate the moment the door opened halfway. The tab activated the blasting powder and sent the slimy, and stinking mess right into the face of the senior, who screamed like mad the second he smelled and tasted the water… Needless to say, I was still somewhat upset when I was called in by the Academy Disciplinary Council a few hours later to find my son being told that he would be given half day rations of water and food pills for a week. The day later, I told him the value on not to waste such items for practical jokes and how foolish they were…however, the others in his class thought it was great and I later found out that some of them gave Duero some of their own food pill and water rations afterwards…he gave that bully a lesson the boy never forgot, and he was always given smiles by his other class-mates, minus that particular senior mind you, and even a few grins from the other instructors and seniors."

Parfait giggled at that as she could imagine what Duero was like when he was young. It was a bit hard to picture Duero as a trouble maker, but it did show that he was not the kind of person to be messed around with.

The three continued to chat for a bit until Hiryu sighed a bit.

"I am afraid that for both my sons however, things won't be as easy anymore."

"What do you mean by that?"

"As of today…my sons can never set foot back on Talark, along with the rest of us…we're now criminals and exiles. You see, they told me of their experiences with you're crew and with you two in particular, though they were rather reluctant to reveal everything to me at first… and their actions while they were back on Talark, and as such, of what had happened in the Interrogation Center, my sons and I, along with Aleck, Tenmei, and my other comrades who helped me rescue my sons…are now exiled from Talark…and if we try to return to our world…we will be shot on sight."

Barnette and Parfait were stunned by what they had heard…and were sad to learn it as well. Though the world of Duero and Max's birth was not the most lush, the most safe, the most beautiful, and most rich, and the most advanced world compared to Megele, it was still their home planet. They grew up as children there, and they learned so many valuable things there. Both women knew that if they were not trained in the arts of desert survival on Talark, then they would have been in great risk when they had been trapped on that desert world before, and would not survive. To be barred from ever seeing their homeland again and being shot on sight if they ever tried to come back was too much for anyone to bear.

"But why would they do that to you and you're sons? That's cruel…"

"True…but exile is a far better fate in some perspective than the fate that would have been theirs if they stayed…since the government had already labeled my sons as traitors, along with Aleck, and Bart…you see, the Government tried to re-educate them so as to accept…"

"You mean…torture them…force them to accept that we're the enemy?"

Hiryu nodded solemnly.

"Yes…that was what happened to my sons before I, a few others like me as well, and Tenmei freed them all. If they chose to remain there and continue to preach such things…then they would have been executed. Many men who disbelieve Grand Pa and the Propaganda Ministry…along with the Government Council would have been tortured near to death to renounce their beliefs and accept the propaganda, and if they did not…they are taken to the desert to be either executed…or left to die out there, either to the harsh elements, hunger, thirst, madness, injuries, or the various predators that patrol the desert lands beyond our cities. Many of them chose at times to surrender and accept those teachings and are welcomed back, but placed on heavy guard…while others were subjected to that fate…namely those who are the dissidents on our world. If you were to consider that was the path they all would have walked on had they stayed…including myself, my associates, and Tenmei…then no matter how painful it is…exile was more preferable than death."

Barnette and Parfait couldn't help but feel very sorry for the two men they cared very deeply about and Hiryu could tell that they cared very much for his sons…and in the same way Duero and Max cared for them in return…that was a good sign on his mind, though it was still quite a lot for him to take in.

"That is why I have an important request for you that concerns my sons."

"Name it and we'll do it!" Parfait said with conviction and strength. She would do anything to help Duero deal with this very hard part of his life.

"We'll do whatever we can to help you're sons, you have our word!" Barnette also said with conviction…she would do what she could to help Max.

Hiryu saw the conviction in their eyes and in the tone of their voices…he smiled a bit and bowed at the two women.

"I thank you both…the request is not dangerous nor is it a risk to you or any of you're fellow women, my request is that you both make sure that you are beside them in this difficult time. I will be there as well, but I feel that due to you're relationships to my sons, then you will become very important to the both of them as well in this hard period. In simple terms, I want you both to make sure my sons will be able to adjust in this situation until things change. And as to you're…shall we say…relationships to them…then I do not oppose them. I do not know what the future of those relationships will be…but considering the need for both men and women from our respective worlds to work side by side, then you're relationships will be the bench-mark for more such relationships to blossom…to foster cooperation and trust between the genders...and if the war is over…then they might lead to other possibilities."

The women were happy to finally learn from the Alpha of Duero and Max himself that he didn't mind their relationships, and they were going to follow his request no matter what. Plus, both of them decided to take her plans to the very next level!

--

End of Flashback…

As the two planned out their latest scheme to finally show how much they cared about their objects of affection…someone else had the very same idea!

--

Elsewhere…

She smiled warmly as she looked at all her arrangements and checked her favorite dress to see if there were any smudges, stains, anything that would spoil the outfit, and thankfully found none…and now that everything was set and ready, she decided to check the food she had stored in the fridge…everything was ready…for her plan to finally snare a certain someone.

(Kyo…soon, you will be mine for this night…and soon, I hope for the rest of both our lives.)

Later…

(Man…I am so tired…at least dinner was nice!)

Kyo sighed as he went up to his apartment and headed for his door to open it. The crew were very much relaxing and for the first time…so was he for once. He had gone back to his apartment earlier to put away Rabat's eye-patch, and as he left the room, he was greeted by the girls, Meia, Jura, Dita, Sara, and Mai were all there, and before he could say anything, the five of them dragged him off into the entertainment section of the base and Kyo decided not to argue for today, The girls were intent on hanging out with him, and for once, all of them were not trying to outdo each other…they seemed merely content in the fact that he was in their company.

He had gone to several of the entertainment establishments and attracted QUITE a LOT of attention when he was asked to sing a song in an old style karaoke bar. Many of the women, with the exception of his five companions, snorted and teased him about him being a man and not being able to sing any songs…this reminded him of the time Barnette had ridiculed him and when he sang, the women were stunned at the sight completely. Only Jura, Meia, Dita, Mai, and Sara cheered and that happened until they left the bar…and the crowds were all silent.

They then spent the other times dancing in a disco bar, and Kyo showed off a few moves of his own on the dance floor with the ladies that were with him. The other women pirates were stunned to see Meia who was dressed a very simple but undeniably classy light blue sundress and had her circlet on…and she was smiling with joy…a sight not normally associated with the former silent, authoritative, and taciturn Dread Squadron Commander. What was even more surprising was the closeness being shown by Sara Elsman and Mai Miazaki to Kyo as well. Both women were not the kind of women to be seen associating with men, considering Mai's family edict on men…and Sara's pride on her skills and family ties. But both girls seemed very much at ease with him and the five women were very happy around him. And finally ended the celebrations with a trip down to a good all you can eat restaurant.

Kyo was impressed by the arrays of food and drink the women had on hand and he was enjoying it immensely, as Magno said that she herself would foot the bill. And Kyo was not the kind of guy to turn down a good gift, though he did feel a bit guilty about not having any money of his own…and wondered that if the war ended, he would be able to find some means of work in order to have his own place to stay, and a job, apart from being a Gundam pilot…besides, if he ever decided to start a family, he needed to have a job to supplement the income and help his family…he was naturally the family oriented type of person. His father Kira, while still being the vigilant one had taken up a special consultant position in the Peace Committee alongside his mother Lacus, who still sang songs in her free time as a peace ambassador on the old Earth…according to what Maggie told him of the events after his supposed death nearly four hundred years ago. He placed those thoughts aside as he and the girls ate and drank the various dishes that were there…his Coordinator metabolism certainly helped him there, so eating a good deal didn't bother Kyo all that much. He decided to soon find out what type of recipes the women had and incorporate them in his own so he could try his hands on other cooking dishes the next chance he got.

After dinner, he spent some time talking with his companions, it was there that Jura left a few minutes early and replied that she had some things to take care of today and bid farewell…though he couldn't help but notice a gleam in her eyes as she passed him. He had a suspicion that the blonde was up to something, but decided to put that out of his mind as he walked with the others.

As he opened his door and entered his room, he went towards the living room to rest on the couch, he decided to skip dinner for now since his meals with the girls had pretty much filled his stomach well enough. However something suddenly woke up his danger senses but not in a negative way as he made his way to the room…and amazingly noted that the lights were on…and that meant that there was somebody in his apartment. He moved carefully into the living room…and lo and behold…

"Hello Kyo…about time you came in here. I was really beginning to worry you wouldn't make it in time."

Kyo gulped as his eyes widened as he saw her…

--

(You guessed it ladies and gentlemen…we have another lemon in the works as we speak! Now as to who the lucky lady is this time…well, you'll have to wait and see!)

--

Still in the living room…

Kyo couldn't help but look as none other than Jura Basil Elden was in his room, sitting on the couch in her normal dress, but in a very seductive posture, which included her lying on the couch with her facing him, her right arm supporting her, her long and well formed legs from foot to thigh shown, and her smile was very seductive. Kyo couldn't help but gulp and his mental functions decided to vacate the premises, and all he could do was look. However, he managed to make sure he kept his mouth closed, otherwise he would have been drooling.

He already admitted long ago that Jura was very sexy, although many of the women, including Barnette had codes of dress that he knew in his mind, would have made men drool at the sight of them…Jura was the winner in that department. The dress she normally wore was already revealing as it was, and the way she was sitting on the couch brought that fact out to light once more…it certainly didn't make things easier for the young man as he saw EVERY curve and swell of her voluptuous form and the fact that her dress has slits allowed him to see her long and sensual legs to her hips…and the plunging line on the front and the fact that her large and well rounded breasts were seen by him was enough to get his blood flowing. His eyes scanned her completely. From her beautiful face, with the red lips, emerald green sparkling eyes, the well formed and flawless face, her deep golden hair that acted like a golden blanket on her form, then to her chest as her slow but strong and gentle breathing and that made her breasts rise and fall sensually, he then went to her flat stomach and then to her womanly hips…and then to her long legs…all in all, Jura right now was the exact picture female sensuality and physical appeal at it's best.

However, Kyo Yamato knew that there was more than merely beautiful looks to Jura, she had courage and strength of will when it counted, she was also a kind hearted and strong willed woman underneath the beauty and still present vanity, and although he was not all that sure that Jura would be completely over her still somewhat flighty actions, she was nevertheless very much devoted to the idea of being a mother.

Jura smiled warmly at the sight of Kyo giving her the once over and smiled even more as she left her position at the couch and walked over to the still stunned Gundam pilot. As she reached him, she hugged him tightly and then kissed him deeply on the lips…the memories of their past kisses were still VERY much fresh in her mind and she used those memories to help her in kissing the man she loved the most. She smiled mentally as her actions had results as Kyo moaned a bit and when he opened his mouth a bit, she took the initiative and pushed her tongue into his mouth, gently however, she would be lying if she said she was not tempted to just do at it and ravish Kyo in the living room right there and then…but she had other ideas, and besides…she loved Kyo and wanted to show him her own way of doing things.

It was there that Kyo managed to regain a small portion of his wits and despite his immense reluctance to break the intense lip lock between the two of them…he did so and looked at Jura. She however didn't get angry, she had expected that, yet she didn't stop herself the urge to try and tease him a bit.

"Hmmm, you didn't like that kiss Kyo? Maybe I should do better on the next one then…"

"Jura…as much as…this was very interesting, I, uh, what are you?"

Jura giggled at Kyo and smiled warmly.

"Why, I think it's fairly obvious what I am doing Kyo, don't you think so? I want you and I to finish what we started."

"What?"

"I know that you love me, and I KNOW I love you…more than anything now than I have known, every moment I look at you, I remember how I felt when you kissed me…and all the times ever since when I was close to you…and this time. I don't want to be denied this chance…please don't deny me this."

"Jura…you know that we're going to be…"

"I know…in war…I know that sooner or later…once that energy barrier is down, the Harvesters will come and we will be fighting for our lives. And maybe…just maybe…something might happen, I know that Kyo…and I know that I can't…blame you for being afraid for me or the others…but I want you to know that I am not afraid…as long as I am with you. And just for tonight…it's just you and me, please don't deny me now."

Kyo gulped a bit as he realized how serious Jura was about this night, and it was then that he recalled the conversation she and the other girls had with Magno…and what meia had told him when they had sex only a few days before the battle started…that was one of his concerns, how would Jura react if she found out that he had sex with Meia? Seeing that he had no choice in the matter, he decided to tell her.

However, it seemed that Jura had beat him to it.

"I also know about you and Meia."

"Y…Y…You do? How?"

"She told me, I…will admit I was a bit angry at first…but I knew that she cared for you deeply as well as I did. And she told me about…what you two did together…and how much she enjoyed it."

This was making Kyo very uncomfortable by the second.

"Uh…I…"

Jura however smiled and replied.

"Don't fret, but I want you to do the same to me too…but before that…I have something for you."

Kyo was confused by that statement at first until Jura stepped away and then grabbed a small remote and then pressed a button and out from the nearby wall came a sound system that Kyo didn't find out about when he got the apartment…apparently, since Jura had a place like this one, though he could bet that place had her personal touch, she would know about the hidden sound system. The blonde then guided Kyo the couch which she had vacated earlier and made him sit down. The music that came out was slow, melodious, and very sensual, just the way Jura liked it as she moved to the middle of the floor. She smiled seductively at Kyo and went to the middle of the room and spoke.

"I've been wanting to do this in a while now…I hope you like it."

With that, Jura began to dance to the music in a slow and very graceful manner, her dress adding to the flow to the music as it moved like a living thing. Kyo was stunned and couldn't help but look at the sexy blonde Gundam pilot move like a seasoned dancer. As Jura moved and swayed to the music, her still free golden blonde tresses moved like golden silk with her motions, and the lighting that she apparently had also controlled with the remote to work with the music being played cast low glowed softly but not too dimly, making her hair glow golden. Jura also moved into several slow but sensual stances to further add to the effects of the music and the results of her actions were very obvious.

Kyo felt his brain go haywire and his heart rate, breathing rate, and libido go on the rise as he watched Jura dance. No way was he going to say anything to break this thing up, and to know that Jura was doing this for him certainly made him feel happy. As it is, Kyo looked on and couldn't help but blush and smile as Jura continued her dance as the music continued to play.

Jura smiled warmly at the look of utter awe, and appreciation Kyo had on his face as he watched her perform. She had taken several classes in dance when she was young and was happy to know that her classes were paying off…she could also see the passionate desire Kyo had on his face as he gazed at her, and it made her feel so warm and aroused in a very intense way that she would have stopped and just took Kyo right there and then, but she was not going to stop until she was finished with her performance for the man she loved. It may be hard for her to not be able to make love to Kyo now…but as she could tell…her present actions were more than enough to get Kyo in the mood, and the fact that he loved her performance was very pleasing to her…as it had been a while since she had danced.

As soon as the music stopped playing, Jura walked slowly and sensually towards Kyo…who's desire for her was at it's zenith and he was dying to touch her. Jura noted the intense desire Kyo had and it made her feel just as passionate as she then straddled him and then smiled.

"You like?"

Kyo smiled and replied as he nibbled her left earlobe gently.

"Of course…you were gorgeous."

Jura smiled seductively at the compliment and looked at her lover with an intense emerald stare of desire as well.

"Thank you…please…make me feel you."

Kyo nodded and replied. "Gladly." He then kissed her passionately, they settled with kissing each other's lips first, the gentle kissing was only the appetizer for the two as they kissed more fiercely but gently. They both opened their mouths and their kissed began to become even deeper as their tongues reached out and touched each other and the inner walls of their partner's in such a sensual manner that it would have been a sex act all on it's own.

Jura loved the taste of Kyo's mouth as she rubbed her tongue in the inner walls and his teeth in a strong and lustful manner, with Kyo doing likewise…the results were the two of them moaning in lustful desire as they tasted and felt each other. The kissing went on for a few more minutes and as they broke the kiss for some air, they looked at each other as a single thread of their combined saliva joined them, they kissed each other once they had their breath back, their tongues began to rub on each other and the resulting increase of their respective desires was the overall result of their actions. Jura then wasted little time as she ran her hands on Kyo's soft chocolate brown tresses and reached the cloth band that held his ponytail together. She then removed it and ran her hands on the long locks, admiring how soft and smooth the hair was and then touched his scalp in a very soft and gentle massaging motion. This was enough to make Kyo groan in pleasure…and Jura to smile mentally…among the collections of tapes was a video on how women could arouse a male partner, and it seemed to be right on the money.

He hadn't expected that kind of action from his blond lover, but the Gundam pilot certainly was not going to complain. He then did the same thing to Jura and ran his own hands through her silken gold tresses and then to her scalp, and he gently scratched the scalp, the effect of the soothing and gentle touch had it's own effect on the blonde as she felt more relaxed and aroused. As they broke their second kiss, Kyo reached forward and kissed Jura's earlobes, gently nibbling the fleshy part and ran his tongue sensually in the inner whorls of Jura's ears in a very arousing manner…and Jura felt those wondrous sensations in every part of her body, from her face as she blushed and moaned in delight at the touch, to her arms and hands and to her body, all the way to her legs and toes and it was glorious. Kyo then took her hands and upon her instructions removed the long sleeves from her slender and well toned arms.

Kyo kissed her palms reverently and then took her fingers into his own mouth sucking on them passionately and this had an effect on Jura as she blushed bright red as the sensations ran all over her body. Kyo grinned and Jura responded as she kissed his neck, and his ears, in the very same way he had done before and she grinned at the throaty sounds of pleasure Kyo gave out…she loved that sound a lot.

Kyo then reached for the jewel on the neck brace of Jura's revealing outfit, hoping that his suspicions were correct, and since Jura didn't stop his actions, he felt that he was on the right track, the second he touched the stone, the ring that held the two portions of the dress that covered Jura's breasts retracted back into the upper portion of the ring and the neck piece loosened, along with shoulder regions…showing the hidden clasps in the dress. Jura then moved the dress aside and she was now bare naked before Kyo…at least in the upper section of her gorgeous body. Kyo took his time and gazed lovingly and lustfully at Jura's now exposed form…and like before he was in awe at how beautiful the blonde was.

Her breasts were large and full, but they didn't sag at all and thrust out quite proudly, their dark pink tips begged to be touched and Kyo looked at Jura's full from head to her lower form, her breathing made her bust move and that made Kyo even hotter than ever.

Jura blushed even more and felt her heart race at Kyo's intense gaze at her beauty…sure, he had seen her nude at least a few times…but back then, he was still adamant in not being intimate since he was trying not to get into something that he felt he was not ready for, and in truth…neither was she. She admitted later on the trip that since she really didn't know how it was done, she wasn't sure how to proceed, and it was only when she saw the videos that she knew now what to do in such a situation. And this time…Kyo was certainly willing to go ahead with it. She however hoped that all she had learned would be enough to please Kyo…she was however a bit peeved as Kyo was still very much dressed, and while she did technically have her dress on still, since she never wore much undergarments, with the exception of her panties, she was already naked. She quickly tugged at Kyo's shirt, hoping he would get the message to lose the shirt before she got angry.

And sure enough, he did, he smiled a bit and took off his shirt, but he did so slowly and in a very strong manner. Jura smiled warmly as she began to see Kyo's flat washboard stomach and it's hard ridges, his strong and well formed chest. As soon as he was free from his shirt, Jura ran her hands slowly and delicately on the hard contours of Kyo's form, Kyo chuckled warmly and allowed Jura to explore his body without interruption, much to the blonde's delight.

Jura ran her hands over the hard and warm skin that covered the whip-cord like muscle underneath. Kyo might not be as heavily built…but she found his gymnast-soldier form to be more than equal or more in muscle tone and strength…having witnessed him herself many times. His muscles were very strong and she reveled to feel all that power under her finger-tips. She traced his stomach and the waist area that was still covered by his pants, then to his hard chest, and then ran her hands to his strong shoulders and arms. She decided to stop and then leaned forward to kiss Kyo's chest once more, and she then decided to lick his chest gently and slowly…this action tested Kyo's resolve as Jura was now ever closer to him, and the scent of her shampoo, which was deep roses and pine, filled his nose…along with the sweet and spicy smell of woman, and lastly…he could smell her arousal, this was very intoxicating to him and he has hard pressed to resist…but he let Jura have her turn.

Jura smiled as she ran her hands over Kyo's hot and hard form and tasted his skin, she was enjoying this very much, she then kissed and licked Kyo's neck and chest passionately and in the right way to make Kyo groan out his pleasure…that made her even more proud that she could make Kyo moan that way…as she finished with worshipping Kyo's upper torso, she then moved up to catch her lover's mouth in another heated kiss. Kyo then took his turn as while they were kissing…he ran his hands over Jura's own nubile form…his male side reveling in the feel of Jura's own warm yet soft, pliable, and well shaped form. Jura moaned in the kiss as she felt his hard, and calloused yet gentle and hot hands on her body…it felt divine to her to be able to feel Kyo's hands on her form. Kyo ran his hands over her naked upper form. From her arms to her shoulders, then to her breasts, then to her sides, and her stomach and hips. They broke the heated kiss and Kyo reciprocated Jura's previous actions on him as he lift her up and gently lay her down on the couch. He then tugged carefully at Jura's dress and she raised her hips to allow him to take off her dress, along with her black panties…which were now soaking wet. Kyo looked at Jura afterwards…as she was now gloriously naked.

Jura blushed brightly at Kyo's even more intense gaze as she lay on the couch naked…however, she resisted the urge to cover herself with anything nearby and looked with desire at her lover. She reached out with her hands and held his face and he followed her pull and the both of them kissed once more and Kyo reveled in the feel of Jura's hot, sexy and very much nude from below him and the feel of her breasts on his bare chest…while Jura felt her desire grow at the feel of Kyo's hard and yet smooth, and hot muscled form on hers…and the feel of his chest on her breasts was exquisite…she moaned into the kiss from the contact, along with him…sending very erotic vibrations through the both of them.

Kyo broke the kiss and then kissed Jura on the cheeks and then nibbled gently on her ears and whispered warmly.

"I hope you like this Jura."

Kyo then kissed and nibbled Jura's neck…namely in her most sensitive areas and the made his way to her ample chest. He licked her collarbones gently and looked at her firm breasts…recalling them time he had touched them and tasted them…and a very primal male part of his psyche reveled in the memory of the feel and taste of those cream white mounds of flesh and their dark pink tips. He licked his lips slowly and then descended on the two with his hands touching the undersides of Jura's large breasts, reveling in the feel of the firm but pliable orbs.

Jura moaned in delight at the sensations, but moaned loudly in surprised pleasure as Kyo kissed the outer sides of her breasts while massaging them gently and firmly…making her very hot and feeling a very wet sensation between her legs. Kyo continued with his actions until he began to lick and kiss his way to the nipple and aureole of Jura's right breast while his right hand continued to caress the left breast carefully. He then began to suck and bite gently the hardening tip, he took the hardening bulb into his mouth and licked it hard yet gently to make sure Jura enjoyed the feeling.

At this point, Jura's face was as red as a tomato's as the sheer pleasure was close to overwhelming her…since it had been quite a while since that time she had nearly convinced Kyo to make love to her, she had nearly forgotten the sensations that he caused with his worshipping and treatment of her breasts before, but this reminded her very quickly of those sensations and more as Kyo continued to lick, suck and nibble her breasts with passionate desire and love, that much she could sense at how gently Kyo did his ministrations on her.

As soon as he was done, Kyo went and gave the same treatment to it's twin and made Jura moan and mewl in pleasure, the blonde grabbed his hair in her desire and held him close…hoping that he would not stop in his treatment…Kyo obliged Jura and continued to worship her bust and made Jura even more aroused. The blonde felt the heat pooling in her body move to the juncture of her thighs, along with a very wet feeling.

Kyo then noted that and managed to move free of Jura's hold on him. He looked at Jura's now sweat covered form and then licked the beads of sweat from the valley between her breasts and traveled to her stomach which he kissed and licked a bit in order to make his lover squirm beneath him…adding to the desire and love he felt for Jura. He then reached her navel and looked at the well trimmed patch of deep blonde hair between Jura's thighs…the look of her wet thighs from her sweat and the juices she had no doubt released in her arousal, and the smell of her soaking wet sex, which he picked up made his manhood harden and twitch in anticipation.

Jura felt herself panic for a second…even if she had seen the video that showed the man doing what she suspected Kyo would do to her with his female partner, and learning how gloriously pleasurable it was from Meia herself…it still made her feel nervous…which was a bit odd…she had wanted this to happen for a long time between her and Kyo…and now that it was…she was acting like a bashful schoolgirl before him. She tried to cover her most sacred place and tried to get up…but Kyo stopped her with a gentle smile, along with a very strong amount of sexual mischief.

Kyo knew that despite her very sensual actions…Jura was, like Meia, a virgin though in the sense that she had never had sex with a man before…and he was the first to introduce her to it…in the same way he had shown the act to Meia as well. So therefore…he decided to go slow…no matter how much torture it was for his raging libido to slow down.

He looked at her and spoke as gently as he could…despite the thick tone of sexual desire in his voice.

"If you don't want to continue…say so, and I'll stop Jura, though to be honest…I don't want to."

Jura gulped a bit and replied.

"I…I don't want to either…but I…I'm so…nervous…"

"I know…I'll do what I can to make you feel better, just tell me if you want me to stop or continue…okay?"

Jura gulped and nodded as she gently opened her legs, revealing herself in full flower before Kyo…and it made her even more nervous and yet. Excited as Kyo gasped with a strong intake of breath into his lungs. She thought something was wrong until Kyo grinned and spoke in a very lustful tone.

"You are beautiful Jura…in you're very own way."

Jura was glad and then she yelped a bit and shook as Kyo caressed her knees and then kissed her navel…making her mewl in pleasure at the sensual and ticklish sensation and make her relax a bit more. Kyo took that as a good sign and then began to gently massage, kiss, and lick Jura's inner thighs which were already sleek with sweat and some of her own juices…Kyo caught a faint taste of Jura's nectar and she was different sweet and thick, different in every respect, he also made sure to be gentle in his actions in this area of Jura's body as while these areas were good zones to enhance Jura's arousal, they were very sensitive either way. The blonde didn't mind in the least as she showed her pleasure with several loud moans and half screams.

He kept that up until he reached Jura's vagina…and he saw that she was wet…very wet, and he breathed in her scent…it was different from Meia's and it reinforced to him how different women were, and not just in looks as well. He looked at the wet slit and kissed it gently...making Jura shiver and tremble in reaction. Kyo grinned and licked her pussy's outer lips gently and took in her full taste…that made his manhood become even harder than ever. But he held on to his control…no matter how strained it already was. He looked for Jura's clitoris and licked it gently…making Jura gasp and surprise and made her cry out in pleasure as he began to lick her pussy gently but firmly. He then gently moved her pussy's outer lips aside and then pushed his tongue deeply into the inner folds and tasted her moisture once more. He then began to move his tongue in and out, giving Jura an idea of what they would be doing soon, along with moving his tongue in circles to ensure that she was enjoying the sensations he was giving her. To Jura in the throes of an orgasm was something he was not going to miss.

Jura half screamed out her pleasure many times and felt the urge to close her legs at the sensation, but managed to resist it as Kyo was still there between her legs and tasting her sex. Meia had told her of her own reaction when Kyo had done the same thing to her, but also told her of the intense pleasure that it gave her. Jura wanted to experience it to see if it was true and trained to resist the urge to close her legs…and it paid off immensely. She couldn't imagine that such…feelings could exist…she had been on a few dates and one night stands on a few occasions, but in those situations, the results didn't match the sensations she felt with Kyo…maybe it was because he was a man, and he was the one she loved?

(Is this what Meia felt? Is this how women in love with men felt when they were intimate?...I want this never to end…Please! I want more!)

"More…M…More…please! I…don't stop Kyo!"

Kyo nodded in agreement and went on with his actions and licked on Jura's clit…carefully as he knew that all women were sensitive on their clitoris. He then used his fore finger to finger fuck Jura…making her shout out her pleasure.

The sensation was so new to Jura…but it was bliss to her as well…and she made her pleasure known to her lover as she screamed and moaned…Kyo was thankful that the apartment had sound proofing, otherwise the other women would have come in here expecting trouble…and the LAST thing he wanted was be caught with Jura in this situation. He went on, adding another finger to the one he had in there…and continued to lick the blonde's clit and tasted her moisture as Jura's juices flowed out of her pussy to the couch and to his hands and he lapped it up as best he could manage.

Jura felt her orgasm arriving and she tried her very best to hold it back…to feel more of the sensations and wish it would not end…She held on to the cushions tightly and tried to hold herself from giving in….Kyo on the other hand was not going to be denied the chance to see Jura in the throes orgasmic pleasure.

And it happened as Jura's orgasm hit her like a lightning bolt from heaven.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!"

Jura shivered and shook hard and her body became taunt in orgasmic bliss. She gave several more mewling sounds as her orgasm filled every furrow of her body. Kyo looked at Jura as she cried out her pleasure and bliss. And it made him even harder and more lustful than before as the blonde went back to the couch in a satisfied heap. Her sweat soaked form and the look of utter bliss she had on her face and the look of passion in her emerald eyes made him smile. He leaned over to Jura and smiled warmly at Jura.

"How did that feel Jura?"

"I…I….it was…so…wonderful…I will…never forget this…ever…"

"I'm happy that I made you happy."

It was then that Jura recovered enough of her stamina and looked at Kyo's form…she too noted her lover's sweat soaked form and then saw the bulge in his pants…it was then that she recalled something that she had seen in one of the videos that she had collected. As she recalled what happened in the video and what was the results…she smiled seductively at her lover.

Kyo was confused for a bit and asked Jura what was wrong.

"What are you smiling about?"

Jura merely placed her hands on his chest and pushed forward, making Kyo move back until she was sitting in front of him. The sultry look plus the residual effects of orgasm, with her sweat soaked form made Jura even more seductive. She then spoke to him in a very passionate voice.

"Now it's my turn to make you even more happy…my lover."

Jura then got off the couch and then reached for Kyo's shoes and took them off quickly but patiently. Kyo had no idea what Jura had in mind, but helped her relieve himself of his shoes, socks, and then she reached for his pants, once that was out of the way…Jura personally removed Kyo's boxers…revealing his already aroused and hard cock to her.

Jura looked on in awe at the hard male organ.

"Wow…you ARE bigger than those men in the videos I've seen!"

Kyo blushed bright red at that statement as Jura looked at his cock in awe…making him even more hot. Jura then reached out and touched his penis and ran her hands gently over the hard male organ. That made Kyo grit his teeth at the sensations and made him wish that she would not stop. Jura smiled at that and gently but firmly ran her hands over the smooth skin, marveling at the contrast of soft skin and hard muscle underneath, along with the throbbing veins as well…she even went as far as to look at the head of Kyo's cock, marveling at it's look, she however was cautious as Meia had told her that Kyo's cock was sensitive as well. She looked at it and then took a deep breath to calm herself and began to recall just what she had seen and learned from the video…the man in the video was in great pleasure and desire after his female partner had done it to him…and she was more than willing to do that very same thing the woman had done to give the same pleasure to Kyo to thank him for the way he pleasured her.

Kyo couldn't help but feel confused at the way Jura seemed to look at his cock, and while he still was aroused from the way Jura continued to touch his cock, he was unsure what Jura had in mind…until he had a faint suspicion as to what Jura had in mind.

(Oh my god…is Jura actually going to?)

Jura looked at Kyo with her still present seductive smile…and leaned forward to…

Lick Kyo's penis from base to shaft to the head of his cock…taking the drop or pre-cum on it. Kyo felt every nerve on his body ignite at the sensation and his cock twitched in reaction to the foreign sensation. Jura noted the sensation and decided to try again as the look of pleasure on Kyo's face was worth it. She also decided to caress the sac below it wither hands, making sure not to put too much pressure on the sac, so as not to hurt her lover.

She continued to lick and kiss the shaft tenderly and slowly, making Kyo react with pleasured groans and half growls of desire as Jura continued her actions on his manhood. She then did something that made Kyo go over the edge…she swirled her tongue over the head of his cock for a few moments…and then opened her rose red lips and took the head into her mouth, licking it the whole time.

"Ahhhh!!"

Kyo shouted out in pleasure as he felt the urge to move his hips to relieve himself of the sensation, but resisted the idea. He looked as Jura continued to take in his length slowly, while feeling her continuing to lick the part of his cock in her mouth with strong but gentle strokes that were driving him nuts.

Jura was happy, though this was her first try at this sort of thing, she was happy that the videos she had found had told her how to do it well, namely on how to use her lips to cover her teeth as doing this and letting her teeth touch Kyo's penis would injure it…and injuring Kyo was the last thing on her mind. She continued to take in as much of his cock as she could and stopped when she felt it touch the roof of her mouth, she held it there and merely let her tongue caress the hot length, while coating it with her saliva. She looked at her lover and to see the look of intense desire in his violet-blue eyes made her move on. She moved her head slowly upwards while licking the head of his cock and the sides of his shaft with her tongue, as soon as she did so and reach the top with only the head of Kyo's cock still in her mouth, she went down again…slowly. Jura did it several more times and began to establish a rhythm and pace that suited her and seemed to satisfy Kyo immensely.

The only sounds in the room were the sounds of Kyo's groans and moans of pleasure, and the wet sounds as Jura continued to suck and lick Kyo's cock while moving her head up and down on his penis in slowly speeding up bobbing motions. To further add to both their pleasure was the fact that Jura's large breasts were rubbing Kyo's inner thighs…adding yet another amount of sensations to both lovers.

Kyo felt his eyes roll in pleasure and his throat give out more sounds of pleasure…he had read about these situation before in a few books, seen some videos of it, and heard a few of his male classmates in his younger days boasting about it, but he never experienced it before, so could not help himself but try to resist the urge to come and have this situation end…he couldn't help it as this was the first time he was given fellatio or known as a blow job...and he would not forget this…ever.

In Jura's case…she felt a very different sensation…she felt sexy, powerful, and even more desirable. She had done this to thank Kyo for what he had done for her, and she had done so, and more as she felt this strange yet seemingly normal feeling of satisfaction to know that she could have this effect on the man she loved, as she reveled in the moans and groans of pleasure coming from her lover. To feel his hard and hot cock in her mouth as also a new and rather pleasant sensation as it also made her feel powerful in her ability affect Kyo this way.

This went on and Kyo finally felt his balls tense up and his body beginning to shudder in anticipation for it's release and he wanted to warn Jura about it, lest he would do something that might scare or disgust her. However, his attempts were worthless for two reasons, the first was that the pleasure hitting his brain overwhelmed his ability to speak as he could only moan and groan in pleasure at the moment, the second was that Jura was not stopping. Thus it was too late to warn her as he came.

"AAAAHHHHH!!"

Jura winced a bit in surprise as the first stream of Kyo's hot seed hit the roof of her mouth, along with a few more bursts, and she moved away from his cock, releasing it from her mouth and watched as several more hot streams of the white liquid hit her lower face and mouth, and some of the seed fell on her throat, and then to her large firm breasts. The strange feeling of the hot liquid that was Kyo's seed hitting her made her feel even more intense. She then tasted the seed.

(A bit salty, but good…it is Kyo's essence.)

With that in mind, she began to swallow the seed as she had seen the woman do before and she found out it was a nice taste, she then licked her lips as there was still some on her rose red lips and then used her hands to daintily remove more of the liquid from her face, throat, and then to her breasts while licking her fingers that had the seed, as soon as she was done and swallowed the seed and smiled happily, she was made aware that Kyo was looking at her.

Kyo was about to apologize to Jura for not warning her about his orgasm but his attempt to apologize died in his throat as he watched Jura swallow his seed with a smile and her actions in removing the seed that was on her face, throat and breasts and licking the seed off her fingers in such a sensual way made Kyo stunned like he had just been hit by a two by four on the head. Jura looked at him and smiled impishly while using her arms to hold up her large breasts. The picture what he had seen earlier drove Kyo nuts and it took a few moments before he could speak.

"Wh…Where…Where did you?"

"Those videos silly…"

"I'm uh, sorry… I tried to."

"It's all right, it's you're seed after all, I loved it, and it's not poisonous either."

The two chuckled a bit, but their animal passions were still on high octane so they were going to stay there in the living room, but they were concerned about beddings, but that problem was solved quickly as the couch's large cushion was also a mattress and they took it off and lay it on the floor and took a spare blanket nearby a fresh clothing container Kyo had found before. The two lovers continued to touch, caress and kiss each other…their desire, love, and lust for each other still ignited.

It was at this very point that Kyo finally looked at Jura and she knew that it was indeed time as Kyo moved between Jura's legs and his cock was already back to full mast. He looked at Jura's blushing face and she nodded as he touched his cock on the outer folds of her pussy and lubricated it a bit more…along with relaxing Jura a bit more. Jura gripped the edges of their make-shift bed as she prepared herself. Mira had told her how it felt for her and it hurt greatly, but afterwards the pleasure would be worth it all.

Kyo then began to push in his cock into Jura's vagina…passing the outer lips and into the inner sanctum of Jura's womanhood. She was tight, real tight, soft like silk, and also wet, very wet. Kyo was trying his absolute best not to lose himself and just thrust in like a man possessed, that would hurt his lover and that was one thing he did not want to happen.

He pushed on and Jura gasped and her eyes opened wide at the sensation as Kyo's cock parted her outer folds and was now in her pussy and the sensation was totally different from his fingers, it was so hot, hard, and she could feel the throbbing sensations as well.

(My Goddess!! It'…It's so hot inside of me…I…please, I don't want this to end! I want it so bad!)

Jura's tense reactions and moans of pleasure excited Kyo and then he reached the ultimate proof of Jura's virginity when it came to men…her maidenhead. He knew from his lessons and his previous time with Meia that this would hurt Jura no matter what he did.

Jura knew that too and gave him the signal to go ahead.

(Forgive me Jura.)

He pushed quickly and the thin membrane gave away as Jura bucked her body at the sudden stab of pain, and she half screamed and there were signs of tears in her eyes. Kyo was saddened by this and after he was all the way into Jura's pussy, he stopped and held her gently kissing her, and allowing her to moan out her pain his mouth. After it was over he broke the kiss and looked at his blonde lover and wiped away the tears gathering his her eyes and kissed the lids of her closed eyes, making her gasp and such a gentle action from her lover and she felt the pain begin to subside within her.

Kyo noted that too and spoke loving words to her ears and she smiled at him with warmth…as the pain faded she felt the fullness of having his cock inside her wet canal and the sensation was amazing but it then kindled a hunger in the blonde woman and she didn't know why but she wanted Kyo to do something and quickly.

Kyo took that as his cue and slowly withdrew his cock out of Jura's wet womanhood, making her gasp a bit at the sensation, once his cock was nearly out of Jura's pussy with the head there, he pushed back in just as slowly.

(My GODDESS! That was…was…amazing! It this how women in love felt…when their male lovers were with them?! I…it feels beautiful…I don't want to forget this…ever, More! I want more!)

"Kyo! I…"

"How do you feel?"

"Like I…I am going to fly apart at the seams…It's so good! Please Give me more! I want more!"

Kyo nodded and began to move slowly with his thrusts into Jura's wet pussy, slowly building up speed and power with each thrust, he also made sure to grind his hips into her groin to get to her clitoris for better results.

And better results they both got as Jura's screams of desire and pleasure mingled with Kyo's own screams of pleasure, to add to that was the wet and erotic sounds of their wet flesh moving together and hitting at the very same time. The two lovers held each other tight as their motions and sweat covered forms moved flawlessly with each other, the movements and their skin touching each other ignited their desires to fever pitch.

It was then that Kyo decided to switch places, and with his remaining strength managed to lift Jura off the bed and move into her original place, making her the one on top of him.

Jura looked at her lover who was now beneath her and felt another rush of sensation as she realized what she had to do in this position. She lifted her hips and then drove downwards, engulfing Kyo's cock deeply into her sex and the rush of her honey was evident. Jura moved again and slowly built up her rhythm as she felt her pleasure triple with every downward thrust of her hips.

"Ahhhh! OH MY!! BY GRAND MA! THIS FEELS WONDERFUL!!"

Kyo also groaned and screamed his pleasure as he was far from idle as he moved his hips in unison with Jura, further adding to the pleasure…he looked and saw her large breasts bouncing with each movement, and he was so filled with passion that he reached out and massaged the firm mounds of flesh along with her dark pink nipples…further adding to the overall effect of Jura's desire for him. The sight of a blonde goddess in the nude, with her hair acting like a golden backdrop to her sweat covered form as she was moving up and down on his cock was so intoxicating to Kyo that he was moving even harder to make sure to get more cries of pleasure form his blonde lover.

Jura leaned back a bit and felt even more wondrous sensations flood her body and then she leaned down towards Kyo. Using her hands to steady her, she looked at her lover with her own passion filled emerald eyes, while his own violet-blue gaze burned into hers. The two shared a deep kiss and moaned into each other to fill their bodies with greater pleasure. The two then broke the kiss as Jura continued to move her hips as she felt every stroke of Kyo's cock in her wet and dripping womanhood. For Kyo, the feel of Jura's wet and tight sheath on his cock was unbelievable and the sight of his lover's form leaning over him, covered in her female sweat and her hair covering them both like a sea of golden silk was so wonderful, he saw her breasts and licked them as they moved in front of him. Jura moaned at that and leaned more downwards, this allowed Kyo to lick and suck on her large breasts, making Jura scream her pleasure and he intended to take her taste and feel down to the marrow of his bones. This went on for a while longer as both lovers were so hot for each other that it was then that both felt their respective orgasms approaching.

"AAAAAHHHHHH!! I…I…I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!! KYO!! I'M GOING TO!!"

"SO AM I!!"

Jura kept on with her downward thrusts, while Kyo kept thrusting upwards, their hips hitting each other with greater intensity and lust, and their sweat covered forms were even hotter now. They went on until Jura finally gave up and her orgasm floored her.

"I…I…I…I'M CUMMING!! AAAAAHHHHHH!!"

The first feel of Jura's orgasm hit Kyo hard like a hammer hitting a nail…the feel of her inner walls milking his cock and the flow of her juices coming out made Kyo scream as he too felt his orgasm hit him hard.

"JURA!!"

"KYO!!"

Jura leaned back as she felt Kyo's hot seed entered her pussy and filled her to the very core of her womanhood. The sensation made her see white and stars as she screamed her orgasm out as she felt her own body react. Kyo also felt it and his own body tensed up as he released his seed deeply into Jura's sex.

The two lovers were so struck by their combined orgasm that it was like being one with each other in every sense of the phrase. Jura couldn't help but move forward slowly and lay on top of her lover. She felt his heart and breathing rates match hers perfectly, further telling her that their union was meant to be.

(It…was soooooooooo wonderful! I don't ever want to forget this feeling for as long as I live!)

Jura felt Kyo's cock fire out a few last streams of his seed into her womb…the sensation of her lover's seed in her body…filling her with it's own warmth made her feel so safe and loved. It was like a part of Kyo would always be with her no matter what would happen, and it was so good. The warmth of her lover's liquid passion comforted Jura greatly. She knew that there was not a full guarantee that she would be pregnant now…but if ever she would have a child with Kyo she would gladly raise that child, not caring if it was a boy or girl…as long as Kyo was beside her for the rest of her life.

Kyo felt the very same way…the moment he felt Jura's sex contract in her orgasm, it was incredible…a sensation he would not soon forget. And to know that she loved him, no matter what the situation made him very happy, she was his now…and he hoped that things would work out between them, and if he ever had a child with his blonde lover, then he would do his best to raise that child with her, the same way he promised to love and cherish the child that he and Meia might have someday.

It was then that Jura shivered…their passionate lovemaking had made them very hot…enough not to notice the cool air around them, but now that their passion died down after their combined orgasms, the cold air began to affect the lovers, Kyo reached out nearby towards the blanket and unrolled it and covered both himself and Jura while she was still on top of him.

Jura smiled warmly at her lover's compassion and gave him a warm kiss. Part of her wanted to try other positions and techniques like she had seen in her videos, but she was tired and she knew Kyo was as well…there was always tomorrow anyway.

With that in mind…both lovers fell into a blissful sleep on their makeshift bed in each other's arms and their bodies traded each other's warmth as they went to sleep.

--

Of course…Kyo and Jura were NOT the only couple that had just made love!!

--

(Hello gentlemen and ladies I hoped you all have enjoyed that hot number between Kyo and Jura…because that was just the first of two lemons in this chapter, and for all you Duero and Parfait fans, I have a special treat for you in this chapter as well…you guessed it, we have a Duero and Parfait lemon coming soon!)

--

(At the same time Jura had surprised Kyo in his apartment's living room.)

Duero and Parfait were enjoying the chance to finally travel back to the apartment he was staying in, despite the fact that she had her own place to stay in the base…the bespectacled engineer was not going to let this night go to waste as she wanted to be close to Duero and to help him get over the difficulty of being an exile from his home world of Talark, as was requested of her by Duero's Alpha…or rather, father. She however loved Duero's company and despite how…odd it might be at times, she was not going to trade this closeness for anything else in the world. She ran over her idea to stay with him and decided to not plan ahead too much and just enjoy the moment.

They had gone to several places that she loved to go to, namely for picking out the latest technical parts and designs for her to work on once she was back on the ship…Duero didn't mind the situation and helped Parfait…it was afterwards, when she had finished picking out the parts and filling the requested delivery forms with her signature that they went to a few amusement parks, and it made her giggle to herself on the times Duero acted like a lost child when faced with all the Megele forms of entertainment, and the time she spent in explaining them to him. They also arrived at a nice restaurant that she had gone to every now and then for a quick meal, and they had a very nice dinner there and Duero got to telling her about his past life on Talark during his younger days and in the Academy, and Parfait got to telling him of her life while being in the pirates, all the way to the time she had gone with them on the raid.

They went out a bit more and walked in the parks nearby and chatted more, about their experiences ever since the fusion of both ships and then they decided to order some food that they would snack on later…it still amazed her that this young man was someone she cared very deeply for, and she admired his looks as he smiled a bit more and seemed more at ease now…not like when they had first started out. She then put those thoughts out of her mind as she and Duero arrived at the apartment he was staying in.

Magno had provided rooms for their male crew members on the Nirvana and they were all under her protection, along with her uncle Kyo, thus the other pirates made sure not to interfere with them, even though Parfait could tell that not everyone in the pirates were all right with the idea of having men about. She also provided them with a nest egg of funds and she would foot the bill herself, though from what she knew about Duero and his fellow Talark men, Parfait knew that they would not like being idle every time and would want to do some form of duties…it was no doubt in her mind that Duero, Max, Aleck, and Hiryu would find some sort of work…but would her fellow female pirates appreciate that?

As they arrived at his door and entered the room, Parfait then decided to put her plan into action as she took the food into the kitchen and placed it all in the refrigerator, as Duero helped her along, the fact that he was so close to her and she could smell his male scent had a strong effect on her, and the fact that she admitted to having very deep feelings for him was making her very heated. She managed to have a discussion with Kyo about her feelings and while he told her that he knew that Duero cared for her a lot more than he let on, he did tell her to let Duero take on his own pace, as he was sure that since this was the first time Duero felt this way about a woman, it would make things awkward for him, however, he did tell her that if she wanted to truly know then she would have to take a chance, and that was all up to her if she was ready to deal with whatever results the decision would give her.

Of course, Parfait was not the only one being affected by their respective closeness as Duero tried to calm himself as he could smell Parfait's own female scent faintly and his current knowledge of physical intimacy between men and women (thanks to the video he and his brother had seen.), plus his own feelings of attraction towards Parfait were already playing havoc on his brain's higher level functions of thought and reasoning. He might now know how and why his feelings for Parfait had changed, but despite Kyo's advice, he was still not all that sure if the same could be said for Parfait having the same feelings for him, he was aware of how Parfait had become more caring and fond of him, as the many incidents of her actions towards him have indicated…but does she care for him in such a way as he had seen in the video?

The two of them managed to finish their work and then both headed for the living room and sat down to chat a bit more, though both of them were still not very sure of the situations they were in concerning the feelings they had for each other. It was a very tense situation and the fact was that sooner or later…something had to give.

Parfait thought it over and over as she chatted with Duero and decided that if she was going to show Duero her feelings towards him and to know his feelings towards her, now was the time. After all she loved him…

It was hard to admit, but she knew that her once platonic relationship with Duero had changed to something much more…deeper and far more important, she might have not been all the social before, and she certainly had not been in any relationship with anyone prior to her meeting with Duero, but she knew love when she felt it, to feel this way for a man might be different, but she felt it either way. However, she did feel awkward still, and for a good reason.

She had been taught about sex when she was young, and she knew how it was done…but that was between women of Megele…in her entire life time she had never heard of anything that could tell her how to be intimate with a man…even if she had heard about the videos that Jura supposedly had found, she was too busy in the Engineering Bay to ask the blonde if she could view one of the cassettes, also due to being very embarrassed about asking as well. And this was her other fear….would she be able to please Duero? She was not very attractive at all, at least to the standards of the other women, and she had been considered plain and petite by her comrades…would Duero find her ugly? And on the topic of lovemaking….How would she even know how to please a man? Especially the man she was in love with?

But if there was one thing the head engineer was known for, it was her determination to solve a problem in any way she could manage, and this may not be a matter to engineering or mechanics, but she was not going to give up…for it was a matter of the heart. She then decided to play it out and hope for the best.

"Duero?"

"Yes?"

"I…uh, know this isn't really the right place…or, uh, the time…but I kind of missed my physical check-up and I was hoping that you could…well give me one now."

(That has to be the lamest excuse I have ever made! Oh Grand Ma…I hope this works or I'll never get the courage to do this again…please don't reject me Duero…not now.)

Duero looked at her with some surprise as this was not exactly the right place for a medical check-up to be done, as this was an apartment, not a Medical Bay. But he did have a few of his Talark Medical Gear with him as he made a habit of never leaving any gear that could be useful behind.

"This isn't exactly the right place for a medical check-up Parfait…"

(I…I knew it…way to go Parfait…you really messed it up now…)

"But if you need it now, I can do it, I do have my Talark medical gear with me in my sleeping quarters…it might not be as high tech as any of the Megele Medical gear back, but it will do the trick."

Parfait quickly nodded in agreement as her disappointment and sadness quickly evaporated as quickly as it had come. She didn't expect this to happen, and she was secretly elated that her supposedly lame act had passed…now was her chance, but she decided to do this slowly and carefully, so as to surprise Duero.

As the two of them walked into the bed room, which was large, Duero reached his medical bag and took out his stethoscope, thermometer, and basic sphygmomanometer to begin the examination, he then directed that Parfait would have to take off her clothes. He then took a nearby chair and asked Parfait to sit on the bed as he only had one chair in his room and he was currently using it.

Parfait did so and began to unzip her jumpsuit, the same one she wore most of the time, but did so slowly so as to let Duero see her go it slowly and maybe surprise him.

And Duero was surprised as the slow way Parfait took off her jumpsuit allowed him to hear the zipper slowly being opened. Somehow, he could not figure out for the very life of him, the sounds of the zipper being loosened seemed to become very loud in his ears and strangely kept him glued to watching Parfait more intensely than he should and his heart beat a bit faster than normal.

Parfait then unclasped her boots and then took them off…revealing herself to be wearing black cloth socks and then took off the rest of the jumpsuit…revealing her black tank top/bra and her own black short pants. Parfait always wore those clothes and even when she changed her clothes on one occasion to go out with Duero once, she never took off these clothes. She then took off her white work gloves slowly to add to the already strong picture…she then went to take off her socks as she sat on the bed, as soon as she was done, she smiled at Duero and leaned a bit forward to add a bit of push to her still clad breasts, she then decided remove her glasses slowly as well, putting them near the table that was near the bed, and finally, she decided to finish the action by removing the clothe bands that held her large braids. The hair quickly loosened and she then used her fingers to slowly straighten her dark brown hair and let it flow down her shoulders and her back, she then gave Duero her best smile and tried not to squint too much as she did not have Duero's custom contacts with her at the moment…as those were in her now discarded jump-suit…she hoped that the overall look was enough to get Duero's attention as she was very embarrassed enough.

Duero looked at Parfait as she was now bare of her jumpsuit, gloves, glasses and boots, and sitting on his bed with a very demure smile, and the overall picture did have an effect on him indeed. His heart and breathing rates began to climb as he looked Parfait over, from her now released and flowing dark brown hair that was still curly from being in their braids all day, to her smile and her violet eyes which he could tell her getting tired as she apparently was trying not to squint, meaning that she didn't have her contacts on…but he was more focused on how…attractive she was as she smiled at him in a very flirtatious way, though why, he still didn't understand why she was doing so.

He looked at the rest of her form and looked at her still covered chest and gulped a bit as he noted that in her rather suggestive posture…Parfait's breasts looked bigger than they were, he continued his inspection of the brunette to the well formed waist, and noted the faint but strong looking muscles on her stomach, a sign that while Parfait may not be as physically built as he was…she was strong in her own right…he noted that before and understood as she was the chief engineer on the Nirvana and Magno's pirates, she would have to build strength to move parts…but now in this situation he was in…it added to the beauty he had seen in the petite brunette for a considerable amount of time, he looked at her hips and found their curves to be alluring to him, even if they were encased in her black clothe short pants, all the way to her slender and well formed legs. The overall picture was stunning in the mind of the doctor.

Parfait noted the look Duero was giving her and smiled mentally at the effect she was having to her object of affections, and hoped that it would be enough to get things going for the two of them…she only hoped that maybe…just maybe…she could find ways to please Duero.

It took a few more seconds for Duero to focus himself on giving Parfait her medical check-up, despite the rise of his body's heart and breathing rates at the seductive picture Parfait was giving him. He decided to move closer so as to help her eyes as she might have a hard time looking at him without either the contacts of the eye-glasses she normally wore. He then put his doctoring persona and then took on the stethoscope to Parfait's chest…namely the place where her heart was.

He then heard her heart beat and began to count it…and that was when Parfait took her chance.

"Actually…I, want you to take a look at something…there's some sort of pain here on this part of my chest."

"Oh? Where?"

"Here, I think the problem is right here."

With that, Parfait leaned back and took off her tank top/bra to revealed her medium tear shaped breasts to Duero, and before the Talark male could say anything…she took his hand and placed it right on her breast. She blushed at her very straight forward move…but she couldn't help herself as she continued on with her plan…and despite her embarrassment…the feel of Duero's rough, but very gentle hand on her right breast had a very erotic effect that she never thought possible from the touch of a man…and the feel of his body heat touching her skin was so…enticing. She then placed her hand on his own and looked at Duero with intense desire and longing.

(This feels…different…I didn't know…Parfait's breasts were soft…and her smile…does she like it?)

Duero's train of thought stopped as he looked at Parfait's stare…and saw intense desire and lovesickness in her violet depths. That got him completely by surprise…the only time he had ever seen such looks was from the video he and his brother had seen. He knew that Parfait had feelings for him, but he never expected them to be in THIS level already. They were friends and while he had been told about sexual attraction by Kyo and how friendship between a man and woman CAN become deeper, he didn't think that Parfait would act this way…sure they had been out on those situations Kyo had explained as dates…and even flirted…but now this? He managed to get his voice back and tried to remain professional.

"I…I…I don't see any signs of…"

Before he could finish his words, Parfait took the next step and leaned into Duero and kissed him right in the lips…stopping Duero and making his eyes widen at the sudden attack that Parfait had done. It was then that Duero felt just how much Parfait wanted him and his intellectual side began to move aside as his more male instincts…namely the instincts that have been repressed began to manifest as his desire to finish Parfait's supposed medical check-up, all his thought was now directed on pleasing the woman who was kissing him.

Parfait had partially expected Duero to push her away in surprise and a part of her would have cried out in pain if he did it, since it would mean that she was too forward towards him and she might have gone too far…however her fears were allayed as Duero began to kiss her back and he no longer needed to be guided by her as he placed his hands on her breasts and began to move them of his own volition and pace. Parfait took the situation to the very next step as she reached out and pulled at Duero's trench-coat.

Duero took the hint for what it meant, and removed his trench-coat and then continued with his massaging of Parfait's breasts…all the while, keeping in mind, despite his brain being covered over by desire, that women's breasts were sensitive and had to be handled with care. Thus, he recalled carefully how the man in the video touched caressed the breasts of his female partner. His actions of running his hands over the two mounds slowly, and gently massaging them and their areoles and nipples made Parfait moan in desire.

The brunette then ran her tongue over Duero's lips and the Talark male slowly responded as he opened his mouth. The two of them then deepened their kiss and the two of them moaned out loud in desire as their tongues met. The two enjoyed the kissing and Duero couldn't help but feel even more aroused as the kissing deepened, along with the feel of her breasts in his hands.

Parfait's hands then made their way to brush aside the bang of hair that covered Duero's face and revealed to her now open eyes the features she came to love…and she then ran her hands on his smooth face. She then ran her hands over Duero's face and then to his neck, then to his collar bones and to his broad and strong shoulders….through Duero's body suit, she could feel the hard and strong muscles that defined Duero's form. She then ran her hands to the placed where she hoped was the catch that could separate the parts of the body suit and remove the garment. She wanted to feel every inch of Duero's form, she wanted to feel the heat of his skin in her hands and on her body…she wanted it so badly that her very heart ached if she could not feel the heat coming from her lover…this desire felt so new and so strange and foreign…yet instinctually natural to her, it was difficult to describe, but at that moment…all she wanted was to feel her lover's form with her hands. Duero got the hint and let her find it…

It didn't take long for Parfait to find the clasp and pulled it downwards, and turnabout was fair play as she was now being treated the very same sight she had treated Duero too. The sound of the zipper moving away and faint parting of the body suit was like music to her ears. She then saw the tanned skin of her lover and then as she reluctantly broke the kiss to further part Duero's upper body suit, she finally saw Duero in the nude…and what a sight it was to her…as she gazed at him.

The fact that his body suit still covered his lower body didn't bother the violet eyed woman as she looked at her male lover from head…to waist. Duero was indeed strong looking, lean but very strong and muscular, but not in a large bulky way…she had never seen anything like this before…and even when she had seen him nude once, (the time she and the others had hacked into the cameras on the male crew's own bathing area.) the image had been obscured by the steam and water. This time…she was seeing him in full color in the nude…was wonderful.

His body was so different from hers and seemed to be all muscle as well. He had scars on his body, testament to his childhood in the harsh and unforgiving world of his birth, his near Spartan lifestyle, his military training, and his strict upbringing…but instead of making him appear disfigured or disgusting…taboos to female society, they appeared to showcase the power, will, strength, bravery, and drive he had to be the very best that he could be. And for some reason, the sight of those scars…and the fact that his body was now covered in sweat made the violet eyed brunette want to run her hands over them, to feel every inch of them and to taste them with her tongue….and despite how odd or absurd those thoughts sounded, Parfait was more than willing to indulge in the ideas that came into her mind. She then kissed Duero's neck. Namely where his pulse was…making the Talark male groan in response. The pleasurable sound was enough to make Parfait more attentive as she continued her exploration of her lover's form. She her hands over his chest and then to his hard stomach…marveling at the overall power and strength she could feel…the feel of every inch of Duero's male form and the strength and power made parfait even more hot and it seemed that the heat spread everywhere…pooling mostly at the spot between her legs.

Duero then felt Parfait's body as well…moving his hands away from her breasts and feeling her form. From her sides to her waist and then her stomach…feeling the inner strength Parfait had, and it excited him a lot though why he still didn't understand. He then felt her womanly hips underneath her short pants and then he felt the urge to remove the undergarment. But he decided to explore Parfait's body more as he reached her buttocks and felt the shape and warmth of Parfait's posterior.

Parfait blushed brightly at Duero's actions and then she decided to finally remove Duero's body suit, thought that would mean they would have to stop their already arousing exploration of each other's bodies…but the desire to finally see Duero completely in the nude won over her. She stopped their kissing and looked at Duero's lower form, which was still incased in his body suit. The Talark male took the hint and stood up…and removed his body suit and the boots as well…allowing Parfait to finally see him naked.

Parfait was in awe as she looked at Duero's fully naked form. His legs were strong and well formed, and though there were scars on his legs as well…they didn't make him look ugly. But her inspection was directed solely on the tube she had heard so many rumors about ever since the rumor of men having it reached her ears. It was certainly different as well, from what the rumors said, though it was from Jura that she had a more accurate description as the blonde had SEEN it before. But to see it herself was very much a different story! It looked so…big and long…

Duero didn't know why, but Parfait's scrutiny on his already hard sex was certainly a bit unnerving, yet exciting. His organ twitched at his lover's scrutiny and the pleasurable tingle ran through him as he saw the awe and…desire in Parfait's eyes. (3)

"Wow…so…so this is the tube that I've heard so much about."

"We don't…uh, call it as a tube Parfait."

"What do you call it then?"

"We call it a penis, or cock in some other terms, though what else I can't….ugh!"

Duero groaned as he realized that Parfait reached out and had touched his manhood with her hands. The shock of the sensation was not painful, more like it was unexpected, especially of the brunette, but he didn't feel it was a bad move. In fact…it felt nice to have her soft hands on his sex, the sensation was very different and arousing.

Parfait couldn't contain her curiosity and this desire to feel the organ that she had heard so much about and she reached out and touched it…the moment she heard Duero yelp, she realized that she might have done something to hurt him, thus she moved her hands away and apologized to her lover.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you!"

"No…you didn't hurt me Parfait…you just surprised me…but can you do that again…I don't know why…but it felt nice."

"Oh! All right…"

Since Duero was a tall person, Parfait decided to kneel down as she looked at Duero's tube, or rather his cock or penis and looked at it critically. It looked hard and rigid, the veins on it seemed to move and there seemed to be a sort of sac underneath it with something inside the sac that looked almost egg shaped. She slowly reached out and felt the cock with her fingers, and with gentle touches marveled at it, the shaft seemed hard and rigid, but the skin was soft and smooth and the veins seemed to throb even more as she felt them…it was strangely arousing to do this and when she looked at Duero, she noted the sheer look of desire in his face.

(He must be liking this…I better keep this in mind!)

With that Parfait continued her examination and feel of Duero's sex…she ran her hands and fingers carefully admiring the organ yet being careful, lest she might hit something that could hurt her lover. She then reached the head and marveled at how soft it felt, the dark red part of Duero's organ seemed so big and yet it was not as hard as the shaft, but Parfait decided not to overdo it, however she did notice that her body was even hotter now as she did all this…the heat pooled even more between her legs and she felt very wet there as well. She then reached the sac and felted the skin, it was different from the feel of the skin on the shaft but before she could continue further…

"Parfait…please be careful there…that's a very sensitive area…too much pressure will really hurt."

"Oh! Okay…"

Parfait carried on with her exploration, keeping in mind Duero's added warning about the sac being very sensitive. Her actions made her even hotter now and then, quite by accident, her lips brushed on Duero's cock…making Duero moan hard and move his hips a bit. Parfait also felt the sensation of her lips touching Duero's organ run through her and made her tingle all over, and she liked it. She began to kiss the organ carefully with butterfly kisses and she smiled at the sounds Duero made. However, she couldn't stop from feeling this very strange ache in her body and decided to stop and then to her lover's rapidly disappearing disappointment, she took off her last article of clothing and now stood naked herself.

Duero then took his own turn in gazing at the now naked Parfait and was awed by the sight…she had a small patch of hair between her thighs that seemed very soft and covered in liquid, plus her inner thighs seemed to be covered by streams of moisture…it was then that Duero got a smell of Parfait's arousal and that excited him greatly. However, he realized that they were now entering the situation he had seen in the video and he decided to tell Parfait about what he had seen…in order to inform her that he knew about how men and women were able to procreate.

"Parfait…there's something I have to tell you?"

"What about?"

Duero then told her about the video and how men and women procreate and in Kyo's words, made love for the sake of it. Parfait naturally blushed bright red at the idea of his organ being in her woman place and hearing on how it might lead to her being pregnant. She thought about it very carefully, she had never thought of being a fahma or mother before, since she never had a partner in mind…but she now did…and instead of a woman, it was Duero she wanted to have as a partner…though she was not sure what kind of child she and Duero would have, she was more than willing to go through with it as she had talked previously with Captain Magno before speaking to Hiryu. The elderly Captain told her about her own time as a mother with a male child and her explanation on how a man and woman could have either a boy or girl with the act she and Duero would do made her very much stunned but awed.

"However Parfait…you have to know…that if we…do that, there's still a fifty percent chance you might get pregnant…and I…don't think that now is a good time to have a…child."

Parfait was stunned and looked at Duero, surprised he would say such a thing.

"Why?"

"Because…we're at war with the Harvesters, and I don't know what would happen once we have our child…will the people in you're world or mine accept our child when he…or she is born? Could you live with other women looking at you and they might consider you as…a traitor? And if anything were to happen to both of you…I…"

Parfait looked at Duero and smiled with tears, Duero cared for her, she knew that and his words showed her just how much as well. But she knew what she felt was strong for him and she loved him with all that she was…she didn't care what others thought of this union, and the Captain told her that her decisions were her own, and most of all, she would not care what the others, both in her world and Duero's would say about their child, whether it would be a boy or a girl, as long as she had Duero with her, she would raise that child to the best of her ability.

"I understand Duero…but I don't care about what others will say, either from you're world…or mine."

"But…"

"I am a pirate…I don't own any loyalties to Megele and my family were always supportive of me. I don't care what the other women will say, because I will love the child you and I both have…just as I love you."

"You…love me?"

"Yes…very much, and I…I want you to know that I want you to raise that child with me…but only if you want to and if you truly love me…do you love me Duero McFile?"

Duero didn't hesitate to answer.

"Yes."

"Then…please…show me how men and women…procreate and show their desire for each other."

Duero didn't hesitate as he gently hugged Parfait and took her to the bed in his room and lay her down on it…He then looked at his lover as she lay naked before him and her dark brown hair like a brown blanket behind her. She was beautiful indeed and Duero wasted no time as she leaned over his lover and both of them kissed each other deeply.

As he broke the kiss, he then recalled the video and namely what the male in the video had done when he had been near his female lover's breasts and he resolved to do just that. He kissed Parfait's neck…making the brunette moan in pleasure and then made his way to her breasts and felt their shape and weight with his hands and smiled as Parfait moaned in desire once more. He then kissed both her breasts, namely their areolas and nipples before taking her left breast's nipple into his mouth, making Parfait gasp in surprised pleasure. The moans he heard told him that his actions were all right and he carefully gave her left breast several good licks and kisses…while holding and massaging her right breast. Parfait wailed in desire as the sensations flowed over her, she had never had sex before and to do this with Duero would have been considered taboo on Megele…but to her…it felt so right and wonderful as she reached out and held on his head so he could continue his actions.

And he did so and then moved on to her right breast and the feel of her nipples becoming stiff in his mouth had a profound effect on him as he worshipped his lover's breasts and then ran his long arms and hands over her sweat covered form, from her shoulders to her sides, then to her waist and hips, and then to her thighs. He then realized that one of his thighs was between Parfait's own legs and he then moved it until it hit the juncture between her legs and hit what he now knew as her pussy or vagina, the sacred place in a woman's body. Duero moved his thigh a bit…unaware of the fact that he was touching Parfait's clitoris…and the action quickly had a reaction as Parfait screamed in pleasure. The sounds of his lover screaming out her passion, love, lust, and desire had a very strong effect on the Talark male and he began to rub his thigh on Parfait's clit slowly and carefully, while licking, kissing, and suckling both her breasts.

"OH!! OH!! GRAND MA THIS IS WONDERFUL!! PLEASE! DON'T STOP DUERO!!"

Duero's thigh was covered in Parfait's juices and the squelching sounds were very erotic, along with the sounds of Duero's actions on her breasts. However Duero reach out with his hands and took some of the moisture on his thigh that came from Parfait's soft and wet pussy and he felt an urge to taste it and when he did he found it to be a bit musky but very sweet, and slightly tangy…a very interesting taste and he quickly felt the urge to taste it…so he stopped his worshipping of her breasts and his rubbing of her clit…and before Parfait could whine in disappointment, she screamed in desire and surprise as Duero followed another thing he had seen in the video and began to lick and suck on Parfait's pussy, taking in her moisture and her taste…and finding it to be very addictive…while massaging her breasts with his hands.

"OH!! AAAAHHHHH!! DUERO!! I…I…II…CAN'T!! OOOOOOHHHHHHHHH!!"

Since Parfait had never been in a sexual relationship with anyone, it was understandable that she couldn't contain herself any longer at the very sensual assault Duero had started on her and came hard…Duero found his mouth covered by her juices and he took in as much of her hot honey as he could and swallowed it. He looked to see his lover's sweat covered form looking boneless and totally satisfied and drained in her orgasm. Parfait's eyes were hazy with lust and joy as she looked at him…making his manhood react to the utter look of desire she had for him.

The two lovers then kissed each other ravenously, with Parfait not caring if she tasted herself in Duero's mouth. Duero then broke the kiss and then got into position between Parfait's legs and then decided to get it done as he positioned his cock towards Parfait's soaked vagina and angled his penis properly in order to enter the wet canal of Parfait's womanhood. As soon as he was in position, he looked at Parfait for permission and they both knew that if they did this…there was no going back and they could not stay friends anymore…but become lovers and more besides. Both knew that and took the chance.

Duero pushed himself slowly inwards and gritted his teeth at the feel of Parfait's wet sheath surrounding him fully as he passed the outer folds of her wet sex and into the inner sheath…it was tight and wet…so wet and also hot, that Duero was drowning in the sensations. Duero then felt this urge to push faster and before he could think it through, he did so…and felt a barrier give way…a very weak one for some reason. It was then that he recalled that Kyo mentioned something about a barrier called the hymen that was the proof that women were virgins, and it would be very painful if the man forced his penis through it, and cause pain to the woman. Fearing that he had hurt Parfait…he looked at the brunette and gasped as he saw her cringe in pain.

"I'm sorry Parfait! I…!"

"No…it's okay…the pain is gone, it was just a short one…I guess all the work I did must have worn out my…well maidenhead a bit more than I thought."

"Does…does it still hurt?" The Talark male asked…relieved that the pain was brief and short for her.

"No…but I feel strange…I can feel you're cock inside me…it feels hard…and hot. It's filling me…it's good."

"You feel so…tight, and wet…I never knew it could feel this way with a woman…"

"You mean…on you're world you never…?"

"No…I guess I am a virgin, in both this situation…and on my world."

Parfait felt pride in being Duero's first…and him being hers, Duero likewise felt the same and pushed himself further into Parfait's pussy and reached the end as his hips connected with hers. Parfait moaned as her inner walls accommodated Duero's massive size.

But now she didn't know what to do…But Duero did…he began to move his hips…backwards first, making Parfait hiss in pleasure as the sensation filled her nerves…and then when he was nearly out, he pushed right back in…making Parfait moan out in desire…and so did he…as he began to do that again, he did so slowly so as to really feel every sensation of his cock moving in and out of Parfait's tight, hot, and wet pussy…and the results were worth it as both of them began to moan and scream in pleasure….Duero was happy that his room was sound proof and not with any cameras…as was requested by Kyo for them all. The LAST thing he wanted was to be interrupted at this point in time.

Parfait felt her heart race and her breathing rate triple as the sensations of Duero's cock moving out and filling her wet sex was so strong she felt like she was going to pass out from all the pleasure and joy this gave her. Her body moved with every thrust Duero made and her pleasure tripled as his hips touched her clit, adding to her pleasure and desire. She could have sworn she was also drooling at the sensations but didn't care as she reached out and rubbed her breasts, and that added even more fuel to the fire in her body.

"DUERO!! YEESSS!! HARDER!! HARDER!! FASTER!! OH!!"

Duero complied and began to speed up his thrusts and that resulted in even more pleasure flooding the two of them as he picked up his pace and speed. The sensations of his cock moving in and out of Parfait's hot, tight, and wet sex were so addictive and so pleasurable that he would never replace them with anything else in the universe, as he was with the woman that he loved deeply.

"PARFAIT!! YOU FEEL SO GOOOOOD!! AAAUUUGHHH!!"

The brunette then wrapped her legs around Duero's waist and placed her feet behind his own posterior and used her own leg power to further push Duero into her…and the results were evident.

"OH!! MY GODDESS!! YOU'RE HITTING ME RIGHT THERE!! OH GRAND MA!! MORE!!"

"YOU FEEL SO HOT!! SO TIGHT!! SO WET!! BY GRAND PA THIS IS WONDERFUL!!"

Duero leaned over his lover and kissed her with ignited passion as he and Parfait held each other tightly…their sweat covered forms slid over each other, the friction of their sweat covered skin on each other made them even more aroused and the wet erotic sounds from their hips meeting each other with every thrust Duero made was adding to it. They held the kiss for as long as they could and the broke it apart as they moaned and groaned each other's ears…making it clear to the other their respective levels of desire. The fact that Parfait reveled in their passionate lovemaking made Duero thrust with all his power and stamina…and the way Duero moaned his love and desire for her made Parfait even more aroused…

However…all good things come to an end eventually, but for them not in a bad way as their orgasms flooded them.

"AAAAAAAAUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHH!! PARFAIT!!"

"OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH!! DUERO!!"

Parfait's orgasm was the trigger for Duero as he came as well. Parfait wailed in ecstasy as she felt her lover's seed flood her pussy…filling every corner and area of her body with his warmth and essence…it was like he had given her his very soul and life essence in that very same moment. Duero felt Parfait's sex begin to milk his cock and it felt SO wonderful that he continued to unleash more streams of his seed into his lover's womb…further adding to their combined cries of joy and feelings of oneness.

The two lovers were so tense and stiffened by their respective climaxes that they didn't move at all and only the sounds of their breathing were heard. Duero then gently rolled aside and lay down next to his lover and then held her close. Parfait didn't hesitate as she snuggled into her lover's arms…not wanting to be parted with him for even a moment as they were still connected, with Duero's cock inside her vagina still.

Parfait felt the warmth of her lover's liquid passion in her womanhood…warming her from the inside and making her feel his love for her in the most physically intimate way possible, and the fact that it would possibly make her pregnant made it even more wonderful to her. It was like a very large part of Duero's own soul was in her…keeping her safe…and she would never replace this feeling with anything else, knowing that they had expressed to each other their love in the most intimate sense…she renewed her vows to him that she would never let what others say and think stop her from loving him and their child, whom she would raise with him no matter what happens.

Duero likewise would never forget the passion and love they had just shown each other in this night…to know that she loved him as much as he loved her and being able to express that in both words…and actions was enough. No matter what, no other person would take Parfait's place in his heart and love…and no matter what the other men on his world might say about their union…he would love Parfait and the child that would be born of their union.

With those thoughts in mind, the two lover smiled at each other and went to sleep, as Duero covered them both with a blanket.

Elsewhere…

Barnette and Max looked at each other one last time with love, passion and desire as they recalled what they had done together in this room. The two lovers gave each other one finally kiss as they both fell asleep in each other's arms.

(I will reserve the Max/ Barnette lemon for the next chapter, so wait for it there!)

--

The next day…

Magno and Buzam were busy in gathering all the intelligence data that they could from both Talark and Megele…to know that the two worlds had suffered so many casualties and losses was very troubling…and the scenes of their ohmas and fahmas on the all female planet who were in mourning tugged at them and they hoped that some good news will come soon. It was then that they received a pair of communiqués from both Talark and Megele.

The moment they read the data in the transmissions, the two smiled.

"It seems that things have finally looked up for us BC."

"It has indeed, so when should we tell the others Captain?"

"Soon, I'm betting that they will need a few more days to unwind before we attend the conference."

As Magno and Buzam thought over their plans for the upcoming meeting with both Grand Pa and Grand Ma on the orbital command center, she wondered how the men of the Nirvana were getting along with their female colleagues in an environment where there was no fighting…

All she could hope for was that they would be having an interesting time.

--

To be continued…

--

Author's notes:

Hello…good to be back, I'm a bit rushed right now, so excuse me if some of the details might not make sense at first. Give me some time to do this properly and I'll see what else I can both fix and come up with.

And as to the battle sequence between the I-Freedom Gundam and the E-Vendetta Gundam? You will have to wait and see as there is also a surprise in that part of the story as well. Do not forget however, that despite the E-Vendetta Gundam's power…which is the anti-form of the I-Freedom Gundam's own power…it's NOT the only weapon in the arsenal of the Harvesters.

--

Finally…the full might of the Talark and Megele Naval Forces are behind the Nirvana, the Paradise and the small combined male and female forces that aligned with the pirates and it seems that both Grand Ma and Grand Pa have come to the right decision, though it will still be a very long path between the two worlds and their respective populations.

And just in time as things get even more hectic as well…and now Rabat is in the mix…what's he going to do now to help atone for his mistakes and will he be able to help Kyo and give the information he has on time?

--

The Talark and Megele forces launched to take on the Harvester leader and his Gundam separately to defeat him for the chance to boast that their side had won the battle and defeated the Harvester leader in combat. They believe that they don't need to align with each other in order to beat the Harvesters when they could take on this lone warrior and force the Harvesters to surrender…and gain glory and shame the other side.

They have no idea just who they are fighting do they?

--

Ouch….who knew the casualties for both forces would be that high?

--

(1) The reason why the E. Vendetta Gundam and the I-Freedom Gundam can damage each other in that fashion is due to the fact that they have two opposing yet equal Paeksis energy wavelengths and signatures. The basic concept is that in order to cancel out one particular wave pattern, you need another wave pattern of a different frequency but of the same pattern. Combining both wave patterns cancel each other out, like two ripples or waves smashing into each other and cancelling each other's power and momentum out.

In the case of both Gundams, the weapons that they have…plasma cannons, rail-guns, feather beam cannons, beam sabers, energy dart launchers, and their anti-ship swords in any of their forms could disable the Paeksis energy that boosts the P. Phase Shift Armor that protects the other Gundam and damage the target Gundam more effectively than normally powered weapons once they connect. This is due to the fact that the Paeksis' energy flows in all of their weapon systems and armor. The Paeksis boosts the power of all the Gundams' respective abilities and functions…thus this allows Kyo to survive battles that would normally kill even elite pilots and machines.

The same functions exist in Dita, Jura, and Meia's transformed Dreads, which are now Gundam units…however, Kyo's I-Freedom was previously exposed to the Paeksis in it's 'raw' state, thus it has more of the original power to make it far stronger than the three, even more so once it evolved to it's current state.

However, the Paeksis on Earth is also the same prototype as that of the Paeksis of the Nirvana, and therefore has the very same power levels as that of the Nirvana's Paeksis and the I-Freedom's hybrid reactor, and is also just as refined…meaning that while the E. Vendetta was built halfway in the story, it has the very same power and ability as the I-Freedom, thus making the two Gundams equals in terms of function, firepower, and ability…though the I-Freedom relies on offensive power, while the E. Vendetta goes more with the area of defensive power. This is true as the Infinite Freedom's feather cannons can be reconfigured to being beam sabers in flight, making it a deadly offensive system in both long range battles and close combat situations…while the Endless Vendetta's feather beam cannons can be reconfigured to be shields that can move independently or can work in unison to create a massive spherical shield to protect the Endless Vendetta at all angles and anything within it's radius.

Thus, simply put, the weapons of each Gundam are far more effective against each other as they can cancel the energy of each other's Paeksis and make the other vulnerable to attack respectively. Any other weapon could damage the Gundams, but not enough to destroy or damage them severely to either be disabled or power down. Each Gundam has the ability to self repair it's systems and replace limbs…but when they face each other in combat…the damage takes far longer for their respective Paeksis systems to repair…and if a critical system is hit…well, you do the math.

I hope that this is enough for anyone who has a burning curiosity about that kind of situation.

(2) The Mobile Suit Rabat is piloting is based on the GAT-SO2R N Dagger N series used in the Gundam SEED Destiny series…namely the other portions of the show not seen in main series. This Mobile Suit series was created based on the Blitz Gundam piloted by the late Nicol Amalfi and the mass produced Dagger Mobile Suit series. This Mobile Suit is armed with a nuclear reactor protected by an N-Jammer Canceller and Mirage Colloid system but no Phase Shift system, it's weapons were ideal for stealth operations. It had a pair of rocket propelled anti armor penetrator weapons in the hips, a set of anti-armor swords, both in short and long versions on the hips, a shield system similar to the 'Trikeros' shield system used by the Blitz, and a pair of smaller rocket anchors hidden in the hands.

In the Gundam SEED Destiny series, the Junius 7 Treaty forbade the development of both nuclear powered Mobile Suits and Mirage Colloid, the N Dagger N is just one of the many forms of evidence that showed the violation of this treaty. In this story however, the N Dagger N, actually belonged to a band of colonists who are the ancestors of the telepathic villagers who Rabat had met before in his past as an explorer…when they rescued him from death, they decided to let him be guided to the hidden asteroid hanger where the N Dagger Mobile Suit was held The Mobile Suit Rabat uses has a built in virus spike that allows Rabat to highjack the OS of certain units and use them as puppets…but it will not work on high grade Mobile Suits…namely the I-Freedom, and the E. Vendetta.

(3) Don't look at me if you want to know Duero's measurements…suffice to say that in this case…just as inbreeding on Megele has resulted in bringing out the best physical traits in women…the same could be said for the cloning processes bringing out the best physical traits in men as well.

Kyo on the other hand is also a very strong and healthy specimen as well.

--

Well…after all that action I can safely say that this is the end of Chapter 10 Part 3 First Strike. The Talark and Megele leaders have decided to begin talks for an alliance between their worlds and militaries to defeat the Harvesters. That means that they would have to hurry as four months and a half might seem like a long time, but in war…it's not. Once that time passes, things are going to get very busy.

They will all need to work together, but can they? Or will they? Will the pirates be able to effect the conference to make an alliance solid…we will see in the conference soon. However, for tomorrow and a few days more…the crew of the Nirvana finally gets the chance to unwind and relax after all their travels and battles.

And as you have seen, some of them are already taking advantage of the chance to unwind!

There will be more lemons in the coming chapters as well so expect some more…interesting situations to crop up…plus a few more ideas I might try soon.

Comments and Reviews are desired and constructive critiques are also needed. Flames shall be used to cook my breakfast, lunch, and dinner and then thrown out.

See you all in Chapter 10 Part 4 – Heavenly Holidays!


	30. Chapter 30 Lemon

GunDread SEED The Second Stage

Disclaimer: VanDread belongs to GONZO Studios, Gundam SEED and all it's affiliated toys, series, characters, machines, media and more belongs to Sunrise. I an just a guy with too much imagination who is using them to make a story.

Chapter 10 Part 4

Heavenly Holidays

( ): Thoughts

--

Kyo's Apartment…

Kyo opened his eyes and found himself very groggy for a few moments and shook his head mentally of the cobwebs that were in his mind right now. Due to that, he was a bit confused as to what the heck he was doing in the living room of his apartment than in the bed-room. However, as soon as he recalled what happened last night between him and Jura he sighed a bit and couldn't help but grin.

He looked around and found the blonde woman sleeping soundly next to him with a smile on her face…and her blonde hair covering the both of them like a living blanket of gold. His body then woke up to the feel of the blonde woman's nude form next to him and he reacted quickly as his manhood started to rise.

(Hey! Easy man…now is not the time, you still need to take a bath, plus breakfast is next.)

With that in mind, Kyo moved a bit and slowly got up and gently removed Jura's right arm that was on his chest. He smiled as his memories of their wild and passionate sex romp went through his brain once more…making him hard once more. Quickly shaking his mind clear of the ideas that began to fly in there…he covered the blonde's form with the rest of the blanket and kissed Jura on the lips gently as she smiled warmly in her sleep, and made his way to the bath-room, he needed a bath and a chance to freshen up, that meant he would have to get his tooth brush and mouthwash as well.

A few minutes later, Jura woke up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, and yawned, the blonde then stretched her hands upward and that allowed the blanket to fall off her naked form and her breasts to thrust forward proudly. As soon as she finished stretching, she began looking for her lover and then she heard the sounds of running water, and smiled devilishly as she realized that he was taking a shower, and she had a plan in mind, besides…she too needed a shower anyway.

--

In the bath-room…

Kyo sighed as he felt the warm water hit his skin, as he began to soak up the warmth and relax his body, he had already finished brushing his teeth and using his mouthwash and took the shower he wanted and the results were nice…he had wanted to try using the large tub, but decided to just take a quick shower as he felt his hunger getting to him. But he was so engrossed in the shower that he was unaware that he was about to get another companion in his bath, it was only when he heard the shower stall door slid open that he turned and spotted Jura looking at him with a seductive smile…the fact that she was still very much as naked as he was made him very much active.

"Jura? I thought you were still sleeping."

"Hmmm…I was, but I decided to take a shower as well…you don't mind if I join you here, do you Kyo?"

"Uh…not really, but I could just finish up and then let you take you're…"

"Ah, you're still a bit shy aren't you? Don't worry, we're the only ones in you're apartment after all."

Before Kyo could say anything else…Jura was now inside the shower stall with him and closed the door, the shower stall was in fact capable of sheltering two or six people, though how and why escaped him…that is until he hazarded as guess that made his body become more aroused…even more so as the blonde seductively began to take a shower with him. The water ran down her nubile form, making it glitter as some of the lights in the bathroom glowed on her…along with the water in her hair…the long golden tresses were now like wet silk and clung to her form. She then posed before Kyo and smiled warmly as she grabbed a nearby bar of soap.

"Like what you see?"

Kyo could only gulp and nod, his male hormones already getting to him as his cock began to harden quickly at the sight of the seductive blonde woman covered in water and smiling at him in a very hungry way.

Jura noted that and smiled even more mischievously.

"Good, because I plan to scrub you're back today. Come on Kyo, let me take care of you for once…you did the same to me back on that desert world before, now it's my turn."

Kyo didn't bother to say anything as Jura moved towards him, and turned him around and began to rube the soap on his skin, filling it with soap suds and then began to wash his back and shoulders, then his posterior, making Kyo breath a bit harder and blush profusely at the very, slow, sultry, and very much seductive way Jura was going about her actions of helping him take a bath. It was then that Jura used the soap to clean his front that things began to get a bit more heated between the two of them. She pressed herself on his back and sighed warmly as he breasts touched his back, along with her form. The fact that her large breasts and her body was touching his back was arousing Kyo, to add to that was her hands rubbing every part of his front…and sure enough her hands reached his already erect manhood.

"Oooooh! You're quite hard now, aren't you Kyo? I like that."

Jura whispered seductively into Kyo's ear as she began to rub her soap covered hands over Kyo's cock…making the Gundam pilot groan out in pleasure. The blonde loved doing this to him, making him moan out loud his desire and it made her feel desire as well. She then got a wicked idea and whispered in his ear once more.

"Kyo…I hope you have more energy in there right now, because I have seen a video where they have sex in the bathroom, and I still want to see if you and I can try those other things they did in those videos."

Kyo was stunned, he had a feeling that Jura was getting addicted to sex, and while that might be fun, in every sense of the word, along with doing it in the shower was very tempting, he was not really sure that now was a good time. Plus…he was going to get hungry soon, and in truth…he already was hungry.

"Jura…as much as that sounds very tempting…I'm not very sure that's such a good idea."

"Oh really now…then let me convince you of just how good an idea that actually is."

Kyo gulped as Jura waited for the soap suds to wash off his body, by the water hitting the two of them. Once that was done, she quickly walked over to his front and closed the gap between their water soaked bodies and kissed him deeply. Her actions then pushed the two of them to the wall nearby and Jura smiled at the contact of their slick bodies…Kyo groaned in their kiss at the feel of Jura's soaked nude female form touching him…and the blonde grinned even more seductively as she felt a certain part of Kyo's anatomy making it's presence known to her.

"It seems that a part of you likes the idea…don't worry Kyo, I do love you and I just want to show you that."

Jura said the words sincerely and meant every word of it as he kissed him with a gentle passion as her hands began to caress Kyo's cock and making her lover moan loudly at her actions.

Kyo couldn't handle it but held on as long as he could manage. Jura noted her lover's strength and admired him for it. She then kneeled down towards his cock which was thrusting out proudly towards him and making her hot just looking at it and remembering how it felt in her mouth and inside of her sex. She looked at Kyo, who stared back at her and smiled at her lover and kissed the tip of his cock gently and then licked it…making Kyo groan out loud.

However, there were other matters to tend to as the two of them suddenly heard a sound that made them blush…their stomachs growling for something to eat. Both of them looked at each other with embarrassment, and the they chuckled and then laughed at one another with abandonment.

Jura lifted herself up and hugged Kyo and the two merely kissed and decided to have breakfast first, since the day was still young after all.

--

As the two were finally dressed in their clothes and fully…refreshed by their bath together, with Kyo gently soaping Jura's body as well…making her very excited, and then he gently washed her hair, that also made her smile at how much different Kyo was when he was not in combat or the threat of combat, Both of them were tempted to just forget having breakfast and go ahead with Jura's idea of making love in the shower, but they decided that would be for another time, right now, they had to eat.

Jura took out the food that she had bought the night before…having planned to give the food on this morning to Kyo, the blonde woman heated the meals while Kyo made them both a fruit salad with apple slices, bananas, strawberries, grapes, and pineapples.

While the two of them were eating their breakfast, Jura wondered just how Barnette was doing on her date with Max…and wondered on how things went for her best friend and her love interest.

--

In Max's apartment…

Max was on his bed and looked at the still sleeping woman there, who had a warm smile on her face as she lay there. He couldn't believe that she was with him last night and what happened afterwards. He knew he loved Barnette, and to know that she loved him back made him feel like he could fly into the sky without ever looking back…and last night they consummated it…and it surpassed anything and everything he had seen in that video with his brother. Plus what she said to him made him feel even more for this beautiful woman sleeping peacefully on his bed.

As he thought about last night, he couldn't help but blush profusely on how it started out between Barnette and him.

--

Flashback…

The two of them were talking about their past lives…namely the tings Max had done while he was still in the Academy and while Barnette was still in the Register and then as an apprentice pilot. The two close friends enjoyed each other's company and it showed as they were loving the chance to be alone this night. Most of the pirates decided to call it a night and in the end, so did they.

Barnette thought over once more her plan to finally show Max her desire to prove to him that she loved him…and couldn't help but blush at the ideas that were floating about in her head. After seeing more of the videos with Jura and learning about them…she was dying to finally try them out with Max, the idea of trying those…positions, and actions was so enticing, along with the idea of making Max moan and shout in pleasure…along with him calling her by name while in pleasure as well…it made her VERY excited. She was so focused on those thoughts that she didn't notice Max looking at her a bit in worry, it was when he spoke that she realized that he wanted to ask her something.

"Huh? What's wrong Max?"

"I just noted you were having a large amount of red color in you're face…are you having a fever or something Barnette?"

"No…I don't have a fever now…I was just having thoughts about…well…doing something important."

"Oh? What sort of things?"

Barnette grinned a bit and replied.

"Oh that would be telling, besides…it's better I tell you about those things once we're in you're apartment, okay with you?"

Max thought it over and replied.

"Sounds fair enough, they must be very interesting for you to be so wrapped up in thought about them."

(You have NO idea Max McFile.)

--

(Hi there, as promised, we will be having the lemon between Max and Barnette today…I had to place it here as I ran out of room for it in the past chapter.)

--

The two of them entered the apartment and they were currently about to enter the bedroom when Barnette decided to spring the trap around Max as she had in mind as she suddenly grabbed Max and moved him gently towards the nearby coffee table and low level cushion which were like pillows. Barnette then managed to corner Max to the wall and then as he turned around in surprise, Barnette took her chance and spoke to Max by whispering in his ear.

"Do you remember the time you asked me about the videos I saw with Jura Max?"

Max recalled the time he had asked Barnette about those videos when she had told Kyo that Jura wanted to speak to him about something. He then noted the very seductive and love struck way Barnette was looking at him, the same way the woman in the video looked at her male partner. He couldn't help but feel the same feelings of attraction and desire fill him and he decided to tell Barnette, lest it slip his mind.

"Yes…well…I…uh forgot to mention that me and my brother…uh, found some of those videos accidentally and viewed them."

Barnette's eyes brightened a bit, she now realized that since Max had seen some of the videos that she and Jura had seen, that meant that he might be able to do some of the things the men did with their female partners. Instead of spoiling the mood, it made it more exciting for the two of them in her mind, now that both of them have a clear idea on how to please each other, then it would be more enjoyable than fumbling around.

"I see…well then, do you recall the time I said I was going to show you how much I love you? Well…I'm going to do just that."

Barnette then moved back, sat down on a cushion and slowly removed her long gloves and shoulder pads by touching the release latch on the neck portion her outfit and the latches parted…she then removed them like a jacket and then did the very same thing with her look boots. All this she did so slowly and sensually in order to make sure that her actions had a full and lasting effect on her intended target…and it did as she could tell that as she did her actions he was looking at her very intently. As soon as she was bare of her garments, with the exception of her bathing suit like bodice, she gave her male partner a seductive pose on the cushion and then beckoned to him to come closer.

Max merely followed and knelt towards Barnette, his intellectual persona…which had been tested earlier had now just decided to step aside as his repressed male instincts concerning women began to take over. The look Barnette gave off in that sexy posture was having a serious effect on him as he suddenly felt the lower portion of his body suit begin to get uncomfortable and his brain was beginning to conjure up images from the video he had seen before. He looked at the emerald haired beauty and couldn't help but smile.

Barnette couldn't resist the urge to giggle mentally to herself as she saw the effects she was placing on Max….he was so adorable with such a love struck, and awed expression on his face! She then tugged at his trench-coat and beckoned for him to lose it. Max did so and then he was only clad in his body suit and amazingly enough, he took his own initiative and took off his boots. Barnette smiled and then reached out to feel Max's strong and well muscled arms and marveled at their strength, she then moved to his face and admired his well made features. Back then, she would have never considered the male's features to be remotely attractive…but after all she had been through, and her realization of her feelings towards Max, she now found his features very pleasing to the eye.

Max then recalled what he had seen and decided to try and figure out how Barnette felt and then placed his hands first on her face, feeling the soft and smooth skin on her cheeks, Barnette blushed at his actions and snuggled into his hands…making him realize that he was doing all right, he massaged his fingers gently…marveling at how delicate, soft, and smooth Barnette's skin was and he couldn't help but inch closer…and Barnette didn't mind as she took closed the gap.

The two of them finally kissed each other and the instant their lips touched…the new lovers moaned into each other's mouths. The two kissed deeper and reveled in the softness of each other's lips. Barnette was amazed at how soft Max's lips were, not too soft, but very nice either way. And not to mention that despite Max's slight clumsiness in kissing her, he was quick to get the idea on how to kiss her the way she liked.

(Mmmm…I never knew that he could be a good kisser, not the best, but nice…maybe the video he saw showed him how…though I can teach him a few more tricks later.)

Max smiled a bit as his kissing wasn't so bad and Barnette did like it. Like his brother Duero, who was a virgin (until recently that is) like him, Max had never gotten intimate with anyone before…not even with Claire. But ever since he admitted to Barnette that he loved her in his own way, he didn't mind the fact that despite his newly gained knowledge about physical intimacy between men and women, he was still a bit unsure.

(She likes it…so I must be doing it right…her lips are so soft…and there seems to be a flavor to them…like…strawberries.)

Barnette then pushed her tongue forward…rubbing Max's lips…making them part, and then she rubbed her tongue o his teeth begging to be let inside. Before Max could stop and figure the sensations out, he responded and Barnette then deepened the kiss even more…startling Max as he felt her tongue enter his mouth and moved to touch the inner areas of his mouth and then touch his tongue…the results were spectacular and both lovers moaned at the result. Barnette had done this before, like her friend Jura as well…but there was something about doing this with Max that seemed….so natural and right.

As they continued to kiss, Barnette decided to reveal herself fully to Max and reluctantly broke the kiss, making both of them groan in disappointment. But Barnette put that feeling aside as she reached out for the clasp behind her bodice that held the last article of clothing that covered her from the eyes of Max…and Max certainly didn't plan on stopping her…rather he wanted to view this instead. As soon as she released the clasp, she slowly slid off her outfit…and finally revealed herself to Max…completely as Max found out that she never wore any undergarments…not even a pair of female underwear. But that fact left his mind as he gazed at Barnette's totally exposed form.

In truth…this was NOT the first time he had seen Barnette naked before. He had seen her in her full glory once in the desert world but back then, he had no idea about attraction or desire…and he still was haunted by his failure to protect Claire…but he had now moved on with his life and he felt his heart go to Barnette, and he couldn't help but feel in awe and desire to see Barnette naked once more before him.

"You…you are….you are so beautiful Barnette."

Barnette had been called pretty, attractive, and beautiful before…and more than once in her life…but there was something different about the way Max said the praise, maybe it was because his way of saying it was sincere, maybe because it was the first time she had ever been called beautiful by a man…or maybe it was both…and the fact that he was the one she loved. Either way…Barnette blushed warmly at the praise given to her by her lover and kissed him softly on the lips and said thank you to him.

Max then gently reached out and held Barnette's breasts slowly…and he enjoyed their firm softness. However, being that this was his very first time to touch the body of a woman, he made a mistake in holding Barnette's body and the effect was obvious as Barnette gave a cry of surprise and pain.

"Ow!"

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you!"

Barnette nodded a bit as Max had moved his hands away from her, she smiled and took his hands back into her hands and guided them back to her breasts. She then caressed his face gently and assured him.

"I know…just be more gentle okay?"

"I…I know…it's just, well…I've never done this before."

The look of sheer embarrassment and nervousness on her lover's face was cute to Barnette, and she couldn't help but smile widely at Max's pronouncement of being very new to this, it seemed that his lack of experience would actually be very interesting for both of them. With that she then held Max's hands and began to move them in conjunction with her own hands. It was here that she was showing him how she would like her breasts touched. Max blushed bright red and was a bit hesitant for a few moments, until he began to follow Barnette's unspoken instructions to him.

The two lovers began to get more into the mood after that slight stumbling block and Max began to get the motions and rhythm right as he massaged Barnette's firm breasts. While she might not be in the same caliber of breast size as her blonde friend, Barnette was quite proud of her own considerable bust and it seemed that Max certainly was enjoying it as his nervousness died down more and more as he felt more and more of Barnette's firm and soft breasts. It was then that he decided to try something that he had seen in the video and then leaned closer to the firm mounds. He kept in mind how sensitive Barnette was when it came to her breasts and decided to be gentle with her as he licked Barnette's right breast and nipple.

"OH!"

Barnette yelped in pleasure as she felt Max's tongue on her breast, she had this happen to her before, but this was very different. She approved Max's actions and let him set his own pace, while showing her approval and pleasure with gasps and moans as well.

(She's so soft…and she tastes…wonderful. I guess I am doing it right, she's not making any painful noises at all…only sounds of pleasure. And it's so nice to hear her moan.)

Taking those thoughts to heart, Max continued his ministrations on Barnette's breasts and the emerald haired woman was becoming more and more happy with her lover's actions on her body as he continued to lick, kiss, suck her breast and nipple….while still rubbing her other breast with his hand. He then switched his attention to the other breast as he wanted to be fair to his lover. The pleased hum of Barnette told him that his thoughtfulness was worth the action as he moved to her other breast.

Barnette then decided to finally see Max naked and reached out to his body suit and looked for the latch. Like what she had done by guiding his hands to her breasts and showing him the way she wanted them to be touched, it was his turn, he gave both breasts a parting lick and kiss and then leaned back and then guided her hands to where the hidden zipper was to his body suit…as soon as she was able to find it, Barnette wasted little time and slowly opened Max's body suit and in a few minutes, had now removed the upper portion of Max's chest and Barnette got to finally see her lover nude…though not completely. However, she decided to look at her lover's already exposed form.

She was in awe as she took in the sight of Max's form…like all men on Talark, Max had a very strong and chiseled form, all the muscles in the right places and in perfect physical proportion as well. The muscles were not bulky and over large and were all in the right places…in truth this was not the first time she had seen Max half naked, and she HAD seen him fully naked (The male bathing area ring a bell?), but the first time was when she was still getting used to her feelings towards him, and was yet getting used to the fact that she was starting to find the male form to be beautiful in it's very own right. And on the second time, she was only able to see an outline of his full nude form as the images were not that clear and clouded by steam. Nevertheless she loved the look of his form and made her move as she ran her hands over Max's strong and broad shoulders, then to his strong chest, to feel the strength that was in his form, and then to his strong, and well formed abs. She took careful and strong notice on the area on his left shoulder where the creature had wounded him deeply while trying to save her. The warmth he radiated was also having an effect on her as she ran her hands over his body. With that in mind she then leaned forward and kissed him deeply. Max reciprocated her affectionate and passionate kiss with his own responding kiss. The two closed the gap and Max moaned out in desire as he felt Barnette's nude form touch his completely…her breasts touching his chest. The two of them continued to kiss each other with intensifying pleasure until Max decided to finally take off his body suit and then broke the kiss and stood up to remove the body suit…and it was also when Barnette, who was still sitting down helped him complete the action.

In a few moments, Max was now completely naked before Barnette…and the emerald haired woman blushed profusely at Max as she stayed there to admire his lower form, looking at his own long, lean, but well muscled legs, hips, and then to Max's penis. The moment she saw the tube that she had heard so much about and had finally seen in that video that she watched with Jura before, she couldn't help but feel a bit surprised. To see a real live one was a very different experience for her. It looked so big…

Max couldn't help but blush a bit more at the sight of Barnette's intense inspection of his manhood…both he and his brother were considered to be of good size back on Megele. The way Barnette was looking at his manhood was very different…yet he hardly felt threatened by her inspection and did nothing to stop her looking over his cock. Despite that, it still was kind of embarrassing for him.

"Wow…you are…so different from that man in the video I saw."

"Is it…bad?"

"No! You are…just fine Max…more than fine!"

Barnette continued to inspect Max's manhood…and was awed at how the skin looked so smooth and the veins that were there seemed to throb ever so slightly. She then looked at the head and was in awe at the soft and yet hard look it had on it…she couldn't help herself at this point and began to touch his cock gently…and the results were obvious as Max moaned out in surprise as sensations of pleasure filled his senses at the feel of Barnette's soft and feminine hands on his cock, especially when she began to move her hands over his cock slowly.

"Ahhh!"

Barnette looked upwards and saw the look of surprise in Max's face and it was there that she realized that like her breasts and her sex, Max was sensitive on his own sex as well, and she would have to be careful not to hurt him, that was the last thing she would want to do to someone, least of all him. She then ran her hands over the shaft…marveling at how smooth and soft the skin felt over the hard flesh underneath, as she reached the base and then moved to the outer edges of the head, she couldn't help but feel even hotter and wetter for two reasons, the first was that Max's groans and moans of pleasure were making her very interested to hear what he would say if she took it even higher, and the second was the fact that she was beginning to feel the aching desire to have Max's cock in her woman place. The time she had seen the man place his penis inside the woman's most sacred place was a big surprise and stunned her a great deal as she witnessed for the first time the full act of procreation between the two genders. It looked painful and very scary as she viewed the scene and wondered if it could ever really happen at first, but she saw that the woman didn't seem to be in pain…rather, she was in ecstasy over the whole situation, even as the man rammed his cock into her pussy many times and in different positions. Ever since then, the idea of finding out whether it was indeed pleasurable for her to be in the same situation as the woman in the video, when she would do it with Max was inside her mind for quite a bit…and it seemed that just the act of touching the real thing was making her even more aroused as she could feel the heat pooling in between her legs and a strange wetness that she knew to be the indication that she was getting more aroused.

Max tried to hold on to his will as Barnette continued to caress and touch his cock slowly and gently…the sensations were unlike anything he had ever felt in his entire life…and it was going to floor him. However he had no idea just what else Barnette had seen in that video.

Barnette then recalled something that she had seen in the video, but decided to do it in the bed room instead of the living room, she liked being in bed for this situation anyways. She stopped and moved upwards and on her tip toes, as Max was taller than her, kissed him and grabbed his hand and took him to his room and opened the door. Max followed and found the sight of Barnette's posterior to be very attractive to him. Barnette then faced him and pushed him towards the bed. As the male fell to the soft mattress, she smiled wickedly and moved to his hips, back to his cock and continued to touch and caress it and then decided to try something she had seen the female in the video do to her male lover, however decided to get Max's attention first.

"Max…I want you to look at me."

Max did so and sat on the bed and looked at Barnette, and his eyes widened as she began to lick his penis and head in a slow and sensual manner. The second the sensations hit him he groaned out in desire and that was enough for Barnette as she continued to lick and kiss Max's cock making sure to wet it with her saliva. The feel of his cock on her tongue was VERY tempting and arousing, and Barnette decided to do it right as she licked the head and took it into her mouth slowly and carefully. The end result was Max's scream of desire as she continued her actions and licked him from every area from base to tip.

"OH GRAND PA!! IT'S…"

"Just the beginning…now that you're wet…I can try this out."

Max opened his eyes to see just what Barnette had in mind…and boy did he see it. Barnette moved closer between his open legs and then gave the head and shaft of Max's sex quick licks and kisses and then…placed the penis right between her breasts! The moment she felt the heat emanating from Max's cock on her breasts and chest she felt her arousal grow even more as she began to slowly moved up and down, her breasts rubbing Max's cock while she held them together with her hands.

Max's eyes bugged out as he could feel his cock being rubbed on all sides by Barnette's fleshy mounds, the very same ones he had recently felt and tasted. The Talark male was now being given a very accurate idea as to what would be the situation he would be in once they commenced to the final act of procreation…but for now he was busy showing just how much he was enjoying the sensation of Barnette's breasts rubbing every area of his cock as she moved up and down on him. Occasionally she would moved down her head and lick the head of his manhood the moment it came out and the sensations were too much to bare for the male as he felt his hips begin to move of their own accord. The sounds of his hips hitting her breasts were very arousing to the two lovers as they went on.

This went on for a few more minutes until Max couldn't take it anymore and could only made a warning sound as he suddenly released his seed right into Barnette's face. The actions surprised the emerald haired woman as the white liquid hit her face and due to the fact she had her mouth open some of it flew into her mouth to touch her tongue and lips, the rest covered her face and then the rest flowed down to cover her breasts and even onto Max's cock. The Talark male groaned out his desire as he felt his orgasm cool down as he closed his eyes a bit, and opened them again…to witness a very arousing sight.

Barnette tasted the hot liquid on her tongue and found the taste to be a bit salty but very nice…and swallowed the seed in her mouth and licked her lips to take the rest in, she then reached out with her hands and took the seed from her face and breasts and licked her fingers clean…she then saw Max's cock covered in the fluids and getting a bit soft…she licked her lips and winked seductively at her lover and took his cock fully into her mouth, licking off the seed and beginning to such out the remaining traces of it...and to further arouse her lover.

The results send massive aftershocks of desire and pleasure into Max and who could only groan out in pleasure…the room was now filled with Max's groans and the obscene wet sounds of Barnette sucking and licking Max's cock as she moved her head in bobbing motions, along with a line of drool coming from Barnette…she felt this powerful feeling in her as she felt Max's cock become hard and hot in her mouth, it made her powerful as she now knew that she had this effect on her lover.

She then stopped and then the two of them looked at each other as another image that they both saw in the respective videos' came to mind. The two then nodded as Max moved further back on the bed and Barnette followed him. She then moved her body in an angle and straddled her legs over Max's head…allowing him to gaze at her dripping wet sex while she looked down at his cock. Barnette looked at Max and he smiled, showing that he knew what to do.

And to prove it, he leaned his head forward and licked her pussy lips, namely the outer folds…making Barnette hiss in desire at the sensation and she reciprocated as she leaned down and took Max's cock back into her mouth, licking it and kissing before doing so and began to move her head up and down on the cock slowly and gently careful not to hurt her lover. Max groaned deeply and began to lick her even harder, from end to end of her slit and touched her clit, making Barnette moan loudly…the vibrations also added to Max's pleasure as he moved aside Barnette's outer lips and licked her inner lips, tasting even more of her juices and like Barnette who found his taste to be wonderful to her, he too found her honey to be very nice to his taste buds and the two of them continued their actions, adding even more erotic sounds to the room. The pleasure they two felt and gave each other was immense and they continued to do so. However since Max had cum already it would take a bit longer for him to come, but Barnette came and she moaned at her orgasm and then released Max's cock and screamed out her orgasm to the room, while her juices spurted out and Max took in her honey eagerly. Not wanting to lose the taste. Barnette moaned as she felt her orgasm flood her body and she nearly collapsed in ecstasy at the feel of the situation they were in…however, she had enough strength to move and made herself face her lover and kissed him deeply, in thanks for making her come. The fact that she could taste herself in his mouth excited her deeply. The two lovers cuddled each other as they tasted each other more deeply, reveling in the utter intimacy they had together.

Barnette then lay down on the bed and beckoned Max to complete their act. Max nodded and got in position between Barnette's legs and placed his cock into position. As he did so, he ran the head of his penis on her outer lips to get it wetter and then as he looked at Barnette, she gave her nod and he pushed in slowly, pushing past the outer lips, making Barnette sigh, and then moan in pleasure as he parted her pussy's inner lips and was now in her vagina's inner sanctum.

Barnette gasped as she felt the walls of her sex begin to expand to accommodate Max's cock…the feeling of being filled by her lover's sex was so new…but it felt so wonderful…and natural, like it was meant to be there for a long time. The feel of his cock's heat in her sex was becoming very intoxicating to her.

It was then that he encountered a thin barrier in her sex, but Max didn't stop and pushed hard, and the barrier gave way…making Barnette moan in pain at the intrusion. She sobbed a bit and Max was saddened as he realized the pain he had placed on her and whispered apologies to her for ever hurting her. Barnette had heard how the nurses used a special tool to pierce the maidenheads of those who wanted to be fahmas themselves so the fertilized egg would be taken into the womb…the pain was supposed to be brief, but it hurt a lot. This pain was the same…but as the moments passed, there was a strange craving in the pit of her belly, right where Max was now…in her sex.

As soon as the pain faded and lessened she whispered to her lover's ear.

"It's all right…the pain is gone…please…I feel so hot."

Max nodded and recalling what he had seen in the video began to move slowly out of Barnette's wet sex, it was amazing as her sheath moved around his sex, as if begging for it not o leave their depths, Barnette herself moaned at the sensation and whimpered, hoping that Max was not going to leave…her fears were unnecessary as Max then push back into her sheath, the walls hugged his cock and began to get tight around his sex. The sensation was so good to both lovers as Max began to move in and out of Barnette's wet sex. Max's thrusts were slow at first and began to pick up speed, and he loved the way Barnette's body moved with each thrust, the way her perky breasts moved was intoxicating to him, and for Barnette, the sight of her naked lover moving over her with desire in his face and eyes, along with his sweat covered form was just as intoxicating.

They continued these actions and their cries of pleasure were loud and getting louder with each thrust of Max's sex into Barnette's soaking wet sex.

"OH! MORE! PLEASE! MORE!!"

"AAAAUUUGGHH YOU'RE SO HOT! SO WET!!"

It was then that Barnette decided to try another position that she had seen, she would have been content to just continue with what they were doing now, and the position she had seen seemed to be a bit odd and demeaning to her Megele sensibilities, but she watched the woman cry out in ecstasy in that position as her male lover moved in and out of her, and the sight and sound of both the lovers screaming their joy at their respective orgasms made her want to try it. She looked at Max and beckoned him to stop. Max did so reluctantly and watched as Barnette was on the bed on her arms and knees.

She looked at him at the side and moaned…showing her soaking wet sex to him. Max didn't miss a beat and held his lover's hips and pushed his still hard and slick cock into her pussy and began to move. The results were worth it in Barnette's mind as the sensations became more intense for her as she moaned and gasped as her body moved with each thrust of Max's cock in her pussy.

The two went at it as Max pushed the pace…moving slowly like before, and when built up steam and power as he thrust harder and faster into Barnette. The bed groaned at the movements, but the two lovers didn't care as they continued their sex romp. The bed was soaked with sweat and juices from them as Barnette moaned and screamed her pleasure along with Max's own moans and groans, while holding the bed sheets very tightly in her hands.

"OH GODDESS! MORE! MORE! HARDER! HARDER! FASTER! PLEASE!!"

"OH GOD! YOU FEEL SO GOOD!! WET AND TIGHT!! BARNETTE!!"

Max then reached out with one of his hands and held Barnette's moving breasts and massaged them, further adding to the pleasure that flooded her senses, he did even more as he leaned forward and kissed her neck and the back of her ears, sucking and nibbling her earlobes gently….making Barnette scream in utter desire. He then licked her cheek and then her shoulders and gently bit the flesh…making his lover moan out even louder in intense desire and pleasure. Barnette turned to look at her lover with her violet eyes burning over with lust and love, to see the very fire of lust and love his own eyes. The two wanted all these wonderful sensations, emotions and feelings to never end as they continued.

However, all things no matter how good they were came to an end….Max felt his sac contract and the feeling of heat running up his body told him of his coming release and he screamed out his orgasm…the very same time Barnette reached hers.

"BARNETTE!!"

"MAX!!"

The second Max released the very first jet of his seed into Barnette's sex was the trigger that made Barnette come hard. The emerald haired woman howled her pleasure and orgasm as she felt her pussy contract and move around Max's cock, milking her lover's sex…and the following streams of his seed that coated her walls and filled her body with it's heat and thickness was so wonderful. For Max, the feel of Barnette's sex milking him was so wonderful and so intoxicating that despite his release, he moved a bit more to feel it all.

As the two lovers became spent from their actions, they lay down on the bed as Max moved away from Barnette with the slight wet sound of his cock leaving her sex. As he lay down on the pillows and looked at his lover, the two of them smiled and held each other's hands as Max took the blanket and covered the two of them.

--

End of Flashback…

Max recalled every vivid detail of their sex romp that night, so much so that he was not aware of Barnette waking up and snaking her arms around his shoulders. Once he was, he turned and was kissed passionately by Barnette, and he reacted to the feel of her soft, firm, and pliable body on his back, along with her breasts pressing on his back. The two lovers parted and Barnette smiled lovingly at her lover.

"Recalling last night?"

Max nodded.

"Yes…that was…amazing Barnette."

"I know…I never knew making love to a man would feel so wonderful…and natural as well. I guess the video I saw about men and women living together under one roof didn't lie at all. It really is possible, after all, our ancestors lived together."

Max nodded and then a thought came to mind.

"Barnette…would you feel comfortable being with me?"

Barnette smirked mischievously at that statement and ran her hand over her lover' chest.

"After that…of course I would."

"But…, what I meant was, would you be able to live with a man…knowing that…well the women in you're world would abhor the idea of a woman of their culture and civilization living with a man under the same roof, since they consider us inferior, stupid, and full of diseases…could you really live with them thinking that way if they see you with me?"

Barnette could tell that this was a serious matter for Max, and she understood that the one thing he didn't want for her was to be ostracized by her people. It touched her that he cared for her that much, but she had made a decision that very night they made love together. There was no way she was going to ever be apart from Max, she loved him with all her heart and she didn't care what other women thought about their relationship, if the approved it or hated and reviled her for it, she didn't care…she loved this man who saved her life many times and helped her overcome her unwarranted and unnecessary prejudice towards men, and who showed her the strength and beauty of men. And she understood that if they did this again, she would run the risk of having a child with her and his genes…and she knew that her child would be marked as a freak by other women, no way would she ever let her child, regardless if the baby would be a boy or girl be treated by other sin that manner, nor would she abandon her child….and she wanted Max to be right there to raise the child with her.

"I understand you're concern Max…but I am a pirate and there was one thing I learned, I am my own person and I have my freedom to choice my own way, like everyone else. I know that if I live with you, I will be an outcast on Megele, but…I don't care about that, let them call me an outcast if they want to, but I made a choice last night…when we made love…and that choice was never to part from you for as long as I live, I would rather live as an outcast with you beside me, than to live as a citizen of Megele without you at my side."

"Barnette…"

The emerald haired girl then faced Max as they looked at each other deeply, and she blushed.

"Now I need to ask you two questions Max…and they are important to me. Just like you asked me…if I could live with being an outcast among my people for being with you….Could…could you live with me as an outcast to your own people? I know that you're people viewed women like me as monsters, and I can say that we're not perfect…and they would consider you a traitor and insane for saying otherwise…even more so…if you live with me. Could you live with me even then? And…you might not know this…but I learned that…that if we do this again…there is a chance I…I will become pregnant with a baby…our baby. And I know that both you're world's people and mine…will consider our child an abomination. But I don't care what they say…it's our baby and I want to raise our baby whether it is a boy or girl, but I want to know…will you be with me so we can raise our child together?"

Max realized that this was just as important to Barnette as it was to him to know if she was willing to live with him by her side. The fact that she might get pregnant with his…no, their child also made him realize how important this was to her and to him. The idea of anyone calling his child with Barnette as an abomination and worse filled him with great anger. Barnette's own actions touched him deeply, as well as her words, he could tell that she was not lying to him, she wanted to live with him…and raise their child together despite what others will say. She loved him deeply, she had proven that last night and now…how could he refuse her?

"I will not leave you Barnette, I said I loved you a few days before and as man, I am true to my word. I love you for all that you are and no matter what others will say…from you're world…and mine. I will be with you, I would rather live with you as a renegade from my own world than to go back and be re-educated and reinstated as a citizen of Talark without you with me…and I will stand with you and raise our baby together."

Barnette felt her heart beat faster and tears welled in her eyes as she hugged Max tightly vowing to keep her own promise as he hugged her back. The two lovers held each other for a few more minutes and kissed each other deeply. As soon as they were done with their lip-lock, Barnette said that she would cook their break-fast and they could do some other things together.

Later…

Barnette was now dressed in her clothes, while having an apron and was cooking her lover's break-fast and hers, and Max smiled as he too cooked something for the two of them…showing that he had picked up some cooking tips as well.

The two ate their break-fast of toast with butter and apple jam, eggs sunny side up, ham, and bacon with rice. As they drank their tea. And chatted a bit more a part of Barnette's mind wondered how would Jura react when she told her friend about her time with Max last night. She knew that Jura had already sprung her trap for Kyo and for once, she hoped and prayed that her blonde friend was successful.

--

Elsewhere…

Parfait woke up and so did Duero, the two looked at each other for a few brief moments, before smiling and kissing one another good morning, in their minds, if they were to live together and they woke up to this every day, to be with the one they loved with all their heart, the it was worth every moment and second in their lives. As they got up and got dressed, Parfait decided to cook break-fast, and Duero agreed to help.

They were later having scrambled eggs, bacon, muffins, and hot coffee in their normal outfits…they then decided to go out and further relax and explore the base.

--

A few hours later…

The three couples were heading to the large park nearby and managed to meet, after greeting each other, Kyo asked Jura, Barnette, and Parfait if he could talk to the two Talark males in private. Jura gave her lover and future mate a slightly curious look and let him go ahead, while Barnette and Parfait agreed and they decided to chat with one another as well, while the men would deal with whatever manner of topic Kyo wanted to ask the two brothers.

The three men walked over to a nearby lake and sat down to look at the beauty of the pool of water, while Jura, Barnette, and Parfait sat nearby on a bench a good distance away, but not too far…since there were not that many people out in the morning right now…they were still the only ones in the area.

Kyo then looked at the two brothers and spoke.

"Now, normally back on Earth when I was still in college…I didn't bother too much with those details, but as far as I can see from the way you two were snuggled by Parfait and Barnette…I can wager a guess that you all did something together."

Duero nodded with a blush as he recalled last night, and so did Max…normally the idea of talking about their times with their respective lover seemed like a very private matter, and they wanted to keep it that way…however, Kyo was the one that opened their eyes to the possibilities of men and women being intimate, and he gave them good advice, plus he was their friend after all.

"We…well…did it."

Kyo nodded sagely.

"I figured as much…and I have to say you certainly seem to be happy, normally I don't bother to ask as such things are private between couples, but considering that you are my friends and I did tell you about this sort of thing, I just want to ask you both a very simple question…"

And for the first time, a very mischievous glint appeared in Kyo's eyes along with his smile.

"How was it?"

--

Meanwhile…on the women's side…

"So…you both finally did it with the two of them?"

Jura asked wide-eyed and with a grin of utterly sly mischief at her two companions, both of whom were blushing bright red as they finished their respective stories. The blonde never knew the plucky and petite head engineer had it in her, and the way Barnette was blushing showed how much she must have enjoyed the act of sex with a man. As the two nodded to her, she couldn't help but smile.

"I did it too, just last night…like you both as well. I can say that….it was the most wonderful thing I have ever felt in my entire life…what about you two?"

Parfait twiddled her fingers and so did Barnette and they both replied, with Barnette going first.

"It was the most wonderful thing I have ever done…Max was so adorable when he would blush and make those moans of his…I never knew how attractive a man could be when he is showing his appreciation and desire."

"I agree with Barnette, I never knew that being intimate with a man would be so wonderful indeed. I guess that it was quite an experience…one I will never forget as long as I will live."

The three women then began to share their respective experiences and even traded ideas between themselves. It seems that the women were so ecstatic of their experiences that they couldn't help but talk about it to themselves, plus learning from each other's experiences, hoping to get more ideas, techniques for them to try out the next time they had the chance to do it again with their respective partners.

The base now came to life and there were others now walking around and that made the three couples decide to see each other some other time…the three women headed for the Nirvana to check up with several of their fellow crew mates, while Kyo, Max, Duero were still talking about their experiences. The two brothers were still blushing as they recalled their respective encounters with the women they were in love with, while Kyo told them that there was still more to learn and decided that since they know now how men and women not only had children, but shared their affections and emotions physically, they could learn on their own. However, if they had needs for answers, he would still try and answer those questions as best he could…given the circumstances that they had found themselves in.

The two brothers then decided to head for the Nirvana as to check on the still remaining number of patients that they had under their care. Kyo bid them farewell and decided to go see just what else was being offered by the base. He still had a vacation to enjoy and while staying in the park was a good move…he had too much energy to stay in one place forever, and besides…there were some things he wanted to find out, not to mention that he was interested to see just what other cooking recipes the women had in their books.

As he left, he wondered just what was going on with the other crew members of the Nirvana and the Paradise.

--

In the Nirvana…

The pirates were still busy with their duties as they needed to keep the ship in operational condition, the Dread pilots were working alongside the engineers from Parfait's crew to make the needed changes and modifications to their Dreads. They were not the only ones as the Crusader pilots were also working with the engineers who were assigned to work on the Crusader Mobile Suits. The other engineers from the Paradise were also there and were getting a hands on approach to making the needed repairs to the fully upgraded Dreads and the new Retribution series of Mobile Suits. The pilots of both forces were also able to trade stories of their adventures with the pilots of the Paradise's own Dread pilots.

The female pilots of the Paradise were amazed by the many adventures the younger pilots had. In definition, there were few senior members of the pirates who worked on the Nirvana…as by Magno's own admission, the majority of the crew on the Nirvana were still young and the vast number of the pirate seniors and veterans had stayed behind in the base. But now…when it came to fighting the Harvesters, their numbers, weapons, and their adaptive fighting styles, the Nirvana crew and pilots were now the veterans. The veteran pilots of the pirates now had to told by the Nirvana pilots on how to best deal with the Harvesters and their vast numbers. The other engineers who were not assigned with either the Dreads of the Crusaders busied themselves with other matters, namely the upgrades that the Nirvana's key systems, along with other requirements.

The other members of the crew were also busy with their own things. The security crews in the Nirvana decided to upgrade their combat arsenals, the galley staff decided to get fresh supplies and produce to replenish their stocks, the Register girls made the needed arrangements to gather parts, fuel, supplies, ammunition, and more for the Dreads and Crusaders. The Bridge Crews pretty much took their time off, with Belvedere, Amarone, Celtic, and Misty taking some time off to talk about men, while Ezra was with Rebecca to raise their daughter together. The crew who worked in the communal bath area also took the time to gather more bathing supplies, and also to change the water supply in the Nirvana's reservoirs. All in all…everyone was busy for the past few days, while still taking the time to properly relax and unwind from all their duties as they left in shifts.

Magno knew that despite their vacation status, the pirates had to keep their edges sharp as they had to be prepared for anything. This was the reason why she had allowed them to do so…while making sure that they took the time to relax and unwind after all they had to deal with in the battle-zones. As of now, the elder female, along with Rebecca, Buzam, Gascogne, along with Hiryu, and Aleck were talking over on how to deal with the soon to come conference. The men were surprised to learn that they all, along with their fellow men who effected the escape from Talark were given amnesty and protection by none other than Grand Pa himself, with his own personal seal…while the women themselves were also amazed that Grand ma herself had offered them their reinstatement as citizens, and all of their collective crimes were now forgiven. The elder Captain knew that these gestures were to show the leaders' respective plans to do the right things…but her long life and experience told her that not everyone was going to let their actions go away so easily. There would still be people in both Talark and Megele, in many areas who would still be willing to cause trouble for them. However, this was their best chance to make the two planets forge the important alliance that would mean their survival.

As she and the others continued their discussions on their plans once the time of the conference arrived, she wondered how things were doing with the other members of the crew…namely the girls who were no doubt getting used to having relationships with the opposite gender. She had witnessed the affections between Barnette and Max, along with Parfait and Duero, and naturally, the girls who each held a place in her uncle's heart, Dita, Meia, Jura, Sara, and Mai. She had a feeling that some of them had now taken the appropriate measures to put their relationships to the next level, but as to how they each plan on doing so…that was entirely up to them. In her uncle's case…she hoped that the women would enjoy the situations they would be in, not to mention her uncle. Any man his age would love to be in the situation he was currently in, according to what she could remember about men. What were the women going to plan now?

--

Good question Magno…and it naturally deserves a good answer…or more importantly someone already had a very good plan in mind.

She smiled warmly as she entered Kyo's room and saw the place carefully, she then checked her supplies and saw them to be already enough for the time she planned to spend with her object of affections.

She blushed brightly at the ideas she was getting as she took out an article of clothing and then placed aside the rest of her items as she went to work.

(I hope Kyo doesn't mind me being here…I really want to surprise him.)

--

Later…

Kyo was tired, but not enough to lose track of time as he walked back to his apartment and with a bag full of new items, namely some data-pads, food supplies, spare supplies, and other tools. He had recently visited the Entertainment section of the base and found a lot of good recipes he was going to try out once he was ready, for now, he would have to cook himself some lunch and get some rest, before heading out to see the rest of the base.

He also took the time to find something to take his mind off his troubles, and he found it in a car shop that sold Megele vehicles…though Kyo had his eyes on another model, something which he recognized quickly despite it being a long time since he had seen a car. The place had what appeared to be a 22nd century car, and from what he could tell, it was an Aston Martin DB7 Volante 22nd Century model with a wider frame for extra seating space, but the car was still sleek and fashionable as it's ancestor was.

The car was made from light weight alloys, and also had special ceramics built into it for a lighter but very durable design, and it ran off advanced micro fusion fuel cells, and therefore didn't have the old fossil fuel engine, allowing it an advanced amount of power for all it's systems, plus it had excellent refinements over the older versions of it's design line, namely advanced hydraulics, navigation systems, fuel cell controllers, and more besides.

The car however had been put away due to it needing repairs and re-modeling. Plus, the car was not very fashionable in the eyes of some of the pirates as it was already two hundred years old. Not to mention, that due to some damages to it's systems, some that needed serious repair, it could no longer be driven on auto-pilot, and had to be driven manually at times. As such, the car was left in the shop and began to waste away as no one decided to waste the time in having the car rebuilt.

The shop owner knew about Kyo being part of the Nirvana crew, but was surprised that the male Gundam pilot decided to buy the car. She told him that out of all the customers that came to her shop, he was the first to take an interest in the car and warned him of the problems plaguing the vehicle. He however understood the situation and decided to buy the car anyway, it might take him some time to have the car fully restored, but he didn't mind that as he loved the look of the car itself and his computer engineering, and mechanic skills were in need for this project, plus, it wouldn't hurt to spend some time on a project that allowed him to use his talents for less combat intensive roles now and then. He had the car taken via transport and sent to the Nirvana for him to work on later, alongside his Gundam. As soon as he was done, he decided to buy other things he might need to make the car work, plus to help him enjoy his vacation more…he however stayed away from the clothing stores…and for obvious reasons as the shops didn't have anything for men, and the clothes were all for women, and so was the under-garments. That meant that he would have to rely on the clothes he had with him, and thankfully, those were still in perfect condition, though he would have to find a tailoring shop and someone to take his measurements in order for some new clothes to be made for him.

He pushed those thoughts aside for the moment and concentrated on making his lunch, however as soon as he entered the room, he was assaulted by a set of delicious smells. The odors told him that food had been cooked on his table while he was away, as soon as he made his way from the living room to the kitchen, he found a large meal awaiting him, along with several plates, the smell of well cooked beef, roasted fish, with hot vegetables, well cooked bread, and cooked garlic rice tickled his nose and tested his stomach intensely and made his mouth water somewhat, however it still puzzled him as to how this food got to his room in the first place as this would mean that he had company. His question as to who was in his room was answered as a certain someone entered the room, carrying a pitcher of cool lemonade and a pair of glasses on a tray, the glasses filled with ice. The person then turned and smiled at him and greeted him.

"Hello Kyo, I'm so glad you made it in time for lunch, I was just about done today."

Kyo looked at Dita as the bubbly redhead placed the tray down and bowed towards him. She wore a cooking apron and also had a large handkerchief on her head to keep her hair in one place. The picture of Dita acting like a housewife tickled Kyo's humor and he couldn't help but smile at the sight of the young woman busying herself about, As soon as she was done, he then reached out to her and held her shoulders, making her look at him.

"You did all this for me?"

Dita nodded and then twiddled her fingers somewhat while blushing at the warm look Kyo was giving her…showing that while she had matured in terms of her feelings for the Gundam pilot, she was still somewhat shy around him.

"Yes…do you like it?"

Kyo laughed a bit and nodded with a warm smile.

"Of course I do…do you have any plans for today?"

Dita nodded with enthusiasm.

"I finished my work on my Gundam, as you told to always make check-ups on it once in a while. I was hoping to spend some time with you today and make you feel at home! Do you want to hang out with me today?"

Kyo thought about it and decided that hanging out with Dita was all right, she certainly would love it and he wanted to see Dita happy as she had not been able to be back home for quite a bit, and he wondered just what sort of things Dita did do on her free time when not piloting and collecting alien memorabilia. The smells of food tickled his nose once more and he sat down and began to have lunch, as Dita took off her apron and handkerchief to sit down and eat with her object of affection.

As they ate and Kyo thanked her for the meals, she smiled at him and began to think back on the conversations she had with her fellow Gundam pilots, along with Sara and Mai…namely since they had chatted in a nearby room to discuss what had happened with Kyo a day before. She blushed bright red as she remembered the details of the conversations in question.

--

Flashback to yesterday morning…

"You did what with him?!"

Jura, Dita, Sara, and Mai looked at Meia with wide eyes as the blue haired Gundam pilot related to them all what had happened between her and Kyo hours before the battle that they had waged only a few days before. The other women were shocked and naturally were somewhat jealous that Meia had been the first to be with Kyo. Another reason for the shock was that despite their desires, respectively to finally make the moves on the male Gundam pilot, they had expected either Dita or Jura to make the moves on him…but for Meia to do it was very surprising…none of them expected the former Dread Squadron leader to be the first.

Meia nodded and blushed brightly as she recalled the wonderful sensations and feelings Kyo had given her when she made love with him…and the looks he had when they both were in the grips of passionate love and desire were VERY memorable in her mind.

Jura glared a bit and sighed.

"I should have guessed as much…so, how was it?"

Meia then told them all of every sensation that she felt as Kyo and her had sex, and it didn't take long for Jura and the others to blush bright red at the details as Meia wasted no effort in re-telling them of how wonderful and delicious it was for her to have sex with Kyo…and how much pleasure she had been given and gave to the Gundam pilot in vivid detail. Along with what Kyo had done to her, from head to toe…and finally…when she told them of how they had consummated, they all gulped in surprise and a bit of nervousness at Meia's description of the first stage of pain of having the maidenhead broken by Kyo's cock, and then she smiled and reassured them of the sheer joy and pleasure that followed afterwards, once Kyo began to move his sex in and out of her own wet sex.

Meia smiled fondly at the memory of the orgasms they both had and finished the story with a warm smile.

"That was the most wonderful thing I have ever felt, and sure, it hurt at first in the end…but I can say this with absolute certainty…there's NOTHING on Megele that can compare to being in love…AND making love with a man who loves you back. And if ever I have a child with Kyo…I won't care what the others will say, I would love and raise that child with all that I am…and with Kyo by my side."

The four women were blushing bright red at the end of it even more as they each began to imagine themselves in the same situation with Kyo as Meia had been in. It was then that Jura spoke out.

"I nearly felt that…and no way am I going to be on the side-lines now…it's my turn to be with Kyo as well."

"No! It's my turn with Kyo!" Dita said with force.

"No, it's my turn!" Sara said as well.

"No it's not! It's mine!" Mai said as well.

The four began to argue and glare a bit at each other, until meia spoke calmly to them, reminding them that they all agreed not to fight over Kyo's affections and they were coming close to breaking that agreement, the women then decided to take a bit of a contest of wits to find out who was next. Plus they decided to take some time to plan out how they were going to put their respective plans of seduction into action. It was a bit disheartening to find out that Jura was the one who won the contest, but she made a promise to tell them all of her own experiences once they would meet in the same room again.

Meia also decided to tell Jura on what to expect and to try a few tricks as well to make things even more interesting between the two of them when the time came.

--

End of Flashback…

Dita placed those thoughts aside for a moment as she helped Kyo with the lunch, as they finished the meal, Dita decided to take out another set of working clothes, and despite Kyo's light hearted protests, she began to clean his apartment for him, while he then dealt with the dishes and other matters, namely he began to study the design plans he had in mind to repair, rebuild, and reconfigure his newly acquired car.

As Dita cleaned up the living room, she blushed brightly once more as she recalled yet another flashback conversation…namely this very morning when she and the others waited for Jura to tell them about her own experiences.

--

Flashback to the Nirvana…this very morning…

"So…how was last night Jura?" Sara asked as she, Mai, Meia, and Dita were in the room where Meia had talked to them about her experiences with Kyo. Ever since yesterday morning's discussion, the women decided to spend some time with Kyo and they were able to enjoy the moments with him respectively. But now, they wanted to know from the blonde Gundam pilot how it was for her to make love to Kyo in the privacy of his apartment.

Jura blushed brightly and smiled with joy as she began to tell them about her time with Kyo last night, smiling as her plans went off without a hitch, and she began to tell them of the wonderful things that happened. She told them of how much pleasure and joy she felt as Kyo and her had sex. She blushed brightly as the memories were going to remain with her for a very long time.

The women blushed bright red…even Meia as she told them on how she had taken Kyo's manhood into her mouth and felt it's warmth, smoothness, and more in her mouth and how…amazingly sexy it made her feel, and how much fun it was to see the looks on Kyo's face as she did so. She then smiled as she recounted the end of their romp on the make shift bed in the living room.

She smiled warmly at the end of her turn to tell them about her own experiences and finished it off with a few words of her own.

"That was the most wonderful experience I ever had in my entire life…and maybe when I get the chance to do it again with Kyo…I can show him a few MORE tricks and ideas I got from those tapes. And I would love to have his child too, and to have him raise that baby together with me."

They then knew that it was Dita's turn, and the bubbly redhead was at first, at a lose for ideas on how she would try to show her physical affections for Kyo, that is until Jura decided that for someone like Dita, something special was needed and she reached into her bag of tapes to show a particular one for Dita. She then ushered the redhead into another room, which had a video cassette player in it.

As she finished the tape an hour later…Dita blushed bright red as she entered the room with the others and they could tell that the tape had a very strong effect on the redhead. Meia and Jura wished her the best and to enjoy the situation.

--

End of Flashback…

"Dita? Are you all right?"

The redhead looked at Kyo as she realized that she had been so caught up in both her thoughts and her work that she was not able to hear the Gundam pilot's questions. She then smiled at Kyo and spoke back.

"I'm sorry, I had my mind on other things, you wanted to say something Kyo?"

Kyo nodded and then told her about the newly bought car that he had planned to check out and re-furbish once he had the needed parts and supplies. He planned to drop by the Mechanics and Supplies store in the base to buy the parts, tools, and more that he would need, therefore he would be out for quite a bit, so he was not sure that they would have enough time for him to go out and hang out with her.

He expected Dita to be disappointed, and in truth so was he…he could have put those plans aside for the time being and go out to be with Dita. That could be easily done and it was a shopping trip after all…something that he could do ay a much better time. However, much to his surprise, Dita didn't seem disappointed in the very least, she instead smiled and nodded.

"It's all right Kyo, you can go ahead and let me take care of things here…I'll have the place ready for you when you get back!"

The cheerful redhead's nature didn't entirely assure Kyo as he had this strange feeling that she had something in mind for him once he got back to his apartment. Not that it was a bad thing, rather, he was very curious as to what Dita might have in mind for him once he got back to his apartment. He however put those thoughts aside and agreed to Dita's wishes.

"If there's anything you need to do Dita, then you can come by here anytime you wish, I'll do my best come back here soon, okay?"

"Sure…I'll be waiting for you Kyo."

As Kyo packed up his reserve of credits, he decided to bring with him a data-pad that had the list of tools, parts, supplies and equipment he would need to make the needed repairs and upgrades to the newly acquired car that he had. He decided to also call Magno and see if he could get some extra funding, just in case he didn't have enough credits for the things he needed. He however hoped that he would not catch his niece at a bad time. After he bid Dita farewell, he then left the apartment to begin his collection of the items he would need to work on the car.

As soon as Kyo was out of the apartment and had waved to her as she waved back from the window…the redhead smiled warmly and began to look into the bags that she brought along…as she got out the items she had brought with her, she hoped that what she had seen in the video would really be the best way for her to experience what Meia and Jura had already experienced with Kyo, they had already shown to Kyo how much the care and love him…now it was her turn. With Kyo gone, this would give her the time and chance to begin her plans.

As Kyo moved onwards to his destination, he wondered on how things were on Talark, Megele, the Harvesters, and naturally the rest of the Resistance forces. He hoped that things would be moving all right for all sides…with the exception of the Harvesters that is.

--

On Talark…

The men of Talark were still recovering from the massive battle over their worlds and vast numbers of the men were deep in mourning. The salvage teams that were sent to attempt the location of the bodies of the men who died and lost in space, brought anything they could for the Alphas and Omegas to mourn their sons, and sometimes, it was hard to watch the men try their best to hold their tears and grief when anything that reminded them of their sons, some succeeded…other failed and fell to their knees and cried.

For two days…the Talark Fleets were dedicated to finding their dead comrades and bringing any of their remains back to Talark, even the mementos they had were to be found and then given to the grieving parents on the desert world. Thus for nearly two days…the deserts of Talark were covered in smoke as those who died and were found relatively intact, or whole were given funeral pyres…while those who were unrecognizable or could only be known by their mementos were buried in the graves and the Alphas and Omegas were in tears. All in all, Talark was now in great mourning for the deaths of so many of it's sons.

The military of the all male planet began to dedicated all of their available resources, supplies, equipment and facilities they had to mass produce their forces and rebuild their Fleets, and to reinforce them as much as they could. The factories on the all male planet were going all out in every city on the vast desert world….both in the Capital City and the outlying cities around it…to the other cities beyond and in the deeper sections of the deserts. Every factory, including the ones that produced food pills were working at a much faster pace in order to refurbish the losses suffered by the Fleets…and the rebuild the completely devastated Wolf Pack and it's forces. However, the greatest blow was the fact that they would have to work even twice as hard in order to replenish their ranks after the battles with the Harvester leader and his Gundam. The casualties were a severe blow to the military spirit and pride of the men as the men who were all slain were killed by only ONE man, who was more a monster than man.

The Research and Development sections of Talark were busy working on how to develop newer technologies to even up the odds against the Harvesters. And this time they had been able to gather more data pertaining to the old days of war in the history of Earth, along with the combat data they had acquired from the previous battle records, the data they had managed to acquire from the Crusader units, even if it was not enough,…and sadly from the salvaged recorders of the Vanguards who were wiped out, the scientists vowed to make the lives lost in the fighting mean something as they worked non-stop in order to engineer new defensive and offensive technology and systems before the energy storm that blocked the Harvesters from attacking their world would disappear. They also decided to make the needed upgrades to their current weapon systems and technology and to find other uses for already existing tech and to further improve it for the battles to come. Their development teams also worked around the clock to field test all the newly developed technology and improve already existing ones. The workers were ready to give their all despite the four month time frame they had to work with.

As the reports came in, the Talark Government officials were busy working on the reports that came into their sectors. The military leaders were busy getting all the data, along with the leaders in the manufacturing and research sectors. They were all dedicated to doing what they possibly could for the soon to come invasion, but that certainly did not mean that things were going to be smooth on the planet.

Men who served in the military forces and some of the Government were still not in favor of the alliance between their world and that of the women. They still believed in the idea that they would rather die as men than to reduce themselves to being allies of the women. These men were still in disbelief at the announcement made by Grand Pa concerning the arrival of a conference to be held in one of the Command Satellite stations with the leader of the women, and the possibility of an alliance with them and they were now able to voice their opinions, though they knew that if they did so, they would incur the attention of Grand Pa.

"I still can't believe we're going to work with women!"

"Me too! I can't even begin to imagine us…working with them…first we were mortal enemies…and now we're working with them?! What gives?!"

"Grand Pa's orders…still wouldn't believe it if it wasn't for his seal of approval…what's the world coming to?"

"Work with the women…we're all going to die! Better to be blown apart than to be near a woman!"

"Knock it off man! It's bad enough to have to hear we're working with them…now we have to be close to them too?!"

"Not only are they going to suck out our innards, but they'll gut us for sure! And we can't even fight back!"

These were just among the few complaints that the men had when it came to the proposed alliance with women, in fact the whole populace of Talark were in a very secretive mood as they began to actually count the moments, seconds, minutes, hours, and possibly…even the days to when the conference would begin. The civilian populace would be happy that they were not going to be part of the conference physically, despite being forced to look at the women in question, as per Grand Pa's strict orders. The military and government personnel on the other hand were going to be in the thick of it, and they were not happy in the least.

As Grand Pa looked at the monitors that showed him all the data from every corner of the Capital City, and beyond, he shrugged his shoulders and sighed deeply.

(This is going to a long day.)

As he thought about his preparations, he wondered just how things were for his wife back on Megele. Considering how old the two of them were, it was only due to the advancements in medical technology that he and she were still breathing…he only hoped that Anya was not suffering from heavy stress.

--

On Megele…

The planet was filled with the sounds of sorrow and grief…even when all the names of the slain were finally said out, it did little to assure the grieving families or give them peace…for now they were forced to take on the most painful task of all…to bury their beloved dead into the earth of their home world…while others were given a funeral into deep space. The recovery teams could barely find all the slain crew members of the battle groups that fought in the conflict along with all the women who died in the battle with the Harvester Leader and his Gundam. All over the media networks…the only news was a two day long memorial service for all the women who died…many women on the all female world were reduced to tears as the pictures and names of those who died in the battle and by the hands of the Harvester Leader were shown to them. In every house-hold, there were cries of grief, sorrow and more as the people in them were crying at the pain and suffering of their fellow women, along with crying their own tears as more reports of their own fallen daughters, and loved ones came on the screen. It was not surprising to hear even more cries of grief and pain as couples collapsed in sadness as the names of their ohma, fahma, or daughter came on, and told them that the only things that could be found of their daughter were only small mementos that they would get from the morgue…along with the request to submit their DNA profiles to match if their loved ones were among the newly recovered dead.

There were so many funerals that day, and instead o their usual actions of listening to soap operas or making gossip about anything…the entire population of Megele shared in the grief. Traffic was at a standstill as funeral lines as far as the eye could see filled every street and avenue and every area on the land was filled to the brim as funerals were everywhere…even the colony cities on Megele's orbit were filled with the sounds of mourning and grief. And considering the massive loss of life in the Fleets from the battle…it would take more days for the funerals to be completed and the services to be completed. The fact that so many of their people had died…all by the hands of the Harvesters, and by the leader of the new invasion force was not lost to the people there as the mourners begged on camera for their military to avenge the deaths of their loved ones no matter the cost.

The industrial sectors of the all female planet were now pressed into service to begin manufacturing parts for the military, weapons and components for the Dreads, navigation systems, engines, power plants, hydraulic systems, armor plating, weapon supply pods, spare parts, and more. They also began to mass produce the parts needed for ships to replace the cruisers that were badly damaged in the fighting, along with building the parts needed to rebuild replacement cruisers for the ones that were obliterated by the battle with the Harvesters. All the factories were now forced into military production, and even their farms were placed on producing the rations needed to keep their forces well fed.

The military were also focused on doing whatever they deemed necessary in order to prepare the forces that they still had for the battles to come as more of their Dreads, supplies and cruisers came to them and they also watched the video records of the battles they had been able to recover to teach their pilots on what to expect from the Harvesters in the soon to come battles, They used the records in order to teach their surviving pilots on how to handle the massive numbers that the Harvesters have been seen using, Their pilots also began to prepare themselves to fight the Harvesters. However, despite the fact that they still had a lot of surviving pilots, the military were already told that they didn't have the numbers advantage that the Harvesters had. As they were all AI units, all they had to do was download new combat data to their new forces and then they would be ready to wage war the very second they were able to recover their lost units, this allowed them to keep their forces in top form, unlike them who take months or years to train new pilots. With only four months left before the Harvesters came crashing into the battle-field, they didn't know if they would truly make it, even with the surge of new applicants for military service.

Their own Research and Development sectors were now dedicated to looking over their designs and weapons technology on the Dreads and their cruisers, to find ways to counter-act their fatal weaknesses in battle…like the pirates, the Megele military now realized their forces' overall weakness in close ranged battles…but unlike the pirates, who adapted after their lessons in battle, the women military were never challenged by foes to specialize in close quarters combat and many female officers deemed that area of combat to be that of the men and therefore inferior, now they realized how wrong they were, from the battle with the I-Freedom, and then to the massacre with the E. Vendetta had inflicted on their forces…now realizing the inherent dangers, the women scientists now struggled to find possible solutions to their danger they were in, this included the need to modify old technology and make it better or make variant of it, and to find new technology that could even up the odds once more.

Their own development teams were standing by to begin the tests needed to determine the usefulness of newly upgraded technology and to test out new ones that have been developed by the science divisions. They were moving as best they can with the new technology and vowed, like their scientist comrades that they would avenge the ones who died in the fighting with the Harvesters and their blood thirsty leader.

As the Government officials kept track of things, they too had to deal with the ramifications of Grand Pa's announcement of a soon to come conference with the men in order to form an alliance between their worlds and forces in order to combat the threat posed by the Harvesters and their already soon to come invasion forces. And like the men of Talark who were not all that happy with the situation, they too were not very happy either. The difference was, they were less vocal about it in public and even in private…but that certainly did not mean that they were not thinking about it either.

As she looked on the monitors that told her the events that were transpiring all over the cities of Megele, Anya could only shake her head and sigh as the reports came in concerning the moods of the people on Megele and the preparations that had been started in order to prepare for the coming war. She wondered how her husband Talen was handling the situation on his world…knowing the men, they would no doubt be more vocal about their disagreement with working with women, and she could only hope that things would work out for all involved once the conference was underway.

--

The Harvesters…

(So…it will be four months before we can attack? No matter…time is something we have in ample supply.)

The Harvester leader brooded over the data and smiled a bit as he read the information concerning the energy storm that now surrounded the system that had Megele and Talark. The energy was at very high levels and due to the random nature of the energies and therefore would be a deadly threat to the rest of the invasion force if they attempted to get into it. As such, the fleet would have to wait for the storm to fade before launching their full strike on Talark and Megele.

The leader had told his fellow Council members and they were not very happy as they knew that the time would allow the Talark and Megele forces to begin talks for the forging on all alliance between their worlds…and it was going to be a more permanent alliance at that. They believed that they should not hesitate, equip the shielding of the ships and launch a full scale attack, but he overruled them and then stated that until the time was right, he would not unleash his forces until he was absolutely sure that the storm would not pose a threat, and even if the women and men would ally together, it was a fragile alliance at best and without any support, then they would be easily overwhelmed.

He then was given a stock report on the serum, and it was promising news, though the serum would still need a few more tests to confirm the effectiveness in treating already aged organs so as to rejuvenate the supplies of organs, and to support the populace until the serum was mass produced for the masses.

As he read the reports, he beckoned to a clone operator, namely a female to follow him to his chambers. As he did so, he smiled evilly and then thought it over.

(I have waited four hundred years to finally kill Kyo Yamato and his accursed blood line…what's another four months compared to that?)

--

Much later…

Kyo was tired and hungry…there was no doubt about it at all as he made his way to his apartment. After he had bought the parts he needed, along with everything else on the list, he had the stuff hauled over to the Nirvana which was still in dry dock. As soon as he had done that, he ran over the car and decided to run some tests, however, it was then that he was accosted by several of the Paradise's Dread pilots and they then asked who he was and what was his role in the Nirvana. They already knew him to their top Gundam pilot and overall leader of the Gundam pilots and Crusaders, but not anything else about him. Thus he had spent a part of his time telling them his side of the story and when several of the Nirvana Dread pilots, who also arrived, mentioned that he was Magno's uncle, that sent the other female pirates from the Paradise to the deep end and they asked even more questions, along with prodding him to see if he truly was a human being and not some sort of cyborg as they still could not believe that he was the pilot of the Gundam that managed to equal the pilot of the Endless Vendetta Gundam, that decimated an entire Megele strike group by itself.

As soon as that was over with, he worked on doing basic diagnostics and repairs on his car, and found the car be not only filled with mechanical problems, but software ones as well and after diagnosing a few of them, he decided to call it a day after several hours and decided to head back to his apartment and get some rest, a meal, and sleep. He suspected that Dita might have already left the place after waiting for him for such a long time.

As soon as he entered the apartment, he could tell that Dita had really cleaned up the place as everything seemed to not have even a speck of dust on them. He had to give her credit too, he had never expected his place to look this clean and presentable in the time he had been in here. He then made his way to the dining area, and he knew that Dita worked her magic in the kitchen as the smell of freshly cooked hamburgers filled his nose, along with the smell of baked potatoes, friend fish, hot grains, and other food items. He went into the kitchen and found the table already set with quite an array of fresh food and some cool lemon tea for him to drink, right next to the table, sitting on the spare chair that he had along with a few others was Dita who smiled at him and greeted him as well.

"Hello Kyo…you look so tired, I hope you don't mind eating this meal, I already ate ahead so I guess it's you're turn to eat, I have a special surprise for you later."

Kyo's brain clicked at that and wondered just what the redhead meant by that remark. However, before he could ask, his hunger got the better of him as his stomach growled. He decided to reserve the question at a much later date as he sat down and began to eat. Dita was a great cook, there was no doubts about that as he began to eat the hot and delicious meals that she prepared for him, while waiting.

He liked Dita's kind hearted and innocent nature, though she did act a lot more mature ever since his last chat with her before the first battle with the Harvesters. Plus the time he had made out with her back on the Verdant Soul while they were all with the Resistance reminded him of how sexy she was.

(Sexy and innocent at the same time…lethal combination…whoa, what am I thinking?! Focus on the food Kyo, there will be time for those thoughts later.)

With that in mind, Kyo finished his food, eating a second helping, until he was full from the food before him and he then drank the lemon tea. As soon as he felt his stomach relax, he decided to rest there for a bit, and when his tired limbs got their strength back, he decided to look for Dita to thank her for all that she had done and to ask just what exactly did she had in mind for a surprise for him. He went into the living room, but didn't find her there, though noted how clean and spotless the place was…it was then that he noted the door to his bathroom was open…he was wondering just what was going on in there of all places and went in.

And what he saw stunned him beyond belief…

--

(Lemon time ladies and gentlemen, but since Dita holds a large part of Kyo's affections…expect this one to be hot and steamy, besides, this is merely part one of the lemon scene Kyo will be in with Dita…now as to what that second part will be, then hold on for that.)

(I'll be right back, cause after I take a bit of a rest break, then we get down to the lemon…plus I do have more ideas to put in anyway!)

--

In the bathroom…

"D…Dita…what are you?"

Kyo was looking at Dita with wide surprise as she was sitting on a nearby stool and near the large bath-tub that appeared to be full of warm water as Dita had in her hand what appeared to be smelling salts and she placed the salts into the bath water. The smell of the bath room then took on the scent of pinewood mixed with lavender…this naturally was a good sign as the smell was nice and very relaxing…however, Kyo's focus was not on the bath…but on the redhead and namely her choice of dress.

Which in truth was not much at all as it was merely a long, thin white towel that covered her body and it seemed to mold well around her, not showing her full form, but showed her long legs and the upper portions of her breasts.

"Hello Kyo…I knew you would be tired and exhausted so…so I made this bath for you."

"R…R…Really?"

Dita nodded and walked over to him and began to tug him into the bathroom and then he watched as she took off the clothes that he had one, but not all of them as she left his boxer shorts and gave him a towel. She then turned around to get something, while leaving Kyo stunned at this sudden turn of events, of all the things he had expected to happen, this was not one of them, but his mind told him to just enjoy the situation for once and not act like a total prude, so he decided to take off his boxers and took the towel. He was however thankful for the fact that the steam would at the very least hide some of his modesty as he made his way into the bath tub.

The redhead then came towards him with a sponge and a bar of soap, and before Kyo could say a word, she followed him into the large bath tub and was now right behind him and to his embarrassment…and arousal, she took the soap and gently began to rub the item on his back, creating a slick feel of water and soap on his form. The soap itself smelled clean and fresh, like freshly cut spring grass. A nice smell indeed as she began to use the sponge to rub Kyo's form. Kyo groaned as Dita continued to do those ministrations and it was then that she took off her towel, which was now soaked. She continued to scrub Kyo's back, and Kyo was liking this VERY erotic situation, but decided to ask Dita the question.

"This is nice Dita, but why are you scrubbing me anyway?"

"I wanted…to do this when, um, do you remember the time in the Nirvana's communal…bath?"

Kyo winced a bit at the memory of that particular event and nodded slowly.

"Well….I tried to get in…and I said I wanted to see if…you…you needed some help scrubbing you're back…but now, I hope you don't mind this Kyo, do you want me to stop?"

Dita stopped her actions and waited nervously for Kyo's answer, hoping that he would not mind since it would hurt her a lot if he told her to stop. But her fears were allayed as Kyo merely reached behind himself and took her arm with the sponge and he spoke with a cheerful tone.

"Of course not…go ahead."

Dita gave a sound of delight and continued her ministrations and blushed as she continued to soap and clean the back of her Mr. Alien, she may no longer call him Mr. Alien anymore, but she still called him that in her mind, and it was no longer a pet name, but a name of deep affection. And right now, she was feeling a very strong urge in her body as she finished rubbing his back.

Kyo smiled and then to Dita's surprise, he turned around to face her. The tub was large enough for six people to move and sit down in relative comfort and have room for more actions as well. The sudden act of Kyo turning about and facing her was a surprise to Dita, but her surprise faded as Kyo moved forward and then kissed her, she blushed bright red but relaxed herself, this was what she wanted a lot, ever since the day they had done something like this in the room that the two of them had stayed in. And she knew that this time, they were the only ones in the room and it was night time. She then reached out with the soap and then with some effort placed it on the tray nearby. With that done she lopped her arms around Kyo and kissed her lover back.

Kyo ran his hands over Dita's hair and left behind her tiara and then rubbed his hands over her soft curves, and the to the side of her waist and the sides of her chest. She moaned into the kiss as he brought her closer to him and her breasts touched his chest. Kyo moaned as well as they opened their mouths wider to accept each other's tongues. The moment Kyo did this, Dita felt her knees give way as the sensations flowed all over her like fire and electricity, and the feelings grew as they went to certain parts of her body, namely to her breasts, to her stomach, to her heart, and then to her most private place. The two lovers blushed at each other as they broke the kiss and then Dita reached over to the side and took out something…namely a large bottle of special bathing oils that were clean and safe. Kyo could only grin in desire as Dita, while still blushing to the point her face matched her hair color, took the oil bottle, took out a good amount of it into her hands, and then began to rub it on his chest slowly, adding to the sensual tension in his body.

Kyo's male hormones were at an all time high as Dita ran her hands on his chest and then his arms, back, and then, despite her embarrassment, to his hips and near to his cock, which at this point was at full attention and throbbing in desire. He groaned loudly in surprised pleasure as Dita's oil covered hands reached the destination.

"Oh!"

Dita gave a cry of embarrassment as she finally found herself touching Kyo's manhood and she marveled at the smooth feel of the skin, and it's sleekness due to both the water and bath oil in her hands. Kyo however didn't stop her as she began to move her hands over his cock, and the pleasure he was getting was doubled by the sleekness of the water and the bathing oils.

Dita was happy that the steam was beginning to fade as she finally got to see the cock that she heard Meia and Jura talk about, and it was the same thing she had seen the one time in the Communal bath. The thing was big…

"Wow…You're…bigger than the man I saw in the video Kyo…"

Kyo's eyebrows shot up at that statement as he looked at the blushing redhead who was not looking at his cock with joyful abandon. A part of his brain couldn't even begin to process the idea that Dita had actually watched a pornographic video, the idea of the innocent redhead looking at one was so unlike her normal self and it seemed…wrong. However, another side of his brain was not complaining in the very least as it wondered just what Dita had learned from the video in question. With both factions of his brain warring over the whole idea, Kyo decided to ask her the question so he could put both sides of his mind at ease.

"Where did you see that video?"

Dita looked up and blushed while she reluctantly stopped her actions and twiddled her fingers as she blurted out an answer.

"Ju…Jura showed it…to me, this morning, and I wanted to see if I could…umm…if I could do the things…there to…ah…"

"Seduce me?"

Kyo asked with a grin, playing along with Dita and enjoying the view as Dita stood before him in all her naked glory, covered in water and steam and looking so sexy and yet so innocent. She had no idea that by doing all this, she was already succeeding in seducing him, and he was certainly not going to stop her, if she wanted to do this to him, then he would let her.

"Y…Y…Yes…would you stop me?"

Kyo smiled and then kissed her, silencing Dita and afterwards he leaned away, then moved forward to the left side of her head, brushed away her crimson red hair and then licked her earlobe…making his innocent yet sexy lover squirm, he then whispered in her ear in a low but very sexy tone.

"Never…but know that I will do the same to you as well, now may I ask you Dita Liebely…would you let me seduce you as well?"

Dita blushed bright red and shivered at the actions of her lover and blushed, whispering in his own ear and tentatively did the same thing to him as she did to her.

"Yes."

Kyo smiled and then leaned away from Dita and then moved back and let Dita take a good, long look at him smirking as she looked at his nude form the same way he stared at hers. He then reached out to her with his hand and then spoke.

"Thank you…now, I think that you should continue with what you were doing, don't you?"

Dita nodded and gulped a bit as she went back to feeling her lover's hard and strong male form, running her hands over the hot, water and oil covered male form and then explored Kyo's bare shoulders as she looked at his smiling face. She couldn't help herself as she licked his cheek slowly, making Kyo sigh at her actions as he allowed her to explore him, to get acquainted with the male form for real. She then moved to his chin and kissed it, she then moved to his neck and kissed, and licked the hot skin there, making Kyo moan once more. The redhead realized just how wonderful it felt to make Kyo moan like that and decided to keep that in mind.

She then moved to his collar bones and kissed their outline and tasted the skin as she moved back and ran her oil covered hands on his nude form. The oil itself was healthy and had no health hazards to both her and Kyo, plus it was edible, and right now…Kyo looked….delicious. She then ran her hands over the hard planes of his chest and began to kiss the hot skin, tasting both the oil, water, and Kyo's own taste, her lips and tongue trailed their path on his hot skin and the hard cord-like muscles underneath. Dita's heart raced as she was done with Kyo's chest and made her way to his abs, feeling the muscles there…she then reached out and touched Kyo's cock…marveling as the hardness, smoothness, and softness of the male organ she had seen. As she ran her hands over it slowly, she felt the veins as they continued to pump blood in the organ before her. Kyo's groans and moans of pleasure and approval made Dita more excited as she continued to explore Kyo's manhood. She ran her sleek hands over the shaft and then to the sac and the head of the Gundam pilot's ex and her body continued to heat up at her actions and the massive number of images the feelings were giving her, along with the sounds that Kyo continued to make.

(Jura and Meia were…they were right…getting to hear Kyo make those sounds is so…wonderful!)

Kyo managed to bite back the pleasure for a bit and then reached for the bottle of bathing oil and then decided to get into the act as he used one hand to stop Dita's explorations. The redhead looked up and then at him as they were kneeling in the water. Her confusion grew as Kyo then placed some oil on his hands while smiling at her. He then grinned as he answered her question.

"Now it's my turn to seduce you Dita."

Dita could only gasp as Kyo reached forward and began to rub her shoulders with the oil, while kissing her right in the mouth. His tongue dove deep into her mouth and gently yet passionately touched her own, teasing her to react, and react she did. As the two of them kissed deeply, Kyo ran his oil covered hands on her chest, past her collar bones, and then to her perky and well formed breasts. He gently massaged them and played softly with Dita's nipples…making the young woman make loud moaning and mewling sounds as his hands touched her soft and firm mounds. Kyo broke the kiss slowly, playing still with Dita's tongue until he broke away, a trail of their conjoined saliva connecting them. Dita opened her eyes and they were smoky with lust, passion, desire, and love as her face was flushed bright red, and her breathing was in short gasps. The blush reached her chest, making her creamy white skin turn light pink somewhat. That, plus the heaving of her chest, and naturally, her perky and well formed breasts further aroused Kyo and it was a miracle that his cock didn't explode there and then at the sheer amount of hardness and blood the flowed there, he them massaged the firm mounds of flesh gently and firmly, eliciting more moans from his young lover, and it excited him even more as he then leaned forward, kissing and licking her mounds, taking in the warmth and taste of Dita's skin and the sweet bathing oil, that further added fuel to the fire already burning in his gut. He took in her hard and sensitive nipples, licking, sucking and gently biting the little pebbles.

Dita cried out in pleasure and joy at the feelings and then reached out to run her hands on Kyo's hair, reaching for the cloth piece that held Kyo's hair together. She removed it and placed it on the side of the tub and ran her hands through the water soaked hair of her lover, loving the feel of the smooth, silky chocolate brown strands in her hands. She then reached down and felt the strong muscles on Kyo's back, and she continued to moan and groan in desire as Kyo continued his ministrations on her breasts.

Kyo weighed Dita's breasts and found them to be firm, soft, pliable and very much were formed for her age of sixteen. She was at the pinnacle of youthful beauty and she was still kind hearted, gentle, generous, and cheerful… and yet passionate and sexy underneath, a very strong and undeniably potent combination in a woman. He stopped briefly and looked at the blushing face of his lover as she moaned out her pleasure…she was beautiful.

"You're beautiful Dita."

With that, he then reached downwards and reached to her stomach, running his fingers and hands slowly over the smooth skin, making Dita cry out in desire…and then she gasped as he ran his fingers from one side of her hips to the other and then reached her navel, he then touched the soft wet tufts of hair that was above Dita's sex. Dita moaned loudly at that and Kyo grinned as he took her mouth once more…their tongues began their duel once more as Kyo began to reach Dita's wet sex, after playing with her smooth and long thighs. He then ran his fingers gently on the outer lips, making Dita grip him tighter and kiss him much more fiercely. The steam in the room was now becoming a bit thicker as the internal room sensors worked in to warm up the room and the water to handle the rapidly cooling room and water. The steam might have begun to hide their wet, and nude forms from each other, but their touches with one another was more than enough to physically remind them of what they looked like. The steam added to the warmth they felt and the collecting moisture made their bodies much sleeker to the touch, and they were enjoying this greatly. Kyo then continued to play with her pussy, feeling the softness of the outer lips, and then made his way to her clitoris. The moment he touched the sensitive bulb of flesh and nerves and began to play with it gently but forcefully, Dita cried out her pleasure and then leaned back on the rim of the tub. As she reached the side, Kyo took this as his chance and leaned forward as well, staying close to Dita as he licked her neck from top to bottom and then licked her breasts as his right hand continued to touch and tease her pussy, Kyo grinned mentally as Dita's inner walls contracted and caressed his fingers, making him even more aroused, Dita was aroused as well as she felt Kyo's finger probing her sex with passion and gentleness, while his cock rubbed her thighs…adding to the excitement. She then used her free hand to reach into the water and then reached Kyo's cock…and began to pay Kyo back for all the pleasure he was giving her by caressing his cock slowly and gently. Kyo grinned a bit more as he stopped his actions of licking her breasts and used his left hand to turn Dita's face to his and then passionately kissed her with their tongues dueling once more in their mouths, he then used his left hand, by moving behind Dita's back and touched her breasts gently. Dita then used her left hand to hold on to Kyo's own left hand and helped him caress her breasts.

The two lovers continued their tongue duels and moaned into each other mouths, while they pleasured each other's sex with their hands. It was then that Kyo found Dita's G-spot, something he quickly recognized, from the loud moan Dita made as he touched that place once more, he rubbed that place gently, making Dita moan even louder and squirm in his hands…and she reciprocated the action by making her actions on his cock even more intense. Dita then broke the kiss and moaned even louder and looked at her still smiling lover.

(Kyo is SOOOOOO good! I want more…oh please Grand Ma, give me the strength for more! I love Mr. Alien…Kyo so much, and now I know how wonderful it is to show how much I love him. I am sorry if I…annoyed you before, now I want to show you how much I love you…ever since they day you gave me that gift and kissed me.)

With those thoughts in mind she kissed Kyo once more but not before licking his cheek, making Kyo smile as he did the same to her, each loving the taste of each other's skin before they kissed deeply once more. Kyo also thought about how far the two of them have gone in their love making.

(Dita feels so soft and tight in there…and she is so beautiful…and here I was, long ago thinking she was annoying! She is wonderful, kind, and cheerful…and I love this passionate, lustful, yet innocent and loving side of her…maybe I should have brought it out of her more often. Ah well…better late than never.)

The two lovers continued and Dita realized that no matter how much pleasure she was having and giving to Kyo, she was getting far ahead of her plan to properly show her love for Kyo, and to properly seduce him. She knew that she had done an admirable job in the bath-room, but there was another part of her plan that needed them out of the bath room and in the bed room. As much as she would regret stopping all the lovely sensations they were giving each other…she had a plan to seduce and show her love for Kyo…and despite the situation she was currently in…she was going to follow through with it…no matter how utterly tempting it was for her to forget the other plan and just do it with Kyo here.

She then placed that in mind and stopped Kyo hand and gently asked her lover to stop for a moment. Kyo was confused at first, but complied with her request and she smiled warmly at him and whispered at his ear with a low and seductive tone.

"There's more…I've got a surprise in the bed room too."

Kyo raised an eye-brow at that statement and complied as the two of them stood up. Dita wiped herself dry and winked at Kyo as she went ahead and headed to the bed-room…making Kyo wonder just what was the redhead planning in the bed room. They were already having a grand time, but now they had to go to the bed room…what was she up to?

(What am I doing here? I'm better off finding out anyway than stay here.)

With that thought in mind, Kyo decided to wipe himself dry and then released the water from the tub, once the room was cleaned as they had made a slight mess when they were in there in the tub, he made his way into the bed room…still pretty much naked and as he stepped into the bed room, he couldn't help but get turned on once more at the sight that was before him.

--

(Steamy wasn't it…and you're wondering WHY they stopped and headed for the bed room, am I correct? Well, the bath-room/tub scene is JUST the appetizer, the real action is in the bed room, and that is part of Dita's plan as she moves to the next step. I hope you all have a sweet tooth as the next part will be a really hot AND sweet one!)

--

In the bed-room…

Dita smiled at the looks that Kyo gave her as she reclined on his bed. She had taken the time previously to get all the items she had brought with her to make the bed room a lot more interesting. She had brought holographic candle emitters, and placed them in strategic areas to shed realistic candle-light in the room…adding a very romantic glow to the place. She also included a large number of pillows and soft red silk sheets, replacing the ones on Kyo's bed. There was also a scent releaser that released the scent of red roses in the air…not too over-powering but faint and very much relaxing. Some music, romantic music at that, was being played by a nearby system player. And there were two bowls. One contained fruits, including grapes, straw berries, a few bananas, and some apples, the other one appeared to have cream in it, there also appeared to be a few bars of dark chocolate in another container, there was also a bottle of whipped cream as well…and then Kyo noted a bottle of champagne and two wine glasses. (1)

All this, plus the fact that the young redhead was reclining on his bed in sinful red silk sheets and looking very sexy in the nude made Kyo's hormones go sky high!

Dita noted that, moved forward to sitting on the bed and removed the cork from the champagne bottle and poured the drink into the two glasses, she gave one to Kyo and one for herself, as Kyo followed her and now the two of them drank the drink slowly while not looking away at each other. Dita then took a few grapes and leaned forward towards Kyo, the Gundam pilot grinned warmly at the suggestion she was giving him and took the fruit into his mouth eating them slowly as Dita continued to feed him, he returned the favor by taking some of the fruit as well, he grabbed a straw berry and dipped it in cream and offered it to Dita who ate the berry, but was careful not to bite Kyo's fingers. As soon as she was done eating the berry, she reached her own straw berry, dipped it in the sweet cream and fed it to Kyo who smiled back and consumed the fruit. Kyo then took a banana and peeled it, letting Dita eat the fruit slowly, further adding some excitement to the mix.

As they were able to fill themselves with some fruit, the two then kissed each other taking in the flavors of each other's mouths and tongues…which was sweet from the fruits they had eaten, along with the light sweet cream. They then took another slow and leisurely drink of the champagne. The drink was cool and nice to the taste buds, and only had a faint alcohol taste…apparently the women had found ways to make the drink retain it's taste without adding too much alcohol in it to make it a sweet and safe drink, that was why despite drinking two wine glasses worth, the two lover were not drunk in the least.

And as they finished the drink, they decided to continue, Dita however had an idea, namely from the video, and took the can of whipped cream and to Kyo's awed and lust filled eyes, she placed a small and yet good amount of the sweet cream on her breasts, and as she lay on the bed, she spread her legs slowly and placed an amount of the cream on her own sex. The overall picture was VERY erotic to Kyo and he wasted no time reaching Dita and leaned over her. He then grinned at her and replied.

"Wow…you're so naughty today Dita. Another idea you've gotten from the video I take it?"

"Yes…is it bad?"

Kyo allayed Dita's fears with a kiss and then he replied.

"Not in the least."

Dita gasped as Kyo kissed her neck and then made his way to her breasts, holding the firm and well formed mounds and he then licked the cream covered breasts from the base to the tips slowly, he then licked the cream slowly…adding to the already burning fire in Dita's loins. Kyo lapped up the cream and the suckled, licked and kissed Dita's breasts and nipples…making her moan out loudly at the pleasure she was receiving from her lover. Kyo enjoyed the sweet taste of the cream, along with the taste, feel, and warmth of Dita's breasts, as he licked her breasts slowly and then played with her nipples. He moved from breast to breast until both the mounds were bare of the white cream, and he then worshipped them, making Dita moan out in pleasure as she held him even closer to her.

As soon as Kyo finished kissing and licking her breasts, he made his way to her stomach, but not before giving both mounds and their nipples a parting lick and the valley between her breasts as well. As soon as he finished kissing and licking the skin on Dita's smooth and flat stomach, he kissed her hips and then arrived at the tuft of red hair. He smiled warmly and kissed the tuft…making Dita squirm as he moved to her vagina, which was still covered with the whipped cream, though he could smell the traces of her juices as several streaks of the honey were seen, showing just how aroused his lover was. He grinned as he got between Dita's legs and smelled her scent, loving the smell of her, he licked the cream and began to take in the sweet cream which was now mixed with her own sweet juices…a very arousing combination.

Dita moaned as Kyo's tongue finally reached her pussy and she wailed in pleasure at the sensations. She never had a relationship and was very much the quintessential virgin, even by Megele standards…and the sensations that were flowing in her body was so strong that she would have passed out from the sheer pleasure of it all. Kyo however was not going to let that happen…

He removed most of the cream from her pussy and then went on to tease her clit with his tongue smiling as Dita began to squirm in his bed at the sensations he was giving her. He then pushed his tongue past her pussy's outer lips and licked off the cream that was still there, and then looked on at the inner lips that was soaked with traces of the cream, his saliva, and her sweet juices. With that in mind, he pushed in his tongue and marveled at the feel of Dita's inner sex. The sleek, smooth, soft, and wet walls of her sex were so nice and were arousing to him as he moved his tongue in and out, giving Dita an idea of what would be happening once they finished this act of love between them, and the idea of his cock buried deeply into Dita's most sacred place made him even harder than before.

He continued his ministrations, making Dita moan and cry out in pleasure and joy, she held the sheets tightly, along with a nearby pillow to release a part of her pent up pleasure before it overwhelmed her senses completely. Kyo however wanted to see just how Dita would look when she finally had her orgasm as he had touched with his tongue, the barrier the proclaimed her status as a virgin. He then recalled a particular spot in her sex that was her G-spot and moved to that spot carefully and then began his actions on his lover.

The results were immediate as Dita screamed out her pleasure and moaned constantly as Kyo held her hips and continued his actions on her sex and her G-spot. It didn't take long for Dita finally reach her orgasm and she did so…crying out in pleasure as the wave hit her hard.

As she came, Kyo stayed close to her pussy and took in the juices that came out, the taste of Dita's honey was very sweet, made even more delicious by the sweet cream that was still in his mouth. As such, Kyo dove in deeply at her pussy to take in her moisture, allowing some to flow down his chin and to his bed. He didn't mind as he continued to taste Dita's sex, even as she was tensed up after her orgasm. The redhead cried out as she fell back on the bed and panted as well.

Kyo moved away, with the juices still on his face and looked at his lover…the sight of Dita's sweat covered form on his bed, in bliss, and her juices flowing from her pussy was a VERY sexy sight, coupled with the soft fiery glow the holographic candles placed on her, the room, and the bed. He grinned and then leaned forward and kissed his lover on the lips, making Dita moan at the taste of both the sweet whipped cream and her own juices…it was VERY erotic.

However, she planned to give Kyo the very same treatment, and took the whipped cream container again. She had seen this before and though the idea was very shocking, she was willing to try, plus what Jura told her and the others about to seemed very interesting, and to give Mr. Alien the very same pleasure he gave her was VERY tempting.

Kyo only had the time to lean away and let Dita be on top of him, and to look in confusion as she looked at his erect cock for a few moments, and then covered his organ with the same cream she had put on her breasts and pussy. His eyes shot up as Dita placed the container aside and then with a deep blush on her beautiful face…

Began to lick his cock while it was covered in the whipped cream…making him look like a pole-axed ox…he never expected this from the innocent redhead, but his mind, in it's currently lust soaked state didn't care at all. As soon as some of the cream was licked off the head of his cock, Dita paused and looked at him with wide eyes.

"C…Can…Can I do this to you Kyo? I…I mean…I heard that…Jura did this to you before…and I want to…pay…pay you back for…what you did to me earlier…but if you don't want to…then I'll stop."

(Stop?! SHE WANTS TO STOP?! NO WAY AM I GOING TO LET HER STOP NOW!)

"Go ahead Dita…just be…careful okay?"

"Yes!"

Dita felt relief flood through her as Kyo told her to go ahead with her actions on his cock, she had hoped that despite her lack of experience, she would do all right. She then recalled some of the things Jura had told her about doing this act to Kyo and went ahead to continue licking off the cream on her lover's sex.

As soon as she did so, she then moved on to his shaft and smiled warmly as she began to kiss and lick the skin, and true to Jura's description of the act, the pleased groans and moans of the Gundam pilot were very much arousing to the redhead as she continued to do what she started out to do. As she cleaned off the cream on the head of Kyo's cock she took in the head and licked it…taking the drop of pre-cum that was there, and loved the taste, as it was further made sweeter by the cream. As she licked off the cream and then continued to lick and kiss the shaft, she continued her actions to the sounds of Kyo's moans and groans of both pleasure and approval. As she finished removing most of the cream, she looked down and moved aside her bangs…

And took the whole thing into her mouth, slowly and remembering Jura's warning to make sure her teeth didn't cut Kyo's sex. The feel of Kyo's male sex in her mouth, it's heat, smoothness, hardness, and taste was amazing and Dita took the time to run her tongue on the head and shaft, making Kyo moan and buckle. Dita had never done this before and moved slowly, hoping that her actions were correct. And apparently they were Kyo continued to moan out his approval to her, that helped the redhead when she began to move up and down.

The only sounds at this point were Kyo's moans and groans as the pleasure Dita gave him mounted and she continued to make her actions on him, and the sounds of Dita's actions on Kyo's cock as she moved up and down slowly. She finally felt the same feelings of power, strength, sexuality, and desire that Jura had described to them when she did this to Kyo the night before. She continued thus and it didn't take long for Kyo to finally lose himself.

"AAAAUUUUUUGGGGHHHH!!"

"MMMPPPHHHH!!"

Dita moaned out loud as the first stream of Kyo's seed came and hit the roof of her mouth and then she managed to feel the rest of the action as Kyo's cock began to move and tremble as the Gundam pilot's orgasm hits him hard. Despite the sudden surprise, Dita keeps her lips around Kyo's sex and took as much of the seed as she could, the remaining cream in her mouth adding to the flavor of the seed, making it a sweet/salty mix that she found to be very nice indeed as she moved away. Some of the remaining seed flew from Kyo's cock and landed on her face, near the cheeks and chin, then to her breasts and ran down to her stomach. The redhead smiled warmly as she took in the mix in her mouth and swallowed it with a smile of pride and joy as the taste was amazing and the sight of her lover in joy for her actions to him made her very happy. She felt the seed on her face run and she used her hands to take them and she licked it off her fingers, finding that even without the sweet taste of the cream, the taste was nice to her. It was her Mr. Alien's essence after all and she didn't plan on wasting any, she then took the seed that was on her breasts and running down between her breasts. As she did so, she saw Kyo looking at her with a wide look of pleasant surprise. She merely smiled back and sat there.

Kyo was not going to forget the sight for a very long time and after getting his stamina and endurance back, moved towards Dita and kissed her, not minding the fact that he could taste himself in her mouth as well. I was fair after all. The two lovers kissed each other deeply, and cuddled a bit more, until Dita lay on the pillows and bed and beckoned for Kyo to finish what they both had started. Kyo nodded in agreement and wasted little time to go to his lover.

He knelt between Dita's open legs and took her right leg to his shoulder and kissed her thigh, making her squirm in delight at the erotic touch, as he then placed the leg back to the mattress. Dita took this as her cue as she wrapped her legs around Kyo's waist. He then guided his cock to her soaking wet pussy and looked deeply into Dita's passion, love, and lust filled blue eyes, and he then guided his cock past her pussy's outer lips.

Dita moaned at the intrusion and held on to several pillows to flow out her tension. Kyo smiled a bit at how tense she was and gently pushed in slowly…to make sure of two things, the first was to make sure she would get used to his cock in her vagina, and the other was to make sure that Dita would feel every sensation that he could give her. As soon as he entered her wet sex, the walls of Dita's inner sheath began to move and contract around his cock…the feelings made Kyo groan out his pleasure as he pushed onwards, and slowly as well to savor every sensation.

Dita herself groaned and moaned as the sensations flooded her body, from her sex to her toes, her finger-tips, her chest to her nipples…all the way to even her hair. She couldn't believe that such sensations were real, and she was now getting to feel them for herself. She had heard how Meia and Jura had described the sensations when they had done this with Kyo, and how delicious it was to them…and she wanted to feel them too…and now that she was, she couldn't believe how utterly wonderful they were to her, yet there was a knowing hunger in the pit of her belly, and it had nothing to do with food or drink…but something so odd and yet so needed and primal…she didn't understand it at first, until she realized that she wanted Kyo to move inside of her….she wanted it so badly that she felt like she was going to cry.

(Kyo's…cock is…is inside me…I can feel it's warmth…it's so hard and hot….Oh Grand Ma…I want him to show me…please, show me what it feels like to have it moving…inside me.)

"Kyo….please…."

Kyo gritted his teeth at Dita's innocent pleading, he could understand her desire as it mixed deeply with his own, but having known that she truly was a virgin, he knew that if he just pushed in hard without letting her get used to the sensations, then she would be hurt and that was the last thing he wanted to do to Dita of all people. He pushed in slowly and Dita moaned out her pleasure and hunger at the same time…further adding to the tension in the room.

Dita gasped as did Kyo as his cock finally arrived to where the barrier was and he looked at Dita. The redhead nodded as she recalled the pain that she would have to feel when Kyo took her virginity. She was a bit frightened at that, but both Meia and Jura assured her that once the pain passed it would be a totally different situation all together. They were her friends and she knew that they had already experienced it and they told her how gentle and selfless Kyo was to them when he comforted them when he broke their maidenheads when they were with him. She knew that with all that he had done for her, Kyo would never hurt her intentionally and that comforted her a bit as she nodded to her lover and braced herself.

Kyo sighed mentally and then pulled himself out slowly at first, making Dita gasp at the sensations and when he was nearly out, he then pushed forward quickly. The action pierced the maidenhead, and Dita groaned at the pain and gripped the pillows even tighter. Kyo leaned over and whispered loving words and apologies to his lover's ears as he merely stayed there…letting Dita get used to his presence. He then kissed her gently, from her forehead to her closed eye-lids, her nose and then to her lips, and they shared a deep kiss as Dita relaxed slowly.

As the lovers kissed each other, Dita felt the pain begin to pass and made Kyo realize it as she moved her hips, telling him that she was ready for him now, and Kyo smiled and kissed her once more as he slowly moved out from her soaking sex, the walls of her vagina clamped on his cock as if begging for it not to leave, making Kyo all the more aroused, as he was nearly out, he pushed back in slowly. This made Dita cry out in desire and surprise.

"OOOOOHHHH!! PLEASE!!"

Kyo said nothing as he began to thrust in and out of Dita's soaking wet sex, the two lovers then held onto each other as Kyo's thrusts began to speed up…he started slowly and began to pick up the pace as they moved in unison with the thrusts. As the movements increased in both speed and power, Dita couldn't help but wail out in desire and awe as her body was flowing with every thrust Kyo gave her as he moved in and out of her soaking wet sex. Kyo looked down at his lover and saw her breasts moving up and down with the thrusts, that plus the glow the holographic candles bathed her in, plus her sweat covered form made him even more aroused as he reached out and touched her breasts and the leaned forward to lick and kiss them…further adding to her pleasure.

"YOU ARE SO TIGHT!! OH GOD!!"

"MORE!! MORE!! I WANT YOU SO BADLY!!"

Kyo complied with his lover's demands and sped up his actions as Dita held on for dear life to him. The two lovers were crying out in pleasure and desire as they continued the pleasure each other with increasing intensity. Dita cried out her pleasure as did Kyo who groaned out his own desire for her. That was when Kyo decided to raise Dita's hips and did so, while he grabbed a pillow to place under Dita's hips. The angle further added him a chance to drive even deeper into Dita's sex, plus give him a very enticing view of his lover as she screamed out her joy at the increased feelings of his cock moving deeper into her soaking wet sex, plus her head was already on a pillow as well. The Gundam pilot's exceptional strength bred into his genes allowed him to hold his lover as he kneeled and continued to move in and out of her sex. The room was filled with the sounds of their wet bodies, namely their hips hitting each other in a very erotic way.

Kyo and Dita screamed their pleasure and looked into each other's love, passion and lust filled eyes. Deep blue clashed with sapphire blue/amelyst violet as the lovers began to reach their respective orgasms and when they did…it was like being in heaven and in flight.

"KKKKKKKYYYYYYYYOOOOOOOOOO!!"

"DDDDDDDIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTAAAAAAAA!!"

The very moment Kyo's second orgasm fired another hot and thick stream of his seed into Dita's womb, was the same moment Dita's orgasm floored her as well. The lovers screamed out their desire as Kyo fired stream after stream of his hot and thick seed into his lover's most sacred place….while Dita's vaginal walls milked her lover's cock and made him release even more thick and hot streams of his seed deep into her sex…both actions added to their joy and pleasure.

The lovers were still tense until the orgasms faded and Kyo lowered Dita's hips and lay on top of her gently, making sure despite his satiated state not to crush her body underneath his, Dita however made sure to hold him tight as they each felt their orgasms fade.

To Kyo, to finally show Dita how much he loved her and to know that she loved him back was worth the time and effort, plus he loved this passionate and sexy side of the innocent redhead and wondered just how fiery she could be, once he and her tried that again. He knew that just because they had done this, she was not going to instantly get pregnant, now was not the right time to have a child as this was war…but if she ever had a baby from his seed, then he would be there for them both and shield them from harm.

To Dita, to have this feeling of love and desire from Kyo after all the hard work she done was worth everything she did, and then some. To feel his hot seed inside her body, warming her very core and making her feel more in one with him was a feeling she would never replace with anything else. And she would never stop loving Kyo no matter what happens or what others will say…and if she ever had a baby, then she would that child to the end…along with Kyo.

Dita smiled and took a nearby chocolate bar from the container, just as Kyo did as well, the two lover smiled warmly at each other and fed each other respectively, afterwards… they caressed each other on the soft and wonderful red silk sheets. They then kissed each other and then went to sleep for the night. Dita had seen some other things in the video, and though she wanted to try them as well…she decided not to.

Tomorrow was a good time anyway to try them out.

--

(So…how was the lemon? I hope you don't mind this side of Dita Liebely all that much, I once read in a good novel of mine that red haired people were very passionate people…so I figured that since Dita was a redhead, I would make her a very passionate person as well, especially when it concerns Kyo.)

(I hope you don't mind it as I take a break from this for a bit.)

(Plus, there will be some new things happening to the crew of the Nirvana…namely a certain Head supplier, a Vanguard instructor, one of Hiryu McFile's male accomplices, and a certain blue haired girl who once chased Kyo…that's right…Misty just might find the guy she could have for her own in the coming pages! Wish me luck as we MIGHT see some new couples spring up soon!)

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To be continued…

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See you at the next chapter…and get ready for ANOTHER one!!

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(1) I saw a picture of Dita in a room setting with the same…though not like this description I made…with Dita in a white sleeping gown and holding a wine glass. Since this a lemon, I figured I'll use the picture as inspiration. Hope you like it.


	31. Chapter 31 Lemon

GunDread SEED The Second Stage

Disclaimer: VanDread is not mine, and the same goes for Gundam SEED

Chapter 10

Part 4B

Heavenly Holidays

( ): Thoughts

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The next day…

Kyo opened his eyes and blinked a few times as he managed to remove the sleepiness out of his eyes. As soon as he did so, he spotted Dita, sleeping soundly next to him with a smile on her face. He couldn't help but smile back as she slept. Memories of what they did last night flooded his brain very quickly and he couldn't help but feel the urge to wake Dita up and do it again, however, he decided not to and slowly got out of the bed, he then tucked the silk blanket on Dita and allowed her to sleep as he cleaned up the place and then he went to the bath room to get his clothes and cook break-fast.

Dita woke up an hour later and yawned as she stretched her arms outward and allowed the blanket to flow off her nude form. As she wiped the sleep from her eyes, she was slightly surprised to see the room to be very clean and orderly, the fruit and cream bowls were gone and so was the empty bottle and wine glasses. She wondered for a bit what had happened, and then wrapped the long silk blanket around her and walked out the bed room.

As she walked out, she smelled something delicious being cooked in the air and made her way to the dining area and smiled warmly as she saw Kyo cooking their break-fast. She couldn't help but notice how at peace Kyo seemed to be as he cooked, she then greeted him with a smile as he turned to face her with a bowl of hot rice and spoon in one hand.

Kyo whistled wolfishly at the sight of Dita wearing her tiara and clad only in the same sinfully red blanket. He knew for a fact that Dita would no doubt be naked underneath the blanket and the picture of her in the nude was VERY tempting in itself.

"Wow…you look lively today Dita…how are you feeling?"

Dita nodded and sat down on a chair as Kyo set the table for the two of them. The redhead blushed brightly as Kyo kissed her gently on the lips and she answered him as they broke the intimate contact, her face beet red and twiddling her fingers.

"It was so wonderful Kyo…I don't want to ever forget the feelings you gave me…especially when you…ah, well…gave me you're seed. How was it for you? Did I do well?"

Kyo blushed at the question and smiled at her and kissed her once more, very passionately and made her blush brightly once more. He then pulled back and replied.

"You did that, and a lot more Dita…now let's eat, I still have some things to wrap up and I have no doubt in my mind you have other things to do yourself, am I correct?"

Dita nodded with a smile as the two of them took in their break-fast. Kyo had cooked spam with scrambled eggs, rice, mushroom soup, biscuits, and hot Swiss milk chocolate. As they ate their meal, the Gundam pilot wondered just what else was happening with the rest of the crew.

--

In the Nirvana's Medical Bay…

"Here's the latest reports on the patients we have that are nearly recovering Duero!"

Paiway said as she helped tidy up the Medical Bay while giving the report to Duero. The young girl had finally become a highly skilled nurse, even by the standards of the other Megele pirates who came to have their routine medical check-ups. The Megele nurse had taken all her experience and Duero's lessons, tests, and training to heart and became very skilled as a healer, that much Duero and Max had told her and she was filled with pride at such praise. Many of the Paradise crew were surprised at how much Paiway had changed since they had last seen her, and they were surprised at her new attitude with medicine and her new style as it had looked odd at first, going against the accepted practices of Megele medicine, but it worked very effectively. Duero noted that and gave Paiway more encouragement, along with his brother Max.

"Thanks Paiway…do you have anything else to do?"

"Not really, I was hoping to got out today and have some time off…if that's okay with you?"

Duero nodded.

"By all means…I'll see you on the lunch shift."

"Thanks!"

Paiway left the Medical Bay, allowing Duero the time to study the list of patients that were nearly recovering and were soon to be discharged. Many of the Paradise crew were not all that sure that they would be able to be comfortable with him being the chief medical officer, despite Magno's recommendations, Gascogne's approval, and the approval of the other female pirates of the Nirvana, but he didn't mind…after all…the Nirvana crew were not all that comfortable around him either at first. As he read the list, he partially blamed himself for skipping breakfast this day. He had stayed in his old quarters on the ship when he was dealing with them cases yesterday, and had to be present for some unexpected calls for medical check-ups…thus missing break-fast. His stomach growled at him and he was feeling the effects of missing break-fast as he his stomach growled even louder than before. He however could not leave as he still had to check all the viable data on his patients, and therefore decided to reach into the pack of Talark food pill rations that he had kept in reserve.

As he ate the pills, he slightly grimaced as he ate them, but knew that they would keep him fed for the time being. However it didn't take long for him to stop as the door opened, he placed the pills aside in their container to face just who had arrived. And it was someone he knew well…

In a VERY intimate sense…Parfait Balblair came into the room carrying a tray of food and a glass of cool water, she smiled a bit and sighed as she spotted the food pill case. Despite understanding the need for quick to consume, easy to store and produce food, it still didn't sit well with her that Duero had to eat those pills, even if they did come from his home planet. It was a good thing to her then that she had brought in this tray of food for her lover so that he would be fed while he worked.

She would have done this the very second she had found out that he was busy working in the Medical Bay since this morning, but the Paeksis needed work and so did the rest of the newly repaired Dreads and Crusaders. And it was only now that she had gotten him the food that she had in mind.

"Parfait…what are you doing here? Do you have a medical problem that you want me to look at?"

Parfait smiled warmly at his concern for her well being and shook her head.

"Nothing Duero…but if I do have one, I'll call you immediately, I just came here to bring you some food, since you've skipped break-fast this morning, it's not healthy for you to do that you know."

Duero cleared his desk and allowed Parfait to place down the tray and as he looked at her, she took up his food pills and looked at them critically and then sighed at him, making him curious as to why she acted like that in front of her today.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing bad…it's, it's just hard to imagine that you've gotten so strong and healthy by only eating these for almost you're entire life. How do you're people stomach such awful stuff?"

Duero laughed a bit at that…not in the least bit offended by Parfait's observation of his civilization's choice of food stuffs. He understood that situation and also had known of Kyo's own dislike for the stuff.

"Don't worry, we do eat other things…however some of them can be rather hard to get. The reason we eat pills is that they are easy to produce, they don't need to be cooked at all, they are easy to carry in large amounts, they can last for years, and they don't bite back."

"Bite back?"

Duero nodded as he explained to Parfait just what kind of world he lived in before they had ever met. This to him was a good chance to tell Parfait about his world and what were the risks and dangers there, along with rewards as well once one knew the rules of the desert.

"The men of my world are not the only residents in Talark as well Parfait…just like humans were not the only residents in that desert world that we were trapped in. There are creatures that survive in the desert and feed on food items that can be found there. Plants do grow on Talark, but they have to be very tough and are hard to find."

"I didn't know that plants did grow on Talark." Parfait asked in surprise at this bit of information…having seen pictures of the desert world on a few occasions, and seeing how barren it looked in the pictures, she couldn't imagine anything else could live out there.

"They do, just not in the way you've normally expect…unlike the plants I have seen in this base, the plants in my world are hard to find and their roots go very deeply into the desert to find water tables underneath the sands. Plus, the plants are very far away from any cities to be harvested and grown. Also, the plants are very sensitive to their environments and therefore it's very rare for plants on Talark to be grown out of their normal environments. The plants are also protected by a variety of biological means to retain their supplies of water. Some such as the Grushell plant store all it's water reserves in the large, thick paddle like leaves on the top of the sands, and those are protected by a thick, waxy coating and sharp dual tipped spines. The only way to get the water is to burn off the wax and the spines and that's tough work out in the desert. The other is the Tuber Plant, that has a very tough outer coating with sharp edges and spines to protect it's roots, where the water is stored, the Stone Bulb Plant, that disguises itself in the shape and hue of stone and sand to avoid being eaten by the other animals. Those are just among the few plants that reside in the desert in very hard to find areas. There are others too and they have other uses apart from being sources of water."

"Oh?"

"Pretty much, the Tuber and Grushell plants for example, if they are cleaned well and kept fresh can be eaten raw or added to food for extra filling, the fibers also are our world's version of vegetables as well. The Stone Bulb plant, we use it as a sponge because it stores great amounts of water, and we can dry it up and use the cleaned or raw fibers as a makeshift bandage patch mixed with painkiller and antibiotics, plus duct tape and plastic. The Fire-tongue moss that we find in only canyons where it's shielded from the sun, winds, and sand can be dried and used as part of our condiments, and it works just like red, black, or green chili pepper, though a lot more potent. The flowers of the Singado herbs contain potent sap that serves as a natural stimulant that we mix in water, we use that in our first aid kits to help people with heart problems. The leaves of the herb can be used as a field drug as well when dried, crushed and mixed with water or placed into an aerosol form when there are no flowers around. The sap of the Drake vines can be used as a natural painkiller and muscle relaxant in both it's extracted liquid form or straight from the vines itself. The Caspan plant's small fruits that are hidden in a very tough heat retardant coating of flesh can be crushed to remove the juice and serve in the same capacity as vinegar, and the fruit can be eaten as well, either as part of a dish, or if you can tolerate it's taste, raw. The Xaindal plant's sap can be also used as something similar to soy sauce and the leaves can be crushed and mixed with water and then boiled to act as a natural repellant for the smaller insect pests on the planet. And the Kasiem bush's small fruits can be mashed into a paste and used to clot wounds and when eaten raw, the sap dried into crystals, or in a dish of any form can act as a sugar substitute."

Parfait's eyes widened at the information Duero had just given her, she never knew all that was to be found on a barren wasteland planet like Talark.

"Wow…I never knew that such plants did exist on Talark, but if that's the case…why don't you harvest them or grow them in farms?"

"We tried that before when the eight founding fathers of our civilization managed to make our people to flourish in the barren wastelands, but we had too many difficulties in doing just that. The first was that the plants were very hard to find and it took time to deal with their biological defenses and to harvest them. The second was that our soil is too barren to handle any farming efforts, thus we have to rely on those sources of plants we can find, and the land has limited water sources to dedicate solely to farming. The second is that normal farming techniques are near to worthless on the lands and the plants have already adapted to their environment and would not survive in controlled conditions…and the last is the fact that just like any world that has plants, there as animals who feed on them and there are those that feed on the animals that feed on the plants. We managed to wind up on the menu of those creatures as well, as the vast majority of the creatures on Talark are all predators. The Sand Viper for one."

"Sand Viper?"

Duero nodded and accessed the still present Talark data-core and began to show the animals that lived on Talark's vast wastelands, along with translating the Talark alphabet into the language of Megele so as to help Parfait know the creatures. The bespectacled engineer gasped as she saw the Sand Viper for the very first time…the thing was huge!"

"That's a SAND VIPER?!"

"Yes…one of the largest predators that stalk the sands and canyons of Talark. It is very strong and fast in small spaces and it can ambush other predators that are very careless in the desert. It's bite can pierce through lesser metals, bone, wood, cloth and flesh. This actually is a picture of a male Sand Viper Parfait…the females are far larger than this."

"They are LARGER?!"

"Yes, and they are stronger than the male Sand Vipers as well and have a far more powerful bite. They lay few eggs and when the young are born, they are strong enough to take down a teenaged human male and crush him to death. And like Earth born snakes, they swallow their prey whole, or in pieces. They are actually rather tasty if you can kill them, just like chicken."

"How can you kill these things Duero?! They just might eat you instead!! I can't imagine any one of you're world killing such a creature!"

Duero laughed and smiled. "You're talking to one who already killed one of them, though my father and Max were there, so we killed one by ourselves."

"You're kidding me…"

Duero shook his head as he then told the events on his side of the story on what he, his Alpha, and Max had done in their days in survival training…killing the creature and then getting what they could from the corpse after the battles they had with the female serpent. Parfait was spell bound and then realized that some of Duero's scars must have come from his battle with the said creature that he was telling her about at this very moment. She gulped a bit as Duero described the battle and what they did with the creature afterwards, and that made her gulp and look a bit sick.

Duero then sighed as he finished his story, and then smiled at Parfait…assuring her that it was in the past. And he then told her what he had said about the meat of the Sand Viper being delicious, plus the other things the Sand Viper's corpse was used for.

Duero then held Parfait's hands to assure her as she looked at him, as she marveled at how Duero had survived such a battle with such a massive and deadly beast. If any person from Megele would have ever tried to be in that same situation Duero and his family had been in, they would have been traumatized for life…making her even more happy to have known a brave person like him.

"There are other predators in Talark as well, like the Sand Viper, though not in the same league as in size…but they are more deadly in their own right, like the Sand Panthers, who work in pairs when they hunt their prey. All in all, the fact that nearly all the creatures on Talark are meat eaters, and are too dangerous is another reason we eat pills Parfait. My people would risk losing too many young men trying to hunt these creatures and if they were unable to survive, they would become the food, even capturing one is hazardous and even more lives would be lost in the attempt, and breeding them would be too risky and expensive for us, in terms resources, supplies, manpower, energy, and time. That's why pills are our only form of food, though I happen to know some good restaurants back on Talark that serve good food, though I will have to tell you all that at a much better time since now is not a very good time. By the way…I thank you for the food, maybe someday I'll cook you something in thanks as well."

Parfait blushed at that and smiled.

"Thank you…I'll hold you on that."

Elsewhere on the Nirvana…

Misty was busy with her own side of work, ever since she had joined the pirates and was now part of their crew, she had found a place with the bridge bunnies as she called Belvedere, Amarone, Celtic and Ezra and she had to deal with the fact that she would tell them about how life was like for her back then before she had been in the home she had on Mars, namely on how she and her friends would deal with their male classmates. Right now however, she was busy checking the latest transmissions from the sensor lookouts around the asteroid base. She was tired and wished that she would soon end her shift and have some fun.

Despite still not being used to living on an all female place, she had to admit it was kind of nice on occasion and getting the chance to see some of the wonderful things the women had made, plus all the food, entertainment was so nice…she could bet that the feminists in her school, had they still been around would have called Megele paradise!

Despite this…she still had one problem that irritated her to no end.

(God I wish I had a boy-friend now…it's so lonely at times out here.)

The dark blue haired teen sighed as she finished the last checks and managed to fix the creak in her neck a bit and yawned. That was when Ezra showed up with her daughter Lacus and Rebecca. The loving couple were walking into the bridge to talk to Magno for this day as they were taking the time off to relax, plus visiting the elderly Captain was on their minds as they wanted to ask her to be the god-mother for their baby, as Kyo had already filled the role of god-father. Ezra looked at Misty and walked over to the tired teen.

"Hello Misty…are you feeling all right?"

Misty turned and smiled at Ezra in greeting, as well as Lacus, the little baby also smiled back and went to sleep in her mother's arms. Misty then looked at Ezra and replied.

"Not really, I'm just really tired right now…I've been working non-stop for quite a bit this morning and it's now that I can relax…but I don't know what to do."

"I see…oh yes, if you don't mind, can you take message to Miss Gasco in the Register, I was wondering if she could send this list to the Dread maintenance Hanger for the Paradise, they're kind of short on parts for today and it might take a while to get them from the base's stores, and their really in a hurry over there."

"All right, I'll get on it. I don't have much else to do anyway."

As Misty went off, Ezra sighed at the young teens retreating form…sure, by chronological standards, Misty was much other than them all with the exception of the Captain, but by physical and emotional standards, she was still a teenager, and a very young one at fourteen years of age as well. If she had been born on Megele she would be fine…however, the mother knew that even as she had gotten used to being with them, Misty still wished to be with a man to make her feel at home, sadly the only men were mostly from Talark with the exception of Kyo Yamato. Duero was already in a strong relationship with Parfait, Max was already in a relationship as well with Barnette, There was no doubt about Kyo's relationships with Dita, Jura, Meia, Sara, and Mai as the Gundam pilot seemed different around them than before, and Bart seemed different and still was on good terms with Tenmei/Buzam…even if the commander was actually a man. That left Aleck Koubayashi, Duero and Max's Alpha Hiryu McFile, and some of the men who were part of the rescue to free the others back on Talark…but she doubted Misty would agree to the idea of being with men who in her own words were as old as her own father. She wished that Misty would find someone she could be happy with, but since she had grown up with men in her youth, the mother doubted being with a female friend will do.

"This Misty seems really lonely Ezra, maybe she could hang out with the others back on the Paradise, she might do well with them."

Rebecca said as she looked at Misty as well.

"I'm afraid that won't work Rebecca, Misty is not from our world, nor would she like our ways on Megele all that much…she would like to be with a man as well."

"Really?"

Ezra then told her mate about how they had met Misty and the kind of chaos she had brought on the ship when she managed to latch onto Kyo when they freed her from the cryogenic pod they found her in, along with other matters, including the communal bath incident, and then her time chatting with Kyo when she finally decided to tell her life story and the way she made peace with the fact that she couldn't win Kyo's heart, regardless, she told Rebecca on how she and Kyo became friends. After that was over, Rebecca was silent for a moment and then spoke.

"I guess that Misty's really lonely now…but aren't there already men here, if she can't be with any of the men who she knows here, then maybe she can try being with some of the men who were part of the team with Buzam, they seem all right."

"Really…why is it I've never seen them on the ships before?"

"I don't really know…maybe they still believe that we're monsters, the only time I've seen them is when they are with their boss…that man named Hiryu McFile and Aleck Koubayashi. They seem to be a secretive lot, but they are hard working as well. Right now, I've heard that Gascogne might decide to ask Aleck if those boys would mind working with the women for a change. Some of them are supposed to be on the way to the Register as we speak."

At that very moment…

Misty was walking towards the Register with the list and was whistling a tune she had recalled in her school days back on Mars and then sighed as she wondered just what she was going to do for the rest of her life while she was here with the crew of the Nirvana…true she had friends among the crew…but still…having a male friend would have been really nice to have.

(Oh who am I kidding! The only men on this ship are either taken or too old for me biologically anyway…and even if I visited Talark, they would probably shoot me on sight because they think women are monsters…oh man…I wish that for once I meet a guy who I can be with without worrying about…AAAAHHHHH!!)

"AAAAHHHHH!!"

"OH DAMN IT!!"

Misty's shout of surprise was due to the fact that she had just ran into someone and the second shout came from the person she had just collided with. The two youths groaned and as she sat up, the fact that she was tired, and somewhat lonely and miserable naturally made Misty Cornwell very agitated and before she could stop herself, she got up from her prone position on the ground and sat up to glare at the person who ran into her.

"WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU…"

The rest of her attempt to make the person who ran into her regret the action as she finally gazed at the one she ran into…it was not a female member of the pirates…but a male who wore the clothes of that of the Third Class citizenry that she had heard about from Kyo's time on the all male planet. She then noted that the man who she had just collided with had with him a large tool bag and a vest filled with pockets, the kind mostly associated with mechanics and technicians. As the man looked back at her after shaking his head, Misty was able to see his face.

He had a smooth, angular face, with smooth lines and tanned skin, a testament to the fact that all men from Talark, regardless of their age, were always in the sun. the man appeared to be…fifteen, only a year older than Misty was. His hair was deep black in a short haircut and a long braid on the left side of his head. His eyes were deep green, like an emerald's and they seemed to be rather intense as they gazed at her. His clothes also hugged his frame, showing that despite being rather young, he was fit and strong, with his muscles being in the right spots and well proportioned. In Misty's eyes…he was a hunk!

The young man then looked at Misty and then growled slightly at her.

"Watch where you're going, you woman!"

Misty glared back a bit, despite him being a hunk, she didn't like being yelled at by a rude person.

"The name's Misty! Misty Cornwell to you buster!"

"The name is not buster! My name's Devon, Devon Takaeda! And I am in a hurry right now, I'm supposed to meet up with my boss in this place called the Register." (2)

"The Register? That's where I'm heading."

"You know where it is?"

Misty nodded and was confused, not only was this guy new to her, but he seemed to be very unfamiliar with the Nirvana itself. That was when she made a guess that he was one of the men who worked with Buzam to free the other guys from the Interrogation Center back on Talark nearly a week ago.

"Tell you what, I'll take you to where it is if you come along with me."

Devon looked at Misty with a very suspicious look, seemingly not willing to trust this girl to direct him to the Register quickly. Like all his fellow men, he was very distrustful of women, but he was not scared of them. Though he had to finally admit when he first met them…they certainly didn't fit the description of being monsters in the very least from all the propaganda films he had seen when he was growing up, he was still wary of them.

Misty noted that and then sighed.

"Look…I'm in a hurry, you're in a hurry, we're both in a hurry to get to the same place. Why don't you follow me and we can get there in time…and I won't do any of those things you've heard we women are supposed to do to men, deal?"

Devon looked at Misty and realized that she did mean what she said, and something in him stated that she was somewhat different from some the women he had met and seen, but he was still wary of her, however, being late was not on his mind as he preferred to be on time to speak with his commanding officer.

"Deal."

--

In the Register…

"All right ladies, once we're done here we can take a break, but be sure to keep your; communicators ready for any change in the situations or new work shifts."

"Yes Ma'am!"

"And don't forget our Motto…which is?"

"Smile! Smile!"

"Good!"

Gascogne smiled as she looked at all the hard working members of her working teams, it was nice to have them in a relaxed situation in the base, but the head supplier knew that there were still plenty to details to fix before they could take a vacation. And although it was a good time to relax, she wanted to make sure that the Register was fully re-stocked with all the needed parts, supplies, munitions, fuel, components, and more…they had exhausted their supplies in many battles, and just recently had nearly ran themselves ragged in the battle with the seven Harvester battle-ships and their forces. As it stood, she would have to requisite brand new plating for her own shuttle, the Dreki, unknown to the others, her ship had nearby been obliterated more than once in the fierce fighting and had to be repaired as much as possible…she had no doubt in her mind that the shuttles of the Megele forces that fought were also severely damaged as well as hers. It pained her to see her beloved shuttle being towed away for massive repairs, but that couldn't be helped in the least.

"Having a tough day Gascogne?"

She turned to find her new partner in playing Cards, Aleck Koubayashi as the grizzled but strong Vanguard pilot sat down next to her and sighed as he cracked his knuckles and looked at the other Register crew.

"Pretty much…what brings you here Aleck, aren't you busy with the new batch of men from you're world? They are under you're command I heard."

"They are, some of them I knew as good friends of my son before he passed away and they worked with Hiryu in the military, most of them are not what you'd expect though."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Most of them are from the Third and Second Class Citizenry, but they are pretty hard workers in their own right, some of them became like sons to me, and right now, I asked the youngest of them to come here for an assignment detail. Most of them still don't trust women and keep to the male section of the Nirvana most of the time, which is why they don't show up much around here. I try to get them to work with you ladies…but they still don't trust you, and still believe some of the stories about women, no offense meant to you and the others here of course."

Gascogne smirked a bit as she recalled the types of stories the men had about women.

"None taken…so who's this young lad who's supposed to be coming here?"

"His name's Devon Takaeda, he's a young mechanic in the Talark Military who worked on the Vanguards' motor system and other vehicles, and was the one who I worked with in the past to kick out the bugs in the systems. Though many of the other men insult and mock him for being a Third Class Citizen, he's a mechanics genius in real life and one of the men or rather young men I trust when it comes to mechanics and repairs. He decided to come along with us after Hiryu asked for his help to free the others. His Alpha and Omega were good friends of mine who died in a fire when he was little, so I took him in and gave him a job in the Mechanics Corps, that's where he got the bite of the mechanic bug. I'm asking him to come here and work with the bridge crew on how to repair Megele based gear. I figured they can learn a thing or two while they are here, instead of being cooped up in the men's section all the time, that would help them get over the stories they heard about women as kids, plus, they can really help in the coming battles anyway."

"Hmm…I'd like to meet this kid of you're if he's willing I can have him work here too in the Register, just like Kyo did before."

At that moment, the youth in question arrived with Misty in tow. The two were chatting, though it was Misty who spoke the most and Devon being only able to speak when he wanted to get his point across, the two seemed to be fairly normal towards each other as well, showing no hostility as of yet. The two elder crew members looked at the young pair with a curious look and then it was there that Devon stopped and saluted Aleck.

"Mechanic Corps Member, Devon Takaeda, reporting sir!"

Aleck returned the salute…much to the amusement of the Register crew, Gascogne, and Misty. The two men then dropped their arms and Aleck decided to give Devon his assignment for today.

"You want to know why I called you here Devon?"

"Yes sir."

"I need you to head to the bridge of the Nirvana and learn how to repair Megele based technology and components. Think of it as a hands-on assignment in learning and you can help the crew of this ship out if they are short handed. Do you have any complaints about this assignment Takaeda?"

"None as of yet sir."

"Good, in that case, I'll have to appoint you to a liaison on the Nirvana's female crew, she will be able to help you out on any matters, and if you have any complaints then you can refer them to me or her."

Misty then headed over to Gascogne and handed Ezra's list. The head supplier took the message and read it, as soon as she was done with the list she looked at Misty and then at Devon and smirked a bit as an idea came to her head. She then got Aleck's attention and whispered in his ear.

Devon's eyes hardened as he glared at the muscular and tall woman.

(Just what is she doing to Instructor Aleck…is she going to suck out his innards or something?! No way…if she was, then Instructor Aleck would already be dead… that must mean she's telling him something…what is she telling him then?)

Misty wondered just what was Gascogne whispering to Aleck and why was it she had looked at both her and Devon.

(What is she up to…is she…no way is that possible…I mean, Devon's nice and good looking, but he's from a planet where men see women as monsters…I'm not sure that he'll change in one day. Still it would be nice to have some male company for a change…even if there's no way to have a male companion to talk to.)

As soon as the conversation ended between the two, Aleck looked at Misty and spoke to her.

"Misty…you're part of the bridge crew and navigation, am I correct?"

"Yep, I am a Computer & Communications student after all, and I've gotten a good understanding of Megele tech, why do you ask?"

Aleck smiled and spoke the reason as to why he asked her that particular question.

"I want you to be Devon's liaison, is that okay with you?"

Misty looked on in surprise, while Devon sighed and shook his head. The young woman wondered why was she suddenly picked for this kind of thing by the officers. She may be familiar with the use of most of the Megele equipment, but working with a man was a new thing for her. However, a part of her decided to try and see just if it was possible to have a male friend…even if the one in question is from Talark. With that in mind she agreed.

"Fair enough…when do we begin?"

--

Later…

"You know…ever since we have been paired together, you haven't said a single word to me, you don't like me do you?"

Misty asked as she sat next to a nearby console while Devon was lying on his back and looking over the charts as he checked the wires and connections as he went into the console's access hatch.

Devon snorted as he replied.

"I never said I dislike you, I only don't trust you… Not much for me to talk about either…and I am kind of busy."

"Oh, I see…you've never talked to a woman before?"

"Apart from you? Nope. And now is not the time to be chatting, I've got work to do…hand me the plasma binders."

Misty then handed the plasma binders to Devon as he continued to work on the schematics of the console. Misty wondered just what she would have to talk about, unlike Kyo who was now more open to her and more friendly, she was paired with a young Talark male who was very much distrustful of her and that grated on her nerves more than even she cared to admit, but she kept calm about it and decided to help him out, she then lay on the ground and pushed herself to be right next to Devon.

The young man looked at her as he used the plasma binders, he may not have looked at her, but he made it clear that he didn't like her sudden appearance.

"What are you doing here?"

"Looking to see if you need any help with the systems, we are supposed to work together after all. You don't like it if I'm here at all to help you out just in case?"

"Hmm, not really…I'm actually surprised you want to do that, most of the time, I've heard you women from Megele don't like us men all that much."

Misty giggled and then replied to Devon.

"Well, to tell you the truth, I'm not from Megele actually, I was from another world and the crew of the Nirvana found me floating in space in a hibernation pod."

Devon looked at her for a moment and smirked a little.

"Right…and I'm a First Class Citizen."

Misty smirked back…

"It's the truth, because if it wasn't I would have argued with Gascogne about being assigned to someone as introverted and somewhat close mouthed as you Devon. But you are quite the good looking type you know…if you were a student in my school, a lot of the girls would have loved to get to know you…along with…well, I'll talk about that some other time, besides, such things are kind of private."

Devon didn't know why, but despite his still lingering distrust of women, he found the idea of a woman calling him good looking to be rather interesting, though the idea of other girls like Misty loving to get to know him was a bit surprising and a bit uneasy. He however was curious as to why Misty would consider him good looking, not only was it unheard of in the all male world to be called good looking by a woman, but he didn't consider himself as one, along with the fact that his consider plain looking on his world.

"I'm not good looking Misty, where I come from…I'm considered plain looking by my peers."

Misty raised an eyebrow at that comment and was surprised that such a good looking guy like Devon was considered to be plain looking by the other men of his world. If he was considered to be plain looking on his world, then she drooled mentally of what the men would consider to be the definition of handsome. She however decided to tell Devon of the reason why she considered him good looking.

"Well, you might not believe this entirely, but I come from a planet where men and women lived together and even have children together. My parents were a man and woman and I even had a little male sibling. I went to school with my fellow females and with men as well…and there are plenty of guys there that were nice people. And you might think that you are plain looking, but to me or any girl who appreciates male beauty, you are quite the looker, especially at you're age."

Devon could tell that Misty was telling the truth on that statement and he replied as he went back to work with a slightly amused look.

"I still don't completely trust you Misty Cornwell…but thanks for the compliment."

Misty chuckled a bit, it seemed that she was going to have fun with her new working partner as she had every intention to try and make him not only see women in the right way, than the way he had grown up in believing, but to see if she could finally find someone she could consider a boy-friend…and more. She didn't know why she started thinking in this fashion, but it seemed that she was going to have some fun with her new companion.

"You're welcome Devon…and it seems I'm going to have to earn you're trust then if we're going to be working together. I'm going to have to show you that women were not the monsters you've seen in those weird and down right disgusting videos you've seen as a kid."

Devon grunted a bit.

"Good luck in doing that. You sure you can actually convince me that women can be trusted?"

Misty grinned madly and then whispered in his ear.

"Watch me."

--

In another part of the Nirvana…

BLAM!

BLAM!

BLAM!

The sounds of gun-fire was heard as the occupant of the Nirvana's shooting range finished her rounds. Barnette then unloaded the spent clip from her beloved Glock 9 pistol and loaded a fresh one and redid the simulation once more. As she went back into the shooting mode, she stopped as she turned to spot someone come into the room, and she smiled warmly as to who it was…none other than her lover and cherished on…Max McFile, who was armed with a Talark rifle, and what appeared to be a side-arm.

She was already familiar with the Talark assault rifle…having used it before…however, their side –arm was different in design. It resembled a Berretta 92 pistol, but appeared to be a bit larger and had a larger clip than the normal version, and considering the fact that it apparently didn't have a slide on it meant that it was different. Max noted her inspection of the weapon and took it out from his holster.

"This is the Fang Personal Defense pistol, it's one of our basic side-arms, unlike most pistols we decided to have it use case-less ammunition. Have you heard of that Barnette?"

Barnette shook her head somewhat….most of the weapons that she had were all using basic bullets, meaning that they were all in casings. She had not seen or even heard of weapons that didn't use case-less ammunition.

"No, I haven't in fact this is the first time I've ever even heard of guns that use case-less ammunition."

Max smiled as he showed the weapon in action as he fired several rounds at several targets, and sure enough, the gun didn't release any spend shell casings and the bullets hit dead on. He then took out the clip and showed to Barnette that the bullets were not in shell casings, like her own, but were stored in a small block of powerful propellant. Max then explained to her that due to the fact that the pistol used case-less ammunition, it would save up on needed metals, cutting down the need to use too much of their supplies of mental to make bullet casings, and the Fang was just among the few weapons in the Talark arsenals that used case-less ammunition.

Barnette was impressed with the data and then asked exactly why was it that Max was telling her these things. Max merely smiled and much to her surprise handed her the side arm.

"I want you to have it, I know it might not mean much, but I have a feeling that you will find a good use for this someday, and if it can protect you from harm, and I think that it would be a good addition for your collection."

Barnette realized that Max was giving her a very important gift, the same way that she had given Jura the ring, but in this case, it was a weapon that could protect her just in case she needed protection and he was not around, as she looked at the weapon to admire it's designs, she noted that he had notched on the gun, his initials…and hers as well, this made her smile at her lover and she hugged him.

"Thank you."

And to further show how much she liked the gift, she kissed him passionately and he naturally responded in kind. This was enough for Barnette to get a bright idea…since the day was still young and Max had no other duties to attend to, the two of them had some time on their hands. With that in mind she asked if he could leave the rifle in the locker in the shooting range, he was confused at that statement and even more confused as they walked out of the shooting range.

However, his confusion was answered as they arrived at her room on the Nirvana. Barnette whispered in his ear.

"I think it's time I thank you for the gift…and I happen of have been able to get some brand new ideas to try out. Do you want to let show you what they are?"

Max could barely do anything but nod and then smile as the two of them kissed each other once more as Barnette opened the room's door and led her lover into her personal space on the Nirvana. The only thing that anyone would have seen, if they were around that is, was Barnette removing Max's trench coat.

(Heheheh…hey I did say that this Chapter section and the next will be filled with lemons, due to demand…so don't blame me for that.)

--

In yet another part of the Nirvana…

"So…how was last night?"

Jura smiled a bit mischievously as she Meia, Sara and Mai were around Dita as they had decided once more to meet and talk about the latest encounter with the object of their combined affections. Dita had accompanied Kyo to where his new car was and smiled as she watched Kyo begin his new routine of fixing his Gundam and making routine work on the Mobile Suit that not only had his father's 'soul' inside of it's OS, but had served him faithfully for all his life ever since his awakening into this time. Dita smiled as she helped her beloved by bringing him some food and supplies as he worked. As of right now, he was finished having lunch and was working his new car and making some good progress, that was the time that Dita met up with her comrades.

Dita blushed bright red to the point that her face matched her deep crimson hair and smiled warmly as she began to tell her comrades at how she and Kyo had shown their affections to each other, and what they had done, both in the bath room and then to the bed room. The four other women were surprised at Dita's efforts to show her love to Kyo and make love with him. And the women blushed brightly as she told them…in VERY accurate detail, what she had done to Kyo and what Kyo had done to her as well. Dita ended the conversation with a very warm smile on her face and told them how she felt after that.

"It was…the most wonderful thing I have ever done, and I am happy that all my hard work had paid off, and the tape was very important. I…I…never knew how good it was to be in love with a man and now that I do…I would love nothing more to than to love Kyo for as long as we're both alive, and if I ever…well, have his child, I would love and raise that baby no matter what others will say, because it's my baby with Kyo."

Jura and Meia smiled warmly and laughed good naturedly at Dita. They were in a way beginning to see just how much better it was to be able to admit their feelings for Kyo. And they were finding it nice to talk about such things. They thought before that they would become jealous over their situation, but after they decided to see just how far it would work out, it was actually very much worth the effort. The two congratulated Dita, along with Sara and Mai.

It was then that the five women decided to have a break and headed to the galley and when they were now in the galley, they ate their lunches and talked to each other about what they planned to do the next day as they had yet to gain any word from the captain, like the rest of the crew. It was also then that they realized that it was Mai's turn as she had been next after Dita. The brown haired female blushed brightly as she realized that since it was her turn, she would have to come up with an idea on how she could show Kyo her own mode of affection, she then realized that maybe she just might have the right solution and it would have some degree of success as Kyo was also into this sort of thing…

Now all she had to do was figure out how she could work her charms on Kyo.

--

Meanwhile…in the Medical Bay…

Duero was busy running through the last entry on the patient list and sighed as he grabbed the last bit of food on his tray. Parfait was nice enough to come by earlier with a tray filled with food for lunch, the list was not in itself very long, and he would have been done earlier but there were some new patients that came in and he had to put his previous works on hold and he was only able to wrap things up now.

As he finished his meal, he decided to see if Paiway was going to arrive, but decided that since there were going to be few patients lately, he decided to send a message to Paiway via communicator, that she could have the day off for today. Paiway replied a warm thank you to him as she told him that she was planning to hang out with some of the youngsters her age, along with her own family. He wished the young nurse the best of luck and went back to his duties, he then decided to run a routine inspection on the parts in the Medical Bay.

He was checking out the beddings to make sure that they were all in good condition, with many of the patients now on the roads to full recovery…the beds were in neat and pristine order. He then turned to as the door to the Medical Bay opened and found none other than Parfait looking at him with a smile. She apparently had put away her glasses as she didn't have them on, and due to the fact that she didn't squint, told her that she was wearing her contacts. The fact that she still had her hair in their normal braids was a bit interesting though why he had no idea…

Regardless of that, he was happy to see her as she walked into the room.

"Hello Parfait, is there something you want me to do for you today?"

Parfait giggled as she walked over to her beloved and grinned widely as she reached him. Duero didn't understand what was going on, that is until Parfait asked him something.

"Is Paiway coming here today or any of you're patients?"

"No…no patients today since all are on vacation, the last ones were done for the day, and I have given Paiway the day off…why do you ask?"

Parfait smiled beautifully at the information her beloved had given her.

(Good…that means I can have all the time I need to try out a few of those ideas I got from Barnette and Jura…I hope Duero would like them…and I am hoping that he likes it…It's a shame I can't do it in the privacy of either my room or his…but this place will do just fine.)

Duero wondered why Parfait was silent and smiling, until he saw the gleam of desire in her violet eyes and before he could say anything, Parfait kissed him while on her toes and that stopped any inquiry he was about to make. Duero only hesitated for a second and kissed his beloved back. They kissed deeply for a few more moments until Parfait moved back and pushed Duero to one of the larger beds. This was the spark that made Duero's mind realize that they were in the Medical Bay.

He didn't even want to guess what would be the result if the others caught Parfait and him in here…doing the act of procreation. The idea of that happening should have scared him, however his mental faculties were not responding in the normal way as another part of his psyche seemed to find the idea of doing it in the Medical Bay to be rather exciting. With that in mind, he took off his trench coat, much to the delight of the head engineer.

Parfait unzipped her jump-suit and took it off as the door of the Medical bay was now closed.

(Oh…will Parfait and Duero get caught in the Medical Bay doing the deed by the other crew members?! What will be the outcome if they were caught?! More lemony goodness is yet to come for them couples in the Nirvana!!)

--

In the Nirvana's Hanger Bay…

"Okay…let's see if that does the trick…"

Kyo looked over the data schematics in his Lap-top as he plugged the personal computer into the car's CPU system core that the he decided to take out from the main body first. He realized that due to the lack of repairs, updates, and new data packages, the OS for the car's Navigational-Systems computer was still shot and naturally needed to be removed and refurbished with a brand new OS in order for it to function. Right now however, he was still busy with the computer and had to make the basic OS frame-work before getting down to the finer points of the programming that he had to undertake. It was naturally hard work, but it was relaxing as well.

He had already done his natural routine of scanning and checking his Gundam's OS, weapons, P. Phase Shift Armor System, engines, navigational equipment, repair systems, power-plant, and more. After that, he decided to work on his new car. It was a civilian outlet for his mechanical and computer engineering talents, plus the car would certainly come in handy in the near future…namely if he did start a family. There was a need for a family car after all.

(Whoa, better not get ahead of myself too far…I still have to deal with the Harvesters, their forces, and that leader of theirs, plus the Gundam he was piloting. Still, it is nice to be using my skills for something that does not involve me blowing stuff up.)

The screen of his lap-top then showed him the progress of how long it was for the new OS to be made and then tested by being installed into the CPU of the car. He planned not to have the auto-pilot on the car on constantly, it would be a waste of good data and power, he planned to do most of the driving, that meant he would have to get used to driving a car instead of a Gundam, he had done it before, when he was younger, on a small race track in his younger years at high school on a track, however, this was a real car, not one of the rides he had taken at that stage of his youth. This was going to be his first real car, the sad thing was…he never got the chance to have a proper driver's license…though the idea of one still existing in this day and age was uncertain.

With that in mind, the Gundam pilot then decided to take a good look at the mechanical aspects of his new car. The years of lack of care were evident as large amounts of soot and dust were there, along with areas where the metal looked dull and worn out from stress fractures and rust, there were also areas where the metal looked to be loose, nuts and bolts were loosening, the wiring were also old and decayed, circuits that were not part of the recently repaired CPU core of the car were old and also worn out…some of them even had busted sections on them, the other parts needed serious retooling too, and he might as well would have to remove sections of the car that might need to be removed in the first place, though chopping up the car was not yet on his mind, he would also need to get some extra tools, supplies, and materials to be sure that everything in the car would work in the right way…plus it seriously needed a new color scheme…the paint was old and cracking as well. The lighting systems needed to fixed or replaced, along with air-conditioning systems as well.

This car needed a serious make-over to the highest degree from the looks of it and it was a good way to pass the time until his vacation was over, besides , he had a feeling that in the coming months, they would have a lot of things to take care of before the final battle would start, not to mention that they would have to find a way to even up the odds that they all would soon be facing, even with the combined Talark and Megele forces, they were still going to be badly outgunned once the fighting starts, some very unique tactics were needed to even up the odds as soon as that happened, along with some useful weapons and tech.

He also knew that the men and women on both worlds were already going all out to make those weapons and tech, but they still didn't have the right amount of personnel to be effective, no weapon, no matter how powerful and advanced would be of any worth if there was no one who could use it to fight the enemy, no gun, Dread, laser ring, laser rifle, Vanguard, Crusader, or even Gundam would be powerful without their pilots. And that was where the women and men were most vulnerable. They would only have four months to train and equip their new pilots, crew, officers, and support staff and that was just too short a time frame for any military outfit, no matter how well funded, trained, disciplined, motivated, and equipped to be ready for combat. They would have to make some tough choices soon, and even if he was on vacation…he was not going to remain all that focused on personal free time all the time.

As he was so busy diagnosing the car's physical problems and doing some easy to do repairs, and cleaning, he was not able to notice that a certain somebody was already making her way towards him. Mai gulped as she kept her stealth training in mind, she knew how quickly Kyo would react if he sensed danger, but she wanted to surprise her fellow worker in the Register, the object of her own growing affections, and her commanding officer on the Crusader Squadron. She had made some plans but all the planning wouldn't work if Kyo didn't agree to it all.

(Here goes…)

"Excuse me, Kyo, are you busy?"

Thankfully, Kyo was not doing something that would have distracted him too much, rather, he was busy removing a large collection of wires that had already shown to him that they had to be replaced for the repairs to be properly finished and he was already done when Mai called his attention. And therefore he smiled at the young brown haired woman who seemed to want to speak to him.

"Oh…hi Mai, what brings you down here?"

Mai bowed before the Gundam pilot and replied with a smile.

"I heard you were working on a car…so I came to see how it's going."

Kyo laughed a bit as he took out a rag and wiped his hands clean as he pointed to the car in question.

"It's still somewhat of a mess, I have a lot of things to do before it can be travel worthy…not to mention I might need to fabricate some new parts and sections of it to deal with all the decay, damage, and neglect it suffered, it's a bad waste of such a classic car though, and I am going to have this baby running soon, hopefully, before we have to deal with the Harvesters. I had driven small racing cars before…when I was still younger and back on Earth…but this will be my first real car and I hope to make it look like a winner."

Mai nodded with a smile. If there was anyone she knew of who can get a car like this one back to pristine order, it was Kyo. That was when she decided to try her chance and see if she could finally get Kyo to come with her somewhere later on.

"Kyo…do you plan to do something later this day?"

Kyo thought about it and then shook his head, he had not seen Dita, Jura, or Meia, for a while and he wondered how they were doing, but put that aside as they too needed some time for themselves as well as he did, and it would be nice to be on his own. However, he certainly didn't mind any female company at this time.

"Not really, after all the repairs and upgrades, I'll put this project on hold and head off back to my apartments…why do you ask?"

"Well…if you don't mind, I'm going to ask if you wouldn't mind coming with me to a special gym in the base, I was hoping to spend some time working out on some of the martial arts I learned as a girl later tonight, and I want to ask…if you can spare the time, to come with me and show me some of your own moves…plus…I was wondering if we could spar later on…that is if you don't mind."

(Mai certainly has a way with asking me out…taking me to a gym no less.)

Kyo thought about it and wondered if it was a good idea. The gym in the Nirvana was certainly more than adequate for any needs in physical training and conditioning. But he was sure that it was not a very private place and despite his misgivings…he had to admit he was rather intrigued as to why Mai asked him to be a personal audience. Despite his inner voice telling him to just go ahead…he was still curious as to what she had in mind. Regardless, he could tell that Mai had taken some effort to come forward and ask him for this chance…he recalled the time he had gone on a date with her a few months before and how utterly clueless they both were at first, but as they broke the ice, he got to know her a bit than before. If this was another date, albeit a rather odd one, who was he to refuse?

"All right then…I'll be finished soon so I'll give you a call here that I'm done, I'll meet you at the central park after I've cleaned up at my apartment…the last I want is to meet you smelling like a grease monkey."

"All right, I'll see you later Kyo."

--

(It's official…it's Mai Miazaki's turn to go after Kyo…but why a gym of all places you ask? Well, that would be telling now won't it? I guess you'll have to wait and see now won't you…however, feel free to come up with your own personal ideas as to how this will play out.)

(Before we do get down to the fire-works which will start off with our new pairing…why don't we go take a look on how Parfait and Barnette are doing with their respective lovers in their current locations…with Parfait and Duero in the Medical Bay…and Barnette and Max in Barnette's room in the Nirvana…but I have to ask…who would you like to see first?)

--

In Barnette's room…

Barnette smiled warmly and groaned as she ran her tongue over Max's hard shoulders as he was currently on her bed and was now half naked and was only wearing his body suit which was now half removed and was covering only his lower form. The emerald haired woman smiled warmly as she looked at her lover and smiled as she finished her removal of her clothes, she had already removed her long gloves, shoulder padding, and also her long boots…and was only dressed in the last parts of her clothes, However, Max beat her to it as he reached forward and slowly reached behind her and found the latch to her dress and he then blushed as he kissed Barnette on the neck slowly and kicked her gently at the same time, making the woman blush at her lover's actions.

As soon as she was naked before her lover, Max reached out and felt her breasts, marveling once more at their softness and firmness. Barnette moaned gently and let her lover explore her soft and firm breasts and she reveled in his gentle and warm touch on her exposed form, It was then that Max decided to switch places with Barnette. Max got off the bed and moved Barnette to sit down and he kneeled before her and spread her legs. Barnette didn't resist, but made her lover look at her and they kissed each other deeply, their tongues dueling each other and moving in a fashion that made it a sex act all on it's own. The two lovers moaned into each other's mouths loudly as they felt and tasted each other. The kissing lasted for a few more minutes until Max broke away and then went to kiss Barnette's breasts, making her moan once more. He then placed his hands on her thighs and slowly parted them.

Barnette already knew just what her lover had in mind and didn't resist the action. As Max parted her long and well formed legs, he took the time to kiss them gently, sucking, licking and biting as well…making her groan in delight as he arrived to her vagina…the slit that led to her womanhood was already wet and the look it was intoxicating to Max as he reached forward and licked the outer lips, tasting the juices of his beloved. Barnette hissed in pleasant surprise at the action and moaned out her approval as Max continued to lick her wet sex. The woman groaned as she reached out with her hands and caressed his hair and held him closer to her, allowing him to take in more of her moisture.

Max then pushed in his tongue past the outer lips and into her inner core, feeling her inner lips part as more of her moisture touch his tongue. He then felt the inner softness and tightness of her sex as he listened to her moans, he managed to breath in through his nose and continued his actions on her, making sure to listen to her moaning as it excited him to no end. He continued with his actions and kept Barnette from closing her legs on him, and he could tell that she was coming closer and closer to her own release…he wanted to see that expression on her face once more, therefore, he continued his actions on her.

Barnette moaned and encouraged her lover to continue his actions and Max complied and Barnette was blushing bright red as more and more sensations of pleasure flooded her body, she felt her body continue to grow even more aroused as she began to groan and shout her pleasure. She hoped that no one would be passing by her room and try to find out what was going on. The last thing that she wanted was to be found out by the crew at this point and time…she wanted to reveal this aspect of her relationship at a much better time and for now wanted to enjoy this relationship with her lover and see how far it could go.

That train of thought was placed aside as she felt her orgasm coming to her and she held it back for as long as she possibly could. No matter how torturous it was for her to do so…she wanted to let the sensations that flooded her body stay as she didn't want to forget it. The fact that there was the chance that someone would suddenly enter the room and find them in this very…compromising situation made it seem more…exciting for some reason, though she preferred to have privacy in this relationship for now. Her efforts were not successful as the orgasm hit her at full force.

"OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH!!"

Max moaned a bit as he felt Barnette convulse and shake as her body tensed up in her orgasm, she arched her body and held his head tightly, her grip was not hard enough to not allow him to back his head away to breath as her juices covered his mouth and he wasted no time to lap up as much as he could…running his tongue up and down Barnette's pussy.

Barnette's entire body was tense and as the orgasm flooded her, shocks of pleasure flooded her brain as she felt Max's tongue running up and down on her pussy's outer lips, and he then used his fingers to gently part them to get deeper into her sex and licked her clit, further sending even more shocks of desire and pleasure to her brain. As it ended, she moaned and lay on the bed as she breathed as much air as she could to revitalize herself.

Max smiled as he stood up and saw the look of sheer bliss on his lover's face, she was radiant in her sweat covered state, her eyes glazed over with desire and joy, her juices still flowing out of her sex and lying there in a very sensual pose breathing slowly and her breasts moving up and down in rhythm with her breath, the overall effect of seeing Barnette in such a state was very arousing to the Talark male as his cock was very hard and straining. Barnette saw the tent in his suit and grinned sensually at him.

"Lose the suit and come here…"

Max wasted little time as he took off his body suit and was now on the bed with Barnette as they both kiss each other deeply and with increased desire. It was then that the emerald haired woman reached down with her hands and held Max's cock, which right now was very stiff and hard. She smiled warmly as she then asked Max to straddle her waist. He was unsure as to what she had in mind and was a bit slow to comply, making Barnette smirk as she whispered to his ear.

"It's another thing in a video I want to try…let's both see if it's worth it."

Max blushed as he recalled just what Barnette had done to him that she had learned from the video and decided to agree to what she had in mind for this moment in time…besides, he loved her and why would he argue with her right now anyway? With that in mind, he was now over Barnette, supporting his weight with his knees in order not to crush her beneath him with his weight. Once he was there, he wondered just what Barnette had in mind, and he got his answer as Barnette grabbed a small bottle of lotion, she placed it in her hands, parted her breasts, placed some of the liquid in between her firm and soft mounds, and placed his erect member between her mounds. Max groaned anew as he recalled Barnette doing this to him before and the heat and softness of her firm mounds surrounding his cock was exquisite to him, along with the feeling of her mouth on his sex. Barnette then motioned for him to move his hips, and when he did, the feeling of his cock moving between her breasts and seeing Barnette sucking and licking the tip was amazing to see, and that made him even harder and move even faster.

Barnette had to admit that this position was somewhat uncomfortable, but she managed to fix that situation by grabbing pillow nearby and placed it on her head. The feel of her lover's cock moving in between her breasts and feeling the heat and hardness from it's motions was very arousing and the taste of his sex as she licked and sucked on it made her very much aroused. Plus the sensations of both filled her with pleasure and from the gathering wetness in her pussy, made her very aroused.

Max continued his actions and the feelings he experienced in his current actions made him feel intense desire. And the look of lust and passion on his lover's face, along with the sounds of both his hips hitting her breasts, and her sucking and licking of his cock made it even more hot for him. The same could be said for Barnette as she saw the look of awe, desire, pleasure, and lust on her lover's face…and she smiled lustfully at that.

This went on until Max felt his orgasm getting ready, and like Barnette before him, he tried his absolute best to contain his orgasm as he had no intention of letting himself lose the sensations and feelings that this new position afforded them. And he managed to do just that, as they both moaned and shouted out their respective pleasure to each other, making them even more aroused as Barnette felt her juices continue to pool in her sex…while Max felt his body ready to ignite due to the heat in his loins.

Try as he could however…it didn't take long for Max's resolve and control to finally break down and no longer could he control himself as he felt his orgasm flow through his body… and it was at that very same moment that Barnette's own orgasm hit her as well, and the results were explosive as both lovers came at the very same time.

"MAAAAXXXXXX!!"

"BAAAAARRRRRNNNNEEETTTTEEE!!"

Barnette screamed as her orgasm hit her and her juices flooded out of her sex, covering her bed's sheets while Max shouted out as his seed spewed out and covered Barnette's face and the seed covered her neck, face, mouth, while amazingly avoiding her eyes and hair, and near the bed. Max managed to retain control of his body and got off Barnette and lay down on the bed…allowing some streams of his seed to cover his lover's breasts and took a deep breath as his orgasm had taken a great deal out of him. However…Barnette was far from finished with her lover as she managed to get up and smiled at her lover's looks of awe, desire, and more. She felt some of the seed on her neck and face run down her body and over her breasts joining the rest that was already on her chest, she removed them with her fingers and then the spots on her face and licked her fingers clean, loving the taste as she swallowed the seed that was in her mouth and licked her lips. She smiled as she was now clean and saw her lover lying on the bed and his cock beginning to soften. She smirked ad she crawled over to her lover and before Max could say anything as he looked to see her crawling towards him, she held his cock and began to run her hands over the shaft…making it twitch and grow hard as she ran her soft and smooth hands on Max's cock.

Max groaned at the sensations as he looked towards his lover Barnette who smiled back at him and then before he could do anything or say anything, she enveloped his cock into her mouth and when he saw the head of his sex disappear between Barnette's lips and then the feel of her hot and wet tongue caressing it once more…he felt massive aftershocks of sensation and pleasure hit his head and run over him like a sand-storm back home. His cock reacted and quickly began to harden once more, and his moaning began to grow in intensity as the sensations grew even more.

Barnette smiled as she continued her actions, she wanted to hear her lover moan again and it was a very interesting sound for her to hear coming from the man she loved, plus the looks on his face was certainly worth all the effort she was putting into these actions.

The only sounds that could be heard now were Max's groans and moans of pleasure, along with erotic sounds of Barnette's sucking on Max's cock as she bobbed her head up and down on her lover's sex. As this continued for several more minutes, Barnette stopped and smiled as she looked at her lover's cock to see it already hard. She smiled as she got to her knees and held it in her hands as she lifted her left leg to straddle her lover's hips. As she looked at Max and smiled, she lowered herself slowly towards his cock. Both lovers moaned out their pleasure as Barnette felt Max's cock part her vagina's outer lips and then past her inner ones and filled her sheath deeply, while Max felt his lover's soft, tight, sleek, and wet inner walls surround and caress his cock in a way he would still not get over. Barnette pushed on downwards until she took in all of Max's length and his cock touched her inner most core, with their hips meeting. She moaned out loud as she felt even more pleasure in this position that Jura had told her about this morning. Max groaned out as he felt even more wonderful in this state. The two of them didn't do anything as they both savored the sensations they were feeling and when some moments passed. Barnette began to move her hips up and down slowly.

She moved her hips up slowly, feeling Max's cock moving as well in her inner sex and it was divine, and when she felt his cock's head near her inner lips, she slowly went back down absorbing the delicious sensations that flooded her, Max likewise did the same thing and both of them groaned out their respective pleasure to one another, and Barnette was happy for the fact that so far…no one had decided to enter her chambers…at this current situation, she was not in the mood to be suddenly interrupted by anything and anybody.

The two continued to move in unison with one another, Barnette loved the feelings she was getting as she moved up and down Max's cock, while Max complied and moved his own hips in time and sync with Barnette's own motions, further heightening the pleasure they felt. They started slow as to get used to the sensations and then began to speed up their actions as they had a rhythm going.

"OH OH!! AAAAUGGGGHHHH!! MMMMMMM!! MAX! YOU ARE SO GOOOD!!"

"AAAAHHHH!! MMMMM!! OH GOD!! BARNETTE YOU FEEL SO TIGHT AND WET!!"

Barnette then looked own and saw her lover's sweat covered form beneath her and she couldn't help herself as she leaned forward and licked some of the sweat on Max's chin and then kissed him deeply as she rubbed her breasts on his own figure. Max kissed her back and held her tightly as she moved on his cock up and down, and the juices that seeped out from her sex covered his cock. The kiss lasted for a while as their tongues dueled in the same fashion as they were doing at the same time, further adding fuel to the already blazing fires in their bodies. Barnette broke the kiss and merely leaned over her lover, this allowed Max a good view of his lover…her breasts moving forward and backward from their respective thrusts were very tempting and he didn't resist the urge at all as he reached out and massaged her breasts the way she showed him how she liked them to be touched. That further added more pleasure to the emerald haired woman as she cried out her pleasure once more.

Max continued his actions on her breasts as Barnette moved even closer to him, and he then used his mouth and tongue to suck, lick and gently bite her breasts and nipples, further adding to the overall pleasure of his lover, Barnette screamed her desire out as much as she could as she was not going to deny how utterly wonderful these sensations were to her. That lasted for another few minutes as her wetness grew even more coating her lover's cock and flowed to their hips, making more erotic sounds as wet flesh hit wet flesh. Barnette then moved away and leaned back as she continued to move her hips along with Max.

They both tried to make their actions last much longer, but even then, it was not going to be enough as they reached their limits and their orgasms had finally arrived and began to rip past their walls of control. Barnette tensed up and on her final thrust downwards…her hips contacted Max's as he too made his last thrust upward. That exact moment they thrust into each other together set off their orgasms and both of them screamed.

"MMMMMAAAAAAAXXXXXXX!!"

"BBBBAAAARRRRRNNNNEEETTTTTTEEEEE!!"

Barnette felt her lover's cock move in her pussy and out came hot streams of Max's seed into her hot sex, the streams hit her walls and further made her see stars and colors as her orgasm increased in intensity. As she felt her lover's seed flood her sex, and enter her womb, she thought back about their conversation before and smiled as she further swore to love Max and their child.

Max felt his lover's inner walls caress and milk his cock with so much intensity that he nearly blacked out from the sheer amount of pleasure that flooded every part of his body and mind, as his own release hit him hard. As he felt his lover's sex continue to touch and caress him, he thought back on their conversation and swore to uphold his promise to Barnette and their child.

As the orgasms subsided, Barnette felt her entire body become heavy and she then lay down on Max and hugged him tight, wishing never to let go of the warmth and closeness the two of them were now sharing with one another. Max complied and held his beloved even tighter than before as they felt their bodies give into their need to rest. However, in Barnette's mind she was still in the mood to see just what else they could do together when they were alone…so she kept that fact in mind as she kissed Max, who kissed her back and they both fell asleep in each other's arms…their bodies still joined with each other.

--

(Well…that was fun…now as to what is happening between Parfait and Duero…well, time to take a peek don't you think?)

In the Medical Bay…

Parfait smiled as she forced Duero to sit down on the bed as he was now completely naked, stripped of his body suit. She then kissed her lover deeply and the two lovers continued to kiss each other, their tongues dueling one another as the bespectacled engineer began to play over the idea on what her actions were going to be once she got Duero ready. She then took off her tank top and then the rest of her jump-suit and finally her short pants…as she was now naked before Duero who looked at her with awe…making her blush bright red at his scrutiny of her form. Many back on Megele might consider her a plain looking person with her build and slender frame….but when Duero looked at her, she felt like the most beautiful woman in all of Megele and he proved it to her as he kissed her once more while gently touching her breasts. She loved the feel of her lover's hard, calloused, but gentle and warm hands on her breasts but decided to move away, making Duero wonder just what she was going to do to him while they were here in the Medical Bay.

He got his answer as Parfait kneeled before him and made him open his legs to reveal his cock which was already hard and erect as she came closer to it and then began to run her hands over it, remembering to be gentle with her actions on it, as she ran her hands over the head and shaft, she marveled once more on the smooth and hot skin, the veins that pumped blood throughout every part of Duero's member, and then the hard yet soft feel of the shaft. She blushed bright red as she moved her head closer and guided herself closer to it.

Duero was about to ask just what she was about to do, but his question died from his mouth and mind and was replaced with a grunt of surprise and unexpected pleasure as Parfait began to lick the head of his cock, he didn't expect Parfait to do such an act on him right now and therefore he was at a very big loss for words as Parfait continued to slowly lick and then kiss the head of his cock, then she moved on with the shaft and he felt her tongue and lips touching every area of his sex. He didn't know why she was doing this to him, but the sheer desire and pleasure he was getting, plus the rather erotic sight he had before him of Parfait doing it to his cock was enough o silence any form of questions in his brain, and also shut down most of his mental faculties as well.

Parfait spared a glance at her lover and the sheer look of lust, desire, love, and passion in his face told her that what she was doing was certainly having a positive effect on Duero…she smiled mentally as she realized that what Jura and Barnette had told her about doing this to Duero would be a good idea and she realized that doing this also made her feel hot and wet as it made her realize how much control she had on Duero at this very moment in time. She loved it, she loved seeing Duero looking like this and the moans and groans of deep pleasure he gave out, along with the sounds of encouragement made her even more eager. She then licked, sucked, and kissed every inch of Duero's cock and then reached the sac, she wondered if it would be all right and gave a tentative lick…and got some results as Duero cried out in surprise and desire.

She then took the sac into her hands and gently licked and sucked the two objects she found there beneath the skin, keeping in mind Duero's warning of their sensitivity to pain and touch. Duero was crying out in pleasure at Parfait's actions on both his cock and his testes, and it was pleasurable torture to him right now. Parfait then stopped and went back to the shaft and recalling what Jura had told her about it, she covered her teeth with her lips and…

Took Duero's cock into her mouth, moaning a bit as she tasted his skin and felt the hardness and warmth of his cock on her tongue and inner mouth…It was very different and yet very erotic as she let her tongue move around the cock as she moved on forward, taking more of it into her mouth…until she reached the base and felt the head of her lover's sex touch the back of her throat. It was inside of her and she loved it as she allowed her saliva to soak it, and used her tongue to caress it.

Duero shouted out his desire and pleasure at the sudden action made by Parfait. The sight of his cock slowly being engulfed into his lover's mouth had a very strong effect on him as his heart and breathing rates climbed even higher. The feel of Parfait's hot mouth, her tongue and her inner cheeks surrounding his cock in that very moment had really knocked him out of being a rational and intelligent doctor and made him drift in the new sensations he was feeling.

Parfait smiled mentally as she felt Duero's desire and his moans made her even more assured and aroused as she continued her actions on his sex. The bespectacled woman loved the situation she was in as she saw how much pleasure she was giving her lover and how much it made her feel like she was paying him back for the very same pleasure he had given her last night in his room, and in that regard, she was more than happy to do this for him. As she began to move her head in bobbing motions, she couldn't help but moan as her arousal grew, and those moans sent shivers of sensation to Duero's body and he cried out in desire as that happened. He reached out and caressed Parfait's hair as he watched her continue her actions on his sex.

The two lovers continued on and the results were indeed obvious as Parfait felt her body continue to grow in arousal as her pussy was very wet and her desire was growing in intensity, while Duero also felt his own desire growing as he felt the sensations Parfait give him grow even more as she began to speed up her actions.

"MMMMMMM!! MMMMMMMM!!"

"AAAAAHHHHHH!!"

It didn't take long for them to reach the end of their ropes as their respective orgasms hit them like waves on a cliff in the beach. Parfait felt her pussy release it's juices and felt her orgasm flood her body in every corner of her form. At that same moment, Duero, who had tried to warn Parfait of his own release let loose and Parfait tasted her lover's essence for the first time. The seed touched back of her throat and began to flow into her throat. She moved away and took as much as she could handle and released her lover's cock from her mouth and moved back…having some of the liquid splash on her face, mouth, and neck and some even fell on her breasts. Duero managed to keep his body on the sitting position, but had closed his eye for the moment…and when he opened them in order to speak to Parfait and apologize for not warning her in time…he was treated to a very surprising and slightly unnerving, yet very erotic sight.

Parfait tasted her lover's seed and found it to be somewhat salty yet not too bad and swallowed it. She liked the taste once she got used to it and then licked the amounts that were on her lips and mouth, and then used her hands to wipe away the splashes of the seed on her face and breasts, leaving behind small amounts that trailed on her body…since she liked the taste, she began to lick her fingers clean of the essence and then swallowed all the seed she had gathered. She smiled and saw Duero's stunned expression and she replied to him.

"It's all right….I was told to expect that when I did that to you Duero…was it…bad for you?"

"No…it was…just unexpected Parfait."

Parfait smiled and got off her knees and then lay down on the bed next to Duero and her lover smiled as he regained his stamina and decided that it was hi s turn and then pushed Parfait towards the mattress and pillow and when she was there, he parted her legs and saw that her juices were already spreading all over…there was trails of her wetness on her thighs and from her sex, and that was enough for Duero to pay Parfait back for what she had done for him. He licked her thighs first… gently running his tongue over the trails on her skin…making Parfait moan in delight as he meticulously licked kissed her thighs gently. Duero continued his actions until he arrived at her wet pussy.

He recalled what he had done the last time he and Parfait had been together and then used that knowledge as he licked her sex's outer lips taking in her moisture and touched her soft flesh with his tongue. Parfait moaned out in pleasure as he ran his tongue and down her sex until he reached her clitoris…remembering how sensitive she was there, he wasted little time and parted the folds that covered the bulb gently and licked it slowly, and sucked on it just as carefully. Parfait wailed out and shivered her body as the pleasure began to fill her very body and mind.

Duero continued to lick her pussy until he delved even deeper into her sex and licked her inner lips, feeling her moisture flow out of her sex and he then pushed his tongue and then licked her innermost place. Parfait groaned out her desire at the actions and held his head there, wanting to never miss the feelings Duero filled her body with. Duero then tried to slowly push his finger into her vagina and reveled at the motions of Parfait's sheath on both his tongue and finger.

"OOOOOOOHHHHHHH!! GRAND MA THAT'S IIIIIIITTTT!!"

Duero continued his actions of both finger fucking and licking Parfait's sex and he managed to make sure that in her struggles, Parfait didn't injure both him and herself as she moaned and moved her body. However he didn't have to wait long as Parfait screamed out her second orgasm and released all her desire to him.

"DDDDUUUUUUUEEEERRRRROOOOO!!"

Parfait's body tensed up and she screamed out her release and after a few moments relaxed and lay flat on the bed, exhausted yet full of joy, bliss, and relief. Duero took in as much of Parfait's moisture as he could manage and loved the taste she had, it hers and hers alone and he loved every bit of it. As soon as he was able to take in as much as he could, he looked at his lover's face and saw her face to be covered in her sweat, with a look of bliss, love, desire…and more, and it made him smile as he licked off the remaining moisture from his mouth and lips, and allowed Parfait to see him lick the last traces of her own taste from his finger, the same on he used on her. Parfait blushed bright red and then decided to try something that Barnette had mentioned in their discussion the day before. With that in mind, she managed to move and then to Duero's confusion, she got in her knees and arms facing away from him and showing him her still wet pussy. She moaned and Duero at first was still confused, but he quickly got the idea as he recalled the conversation with his brother Max. With that in mind he grabbed Parfait's hips and slowly pushed his cock into her wet sex. He pushes in slowly and surely until he was deep inside her body…making them both moan their respective desire. Duero pushed into Parfait's sex slowly and gently as to savor every moment of their coupling and so did Parfait as she held the sheets very tightly in her hands, and managed to keep herself from losing her mind in pleasure.

It was when Duero buried himself deeply into Parfait's sex and she moaned at the feel of his entire length in her own sex. Once that was done, Duero slowly began to move his hips in a forward and backwards motion. The results were very much heard as both lovers cried out in joy and pleasure as they slowly began to speed up the pace.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!! THERE!! MORE!! MORE!! MMMOOOOORRRRREEEEE!!"

"GOOOODDDD!! THIS FEELS WONDERFUL!! YOU FEEL SO TIGHT AND WET!!"

The room was once more filled with the sounds of wet flesh meeting wet flesh as the two lovers continued to pleasure one another and more. Duero looked and saw Parfait's neck and he leaned forward and licked her skin and then gently caressed her breasts as they moved in time with their combined thrusts into each other's bodies. Parfait screamed out her pleasure and turned to see her lover close to her, the right side of his handsome face exposed to her, with that in mind, she turned her head and kissed Duero deeply, with him responding in kind. They continue the kiss and their current actions until break away for air and continued on with what they were doing on the bed. The bed was now being soaked by their sweat that fell from their forms, and from their combined juices as well.

It was then that Duero and Parfait reached the point of no return and both of them shouted as they both reached their release.

"DUERO!!"

"PARFAIT!!"

Both lovers felt their bodies orgasm at once…Parfait yelled out her desire as she felt her lover's essence fill her sex, the second the first stream hit her inner walls and her womb, she moaned out in desire at the feeling of it and as more of her lover's essence, and it's heat filled her sex, she moaned out as the sensations and pleasure flooded her body. Duero likewise felt his lover's inner walls milking his cock with great strength and feeling as he continued to send out more and more of his seed into her vagina, and then the two them felt their passion begin to subside within them both.

Parfait moaned out in pleasure as she felt her lover's seed fill her body and every part of her felt complete and full, she then felt her body begin to lose it's strength and she couldn't hold her form anymore as she lay down on the bed and sighed in satisfaction. Duero also smiled as he lay down next to her and managed enough strength to take out a blanket and cover himself and Parfait with it. Parfait turned to face her lover and beloved and kissed his nose…making Duero smirk at her action.

"What was that for?"

"A sign of affection…it's a good thing to do between those who love another don't you think?"

Duero smiled a bit and kissed her nose as well, making Parfait giggle and blush as well.

"I believe so."

Both of them finally felt tired and went to sleep.

--

Later that day…

(Hmmm…this is the place…I wonder what Mai wants me to do here? Oh well, I guess that the only way for me to know is if I go there myself.)

Kyo looked at the rather large and tall gym building, it appeared to be more of a spa than a recreation center and it certainly could have qualified as one. He had managed to finish up most of his work on the car and made great progress with the navigational systems and OS components that dealt with many of the car's needed functions and then made the needed removal of the stains and rust that accumulated in the car, he then made sure to remove the already peeling off paint and coating to make a new coating for the car, and then decided to make some orders for fresh parts and sections for those parts that needed full replacements. It was very difficult work and he still needed more time and preparation to finish all the body work and repairs…but at the very least he was able to get the car cleaned and get it's new OS working and the new parts for the car's CPU together and accept the new OS.

He managed to take the time to head off to the men's shower sections to clean off the smell of sweat, lubricant, oil, rust, dirt, and more so as to be a lot more presentable once he met up with Mai in the place she wanted to meet him in, since it was going to be a sparring match, he decided to drop by his locker in his quarters on the Nirvana to pick up his gi, combat pants, and belt as well. With those items in had, he made his way to the place where he was to meet up with Mai...though was somewhat late and there were not that many people out at this time of the day.

The building had several large windows on the side sand front, no doubt to allow light into the gym in the morning time. And also there were tubes of glass nearby that no doubt were the areas where elevators were known to be located.

He entered through the sliding doors and headed towards the reception desk, where the female receptionist greeted him normally, though with some level of surprise and slight distrust, apparently, not everyone on the pirate base was comfortable with men like him in the place yet. But he couldn't hold it against her…everyone had an opinion and it was not his place to force them to change that unless it was needed to be done. He put that thought aside and spoke to the woman.

"Good evening Miss, I would like to inquire if there is a Mai Miazaki who is currently registered in the gym?"

"One moment…" The woman then searched her database on a nearby console and looked for the name of Mai Miazaki and got a match.

"Yes, we have a Mai Miazaki here. She currently as taken room 23 on the third floor, it s special private gym under her name and she has been expecting you, she left behind an access card for you as well…here, be careful not to either lose it or try to take it from this place."

The woman then handed Kyo Yamato an access card that resembled a credit card and he nodded and took the card with him and went to the lobby and found a nearby elevator. As soon as he boarded it, he looked out to see the base complexes, namely the residential sections and also the Entertainment sections as well…The room Mai was staying in was the third floor, the more private gym areas, and this made Kyo even more curious as to what she had in mind for the two of them. As soon as he arrived, he went to the rooms in the floor and found the room that Mai was in and decided to open the door. He slid the card into the reader and the door slid open as he pocketed the card, he found himself in a locker room that was no doubt the changing area as it had stalls for showering and areas to store clothes in. With that in mind, he decided to take off his normal clothes and get into his gi. A few minutes later, he was now in his gi, belt and pants, and underneath the clothes were his under shirt and boxers.

As soon as he entered the main area, Mai was there, doing some katas in her own gi and seemed to be deep into her routine…allowing Kyo some time to study the room that she had picked to meet him in. The room had several wall mirrors that sent back his own reflection and visage back to him, along with allowing Mai to see herself. The room also had several large and small pieces of gym equipment around, and there was a cooling unit in the room as well…making the air cool and pleasant, though why was a mystery to him as the rest of the air in the base was also being treated. Either way, it was somewhat a waste of materials and resources to do such things.

(Hmmm…looks like the time I spent on Talark must still have an impression on me.)

"Kyo! I'm happy you made it! I was wondering what seemed to have taken you so long to get here!"

Mai had apparently finished her kata and had noticed his arrival. She smiled and was thankful that he had arrived. She had to spend a good deal of her own salary to plan this all out. Normally, this place closed at exactly 7:30, but she had managed to give enough funding for them to allow her to have the place to herself, and that was an achievement, though most of her salary was gone, she felt it was money well spent.

"Sorry I'm late Mai, the work took a lot longer than I expected."

"It's all right…as long as you are here it's all right…come, I can imagine that you must be hungry…you did eat dinner already?"

Kyo chuckled nervously, he had been so focused on his work on the car that he had skipped eating his dinner and snacks during break time, by the time he was able to complete a full clean up of the chassis, and finished his work on the CPU, it was already past dinner time and he was late for his meeting with Mai, therefore…he skipped dinner.

"Not really, I had to skip dinner to get here, why do you ask?"

Mai smiled and went to a nearby box and took out several containers that seemed to have been kept there, and as soon as she opened the containers, there was some hot food and cool drink in the container there. There was steamed rice, roasted meat, vegetables, sauce, fish, and fruit slices. She then placed the items on a nearby low table and took some bottles of cool water from the box as well. Kyo was impressed greatly by this sudden surprise and he smiled at Mai, who blushed somewhat.

"Wow…I'm impressed, how did you manage to have food stored here in a gym of all places, I was under the impression that food was not allowed in a place like this."

"It normally isn't, but I managed to convince the owners to allow it for this night, and I had to use up most of my salary to pay for this one night here in the gym…it's not much really, but I don't have that much credits right now…only enough to help out with the rest of the days."

Kyo groaned a bit, realizing how much trouble Mai had gone through in order to plan and prepare just this one night with him. And he had nearly spoiled it by arriving late, but he planned to make it up to her before this night was over. If there was one thing he was known for doing when he was young, it was to make sure that no effort was wasted.

"I'm sorry about making you have to wait for me after all you've done Mai, I'll make sure that I do my best this night to make it up to you and make all you're efforts worthwhile."

Mai blushed warmly as she could hear and feel the sincerity in Kyo's voice as he spoke that to her, and it made her feel that all her efforts were worth every moment and expense.

"Thank you Kyo…now let's eat, before the food gets cold."

Kyo nodded and the two of them took the time to eat the food and take in the drink, and he was happy to finally fill the void in his stomach and the pangs of hunger that had plagued him when he had put aside his work on his car began to fade and helped him feel more relaxed. As they finished eating, both of them decide to relax for a while until they felt their energy return so that Mai could show Kyo the training she had undergone as a little girl.

As soon as the two of them felt that they were now ready, Mai then began to show some of the moves and techniques her family had learned over the years. She had talked with her parents on if she could be able to show the moves to Kyo. Though her parents were very much against the idea at first, it was when Mai told them that Kyo was more than a man and told them all the things he had done for the crew, that they decided to relent and allow her to show their family martial arts, but they also made her promise that when the time was right, she would introduce them to him to see just if this man lived up to what she had told them.

Kyo was impressed as Mai showed her skills with her martial arts training…namely when she began to use her family sword, which she had taken with her to the gym, under the permission of the owner of the gym. The fighting styles she had learned with the sword were intricate and skillful, similar to Japanese Kendo, Kung Fu swordsmanship, and Western fencing techniques, that along with her own natural fitness made her displays very much a sight worth looking at. Kyo then noted her attire for this day to be rather different than before. She wore something that resembled a gi top and short pants and a belt with bracers on her hands and comfortable fighting sandals as well. That plus her own lush figure moving in intricate patterns was a very impressive sight as she showed her full feminine strength to him as she moved flowed with each movement. It resembled more of a dance than a martial arts routine and he was impressed, though there was room for improvement in some of the moves and corrections as well.

The two continued the night as they practiced their moves together, with Kyo correcting some of Mai's moves with known solutions and created more ingenious and effective maneuvers for her to use in her fighting and training, and Mai didn't complain as he continued to teach her several more moves and techniques that she could use in the fighting styles she had.

They then decided to spar with one another and traded blows at each other. They dodged and blocked each other's blows, sometimes rolling out of the way on the mat to avoid the blows of their opponent, the floors were covered in an inch worth of soft but firm and strong foam that was also very comfortable, stain and tear resistant. Kyo blocked several kicks and managed to trade blows with Mai as well. The two then finished out with Mai managing to launch a sweep kick that Kyo avoided and he reached forward as Mai got to her feet and grabbed her to a throw and sent his opponent to the mat, but Mai wasted little time as she managed to grapple onto Kyo's arm and drag him down to the mat as well and held him in one of the holds that he taught her. Kyo smirked at that and laughed.

"You got me Mai, you've been practicing I see."

"Very much…should we call this a draw?"

"Fair enough."

The two of them sat up and then laughed as they relaxed after a very tiring session, both of them were covered in sweat and their respective uniforms were all soaked and they needed to change outfits soon. However, the fact that they were sweating was not enough to dissuade either of them from looking each other over with their eyes.

Kyo remembered how beautiful Mai was as well…her training and athletic nature made her very fit as he could tell from the way her clothes hugged her frame and form. He also had to admit to himself that she was very much an attractive woman in many respects. He then began to let his eyes drift over her clothed form covered in sweat. He was unaware that Mai herself was studying him, and she too could see how attractive he was, it was a bit different when admiring a man, but she realized how interesting it was to see a man as attractive. It was then that she decided to ask him if he was willing to show her what he had done with Jura, Meia, and Dita…ever since she admitted to love Kyo and hearing all the details from the three Gundam pilots who were very close to him, she wanted to personally experience the things they described when they each made love with Kyo…though she was still unsure if it would work out between them…she had no doubts that Kyo liked her and cared for her…but would he care enough to do IT with her? She took a deep breath and then spoke to Kyo….despite her attempts to keep calm however, it certainly was not working as she suddenly felt her cheeks flame up and she twiddled her fingers.

"Kyo…I…I…I was wondering on something."

"What about?"

"If…you…well…you…a-a-and…I could….um…"

"Slow down Mai, take a deep breath and tell me what you want to say slowly…don't worry, there's only the two of us here anyway."

Kyo quickly slapped himself mentally at that statement due to the double meaning behind it…but kept his focus on trying to help Mai calm down and say what was it she wanted to say.

"I…I was wondering if you…if you could do it with me."

Kyo was stunned and looked at Mai as if he was trying to see if this was an impostor. He shook that idea out of his head as there was no way that this was an impostor, this was Mai in front of him. Still he didn't expect that kind of statement from the Register girl.

"What are you talking about Mai?"

"W…well…I…I….um….heard what you did with Dita, Meia, and Jura….and I…I was…I was wondering if you could do that to me too….I…"

"Mai…are you sure you know what you are saying….how will you're fahma and ohma react if they find out that you became…involved with a man?"

Mai bowed her head and replied.

"I know…I know that you might say that, but I want you to know that I love you…not just because it's possible to love a man, but because you are you…you've done so much for us all there on the Nirvana…and for me a s well…I will tell them about this and hopefully make my parents understand why I did it…but I don't want to think about that now."

"Mai…"

"I want to know how it would feel to love a man and to physically show that love, but if you don't want to do it…t…then I'll understa…"

Mai's words were silenced as she looked to see Kyo smiling and her lips closed by his finger. She looked up and saw Kyo's understanding of her situation and before she could say anything else…Kyo leaned forward and kissed her on the lips…making her blush as she felt the sensation of the kiss flow from her lips to every part of her body like liquid fire. Kyo wordlessly told her that he would do it and it made her heart race that he agreed to do it with her. She then got up and reached a nearby controller on the wall and suddenly tinted the windows to a very dark shade outside, making it possible for her and Kyo to look outside, but those on the outside could not see them in return, for some privacy, so to speak.

Mai was about to turn around and face Kyo but Kyo had other ideas as he had followed her and was now behind her. He held her close and then licked her left ear, nibbling on the earlobe gently, making Mai squirm in his arms and she felt her lover begin to kiss the column of her neck slowly and gently. Kyo then made his way to her shoulders and kissed the skin there, he then moved his hands towards her belt and untied the knot that was there, this allowed him to remove her gi and then he couldn't help but smile as he felt the traces of her bra…he ran his hands on her breasts through the soft silk and the friction on her mounds made Mai moan out loud in surprise and pleasure. Kyo then found out that Mai's bra had the tie knot on the front than behind and this made him very curious as he reached out and untied the knot that held the item together, he then ran his hands on Mai's breasts and made the woman moan out loud in desire and pleasure.

Mai turned her head and then kissed Kyo as he was facing her…the kiss was deep and very much igniting the two of them as Mai felt the fire in her body continue to grow, Kyo continued to kiss Mai deeply, while his left hand massaged her bust and his right hand drifted downwards…passing and moving aside the top of her pants and then moving inside past her panties which were wet from her sweating and then touched the soft mound of wet fur that was the indicator to how close he was now to her woman place. He played with the mound of wet hair and then descended lower until he reached the juncture between her legs and felt her wet flesh become even wetter, and his left hand could feel the faint vibrations of her chest, where her heart was beating fast due to the sensations she was feeling right now. He liked the situation and when they broke off their kiss, he then touched her wet sex.

Mai moaned out in surprise and then gripped her hands on Kyo's still clad legs harder as she tried her level best to stay standing on her two feet, though that was proving to be quite the challenge as her legs and knees began to take the consistency of gelatin from all the heat she felt in her body…namely in her breasts, face, thighs, and her sex. Kyo moaned as well and licked her ears gently making his lover shiver in surprise and delight as he did so in the most sensual manner, showing that he had learned quite a lot in his younger days and his time with Dita, Meia, and Jura. Kyo however kept in mind that women were different in many ways…even when it came to their sensitive spots. He then found a certain area of Mai's chest that was sensitive…namely the area between her chest and stomach, as when he had touched that part gently, she squirmed a bit harder in her arms and moaned as he continued to caress her form.

Mai however had no intention of just being in the sidelines in all this as she wanted to give Kyo the same treatment, and it seemed that she had also taken up a few pointers from her friends as she managed to move her hands towards Kyo's hips and to his surprise, managed to untie his own belt and then push her way through his pants' waistband and then touched his boxers…namely his cock, which was now hard and stiff. She gasped as she ran her hands over it and marveled at Kyo's length and width…

"Wow…so this is what I saw…in the bath…it's so hard…and long…"

Kyo groaned at the sensual sound in Mai's voice and wasted no time and removed her gi and her bra…allowing the articles of clothing to fall off the body of the brunette beauty. The two of them groaned as her body was now exposed, the difference was that she didn't need to turn around as the mirrors allowed her front to be seen, and she was beautiful indeed and Kyo loved that fact very much. In the end, she turned around and allowed Kyo to see her beauty in front of him. He then caressed her breasts gently and felt their weight and then touched her nipples gently and carefully, so as to know just how she liked her boobs to be touched by him.

"Ooooohhhhhh!! There, just like that…"

Mai moaned out her pleasure as she felt her lover's hands on her mounds and the way he was touching and caressing them made her blush to the roots of her hair…she still had her hand in his pants and marveled at the feel of his sex through the cloth of his boxers, amazed at how it felt in her hands…and the image of it…was making her feel so hot that she would have been steaming by now. She then felt that she was still too dressed up and then moved away and removed her sandals and then her pants, but as she was about to take off her panties…Kyo stopped her actions however and then smiled at her confusion as he then ran his hands over her pussy while it was still in her silk panties, which he noted to be deep red in color…like her now discarded silk bra. He moved Mai back to the mirror walls and let her stand there as he continued to touch and caress her sex through the silk, further adding to pleasure that Mai was feeling and it was driving her out of her mind as she tried hard not to fall to her knees.

Kyo noted that and decided to lengthen it up for a bit more as he stopped her touches for a brief second and then licked the now wet silk undergarment, right where her pussy was located, and this had an effect on Mai as she screamed her pleasure out, Kyo nodded with satisfaction and pressed on with his actions on her sex and it didn't take long for the results to be worth it as he could taste Mai's wetness as it began to soak her panties…he moved back and then slowly pulled down the article of clothing and finally exposed her wet sex…Kyo smiled and it made Mai blush brightly after seeing his intense inspection of her sex, she then placed her hands there, blocking the view of both her patch of brown hair and her wet sex.

"Don't…Don't look at me like that…it's….it's so embarrassing!"

"Why? You are beautiful in you're right…you don't need to hide it from me Mai."

"R…Really?"

Kyo nodded and Mai gulped as she moved her hands slowly away. Kyo took that as a good sign and then lifted her right leg and moved the article of clothing away, while leaving it still on, with that done, he placed her right leg on his shoulder and then looked at her exposed sex which was soaking wet with her juices, he smiled at that and began to lick her pussy with slow and gentle yet intense strength, and it was enough to make her cry out in surprise.

"AAAAAHHHHHH!! THAT….THAT FEELS WONDERFUL!!"

Kyo grinned as he went with his actions as he licked more of Mai's own moisture and smiled as more seemed to flow out of her sex and Mai continued to moan out her pleasure as Kyo then gently parted her pussy's outer lips and dipped his tongue into her sex, and smiled as he felt her tightness, sleekness, and wetness as well. The moment his tongue began to caress her inner walls, Mai cried out as she came to her orgasm and screamed out her pleasure at the release.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!"

Mai couldn't help herself anymore and could no longer be able to keep herself standing as she fell to her knees, still being held by Kyo who gently placed her back down on the mats as she calmed herself. She looked as saw Kyo as he licked the juices from her sex that had been on his mouth. The sight made her blush brightly and also become even more aroused as she decided to make sure to return the favor to her lover as she went to work on removing his pants and his boxers….It didn't take very long for her to remove the barriers that were between her and her goal and sure enough, she saw Kyo's sex, in truth this was not the very first time that she had seen him naked, but that was before…this was now and she looked at the cock with a very critical eye…studying it in detail, that did not last long as she ran her hands gently on Kyo's sex…making Kyo groan out in response to the feel of her hands on his cock, and it made her smile at the sounds her lover was making due to her actions on him. She ran her fingers gently over the head, marveling at it's softness and it's feel, she then felt the smooth skin on the shaft of Kyo's cock, she saw the veins and then looked at the sac that was there at the base and she couldn't help but recall what Jura and Dita said about what they had done to Kyo's sex.

She gulped a bit and calmed herself as she began to kiss the shaft gently, as she had never done this before and hoped that she did it right so as to make sure that Kyo would enjoy her actions. She got her confirmation of her actions as Kyo moaned out loud as he reached out and caressed her hair and head gently. As she licked and kissed the shaft and the head, she took in a deep calming breath and opened her mouth…and took in Kyo's cock, she did so slowly so as to get used to the feel of the large and long organ of her lover in her mouth, she used her saliva and her tongue to accomplish that and Kyo groaned out in pleasure as she did so slowly.

"Mmmm, there….that's it…."

Kyo's words and moans of encouragement had the desired effect on the young brunette as she slowly took in more of her lover's sex into her and as soon as the tip of Kyo's cock touched the back of her throat. Once it did, she recalled what she had heard Jura and Dita had done when they were in the same situation and then slowly and gently began to suck and bob her head up and down slowly. The moans and shouts of desire, pleasure, and encouragement coming from Kyo convinced her that it was very much worthwhile. It was then that she felt pride in being able to pay Kyo back for the pleasure he had placed on her body.

Kyo groaned as he once more massaged her hair and gently urged Mai on with her actions on his sex.

Mai continued her action son Kyo's cock and the room was filled with wet sounds of her actions on Kyo's sex as she sucked and licked it, while moving her head up and down on the shaft and licking the head of Kyo's cock with greater intensity…and the results were very obvious as her lover's moans grew louder, and she felt her pussy begin to become wetter even more. The two lovers filled the room with their passion and heat, and it didn't take long for Mai to finally succeed in making Kyo reach his limit as he shouted out his orgasm.

"AAAAAAAAUUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHH!!"

Mai took that as a warning that her lover's release had just happened and that was further reinforced by the feelings of shaking and twitching of his cock in her mouth, she calmed herself and let the first stream of Kyo's seed fill her mouth. The first stream hit the roof of her mouth and was then followed by several more streams. The thick, hot, and salty liquid filled her and she found the taste to be wonderful and she decided to swallow as much as she could manage and held her mouth over Kyo's cock while sucking her lover's cock gently. Her actions and intentions were rewarded as the seed flowed down her throat and she continued with her actions while gently moving away as she took in the last stream of seed. She looked at her lover and gulped the rest down…smiling as she did so, showing that his taste was nice to her tongue.

Kyo smiled warmly as he saw that, and his cock quickly recovered and was now hard and strong. He then reached out and helped Mai to her feet and then came to a corner of the gym room where the wall mirrors met and then helped her down as they both began to kiss and caress each other gently and slowly, savoring each other's touch and taste. Mai allowed herself to open her legs and allow Kyo to get between her legs and kiss her lips while fondling her breasts more passionately yet gently as he positioned himself between her parted thighs. He looked at her and with a nod from her, he slowly pushed his cock past her pussy's outer lips, he groaned and so did Mai as he pushed in deeper…passing through her inner lips.

Mai had trained in the martial arts almost all her life…and therefore had torn her hymen in her youth. Despite that, she was very much a virgin as her inner walls surrounded Kyo's cock in a strong degree of tightness and comfort…making Kyo groan at the hot, wet, sleek, and tight feel of her sex, while Mai groaned and moaned at the sudden but delicious intrusion in her sex. Kyo pushed on until he was now deep in her hot, wet, and tight warmth and his hips were now touching Mai's own hips. They stopped and savored the sensations, and then Kyo began to move his body, moving out of Mai's sex, making her moan in displeasure and surprise as her inner walls surrounded her lover's cock, begging it not to leave. Kyo gritted his teeth at the sensations that flowed from his manhood to every nerve ending in his body and when he was nearly out of Mai's wet pussy with the head of his cock still in her sex, he pushed right back…and the results as Mai shouted out her pleasure.

"OOOOOHHHHH GRAND MA!! THAT WAS SO GOOD!! MORE!! OH PLEASE MORE!!"

Kyo moved in and out slowly, keeping in mind that while he didn't encounter Mai's maidenhead, the way she felt around him, her actions, and cries showed that she was indeed a virgin in every sense of the word and being forceful would hurt her badly.

As he continued his actions, gradually picking up the pace and speeding up his thrusts he groaned out and cried as Mai bucked and screamed out her pleasure as they continued to move in unison with each other's thrusts. Mai was screaming out her pleasure as she had heard how Meia, Jura, and Dita had described it in very vivid detail and how wonderful it was to them…and now that she felt it…she had an idea of how her friends felt when they had made love with Kyo…and how utterly loving, gentle, and passionate Kyo was to them…she was feeling it all and it was like everything they described it to be…but only more personal and more wonderful…she opened her eyes to see Kyo's own form moving as he thrust his cock into her wet and willing sex…his looks of pleasure and desire and his cries of passion, desire, lust, and love made her swoon.

"OH GOD!! YOU ARE SO HOT MAI!! WET…AND TIGHT!! AAAAHHHHH!!"

"OH GRAND MA!! THIS IS SO GOOD MORE! I WANT MORE! DON'T STOP!! PLEASE DON'T STOP!!"

(This is so wonderful! To think that such pleasure can be happening between a man and woman who are in love…it's so wonderful! I will never forget this night…I love you…I love you KYO!!)

The two of them continued their actions as the room was filled with the sounds of their hips hitting each other and their cries and moans of pleasure. Kyo then got an idea as he briefly stopped, making Mai gasp in disappointment…but her dismay didn't last long as Kyo made her face the mirrors as he sat down and guided her hips back to his and she then saw her wet sex envelope his cock once more…and the feeling of her lover's sex once more in her moist sex made her forget the surprise as she began to raise her hips and then push them down once more. Kyo then fondled her breasts and helped her with her movements over his cock. The fact that they were facing mirrors allowed him and her to see themselves in the act as she moved up and down on his cock. Kyo then got an idea and whispered into his lover's ear and gently spoke.

"Open you're eyes Mai…take a look…see what we are doing."

Mai didn't resist the command as she opened her eyes and saw Kyo's cock moving in and out of her pussy, she moaned as she saw every motion they made together, and felt it as well, instead of being turned off and terrified by the sight of Kyo's cock moving in and out of her own sex, she felt even more aroused and ignited as she looked in the mirrors to see how beautiful and feel how wonderful it was for a man and a woman to become intimate with one another. Man and woman were made for each other in the most amazing way possible…it was hard to imagine that her people had nearly forgotten and denied this closeness…and now that she was doing this wonderful act with a man that she loved with all over he being…she would never again consider men in the way her world and her family had taught her to see men. She continued her actions of moving her hips up and down as more and more sensation filled her body and the moans she made, mingling with the moans of her lover made her even more aroused.

It didn't take long for them both to reach their respective orgasms, and when it did…the results were explosive to both of them.

"KKKKKYYYYOOOOOO!!"

"MMMMAAAAAAIIIIIIIIII!!"

Kyo felt Mai's inner walls move to caress and milk his cock with great intensity and it made him shout out even more as he fired more and more of his hot and thick seed into her pussy, filling it up while Mai's inner walls continued to milk his sex in the most powerful and wonderful way imaginable, he then smiled as he moved his hips one last time before he stopped and absorbed the feelings that flowed into him from his actions.

Mai felt the very first stream of her lover's hot and think seed hit the walls of her sex, and the moment that it happened, she felt her pleasure triple to the point she would have fainted from the waves of desire and pleasure that filled her…as she felt more of the seed fill her womb, she felt the heat and thickness fill her body and made her sigh.

The two lovers then lay down on the mats, basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking…

Kyo smiled warmly as he stayed with her and gently turned her around to face him as he moved out of her pussy, now that Mai was facing him, he then kissed her and smiled as she blushed right back at him.

Mai smiled and sighed as she felt the warmth in her inner core, the warmth that came from the seed from her lover that filled her body with it's warmth and touch. It was wonderful and sinfully delicious to feel as the seed was inside of her…and to know that there was a chance a child would be born through that seed inside of her made her blush…as she recalled how she had entertained private thoughts of having a baby with Kyo…and if this was the way the men and women would have a child in the past, then it was worth it…she would love Kyo and their child and raise that child with all of her ability and being.

The two lovers held each other and then closed their eyes…letting themselves succumb to sleep.

--

In the Conference Room…

Magno drummed her fingers on the table as she thought over on the current issues and plans that she and the others have come up with. One particular thing however was on her mind…the situation between her uncle and the girls who were after him. Not to mention the new aura of acceptance and cooperation between the genders. Even the new men who were only part of their crew for a few days were starting to come around and begin to work with the crew…though only this youngster named Devon Takaeda was there. She hoped that by the end of their vacation, the rest of the men who were part of the small group would learn to accept working with women and to live in peace with them, and maybe more…

(I'm getting ahead of myself…they would still not know what else is there in a relationship between men and women…namely the…more physical aspects of the relationship…the same could be said for the women on Megele…they need to see these very relationships bloom and grow to show them that living with men is very much possible. Though showing them the PHYSICAL aspects now is not a very good move…however, I guess that there won't be too much danger for them to soon learn about it. However, doing it in front of the rest of the women on Megele and the men on Talark is a bad idea…I guess that means this will only work if the men we have now are the ones who experience it and tell the men on Talark about it, and then the women on our crew who have experienced it can tell the others back on Megele about it…now how will the crew take that I wonder…I guess the time has come to ask uncle Kyo that he should teach them that….though how I'm going to convince him to teach that to our crew and the men here will be a real challenge.)

Magno then wondered on how Kyo was doing, and she also hoped that her uncle wouldn't blow a gasket or scream out at her when she decided to finally ask him to do this particular request of hers. For now however, she needed to get some sleep, however, she wondered just what else was going to happen the next day.

Boy was she going to be in for it!!

--

The next day…

Paiway arrived in the Nirvana feeling bright and chipper as she decided to check up on her mentors Duero and Max. The two men had proven to be quite the teachers and when she had shown how far she had grown and how much she had learned under their guidance, they were approving of her and sure enough, when she was on her own, she proved to be very skilled as a nurse…far better than even the veteran nurses of the Paradise. Though she had grown even more confident in herself and her skills in medicine, she would not forget the teachings and lessons imparted on her by the two brothers…that then brought a bit of concern to her.

(Why aren't they in the men's quarters? When they were on the ship, they are normally there when not in the Medical Bay.)

She had met some of the new crew members of the Nirvana, namely the men who helped rescue Bart, Duero, Max, and Aleck, and though they seemed all right, she had earned enough from her mentors to give them space when they were on the ship. For now her concern was on where the two men were. It was then that she decided to ask Barnette if she had seen Max. The young nurse knew about the fact that the two of them were in a very strong relationship and if there was anyone else in the ship who knew just where to find Max and/or his brother, it was Barnette.

She approached the room where the green haired woman stayed in and decided to wait and see what was going on. However, it seemed that no one was in the room, which in itself was strange, she may not have gone into Barnette's room before, but she was curious as to why she was not responding to the alarm that told her that there was someone at her door. Paiway decided to go in and take a look.

As soon as she was in the room, she saw that the collection of guns that Barnette had were still there in pristine order, but that was when she noted the pile of clothes near the bed and noted that while some of the clothes did belong to Barnette…there were clothes that were very familiar to her…hearing some light snoring on the bed as she lights were still somewhat dim.

She looked at the clothes even more closely and was surprised as she suddenly recognized that one of them was a Talark medic trench coat and it didn't take long for her to make an idea…there was no way it was Duero as Parfait would never allow such a thing to happen, even more so since Duero had a very deep affection for the bespectacled head engineer, and there were only two medics in their ship…and that meant only one thing.

"Paiway…what are you doing in my room?!"

Paiway eeped as she looked towards the bed to see Barnette glaring at her with a very unfriendly look, and she blushed even more as Max joined Barnette in looking at her. And to really add more fuel to the fire…the young girl saw that both her younger mentor and Barnette were naked!

"I…I…I'm sorry!!"

With that Paiway ran out of the room feeling very embarrassed. Barnette and Max looked at each other and groaned out loud. They knew that sooner or later, Paiway would blurt out what she had just seen, the two of them decided to get dressed and see if they could convince Paiway to keep their relationship a secret for now.

The young nurse on the other hand was breathing slowly and trying to make sense of what she had just witnessed in Barnette's room.

(WHAT IS GOING ON?! WHAT IS MAX DOING IN BARNETTE'S ROOM?! WHY IS SHE NAKED?! WHY IS HE NAKED?! WHY ARE THEY BOTH NAKED?! BY GRAND MA! CAPTAIN MAGNO NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT THIS!!)

She then decided to go to the Medical Bay and hope that she could calm down…she should have considered staying there instead of going to Barnette's room, that way she would not get into trouble with anyone, but now she hoped that the two she had disturbed would not get up now and follow her. As she arrived in the Medical Bay, she then noted another pile of clothes near one of the beds…she gulped as she moved closer to the pile and gasped as she saw the engineer jumpsuit among the pile, along with the Talark medic trench coat. She looked and gasped out loud as she saw that both Duero and Parfait were in the bed together.

She gulped as she realized that her gasp had awakened the two sleeping people and though they were somewhat sleepy, the two lovers looked on in shock and surprise as they saw Paiway looking at them in shock.

Paiway gulped out loudly and the sheer amount of shock she was feeling finally overwhelmed her.

THUP!

"PAIWAY!!"

The young nurse fainted and fell on the floor…just as Barnette and Max arrived in the Medical Bay, fully dressed and then saw Parfait with her tank top and short shorts on and Duero in his body suit…the two checking on Paiway's condition. They then worked together to check Paiway for injuries and to make sure that when she recovered her strength, they could talk to her…but they doubted that even then…Paiway would eventually tell the others about what she had seen this morning.

"Hello there…why is Paiway on the bed…did something happen?"

They all turned and spotted none other than Magno Vivian Yamato looking at them with Buzam, Aleck, Gascogne…and Hiryu at their side. It was then that Magno smiled at them…namely at the fact that she was looking at both Duero and Parfait…who were still not fully dressed.

"Well now…I think we all have a lot to talk about don't we?"

The cat was now out of the bag.

--

Elsewhere…namely at a certain gym complex building…

Kyo woke up in the same gym room and sighed as he opened his eyes as he then reached for the control to remove the automatic shades that kept the light out of the gym room, but he then let the light in slowly. He then turned and saw that Mai was still asleep and despite his need to look at her smiling face, he knew that they couldn't remain in the gym room forever…so he nudged her awake and when she opened her eyes, she smiled a bit and blushed deeply as she realized that two of them were very much still naked on the mat and covered only by the blanket. Kyo smiled gently at her and then asked her an important question.

"How do you feel now Mai? Was last night…well…you know…"

"It was wonderful….I never knew that it would feel so wonderful to do it with a man….but I don't think…"

"You don't think what?"

"I don't think I would want to do it with anyone else but you Kyo…is that all right with you?"

"I guess so….I just hope you don't mind the fact…that, well…."

"It's all right…I love you and I don't mind sharing you with the others…you've had so much to deal with for a long time and I want you to be happy…in the same way you made me happy."

Mai's smile did ease Kyo's slight uneasiness and he kissed her back, but they both knew that they had to leave the place and therefore, they took their clothes and headed for the locker room…which thankfully was still unoccupied at the moment. The two of them then got dressed in their normal clothes and as they left the gym, with Mai needing to go back to work on the Register, and Kyo planning to head off to his apartment. They then rode down the elevator and handed back the cards to the new person manning the station, as they left the building… the two of them then kissed each other once more and parted ways.

Kyo sighed and arrived to his apartment and planned to cook something to eat for this day…however, it seemed that fate had other ideas as he received a communication alert from his communicator. He took out the device and spoke to the caller.

"This is Kyo Yamato."

"Hello uncle…can you spare the time to come here on the Nirvana's Conference Room…we have a lot to talk about today."

Kyo thought about that and wondered why was it he had a very sneaky suspicion about the coming conversation with his niece. But since he could always put his work on his Gundam and his new car on hold, he decided he might as well find out what sort of new situation he was about to send himself feet first into.

"All right…I'll be there in a bit, just let he have some break-fast on the way there."

As he placed aside his communicator, he checked his wallet and found that he had enough credits to grab a meal on the way to the ship, so he decided to keep his apartment key in his pocket and high tail himself to the ship.

--

Later…

"Mmm, that hit the spot."

Kyo commented as he finished his quick break-fast of honey muffins, apple jelly, apple slices, dried beef strips, and potato salad. The Gundam pilot had dropped by a nearby café and paid for an easy to consume take out meal and wasted little time eating it while on the way to the ship, he thankfully didn't spill his food and stain his clothes, though it amazed some of the female pirates he could eat and walk at the same time without making a mistake.

"Morning Kyo!"

He turned and smiled as he was in the bridge and was greeted by Celtic, Amarone, Belvedere, and Ezra, who naturally had Lacus in her arms, as much as he would like to stay and chat with them, and play with his god-daughter, he did have something to talk over with the Captain.

"Good Morning! I'm sorry I can't stay though… I have some stuff to talk over with Maggie…I'll see you all later."

As he arrived at the Conference Room and the door opened, he was greeted by cries of joy and relief and was surprised when the door leading to the room opened and he saw Parfait and Barnette hugging their respective objects of love and affection who were also smiling in relief. This mystified him as he decided not to disturb them as they left and went into the room to find Magno with Buzam, Gascogne, Aleck, and the Alpha of both Duero and Max, Hiryu McFile. As he sat down and faced them all, he decided to ask his niece what had happened in the room before he arrived.

"I just saw Parfait, Barnette, Duero and Max leave this room, and they were smiling like they were in cloud nine…what happened?"

The elder woman smiled and replied.

"I gave them full approval for them to pursue their respective relationships and my blessings as well."

"So you know about them being…well…"

"Being in love and intimate with each other? Of course I do…and we all agreed that it is all for the best."

Hiryu nodded as well and replied.

"I also gave my sons my blessings so there is no need for them to hide their relationships with Parfait and Barnette from me."

Kyo smiled and was happy for them and it seemed that things were going to work out after all, that was when he recalled that Magno had called him here for something and his suspicions came back to him force…though he knew that such feelings were not needed in front of family members and placed that aside so he can find out what was it his niece wanted him to know.

"You wanted to see me as well?"

"Yes uncle Kyo…we are planning to attend a conference with both Grand Ma and Grand Pa in a matter of days, concerning the need for both Talark and Megele to forge a military, industrial, and social alliance to fight the Harvesters. And while such things are welcome…we have some hurdles to fix before we do so. One such thing is to teach men and women that relationships between the genders is possible, and that it can both be worthwhile and can grow stronger."

"Okay, I can see where this is going…"

"Good, that's one of the reasons why we allowed Barnette, and Parfait to be more public about the full extent of their relationships with Hiryu's sons. So they can show that such things are possible…but we can't let them deal with all of the burden…which is why we will ask Duero and Max to talk to the small number of men here in the base who helped rescue them a week and a half before. While Parfait and Barnette can talk to the crew here on the ship and in the base, in this way…no matter how strenuous it might be for us all…we can create a place where co-gender relationships can grow and flourish.."

"That's true…"

"However…we have a slight problem."

"That being what?"

"The physical aspects of such relationships…and as much as I hate to say this, knowing how you might react in particular…this part of the situation…is where you come in uncle Kyo."

Kyo couldn't help but feel dread crawl up his spine.

(She can't be serious! Is she telling me what I think she's telling me?!)

"What are you talking about Maggie…what do you want me to do?"

"Well…I don't like to be beating around the bush on such matters, so I'll say it plain and simple…"

--

The bridge crew were busy talking and gossiping with one another, while Ezra fed her baby and Misty was once more talking to Devon. The peaceful atmosphere was suddenly broken as despite the sound proofing of the Conference Room, there was a shout that was heard…and the one who shouted was none other than Kyo himself…despite the sound proofing…the people in the Nirvana's bridge heard him utter only one question.

"YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT?!"

--

To be continued…

--

So….how was the lemon? Not too shabby in my book, though I still have to do better on certain parts of the stories. Just so everyone knows now…there will be more lemons in the coming chapters, including this one and Chapter 11, and you can expect that Dita, Sara, and Mai will get their chances with Kyo soon enough!

In the conversations between Max, Barnette, Duero, and Parfait, I wanted to give some realism to what they effects of them taking their relationships to this level…not just make love and everything will be all right, not likes some stories I have read before. In their cases it is more pronounced as they are from different cultures and worlds, and it has been a big decision in their parts to do what they had done.

And in truth, there will be men from Talark and women from Megele who will disapprove and revile their actions…so expect some drama along the way as well in this story.

Comments and Reviews are appreciated, along with constructive critiques. Flames shall be used to roast the beef ribs I'll be having for lunch.

--

Don't forget that Sara and Mai still have their turns…and for all of you readers here, expect the next chapters to still focus on the holidays aspect of the situation as the crew unwind. There will also be still lemons, and this time…I just might include more than one female in the next ones…

That's correct…after Sara and Mai have their turns, then you can bet that we'll have some action in the sense of more than one woman in the same room as Kyo will be in…after all I did say that since VanDread is a harem anime…why not make GunDread SEED one as well, and now it's time to up the ante a lot more.

If you agree with the ideas, then do not hesitate to tell me, as I will do my best to make the harem scenes as artful and tasteful as I can. Plus the culmination to a special occasion for Kyo will be worth the efforts as well…as, ah now that would be telling!

Oh yeah, before I forget, like the lemon scenes you have read, I will let you guess on who will be with Kyo in those harem scenes, so therefore be liberal in you're ideas….and if you want, you can send me you're pairing ideas.

--

I am very curious about something, why is it I don't get comments from other readers about the new materials I place in the chapters, namely the lemons. I wonder…

Ah well, can't do much about that right now.

To you gentlemen reading this story, please be nice enough o place you're comments.

--

(1) Got the character sketch from the anime Shadow Skill's own Gau Ban, Elle Lang's adopted younger brother. I loved that anime along with VanDread and the others I've watched over the years.

--

Is Misty going to finally get a chance at getting a guy for herself or not? What do you think?

--

Hi there…sorry about the long delays in making the new chapters…ran into some problems with my internet connection, along with other problems and issue here in my life and home…hope you all didn't wait for too long.

So…how was the scene between Mai and Kyo? Gives a brand new meaning to the word 'overnight work out' in every possible sense doesn't it? And now that Mai has been able to experience what Meia, Dita, and Jura had experienced, how will Sara approach Kyo once she decides to show her own affections for Kyo in her own lemon with him?

But while we're on the subject of lemon scenes, I hope that you enjoyed the light ones between Barnette and Max, along with the one scene between Duero and Parfait. But now that Paiway has found it out, and Magno has given her full approval of the relationships, how will they live with the rest of the time that they now have together?

And we have a new situation brewing in the base…and that is the fact that what Magno had once joked to Kyo about showing the crew of the Nirvana, has now become an important tool in reuniting the two genders in the system! But the big question will be…

Is Kyo going to agree with the whole thing? Namely when he now not only as to tell the men and women in Outer Heaven…but he will have to show it to them in full color as well? How will Kyo handle this situation as he now as to serve not only as a Gundam pilot, mechanic, programmer, soldier, squadron leader, relationship councilor, friend, loved one, and hero…but as a teacher in the physical aspect of co-gender relationships? Or in more simple terms, he has to explain sex to the men and women.

How is he going to pull that off?

And also…how will the rest of the crew of the Nirvana, the Paradise…and all the women in Outer Heaven, and the men handle seeing procreation between men and women?

Wait for the outcome on Chapter 10 – Part 5 Teacher!

See you later!


	32. Chapter 32 Lemon

GunDread SEED The Second Stage

Disclaimer: VanDread is not mine…neither is Gundam SEED, they belong to their respective owners Gonzo and Sunrise.

Chapter 10 Part 5

Teacher

( ): Thoughts

--

The next day…

Kyo woke up in his room and shook the sleep out of his eyes and decided to head to the shower room to take a quick shower…however, as he got out of his room, he was suddenly stunned to catch the smell of hot food coming from his dining area…despite the fact he was wearing only his under shirt and boxers, he decided to take a look and much to his surprise…

It turned out he had company…

"Hi Kyo…how are you feeling?"

Dita replied as she carried the next tray while nearby were Meia and Jura, along with Sara and Mai. Meia apparently was cooking something though her efforts had to be guided by Mai, while Jura was making fresh juice on a juice maker, and Sara made some extra hot chocolate. The other women then looked at him and greeted him as well. The fact that they were all in the apartment was not the most surprising aspect of his waking up, it was the fact that they were all in their normal clothes with aprons on that made things somewhat interesting.

Kyo shook his head out of the stupor he was in and responded to their greetings.

"Hi…why are you all here?"

Jura smirked and replied.

"We figured we'd greet you and have break-fast with you today, you find that wrong?"

The blonde finished her part and now a large container of orange juice was there as she took it and placed it on the table. On the table were large platters of food, bacon cooked to perfection, eggs sunny side up, freshly cooked fish, rice, oatmeal, toast bread with butter, jam and honey, fruit slices, orange juice, hot chocolate, and coffee…it was a veritable feast instead of a normal break-fast…and adding five gorgeous women as table company certainly made the day seem a lot more attractive.

(Damn…If I was back on Earth and they were my company and my male classmates saw them…I'll never hear the end of it.)

"Okay…uh…you don't if I take a bath?"

Dita nodded and so did the others, Meia then blushed as she placed on her newly cooked slices of bacon and spoke.

"I've gotten you're bath ready, the water should be at the right temperature by now, plus there is some newly dried clothes there in the bath-room for you to wear…enjoy yourself Kyo."

Kyo could do nothing but shake his head but say thank you to Meia. He then entered his bath-room and saw a hot bath waiting for him as he picked up the scent of pinewood mixed with spring grass smell. He took his bath, marveling at the relaxing atmosphere he found himself in and after a few minutes of thorough bathing and scrubbing with soap and sponge, he brushed his teeth and cleaned himself up.

As he got out of the bath-room decked in a fresh shirt, and pants, he sat down on the table with the women who were no longer in their aprons and he then made the light prayer and they all began to eat…it was somewhat hard to imagine him being with five women under one roof…and having been intimate…VERY intimate with four of them, but Kyo calmed himself as he watched them chatting with one another in a very friendly manner.

As they chatted and passed the food around, Kyo had to admit that with them around, he certainly wasn't going to be lonely here in his apartment. And he knew for a fact that most guys back in his day would have been in heaven if they were in his shoes right now, not to mention all the envious and jealous stares he would have been subjected to if it did happen. This entire situation was a young man's deepest and most desired fantasy, and he was living it in full color. He couldn't help but chuckle at the thought, and that got the attention of the women with him.

"Something wrong Kyo?" Sara asked her commander, friend, and love interest, the others were also curious as to why Kyo suddenly seemed to be amused by something.

Kyo sighed and replied honestly to them.

"It's nothing serious…let's just say that right now…most guys I knew back on Earth in my younger days would have considered me the luckiest man on the face of the Earth if they all saw me in you're company, not to mention all the envy and jealousy aimed right at me."

"Really? Why's that?" They all asked him, their curiosity focused on why Kyo mentioned that to them.

"Well…because I'm with you all…a lot of guys back then in my time would have only dreamed of being in the company of beautiful women. But in my case…I'm not dreaming am I? And just in case that I am actually DREAMING this…then I don't ever want to wake up. Besides…you are all important to me…and I love you all with every fiber of my being…and I'm happy that you all feel the same."

"Thank you Kyo!"

Dita, Jura, Sara, Meia, and Mai said as they blushed in unison on what Kyo had told them as it made them all feel very happy that he was happy in their company. The group continued to eat their breakfast and when they were done, they all helped in washing the dishes…making it seem to be somewhat crowded in Kyo's apartment. The Gundam pilot mused that he might as well buy a very large house in order to handle the workload…but he was getting ahead of himself. For now however, he had some time off with the others as they relaxed…they then went out of the apartment and it still mystified the other pirates in Outer Heaven to see Meia, Dita, Jura, Sara, and Mai walking next to him.

There was one thing that somewhat marred this day for Kyo…and it had to do with a conversation that he just had with his niece.

(That was the MOST shocking moment of my life…)

He shuddered a bit mentally and physically as the events in the Conference Room came back to his mind's eye. The very moment Magno had told him that she wanted him to really teach men and women the facts of life in every detail, he felt as if he had just been given a suicide mission of the highest order.

--

Flashback…

Kyo looked at the all the people in the Conference Room and wondered if they all had lost their minds. The request that Magno had made to him was something he had hoped was only a joke, but he doubted that the current situation he was in had any room for humor as the people before him were being serious, though he could tell that Magno, and Gascogne were trying not to laugh at his outburst…while he could have sworn that Buzam/Tenmei was blushing his/her face off. He didn't even want to guess what was flying around in the heads of Aleck and Hiryu.

He then glared at his niece and Magno merely laughed at him good naturedly, he sighed and glared even harder.

"Maggie this is hardly the time for jokes…you do realize that you've asked me to do something at would be near to impossible right?"

Magno sighed a bit and stopped giggling at the discomfort her uncle was showing. She then nodded and looked at Kyo.

"I can understand you're reaction uncle…it's not exactly the kind of thing one talks about freely. But sooner or later, you will have to tell them all about it…if it does work out, but if you don't do it, then it will certainly be hard to explain once their…ah…instincts begin to take over and they don't know what to do."

"It's not that I still have a problem with talking about the facts of life, at least not anymore…but how can you be sure that they will be willing to listen? Not to mention the fact that if I did tell them how it's done between men and women in the bed room sense, will they be able to handle it? Do you have any idea how much of a shock it will be when they know about it?!"

"I know…and it will be interesting to see the results…don't you think so?"

Magno chuckled at that and even Kyo couldn't help but chuckle at the possibilities, while the others in the room couldn't help but wonder whether the two relatives were having a slight loss of sanity. Both of them then stopped laughing and Kyo stopped laughing and looked at Magno solemnly.

"This a serious matter though Maggie…we're talking about showing and teaching the mechanics of the ancient ways of co-gender procreation to men and women who have no contact with each other for nearly a generation, not to mention the fact that they have been reproducing through artificial means for three generations! I hate to say this, but what you're asking me to do is near impossible here! I can't just change three generations of culture in just four months."

Magno nodded and replied.

"I know…I'm not asking you to do it now…I want you to take you're time to decide to do it, and also to take you're time to make all the right decisions once you decide to do it. Besides…we have all the materials for it to work out already."

"What do you mean by that?"

"We can ask Jura to let us borrow her videos so we can show how it can be done between men and women for one."

Kyo's eye-brows were raised and he looked stunned at the discovery that Magno knew about the videos…at first he was confused as to how Magno knew about the videos that Jura with her, until he wagered a guess as to a possible answer to that question.

"She told you about…those videos?"

Magno smiled in mischief at the look of embarrassment on her uncle's face.

"Oh yes she did…and I have to admit, the facts that she had seen the various ways men and women could do the act of sex with one another was very amusing indeed. I would certainly look to see the outcome of those videos being seen by the women, though Barnette had been a recent viewer as well…along with Duero and Max. Meia also told me of the time she had seen one of those videos herself."

"That's just peachy…" Kyo said to himself silently.

Gascogne and the others then got confused as to what sort of videos were Kyo and Magno talking about and the facts that both of them mentioned that it was where Barnette, Duero, Max, and Jura had gotten the knowledge on how procreation between men and women was accomplished…and despite their still confused states, they were curious about these videos that Jura appeared to have in her possession.

"If those videos can be used to educate the others about relationships between men and women, namely when it concerns sex between them, then I think that Jura might as well show them to the others."

"I am rather curious as to the content of those videos myself. If those videos hold the methods of procreation between genders, then I am curious to see just how something like that can be accomplished."

Kyo looked at Gascogne and Aleck and wondered if the two of them had any idea as to what they were implying with their statements. He knew for a fact that the two had a good working relationship though he a suspicion that it was going to soon change into something else considering the closeness the two of them had when they were working together.

"Are you sure that you're ready for that?"

Gascogne shrugged and replied.

"The only way I'll know that I'm ready for it is if I see it for myself, don't you think?"

Kyo sighed and looked at Magno.

"Do I at least get some time to think this all over?"

"Of course…just drop by and talk to me if you agree with it. And if you would, then the sooner you can teach them all about it, the better off we all will be."

"That remains to be seen Maggie…that remains to be seen."

--

End of Flashback…

(I can't believe I am actually going to have to explain all the intricate details of sex to everyone on this base…God I must be losing my mind even considering that as an option. But…I can't find fault in the idea…if they don't have a clue as to why they might feel those…urges when they get further in relationships…though will any such relationships spring up in the days to come in beyond me.)

Kyo waited in a mall while the others were busy shopping for new things to own. He was outside in the fact that the part of the mall they were in was the clothing section and a vast majority of the articles being sold were those for women…and that was the key reason why Kyo was thankful that he had a good collection of clothes, and they were easy to clean and were renewable in many ways. The idea of his shopping for new clothes was tempting, but he doubted that there was a single store that dealt with making clothes for men…and the last thing on his mind was to go into a store with the girls picking out their lasts selection of clothes…he made sure to avoid looking at the latest store the girls were in…and for good reason…as it dealt in under garments. He was still old fashioned despite his recent adventures, and the idea of a man walking into a woman's lingerie room was very uncomfortable.

He looked around the mall and saw a large number of eyes directed at him, making him even more uncomfortable. He might have been accepted into Outer Heaven, but he still had doubts on whether he was truly welcomed in the society in the pirate base. That was when he saw a couple that he recognized.

"Hi there Rebecca, Lacus, Ezra!"

"Hi there Kyo!"

Ezra and Rebecca walked over to him and Lacus was in her fahma's arms sleeping. The couple smiled as Kyo stood up and walked over to them and bowed in greeting, surprising the people who were in the mall. Ezra then walked over to him and decided to inquire just what he was doing in the mall, instead of being in either the Hanger working on his car or Gundam, or in the gym working out or leading the Crusader Squadron, or in the training center running the members of the said Squadron through any possible training simulations, she knew that it was vacation time for them, but she knew Kyo was not the kind of person to remain idle forever.

"Kyo…what are you doing here in the mall?"

Kyo sighed and replied as he greeted the family.

"Went shopping with Dita, Jura, Sara, Meia, and Mai, they were in the need for some new clothes, but I'm outside…it's not exactly a very social idea for a guy to go into a shop that deals in women's…well…undergarments."

"Oh?"

"Back in the old days…the only time a guy would ever be in a store that dealt with female clothes was to buy a gift for someone. If he wasn't going to buy anything and just stay there to stare at the clothes, then he would have been considered a pervert in the highest order…and I'm in no mood to be labeled as one."

Ezra laughed gently at that, while Rebecca also couldn't help but chuckle at the sense in his statement. The elder ohma smiled a bit more as Kyo and Ezra chatted for a bit as they all then turned to see Meia, Dita, Jura, Mai, and Sara come out and they all decided to go to a nearby park, and it was there also that Kyo asked permission from both Ezra and Rebecca to hold Lacus. The couple agreed and the others in the little group watched as Lacus stirred and smiled warmly as she saw herself in the arms of her god-father.

"Hello there Lacus….did you miss me?"

Lacus laughed at Kyo's question and reached out with her chubby hands to touch his face, answering the question very well. Kyo laughed a bit and with the skill of a seasoned nanny, which in truth he was where Lacus was concerned, he moved her in his arms as she touched his face, he made a few funny faces…making the baby girl giggle and smile…the parents laughed along with the five other girls, while the other women were still in shock and disbelief at the sight of a baby girl enjoying a man's company.

As the two continued to play together, Meia, Jura, Sara, Dita, and Mai marveled as they saw how Kyo and Lacus seemed to be so at ease with each other, as the little baby ran her hands over his face and played with some of the man's hair when some of it came close enough for her to grab. The girls then recalled how they all thought about asking Kyo to be the ohma of their children respectively, even Dita had personally thought about that. Now that they witness how totally at ease Kyo was with children, no doubt from taking care of his sister and younger brother, apart from being at ease in his Gundam, they had those thoughts come back to them.

Mai, Meia, Dita, and Jura however didn't need any more scenes to see and remember how much of a man Kyo was and how caring he was to the ones he loved with all his heart. After their times with him, they had no doubts in their minds that nothing would please them more to be by his side and have children with him once this war with the Harvesters was over. Though they were going to have to find some way to help him with the workloads of raising that many kids. They blushed brightly at that and managed to keep down their laughter as Kyo's ponytail was grabbed by Lacus and she tugged at it.

That was when they heard others beginning to gossip as the other women stopped with their actions and plans to look at the sight of Lacus and Kyo getting along so well together.

"I can't believe it…"

"This has got to be a trick…no way could a man be able to know how to hold a baby girl!"

"We have to get her away from him! She might have those icky male germs on him!"

"But she doesn't seem frightened of him…it's almost like…she likes him."

"No way! There is no way a woman can like a man!"

"I don't know why…but they seem comfortable with each other, she's not even crying…"

Some of the rumors annoyed the girls and even Ezra was not very pleased with some of the comments being made towards Kyo and Lacus. Kyo heard the rumors as well, but paid them no mind as he made his god-daughter smile and laugh. As soon as he was done with taking good care of his god-daughter, he handed the little bundle back to her mother. He then smiled and bid Lacus farewell as he and the others moved on to enjoy the days that they had.

Kyo was thankful that Magno had asked him to take his time to decide if he was going to go through with the idea of teaching the men and women about the physical aspects of co-gender relationships. He knew and understood their value, but it was still somewhat uncomfortable to consider. However, he decided to put that out of his mind for the moment as he walked with the others…he then wondered how his other comrades were doing.

--

In the Medical Bay…

Paiway sighed a bit as she ran through her studies on the latest patients that needed their routine medical check-ups and with her were the two brothers who seemed a lot more relaxed. She was still uneasy about what had happened the before, when she had found her mentors in very compromising situations with two of her comrades. However, she was assured by the brothers that they were not angry with her and told her the day before that Magno had approved of the relationships. She still felt uneasy, but relieved that she was not in danger.

"Paiway…can you come here for a minute? Max and I would like to have a word with you."

Paiway nodded and walked over to the two brothers and both Duero and Max sat in front of her as she sat down and faced them. Duero was the first to speak and smiled at his apprentice nurse, as he considered Paiway to be his best student as she had grown up over the course of the travels they all had been in together.

"Paiway…are you still in shock about what you say the day before yesterday? And please be honest with us."

Paiway didn't need to wager any number of guesses that the very same question was in Max's mind and knew that lying would not work with either of them…not that she would dare to lie to the two men in front of her…she respected them and was thankful for all the time they had spent in training her for the rigors of medical treatment, and the lessons in practical medical knowledge. She blushed as she recalled what exactly she had seen when she had gone into Barnette's room and then to the Medical Bay, and then replied while twiddling her fingers.

"Well…I am still kind of shocked that I saw that…I was not expecting at all the things I saw."

Both brothers nodded and Max smiled a bit at the young Megele girl.

"Well…technically, in the time you had entered Barnette's room, it was you're mistake…but I doubt that anything would have been different had you gone to the Medical Bay. Either way however, we don't find fault in you, and it's all right that you know…but we ask that until the other pirates in Outer Heaven are more accepting of men, you can't say a word about what you saw until things change, is that all right Paiway?"

Paiway nodded and the three then went back to their respective duties as several crew members came in for the routine medical check ups…however, while Paiway did promise never to speak of it until the others learned of it in their own time that hardly meant she was not curious as to how it came about between her mentors and her two fellow pirates. She wanted to know how they felt with each other, both on the perspective of her mentors, and Parfait and Barnette as well, this was too good to ignore!

--

As for the other men who were in the Nirvana…

Devon was busy eating another plate full of Talark food pill rations while the rest of the small group of men were busy taking their turns eating and trading stories of what they had heard about women in their long stay here in the Nirvana and the pirate base known as Outer Heaven. Though many of his fellow men remained in the sidelines, he knew that they were not bad men…and some of them were people who didn't believe completely in all the propaganda that they had heard about…he then began to look at each of the men who were with him and Hiryu when they rescued Hiryu's sons.

Merrik Valen was the eldest among them, nearly at least twenty eight, and also one of the Second Class Citizens, his Alpha and Omega were former scouts and gatherers, among the few men who went out into the wilderness of their desolate and deadly desert world to hunt for animals that were edible, along with plants. They were among the few but highly respected men who braved the desert wilderness exclusively to catch food, and their son was certainly no different from his parents. He had been hunting in the desert for nearly his adolescent years, their catches providing limited but worthwhile food to the few shops and restaurants on Talark that specialized in the meat and products of the desert…it also provided income to the Second Class family…and provided valuable field experience to the man. After his parents died, many would have expected him to stop the job, but he continued to train and teach others as a field instructor and survivalist. He had been a good student of Hiryu as well and served as assistant instructor as well in the Academy.

He had short spiky brown hair with blond highlights and hazel colored eyes, that plus his frame of being tall and strong made him a strong and imposing sight to many of his students, and he had a long thin scar on the forehead running diagonally over his nose…a training accident during knife combat classes, he however didn't try to have the offending student punished, but showed him how to truly take down a foe. The student was very much alive and doing well on the Academy. The scar was not hard to miss, but had begun to fade over time. As of now…he was busy eating the pills and chatted with another one of the crew. His reasons for joining in the rescue attempt was the fact that he had become disgusted with some of the policies of the Talark military concerning new recruits, this disgust grew after he had seen the massive numbers of deaths that the military suffered at the hands of the Harvesters and their leader.

Elric Ormond was another Second Class Citizen who had managed to make a name for himself as custom weapons designer. His Alpha and Omega were former engineers who had died when mistakes in the manufacturing process of the various Talark firearms caused some of the rifles they were testing to jam and break down, activating the propellants, the resulting explosions killed his parents and left him an orphan, but he was not going to give up just because the accident happened. He personally began to study just what went wrong with the manufacturing process and was able to find out the flaws in the construction of the weapons that killed his parents. He then worked his body to near exhaustion to create far better designs and succeeded.

The knowledge he gained also allowed him to customize certain Talark assault weapons and make them far more effective. However, the men in the military were not interested enough to ask him to customize all their weapons in the armories of the Talark forces, thus he only made custom weapons for those willing to spend the time and money for it. Regardless of the fact that he had no government sponsors and contracts…his work proved to be of excellent quality and many admitted his work was worth all the money and effort. He had joined Hiryu in the rescue effort since before their deaths, his Alpha and Omega were known to be those who questioned the propaganda films, and while he was not as deeply involved in such matters, he was curious himself as to what the women really looked like.

He had deep black hair in a long ponytail on the back and had deep green eyes as he looked around the ship…admiring the designs as any red blooded engineer did, and he naturally had the build of an engineer as he was somewhat shorter than some of the men, but his body had muscles in all the right places and despite his slight lack of height, he was certainly fast on his feet. He also had the regular uniform of a Talark engineer, the coveralls, with a tool bag nearby, a pair of working gloves, a wielding mask as well, and other needed tools of the trade. He was no slouch either in the arts of combat, having picked up a lot of tricks fighting in the mean streets of his home city, so despite not having formal martial arts training, he was not easy to beat in a fist fight.

Yue Matsuda was another older male and had a bit of a dark past so to speak, he was rumored to have been abandoned in a training exercise by some of the other cadets who were not happy with his rising progress in the ranks and did their best to discredit him. He had originally kept himself calm and unconcerned with such things, but it seemed that fate and timing had other plans for him as they went too far and he had gotten into a scuffle with them…he had been so engrossed in the fighting, that he was unaware of his attacks had crippled one of the cadets…and the grand-son of some of the First Class…because of this, he was placed in jail for a number of years.

He had been released from his term afterwards and had been assigned at a menial laborer, however, his actions had black listed him from any chance of gaining rank in the Talark military, he then joined the movement led by those who questioned the laws and propaganda of the military forces, not that he truly believed the motives…but wanted to show his disdain for the self serving leaders of the Talark military.

Yue was a natural blonde, but his hair had always been cut short by his combat knife to becoming a short and wild style and his eyes of blue had been hardened by his years of military training and incarceration in jail, he however had a military man's build and was stronger than he looked. Despite this, and his time in prison, he had flashes of a sarcastic and dry wit and helped keep a general good mood going among the men he trusted, though he was far from open to everyone he met. He still retained his planet's distrust of women, but like Devon…admitted that at his first glance, they hardly resembled the monsters that they had been shown to be back home. In fact he was stunned to see that they certainly didn't match any of the creatures they had been shown to be at all.

Finn Harding was another follower of the movement that existed on Talark, only difference was, he was a First Class Citizen. The young man didn't believe the teachings concerning women and even wanted to know about their society, however, he made sure to keep that fact hidden as well as he would have endangered his parents by openly admitting his curiosity about women. He also took a vested interest in history and became the resident archivist of the movement, at least one of the more dedicated archivists that is…despite being very scholarly and knowledgeable, he still was part of the First Class Citizenry and had been part of the military. He was already older than some of the younger members of the movement but he still is mistaken to be younger than he really was…not that he tried to discredit such statements.

He had been a good student of history and despite the militaristic upbringing of many of the First Class Citizens, he was more of an intellectual, so he was placed in the military analysis division. He had decided to find out the truth of women when on one operation he had asked the head archivist if there was any female prisoner to study and interrogate. The head archivist told him the usual story that women were never to be seen and heard, he then asked if anyone had actually SEEN a woman before…The head archivist looked at him in a very odd pattern.

The next day, he was sent a reprimand and was warned not to every ask about women prisoners ever again, lest he be kicked out and demoted…instead of making him change his mind and telling him to leave the matter be…this made Finn even more curious about women and their mysterious natures. Thus, while he outwardly appeared to no longer be interested in women and saw them as enemies, he covertly did his best to gather any and all data he could manage to get his hands on in order to find out the truth…naturally, he kept his new hobby a secret from his Alpha and Omega as he wanted no harm to come to them due to him. He took the chance to aid Hiryu and hoped to finally meet a woman in order to get the answers about them that he had been looking for, though he was still unsure on how he would exactly proceed with his inquiries.

He had deep black hair in a short haircut and had a long braid to the back of his head and his tanned face was sharp featured and angular, and his brown eyes spoke of his desire to learn more than other men did, though he was a scholar, he still had the build of a military trained man and had some of his military mannerisms even when he was no longer allowed to be in a field more often, due to his position. He was surprised to see women for the first time, but due to the situations that they were all currently in, he could not pursue his plans until he was sure that the women would not mind the presence of a man in their ship.

There were other men in his small group, but the youngest of the group had little time to see if they were also eating as he had finished his rations and decided to see what else he could do while he was on the ship, he was supposed to meet up with his liaison on the ship Misty for some new sort of duty, and then he was supposed to meet her for some sort of test, though he had no idea of what the young woman had in mind.

--

Later…

Misty smiled as she looked at her latest meal creation and smelled the food, hoping that she got everything right when she cooked the dish…it had been a staple favorite of her family when she cooked in her free time and her male friends loved it a lot, and she hoped that Devon would like it too.

The meal was her favorite dish of spaghetti, with the usual tomato sauce, but with her own blend of herbs and spices, along with the right tasting parmesan cheese. The smell was great and she hoped that when her fellow man came in, he would like it. She knew for a fact that all the men from Talark liked eating pills, and hoped that Devon could learn to like cooked food, namely hers, though this was only faint hope, but she was not the kind of girl to give up on the first try. The food was on a table, along with a pair of table clothes and a glass of cool lemon juice.

As the door opened, she smiled as she saw Devon and without a word, asked him over, much to his surprise, and when he got close enough, he smelled the food and wondered what that smell was. As soon as he saw the food, he gave the most common reaction a Talark man would have to unknown things.

"What the heck is that?"

"It's called spaghetti Devon, I personally eat this myself and I want you to try it out and see if you like it."

Devon looked at the plate with trepidation and suspicion, he was quite used to eating pills and wondered just what sort of…mess was this collection of unknown stuff before him.

(Women actually eat THAT?!)

"You can't be serious! You want me to eat that?! Are you trying to poison me?!"

"Of course not! Why would I try and cook poison anyway?!"

"Because there is no way that stuff is edible!"

Misty glared at Devon, he was insulting her favorite meal! And she went through all the trouble of making it for him! She then managed to calm down keep in mind that this was the first time that he had ever seen cooked food, she then recalled that this was not meant as a shouting match, but chance to make him get used to being around girls.

"I can prove you wrong."

"Really? How do you propose to do that I wonder?"

Misty merely took the fork there and then rolled it while it was in the spaghetti and took a portion of it and ate it, with a smile towards Devon as she finished the meal she had just taken in, and when she was done she decided to grab Devon's arm and gently bring him closer to the plate that had the meal on it.

"Now it's you're turn, don't you think?"

Devon looked at Misty, and with nothing left to lose he decided to try it out, and he hoped that this would not kill him Misty seemed to be very healthy just eating that collection of things that were on the plate. He then took the fork that Misty had cleaned with a nearby table cloth and took some of the food and tried some. As he chewed the food, he tried to prepare for the worst, but instead of feeling pain…

Misty smiled as she saw the emotions playing on Devon's face as the food began to play with his tongue's taste buds. She giggled at the looks of surprise of his face as he took in the food she had offered him. As soon as he was done swallowing the first bit, she looked at him expectantly.

"So? How is it?"

Devon merely shrugged, making Misty a bit more angry, but it dissipated when he began to take in more of the food…showing that he had deliberately shrugged in order to tease her, and he found the food to be appealing indeed.

Misty smiled, it seemed that she had now begun the first step with success on making the men of Talark become more open to women. Not to mention she might finally have a good male friend after all this time. She however decided that unlike her fervent chasing of Kyo, she would take her time in her pursuit of Devon so as to make sure not to overdo her actions.

--

In the planet of Megele…

The women who were being assigned to the security detail for the upcoming conference between their world and that of the men and they were not very happy with the duty that they were given to do. It was quite understandable that the women who were being assigned the security duties for the conference were not in a very patient mood for the fact that they were now going to face the men and not be allowed to fight them. Many of the military officers and members resented the idea of an alliance with the men, at least the hard liner ones, the rest were still resentful but didn't question Grand Ma's orders. They all however were going to do their best to be right for the occasion and show the men just who were better.

However, they could not attempt anything to goad the men into a fight as the orders for zero confrontation was set down by Grand Ma herself, as the women went through their routines and practices to protect both Grand Ma and the other leaders, there were complaints and opinions being flung left and right by the women on what would be the overall results of the conference. And some of the women were dying for a chance to show the men a thing or two and they hoped the men would try something foolish so as to warrant them getting ready to blast them. In truth a sect of the Megele military infantry forces were getting ready for that possibility.

The Amazons were an elite branch in the Megele military, and they were known to be among the best hand to hand combatants, and markswomen among the Megele forces. They were highly devoted to the protection of Grand Ma and their leadership and were known to be highly trained and skilled, serving as body guards for Grand Ma, and though none of them were seen in combat by the men, the Amazons were known to be the best fighters of the women, rivaling the supposed elites of the men. The Amazons were very much in small numbers and only Grand Ma knew how many of them were currently active, so as to prevent anyone knowing their numbers.

Two of the same unit, both rather tall and strong looking were in front of Grand Ma in the Council Chambers…unlike the rest of the Megele military, the Amazons were always known to wear body suits with no recognizable Megele military insignia so as to make it harder for them to be distinguished from normal soldiers, along with masks, the only symbol they had was a spear with wings and the Megele home world on them, which was located on the neck. They also wore specially crafted ceramic and metal layered armor suits that were designed to handle ballistics fire from known Talark weapons that the women knew the men used in their battles.

The leader of the duo bowed before Grand Ma and spoke in a patient voice.

"What are you're orders Lady Grand Ma?"

"You are to be part of the covert security detail for the conference that we will have with the men, you're duty is to defend me and the rest of the government officials that will be part of our envoy to the men. However, you are not to act without orders from me and if a threat is confirmed and identified. Once all that is done, then you have permission to engage the threat and eliminate it. If there is no threat, then you are not to start fighting with the men. This conference must push through."

"As you wish Lady Grand Ma."

--

In the planet of Talark…

The men who were being assigned to the security detail for the soon to come conference were not very happy as they received their marching orders. It was understandable that some of the men were very upset with their new duties as it was indeed unheard of for them to be in the same room with women, under a flag of truce! The idea was never considered at all in the past years, and now that it was happening, it was understandable that the men who were being selected were not happy as they could no longer be allowed to fight the women and avenge all the wrongs they had inflicted on their world and their comrades. However, they also decided to be at full combat readiness to show the women they were not going to be easily intimidated by them and they were ready to fight just in case any of them tried something funny.

However, they could do little as it was a direct command from Grand Pa, as the men were going through their basic routines and learning what they had to do in order to protect their leader, in the off chance the women would try to assassinate their leader, they were actually hoping that the women would try something risky so they would finally have their chance to make them pay. In truth, a sect of the Talark infantry detail were getting orders to be prepared for that possibility.

The Shadow Hands were one of the elite sniper cadre that were part of Talark's covert operations units and assassin squads. Their loyalty was to the protection of the leadership of their homeland and they did that duty with strong devotion and loyalty, and these men were among the elite for a very good reason. They were among the few men who used the sniper rifles of Talark exclusively, and they only used basic knives and side-arms for protection. The rifles they had with them were the anti-armor sniper rifles when they had to disable vehicles and mechanized units or kill their command crews, and the anti-personnel sniper rifles that were used to kill key personnel either in a very public fashion, or to take them out covertly and silently. The Shadow Hands were the best of the best as there were only a handful of them…even among the highest echelons of Talark high command, none of them, not even the Prime Minister knew how many of the elite snipers were on hand, as it was Grand Pa himself who knew of their numbers.

Right now…the only men who were in the chamber where Grand Pa and the rest of the First Generation, including Jin was at the moment, were two of the Shadow Hands. The men were decked from head to toe in black and wore black matte combat armor with ablative coating to resist energy based weapons. The men bowed and kneeled before Grand Pa, who nodded at his elite body-guards and gave them the order to rise.

"What are you're orders Grand Pa?"

The apparent leader of the Shadow Hand Pair asked with absolute respect and devotion, while his fellow sniper was also ready and waiting for Grand Pa to give his orders to them. The Shadow Hands wore no symbol to denote their rank…at least not openly, the men wore masks with the same armor and ablative coating and thus the only people who saw their faces were their fellow elite snipers, their trainers, and Grand Pa and the other First generation men themselves.

"You are to be part of the security detail Commander, make sure to fire only if there is a confirmed and grave threat to the safety of me and my fellow First Generation, if there is one and you have verified it, then you have permission to fire at will to eliminate the threat, if there is none, you are NOT to open fire for any reason, you are to maintain surveillance only until the situations dictate otherwise. Is that understood Commander?"

"It shall be as you order Grand Pa."

--

In Outer Heaven…namely their Command center…

"Are you sure that it would be a good idea for you and the others to go to this conference Captain, I can understand how important this conference will be…along with the alliance between our world and that of the men, but how can we be sure that the two sides might try something? There are people who still believe that we are at war with the men after all, and they might try something that can send this entire conference to hell."

Rebecca asked as she, Buzam, Gascogne, Aleck, Magno, Vaora, and Hiryu were in the Command center meeting hall to discuss the participation of the pirates' high command and key members to the soon to come conference between the male and female worlds. The younger Captain had reason to be worried as their spies sent reports from Megele about growing resentment in the ranks for the proposed co-gender alliance. This would mean that while there were those who were going through with the alliance but were not very enthusiastic about it, there would be those who would go against it and threaten to do something that could be very well spell the doom of their respective worlds once the Harvesters came through.

Magno nodded at Rebecca's concerns on the matter as they were very much true. She knew that there were radicals in the Megele military that could take full advantage of the conference and that was the last thing that they needed as time was ticking away for the energy storms as they were slowly, but surely dissipating.

"I know…but we must attend the conference, this might well be the best chance we have to make an alliance workable between our world and that of the men. Besides, I've got a feeling that it's not just the radicals on our world we have to watch out for, am I right?"

She turned to face both Hiryu and Aleck, and both men nodded as well.

"That's true…there are a good number of our fellow men who might do what they can to make things a lot more risky for this alliance to come to existence…the Prime Minister for one…he was still very ticked off about the whole Ikazuchi incident as far as I recall when he got back to Talark, he was the one who started the whole mess of the world being at general bloodlust after you guys humiliated him…he no doubt will be the first to go against the alliance, and I have no doubt he'll have some of the other military and government officials on his side, since he's not the only man you ladies managed to piss off like a male Sand Panther in mating season when you attacked the Fleet nearly a year and half before."

"Oh?"

Aleck and Hiryu nodded with slight smiles as Hiryu explained.

"Let's just say that a LOT of invested groups pooled their resources into the Ikazuchi when you raided it…and they were not very happy when you made a mockery of their investments…not to mention the utter amount of money they lost on it too."

Aleck then finished it off.

"So you all can bet ten to one…they are not going to be happy to see you all in that conference."

The men then began to look more solemn and focused.

"These men are powerful Captain, they may not have the same amount of power and leverage than Grand Pa…but they are powerful nevertheless, and considering the situations we are currently in…things are going to get even more dangerous if these guys will try something. If we are going to go to this conference, then we should follow the old saying on Talark. And that is to always keep you're eyes open and a hand ready and near you're weapons at all times."

"Let's hope that it doesn't come that then. The best we can hope for is that both planets will have good security for the conference."

Magno then wondered how her uncle was doing, ever since the time given off for her crew she had no word on him, but as far as she knew, things seemed to be pretty calm in the base so nothing out of the ordinary had happened yet, but she was certainly interested in finding out if the five women who were after her uncle were finally able to get him.

(Seems I'll have to call them over soon and find out for myself.)

Later…

(Hmm…let's see if that does it…)

Kyo walked through his electronic data-pad and nodded as the steps were shown to him once more had began to make the final touches to his new car. The Gundam pilot was happy to have some help as Parfet decided to lend him the aid of some of her fellow engineers who decided to help him as well with the car. It was now fully completed with the help that Parfet lent him and all in place…the only thing missing was color scheme. But he still had to make sure and used the fuel cells to start it out.

As he ran the procedure slowly and powered up the car's systems, he was happy to note that everything was working out perfectly, the transmission, the fuel injections, the navigation systems, the power cells, and even the more mundane systems as well, and finally he activated the ignition code.

"ALL RIGHT!!"

The car started beautifully and Kyo decided to take it around for a bit of a spin in the Hanger and found the car to be working fine, it seemed that his skills in technology had found another use apart from making machines of war. The Gundam pilot began to test the car out while in the hanger and was happy that his hard work and the help given by the engineers from the Nirvana finally paid off as the car handled smoothly and flawlessly as he shifted gears and made the car move faster. He then smiled as he got out of the car and decided to put his car away in the storage so he could finally work on the color scheme. He then turned and spotted none other than Sara Elsman as the young second in Command of the Crusader Squadron smiled and greeted her commander.

Kyo smiled as well and greeted Sara.

'You finally have you're car working now Kyo?"

"Yeah…I really have to thank Parfet and the engineers on the Nirvana for sparing the time to help me out, I thought they were too busy with all the work here in the ship and in Outer Heaven to help me out, but they came and helped me finish the remaining work in record time…maybe I should cook them a good dinner? What do you think Sara?"

"That would work fine to me…by the way Kyo?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you…do you have any free time on you're hands?"

Kyo wondered why the young copper haired woman was blushing for a second and couldn't help but wonder if she had a date on her mind with her question, but before he could provide an answer to her question, a call came for Sara to meet up with the Captain for some important discussions. The two looked at each other with some surprise and both sighed as they bid each other farewell.

As he watched Sara leave, he couldn't help himself but look at her retreating form, admiring her slim and well formed curves…the Gundam pilot grinned a bit and managed to shake his head and recalled that he needed to clean up his body since he was still dirty. Before he did so, he put all his tools, spare components and other materials away as he planned to put them in storage, just in case he needed to make any other changes to his new car. he then sighed as he looked himself over and headed off to the men's own wash-room area.

--

Later…

"Ahhhh….man this feels nice."

Kyo said as he took his shower and felt the warm water on his naked form as he scrubbed himself with a sponge and had a bar of soap in his hands. He decided to take his time as back on Talark, he never got the chance to enjoy a decent shower for a long time when he had been on the desert planet. While he was there, he decided to think on what Magno had asked of him and decided that once he had all his plans in order, he would agree with it, but only after they had been able to settle the matter of the conference between Talark and Megele.

Once he had placed the thought into his head, he decided to concentrate getting his car's new color scheme and to really test it out, but he also planned to go and hang out with the others of the Nirvana crew as well and he hoped that before the conference started, things with his friends were smoother.

He then wondered what was going on with Sara and the Captain, what was it his niece wanted to talk to Sara about?

--

In Magno's quarters…

"I see…so you all took my advice to heart, and how was it?"

Magno asked with a pleased gleam as she looked at the five occupants with her. The three female Gundam pilots were blushing bright red along with a certain member of the Crusader Squadron and the Register. She had expected them to finally show Kyo the level of how much they cared for him, but still, she was impressed at how the four women who had been able to have sex with her uncle were able to do. She had to admit that she was envious of them all as they were discovering the sheer pleasure of being intimate with a man who they each loved with all their hearts…it reminded her of her own time with her husband. She sighed mentally as she recalled seeing her husband in the council room with her brother in law. She was sad that she and Jin could no longer be as close as they were when they were still younger, but to finally see the face of her husband after so long was enough.

She couldn't help but smile at the women as Dita, Meia, Jura, and Mai told her all the intimate details of their respective encounters with Kyo and it made her smile even more as the women were blushing brightly and smiling warmly as they each recalled the things that they did with Kyo, Dita's face now matched her hair, and Jura's own blush was very expressive, as well as Meia's, and Mai's own blush was very strong as well.

Sara said that she had not done IT yet with Kyo, but she was hoping to finally get the chance to do so, and Magno hoped that she would as well. However it was very much an interesting discussion as she began to ask each of the four women how they each felt in those instances that they had been able to get intimate with Kyo…and she couldn't help but smile mentally at the results of what she heard, she could tell that things were going to get better, and she had no doubt that Kyo must be in heaven by now with all that had happened to him. She then asked them each if they were ready for the possibility that if they each do it again with Kyo, there was a chance that either of them might get pregnant, and if that was the case, then that would mean that either of them would have to…well, tie the knot with Kyo. The women naturally blushed with the idea of being Kyo's life mate, and they each had a faraway look on how they would imagine themselves when they were finally married with Kyo. They however asked the Captain if they could actually marry Kyo…as they each were in the mood to marry him when it ever happened.

Magno then replied that while their circumstances were understandable, it was a very unique request as far as she knew, and she knew that such a thing would be totally unheard of in either Talark or Megele, most men back in the old days of Earth would have been very jealous of her uncle, but the cultures on both Talark and Megele would not be very pleased with the idea…but she did start the pirates with the plan to let her crew decide their fate for themselves, without anyone from Megele butting in, and since her uncle did love them and would die to protect them, along with not being from Talark, he might have some objections, as being the nice young man that he was, but from what she had heard, there was a very naughty and passionate side to her uncle.

"Personally, I believe that as long as you are happy and feel safe with him, I think you all can try and talk to him about it. To tell you all the truth, Kyo would right now be the luckiest man in the whole of this universe, having you all caring for him. However, I think that for now, you all should spend as much time as you can since the after tomorrow from now, we all will be having to attend the conference between Talark and Megele. This is important, but I also want you all to not be too…shall we say, open about you're affects for that time being at that stage."

"What do you mean by that Captain?" Meia asked as she and the others wondered as to what the Captain was referring to.

Magno chuckled and explained.

"I don't have anything with any of you being affectionate towards my uncle Kyo when you're with him, but as you might have guessed, we will be in the company of the men of Talark and unlike Duero, Bart, Max, Aleck, Hiryu and the other men from the movement, these men in question will be very much be unfamiliar and will not be very accepting of the idea of men and women working together, and the same will be said for the women from our world…and I have no doubt in my mind seeing a woman being intimate with a man will definitely throw either of them into a serious loop. For the time being, you all will have to not be affectionate in public when we are at the conference and until it is over…that means no public displays of affection."

Magno noted the looks of sullen disappointment on all of their faces and she chuckled mentally at how forlorn they looked, no doubt, Meia, Jura, Dita, and Mai, having now known what if felt like to be intimate with a man and make love to one were very much not in the mood to be told that there was no way they could be with Kyo affectionately. She then decided to tell them something important.

"That conference will be at least two days away from now, so until then, you all can be as close to Kyo as you like…however, I have recently remembered something important that will be happening on the last day of the week in which the conference will be on."

The five women looked at the elderly woman with some confusion as she smiled slyly. Magno noted their confusion and she decided to give them yet another incentive to wait until the conference was over between the men and women before they could be with Kyo once more and it would be worth it after all.

"It has something to do with Kyo and his life, and you all will get the chance to really surprise him if you want to. But you'll have to keep it a secret from him until the time is right, I also plan to have the crew know about this important thing, but you have to make sure that they all will keep it a secret from Kyo, considering how long it has been for him ever since his time in the Paeksis cocoon, I have no doubt with all that has happened to him, plus his memory loss…he might have forgotten all about it."

"What has Kyo forgotten that seems so important on the last day of the conference Captain, and what is this special occasion on that day for Kyo anyway?"

The women were all curious as to what Magno was going to say to them and when she told them just what was the day and what was the special occasion that involved this day and Kyo together. Needless to say, this discovery was very much welcome.

"IT'S HIS WHAT?!"

--

In the galley…

Parfet and the other engineers were having one very happy time as they were treated to one very delicious buffet dinner, courtesy of a certain Gundam pilot. Kyo was able to finish his bath hours early and had gone to the kitchen and went to work on making the hot meals as he had planned, and when he had asked Parfet and the other engineers to come with him, none of them had any idea that the Gundam pilot had made them a very lavish meal. And when they learned that he made all these delicious and wonderful dishes in thanks for their help, they didn't know what to say, and they were stunned that he went through all the trouble and effort for them. They thanked him and they were now having their dinner as Kyo smiled and left the galley to let the engineers eat in peace.

Parfet loved her meal and enjoyed it well and wondered if she could ask Kyo if he could show her how to cook such dishes for Duero. At the thought of her lover, she blushed warmly and nearly choked on her water, she managed to stop that and focus on finishing her meal. But that thought was enough to give her ideas on what she was going to do as soon as her shift in the Engineering Section was over.

Ever since she had been told by the Captain that she was in full approval of their relationship and so was Hiryu even after the discovery of them being on the very high level of intimacy, she was now more open about how much she loved and cared for Duero and now that the Captain gave her permission, she was going to do her best to make it work out between her and Duero. As she decided to visit him and ask him out for another date, she ate her meal slowly as to savor the taste and flavors in it. She hoped that her Fahma and Ohma would be able to accept Duero as her special someone when they finally meet, thought she could only hope for the best.

Her parents were very open minded people, she had known that for a very long time…but still…it was somewhat very uncomfortable to her as she thought about it and tried to picture just what her parents' reactions would be once they found out that she was in a loving relationship with a man. Parfet and realized that this was her life and she knew that her Fahma and Ohma would always support her and Duero's own parent, Hiryu approved of it as well.

She then decided to let things play out once they start…for now…she would enjoy the time she spent with Duero here and now.

--

Elsewhere…

Barnette was currently in her quarters cleaning up her gun collection and naturally cleaning up the place to make it a lot more presentable the next time she and Max had some time alone, and right now, she thought more and more about that as she worked on the idea that she had been given full approval by both the Captain and Max's father Hiryu to pursue her relationship with him.

As she was done with the cleaning, she looked at her mirror and took a good long look at herself…ever since she had gotten closer to Max…and they had made love to one another, she noted a much more powerful glow about herself, as if she was more vibrant and alive than when she had last seen herself. And she felt that being in love, truly in love was the reason she was like this right now. And she felt even more alive as she knew that Max loved her as well, and was willing to spend his entire life with her…and even raise a family with her.

(I don't think I ever want to change back to who I was before…)

To think that nearly a year before…she was still hating and reviling men, and here she was now, in love with one who loved her back…who saved her life and stood by her when she was at her most vulnerable. Heh…no wonder when she was affectionate to Max on that desert world, a LOT of her fellow pirates were surprised and stunned at the sight of her and Max together. However…

Barnette knew that the moment the women back on Megele found out about this, things were going to get very hectic with them, and not to mention, she would have to talk to both her sisters and her parents on what had happened between her and Max and why she was with him now, and she knew that considering her previous past as a supporter of Megele's propaganda, it was not going to be easy to show that she no longer was that same person.

Barnette however recalled her promise to never leave max's side and when it came to term, she would raise a child with him, no matter if that child was a boy or a girl, and his own promise to live with her and raise their child together, and she was a woman of her word, and she knew he was a man of his word as well, and that was enough to convince her that no matter what…she was going to stay by his side no matter what happens.

--

Kyo decided to head back to his apartment and get some sleep, since tomorrow, he was going to be busy looking for the newest and best fitting color scheme for his car and when he could test it out for the road, there was not much to go in the base, but he was eager to see how this new car of his would do…it was newly repaired, new parts placed in, new software, new hardware, new frame, and more. He felt happy that all he had to do now was add the color scheme.

As he round the corner, he ran into Sara and decided to greet the second in command of the Crusader Squadron, besides that he was curious as to what was it that the Captain wanted to talk to Sara about.

"Hi Sara…how did the discussion with the Captain go?"

Sara smiled and greeted Kyo as she recalled her promise to the Captain not to tell Kyo about what she had discussed with her and the others in order to make sure that he would not find out in advance what she had planned in mind for her uncle, and Sara planned to keep true to that promise, besides that she had talked it over with Dita, Jura, Meia, and Mai on what they would do for Kyo on that same day…but for now…they had to keep their plans hidden.

"Not much, she just wanted to know how I was doing, so Kyo…I know it's late…so can I ask if you have…uh, free time tomorrow?"

Kyo thought about it and nodded.

"I was planning to take the time to find a brand new color scheme for my car. Parfet and the others helped me complete the car so I have the time tomorrow to find a good shop that deals in car body paints. But afterwards, I have some free time, why do you ask?"

Sara nodded mentally and was happy with the news. That meant that she could go ahead and plan her own chance to get Kyo with her for the day. She had also wanted to see the car that Kyo had bought and had been working on for the past few days, she was surprised when she heard about it, but since she had been busy with so many things such as the current state of her Crusader Squadron-mates, and more she hardly had the time to see if was true…and knowing that Kyo needed time for himself, she decided not to bother him when she did have the time on her hands. And now that Kyo was done with the car, she could now see what he had been able to with the car.

"Well…I was hoping that I could ask you to have a…a, well, a picnic with me tomorrow, just the two of us. Is…is that all right with you Kyo?"

Kyo thought about it and nodded.

"Sure…I'll just have to find a shop that handles vehicle body paints and I can pick you up so I can take you to where you want to have that picnic…say, at12:00 tomorrow?"

"Sounds great! I'll be waiting for you at my residence, I'll give you the address now."

As soon as they were done, the two left for their respective bunks in Outer Heaven for today and to finally get some rest, and much needed sleep for their vacation was soon about to end as they were going to have to go to the conference between Talark and Megele in order to discuss the need for the alliance to be forged.

--

In the Harvester Invasion Fleet…

The Harvester Leader was busy running through his fleet's current inventory and noted that his forcers were growing more and more numerous each day the energy storm wall was still present, as much as he was desiring to kill Kyo and end the Resistance to his rule and that of the humans on Earth, he could take his time. It was still annoying not to be able to finally end the Gundam pilot and his friends and wipe them from the universe forever however, but instead of wasting his energy and time, he decided to do some research on the last battle he had been able to see.

"Operator 0012! Come to the private quarters immediately."

His room was lavish and well worth the time to set up and he decided that while he was waiting, he would take the time to properly study all the information that he could find on his foes.

As soon as the clone operator arrived into the room, he ordered all records concerning the Gundams of the Nirvana to be studied…namely the Paeksis enhanced Gundams for any hints of weaknesses to be exploited both in the machines and their pilots. And he wanted the records of the Super GunDread to be studied as well for any way to counter the massive Gundam.

As his orders were carried out, the Harvester leader took the time to eat and then would head out and get some of his own time to train with his Gundam, just to work out the kinks in his own machine and his own skills as a pilot. He knew that from all that he had seen, Kyo was still a very dangerous pilot and if he wanted to finally kill his enemy and most hated foe, he would have to make sure that he was at his best.

As soon as he was in his Gundam and was now out in space, he sent out the order to have several squadrons of the newly programmed Dominion Gundams to come out and face him in combat. Though most commanders would have considered such a move as a large waste of viable materials, weapons, munitions, machines, equipment, and more…he considered it a very acceptable trade off for being able to finally kill the man he despised, even if he was only the son of the man he had wanted to kill so long ago. Kyo did leave a very good impression on him, both mentally and physically.

The thought of the physical impression left on his body by Kyo seemed to send a twinge of pain in the Harvester leader's body namely in the chest area. But instead of showing pain, he showed anger instead. And as he powered up his Gundam's systems as the Dominion Gundams attacked with the programmed orders to kill him, he was more than willing to focus and vent out his anger as he activated the E. Vendetta's beam sabers.

And in less than a heart-beat, the E. Vendetta attacked the Dominion Gundams head-on.

--

The next day…

Kyo smiled as he brushed his teeth in front of his bath-room's mirror, he was a bit disappointed that the girls were not there, but didn't blame them. Meia was currently chatting with Barnette on matter concerning the Dread teams, along with Vaora, Jura was currently taking the time to contact her Fahma and Ohma and to talk to them about the events that happened nearly a year ago. Dita was also very much busy talking with her own Ohma and Fahma about recent events, Mai was training and was also busy teaching the Crusader Squadron pilots on their morning exercises, and Sara was also doing the very same thing and would not be around for a bit.

He smiled as he finished his brushing of his teeth and worked on making his breakfast, which was ham, eggs, toast, rice, and orange juice, and as he finished his break-fast, he changed into his normal clothes and headed off to the Nirvana to pick up his new car, it was currently in a silvery white after he had replaced all the cracked paint and the rust as well, bringing it back to normal shine. As he arrived, he was able to get the car out of the Hanger Bay and drive it into the business district and began to locate a body paint shop for cars and after nearly two hours found one.

As the Gundam pilot talked to the women mechanics there about prices and selections he decided to take the normal paint scheme deep royal purple for the time being for his car, liking the feel of it…and it was indeed within his price range. He paid the credits and was told that it would take at least another four hours for the car to be fully painted and be given the needed shielding from water, light, weather and more…the women, despite not being on Megele to warrant such protection on the cars were always willing to give full service, and after seeing the Gundam pilot fight and lead alongside their fellow pirates a few days before, they were more than willing to help him with this, they even had downplayed the usual price of the makeover of the car.

Kyo then decided to tour the business district, he ran into some of the other crew of the Nirvana, namely Belvedere, Celtic, Amarone, and amazingly enough, Misty and one of the Talark men who were part of Bart, Duero, Max, and Aleck's rescue party…Devon Takaeda. He greeted them as he got closer.

"Hey there!"

"Kyo! What a surprise! What brings you out here?"

Belvedere asked as they greeted their long time comrade and friend, along with Misty. Devon then noted the looks of affection Misty showed to Kyo and for some unknown reason he suddenly felt this urge to go to Kyo give him a fair warning to get away from Misty, though why he suddenly had these thoughts escaped the young Talark teen.

Kyo noted that and walked over to Devon and showed his hand.

"You must be one of the men who helped rescue Hiryu's sons Duero and Max, along with Aleck and Bart, my name's Kyo, Kyo Yamato."

Devon looked a bit surprised as he heard the name, he had heard a bit of history and how Kyo was considered to be the greatest man who ever lived a long time ago, and he had heard some rumors that some of the men in the Second Generation claimed that they were descendants of his, to actually meet the living breathing and very much young as him Kyo Yamato in person was a bit surprising indeed for him.

He then shook Kyo's hand.

"My name's Devon, Devon Takaeda."

"Well then, nice to meet you Devon, so, how are you doing with the women?"

"Well enough."

Misty had noted the looks of jealousy the Talark teen had given Kyo was both surprised and somewhat pleased that development as she had been hoping to see just how Devon would react if she was talking with another man that she showed feelings for, and she now knew that he would act like any normal man would, though he would no doubt be confused why he suddenly felt this way towards Kyo of all people. She would then have to deal with this soon as she didn't want the two of them to get into a misunderstanding with one another.

The small group then went on to tour the place while Kyo helped out a bit in explaining a number of things to Devon who was naturally stunned to see Outer Heaven. He had been convinced by Misty to join her and the others to explore the pirate base and despite his still lingering distrust of women, he decided to come along and find out just what the fuss was all about for Misty and her fellow female companions. As they moved along the Talark teen observed Misty as she spoke to Kyo and was still not very sure why he suddenly felt threatened by the closeness that Kyo and Misty shared with one another as the two chatted with one another. Misty noted that and when they were finally able to take some time off in a shop, the blue haired teen spoke to the young man.

"Why are you acting like that?"

Devon looked at her with a confused look and replied firmly.

"I am acting normally, thank you very much."

No you're not…you're looking at Kyo as if you want to punch him, and even more so when I was talking to him…are you uncomfortable with him being close to me Devon?"

"No I am not!"

"Yes you are."

"And what made you come up with that assumption Misty?"

"I spent a lot of time with some men on my own world to know a few things…are you jealous of my closeness to Kyo?"

"Why should I be jealous?"

"Because of the way you look at him, and me when me and him are talking."

Devon thought about the situation and decided to be blunt with Misty, he might as well tell her, or else they would just wind up in yet another noisy argument and he was not in the mood to be in the middle of a screaming fit and become labeled as insane by the others in the shop.

"I just don't know why, but I don't like him being close to you…are you two close or what?"

"We are…but as friends Devon, I tried to win his heart once…but I was too late…but that certainly didn't mean me and him couldn't become friends."

"What's that supposed to mean? And how do you know Kyo Yamato?"

"It's a long story…"

"I've got all day."

"You might get bored." Misty countered.

"It takes a lot to bore me, and you are not boring me in the least, so spill it already."

"You're being forceful again…"

"I know, that's one of my better traits, or so I'm told."

"Hmph…all right then…it was nearly a year ago…"

Devon listened as Misty told him about her first meeting with the Gundam pilot and how she had gotten to know him over the past few days when they had met and how things had been between the two and her admission that while she wanted so much to be close to Kyo, she admitted that she was already too late and had decided to give up on him, but they became very close friends and managed mend things with one another before the two of them parted ways. That was not enough to convince Devon that Misty had completely given up on Kyo, but at least he now knew just what was the deal between the two of them.

It was then that Kyo decided to leave as he got a message from the mechanics that his car's new body color scheme was now finished and it was time for him to come back to their shop and pick it up for him to use in whatever plans he had for this day. With that, he decided to tell the others and bid farewell to get his car.

As soon as Kyo arrived, he was impressed with the looks of the car as it was shown to him and he noted some minor changes in the systems that seemed to be perfectly acceptable and with all that considered, the Gundam pilot thanked the mechanics and left the shop to go to Sara's apartment complex.

Unaware of the fact that like the other women, Sara had managed to get her hands on some of Jura's cassettes and had been watching them in her apartment for the four hours he had been with the others in the shopping section. And she had gotten more than enough hints on how to proceed with her own plan of seducing Kyo.

Sara gulped a bit as the last of the video stopped playing and she was now feeling VERY aroused and nervous as hell. She decided to calm herself a bit with a cool glass of water and as she finished her drink she decided to calm herself a bit more and think through on what she planned to do with Kyo once he arrived. She didn't have to wait very long as she spotted Kyo's car coming in and to admit, the color scheme was very nice for a newly repaired, refurbished, and customized car. With that done, she quickly grabbed her picnic basket, checked her clothes and went down to meet up with Kyo.

Kyo looked at Sara and saw her wearing a flower clip in her hair and wearing s short light blue Chinese style outer shirt with flowers and a dragon design and a light crème white undershirt, and she wore a pair light crème white long shorts with two long flaps on the front and the back with several intricate flower designs and in the same light blue as her outer shirt and she wore soft boots as well that were at mid calf, a rather unique ensemble that seemed to fit her just fine as she smiled at him. He got out of the car as he stopped and smiled at her outfit.

"Wow…"

"You like the clothes? I didn't think they would be all right…"

Sara said with some reservations as she let herself turn around slowly to let Kyo admire her form and she hoped that he found her clothing to be all right. She had this feeling that not only would it mean a lot for her to be with Kyo at this time, but if he was in appreciation of her outfit, then it would feel even better for her.

"You look wonderful Sara, and the color suits you very well."

Sara smiled and felt a bit embarrassed as she thought that her get-up was a bit much, but Kyo liked it and that made her feel very happy. She didn't have many clothes for her to dress up in and as such, she didn't have any other clothing choices for such special occasions as a date. She knew that what she was doing with Kyo very much was a date in itself and she was happy that she made a great impression.

Kyo was in heart and action, always a gentleman and took the picnic basket and securely placed it in the back trunk that had been newly lined and cleaned by him and further fixed the engineers. With that done, he opened the front passenger side of the car and helped Sara into the vehicle and he then took to the driver's seat and drove the two of them straight to where the park was. As he left the car and activated the security system he had personally installed, the Gundam pilot followed Sara into the park and he saw the large numbers of people in the park.

The young woman paid no heed to the stares being directed at the two of them as she and Kyo walked into the park and were chatting side by side and were smiling and laughing at some of the stories they shared.

She talked about her childhood…and for the very first time since she had known the Gundam pilot…Kyo talked freely about his own childhood…about his growing up years, his two year service in the Guardians Counter Terrorism Unit, his schooling and his time as a high school student, along with attending the concerts his mother would make and being with his father when he worked both as a soldier and as an ambassador to ensure the peace would remain safe. He told her about how he shielded his little sister…Magno's great ancestor, from several bullies, and beat them up for trying to harm his sister, not caring if he had some bruises afterwards. How he watched over his own little brother when he was still young and always did his very best to ensure that his little brother was not harmed and learning his own life lessons.

Sara and Kyo walked through the park and managed to arrive at a large lake area and rent a boat to go to the largest island in the lake and rented a boat, much to the surprise of the handler of the boats in the area. As they took the self powered boat and headed for the island to have their picnic, the two talked about the other events that shaped his life and when they arrived at the island they took the time to admire the place and then began to set up the picnic. The large cloth covered the area as the two of them began to eat their lunch, even though they were somewhat late.

The picnic basket had sandwiches which had ham, lettuce, beef, cheese, and tomatoes, there was also fried fish, hard boiled eggs, hot beef soup, celery and carrot stick slices, roasted beef with hot garlic rice and cakes. The meals were wonderful, along with the large container of ice cool lemonade that Sara had made, as the two of them enjoyed the time they had together, talking and sharing their past lives.

Sara was awed and also saddened at times when she heard about the occasions that Kyo had to take a life when he was in the Guardians and being so young, but he only did so if it was totally unavoidable and the opponent tried to harm innocent and defenseless people and his comrades. She felt very happy that he had a chance to grow up in a peaceful world that he and his family had worked so hard to make for not just themselves but others as well…and she then told him about herself and what she used to do when she was still a teenager and when she joined the pirates.

As they ate their food and looked at the artificial sky, the young Gundam pilot looked at her and couldn't help but smile at her, making her very curious as to why he was seemingly staring at her for no reason, though it made her very curious as to why he was doing it in the first place.

"What's wrong Kyo?"

"Nothing really…I was just thinking on how different we both are now."

Sara looked at the man who was the object of affections and wondered what that meant. And being curious she decided to ask just what he was implying.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Do you remember how we first met all those months before Sara? About the time you were chosen to be part of the Crusader Squadron?"

Sara recalled that day very well with a blush as she recalled how exactly she had met Kyo and found out that he was going to be her commanding officer.

--

Flashback…

"What are you waiting for? A written invitation? You challenged me to this match."

"Remember, when I defeat you, then you will go back to the Register and I will lead the Vanguards!"

"Agreed. IF you can beat me. When I win, you will follow all my orders to the letter."

"Hah! This won't take long! HIYAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!"

--

End of Flashback…

Kyo nodded as he himself recalled what had happened between him and Sara and how they had fought each other. He admitted then that Sara was skilled and he was in truth a bit distracted with her moving about at those times as she had a good body figure then and now. He then spoke to Sara as she continued to blush at the thoughts that the memory brought back to her.

"It was not exactly the most normal of meetings, but I have to admit, you were something else Sara."

"What do you mean?"

Kyo smiled and replied.

"I admit that you were a great fighter and I was right in choosing you to lead the Crusaders in my absence, and for the times we had some privacy I admire you for who you are…along with you're looks."

"I'm not exactly as attractive as the others Kyo…"

"It doesn't matter to me…sure there are beautiful women, more than most, but everyone can be beautiful, because it all depends on the views of the people who know them the most and you are beautiful to me in your own way. You don't need to emulate anyone else."

Sara blushed even harder and gave her thanks with a reply.

"You really know how to make a woman blush Kyo, you know that?"

Kyo sheepishly scratched his head and replied at the compliment.

"I wouldn't say such things unless I meant them, so I guess that's kind of true."

Sara laughed as the two of them continued to have their free time on the large island, which also had a large private Gazebo inside a large garden maze. As they managed to eat their lunch and took the time to explore the island, they were able to learn that they were alone on the island and as the day wore on, they found themselves inside the maze and decided to meet up in the gazebo deep within the maze itself…after they made sure to clean up the picnic basket and placed it at the front entrance to mark their way out as they walked in and took different paths.

This wasn't the first time Sara had been in a maze, having been in one when she was a little girl in another park so she knew what she had to do in order to find her way…and Kyo made sure to remember his way carefully as he went into the place. It took them some time and as they reached the gazebo they entered the structure and found the place to rather well furbished, with several comfortable couches and pillows nearby, a pair of chairs…and amazingly enough…a large circular bed in the center of the building built into the floor. Apparently the gazebo was prepared for anything and everything the occupants were willing to indulge in while they were in there.

The two looked at one another and blushed as they did so, Kyo and Sara then sat down on the chairs and watched the outer sky through the sun-roof and he smiled as he recalled how he would play alongside his little brother and sister in the park, along with his cousin and close friends, while their parents watched over them from a distance. Sara likewise thought about her own childhood and her times a long time ago. Then she recalled what she was planning to do and she decided to try and face Kyo…but even with her new found resolve, she knew that it wasn't going to be easy for her to try it as she had no idea how to start it…but she decided to at least try and be as aggressive as Jura had been when the blonde was able to seduce Kyo in his living room.

She took the chance and got off the chair and asked Kyo to stand up and before Kyo would say anything or ask why she asked him to stand, she kissed on the lips, hoping that she did it right and hoped that Kyo got the hint.

Kyo did and kissed her back with equal intensity as he reached out and began to massage her form with his hands on her sides and help her posterior in his hands and made sure to gently squeeze it. As he did so, he let his kissing grow even hotter as he and Sara dueled in each other's mouths with their tongues…moaning at the feel and taste of one another. Kyo then guided her to a nearby couch and then turned her around and then broke the kiss slowly, and Sara looked at him with her eyes confused with desire, Kyo smiled gently and began to help her out of her clothes, namely with her outer Chinese style shirt and he touched her breasts as the inner shirt was very much one of those thinner shirts that some people wore. And apparently Sara's choice of a bra was also of thin cloth as well as he could feel her breasts' weight in both his hands.

Sara groaned at the feel of Kyo's hands on her breasts as he played with them for a few minutes, gently playing with her nipples as well, making her very hot as she moaned out loudly and Kyo smiled at that and reluctantly parted from Sara as he waited for her to look at him. Sara looked back, surprised and saddened by the sudden lose of contact, but her fears were going to be short as Kyo reached down and began to loosen her boots and then took them off her feet, he then massaged her feet and calves and the relaxing sensations were enough to make Sara sit on the couch and not struggle. Kyo took that as a good sign and when he could see that Sara was totally relaxed, he reached out and managed to slowly remove her shorts, with some help from her off course, and that left the copper haired woman with only her under shirt on and her deep white panties, which to Kyo's aroused surprise was thin enough for him to see her copper fur that guided his eyes to the juncture of her thighs. The Gundam pilot smiled as Sara looked back at him and blushed brightly.

Sara then managed to calm herself and reached out to Kyo and wordlessly wanted him to remove his clothes. The Gundam pilot smiled and wordlessly told Sara that she would have to do it herself. Instead of being annoyed, Sara smiled back and took the challenge and began to slowly remove Kyo's clothing, namely on the upper part of his body, with Kyo offering help here and there. It didn't take long for Sara to finally strip Kyo bare of his upper clothes and reveal his muscled form to her. She blushed a bit as she moved forward and was now touching his muscles, treasuring the feel of his hard cord-like muscle underneath his rougher but warm and soft skin. The two moved to the middle bed and Kyo removed Sara's under shirt, finally leaving her in her soft bra and panties…while Sara managed to remove Kyo's shoes, socks and his pants…leaving him only with his boxers on…which already had a tent in the middle of it.

Sara noted that and blushed as the two of them viewed each other. Kyo noted that Sara's bra was also soft and was somewhat thin, holding her breasts well and allowing him to admire their shape and curves. He then moved forward and with the skills he was able to pick up…removed the bra without making a mistake, freeing the fleshy mounds from their confines. Kyo smiled a bit as Sara eeped a little and covered her chest. He smiled a lot more and couldn't help but like this shy side of the normally tough and hard working woman who was his second in command of the Crusaders. He ran his hands on her face and kissed her forehead, as he whispered in her ear.

"You don't need to hide it from me…"

Sara nodded and revealed herself to Kyo once more and the Gundam pilot gently touched the orbs before him, careful in his actions. Sara gasped a bit at the feel of his hands on her breasts and moaned a bit louder as her lover bean to caress her nipples between his fingers gently. Kyo nodded at that and leaned forward and took in Sara's right nipple as the two of them lay down on the bed with him on top of her and his right hand massaging the fleshy orb while his left did the same thing to her other breast. Kyo played with Sara's nipple and Sara moaned the whole time as she reveled in the sensations her lover was giving her.

Kyo then got an interesting idea as he took out a bolt of cloth which was clean and soft and gently covered Sara's eyes with it, making her unable to see him.

"Kyo…what are you?"

"Don't worry…just relax and let me do this."

Sara gulped and remained as calm as she could as Kyo continued to lick, suck, and gently nibble on her right nipple and the rest of her right breast, gently licking and blowing on the skin, making her shiver in pleasure at the touch as he then reached over and kissed her lips, both moaning into each other's mouths as Sara had no choice but to rely on touch to tell her what Kyo was doing to her. Kyo did the same thing to Sara's left breast and made the copper haired beauty moan even louder as the Gundam pilot licked, sucked, and gently bit her nipple and did the same to her left breast. And as soon as he was done, he began to gently kiss and lick Sara's body from her neck, to her collar bones, her breasts for good measure, and then to her stomach, and then to her navel, which Kyo kisses gently, all the while Sara makes several moaning sounds as Kyo then looked at her panties and there was a slight trace of moisture on the area that covered her sex.

Kyo then gently locates her clitoris and uses his fingers and tongue…without removing the panties, the results were very much surprising to Sara as she moaned loudly and arched her back as Kyo licked her sex through her tin panties, the silk adding more sensation to her sex as Kyo also gently parted her pussy's lips and he continued to lick her sex passionately. And sure enough he tasted her sweet honey as it began to flow out of her sec and on her panties. Kyo wasn't going to stop however and continued to pleasure Sara until she shouted out her pleasure as she came hard.

"AAAAAHHHHHHH!!"

Kyo looked at his lover as Sara lay on the bed, panting and moving in pleasure as her sweat covered form looked wonderful indeed to him. He then removed the cloth band that he tied on her to cover her eyes and Sara smiled at being able to see her lover' face once more. So much so that she kissed him, not minding the fact that she could taste her own juices on his lips, rather, that discovery made her even more hot.

"My turn…"

Before Kyo could say anything, Sara moved forward and push him back and while he was down, she removed her soaked panties and tossed them aside as she leaned over Kyo and began to kiss him fiercely and then kissed his nose a bit as well. Kyo smiled and so did Sara as they kissed once more and Sara began to kiss and lick Kyo's own body, loving the taste of him and the warmth of both his skin and the strength of his muscles. She kissed his chest and all the way to his torso and then she removed his boxers…allowing her to see his cock for the first.

That is, if she counted the time she had seen him naked in the Nirvana's communal bath. But that wasn't important right now as she looked hard at the male sex that she heard Mai, Jura, Meia, and Dita talk about. She had indeed seen it before and wondered on it…but now that she was alone with Kyo and knew that they were the only ones here right now, she began to recall what she had seen and what Jura, Dita, and Mai had told her about.

Kyo looked on at Sara as she examined his sex with great intent, that instead of making him feel nervous, made him very excited. Sara then looked at him with a very bright blush on her face and spoke slowly.

"I…I heard Dita, Mai ,and Jura…did this to you…do you mind?"

Kyo shook his head, saying to her that he didn't mind that in the least. Sara smiled and slowly began to kiss Kyo's cock, making him groan in pleasure in the sensation as she began to kiss the head and ran her lips and tongue on the sides and the base. She then recalled an idea she wanted to try but recalled that she had to be very careful if she was going to do this to Kyo. She looked at his testicles and recalled just how sensitive they were, according to what she had seen in the video and what she had been told by her friend Jura, who was the first to do this to Kyo. She gently licked them and took them into her mouth, marveling at the feel of them in her mouth. She made sure to move them carefully so as not to hurt them with her teeth or her actions, she rolled them in her mouth and on her tongue, feeling the shape of each of the two most vulnerable parts of Kyo's sex and she loved the feel of them in her mouth and sucked on them, listening to Kyo's moans and hisses to see if he was enjoying it, along with making sure to listen for cues if her actions were becoming rather uncomfortable for him.

Kyo felt like he was hanging on the edge of cliff over the ocean and he was enjoying this immensely, the sensations were very much enjoyable, and naturally seeing it being done to him was quite a turn on as Sara continued with her actions on him and he made it clear to her with his moans that he didn't mind her actions in the very least. Sara noted that and smiled warmly at him and continued on and when she was done, she gave both a parting kiss and licked his cock from tip to base…making Kyo groan out loud as she did so, and as soon as she was done kissing every inch of his sex. Sara smiled and gently took in his cock and ran her tongue gently over it…feeling the softness of the skin and the hardness of it as well as the warmth coming from it.

Sara recalled what she had learned and decided to be careful as she slowly took in more and more of Kyo's sex into her mouth until she reached the base and slowly began to move up and down, licking and sucking along the way.

"SARA!!"

Kyo shouted as he held the sheets below him with such tightness that they would have been torn apart as he tried to hold on. And Sara didn't mind as she continued her actions on her lover and Kyo was very much under her command. She understood why Jura and the others who did this to Kyo said that it made them feel powerful, that they had such control on him and how wonderful it was to hear Kyo make those sounds. She wanted this to last and make Kyo and herself feel more happy at the sensations, so she did her best.

The results were explosive as Kyo began to feel his orgasm coming up and he tried to warn Sara, but the copper haired woman was too far gone and had known already what to expect so she held on to Kyo and then he came.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!"

"MMMMM!!"

Sara's only form of warning that her partner had just came was the twitching of his cock in her mouth and then the taste of the first amount of pre-cum and the seed that followed afterwards. She felt the first jet of Kyo's essence hit the roof of her mouth and then to the back of her throat, she managed not to gag but took it in as best she could, and slowly began to pull away from Kyo's penis as it continued to fire streams of his seed into her mouth and as soon as she was able to finally free the cock from her mouth, several streams of the seed hit her cheeks and her face, running down her chin and hitting the beddings.

She tasted it and found it very much to her liking and with Kyo watching her, she swallowed it and wiped the remaining traces of her lover's essence off her face with her fingers and licked the seed clean off.

"Wow…."

Kyo said silently to himself as he saw Sara daintily sitting on the bed next to him and taking in his seed with a smile. The Gundam pilot was then greeted by his lover's smile as she reached out and kissed him on the cheek. This was enough to further add fire to his arousal as he then gently pushed Sara back to the bed and she hardly resisted as he positioned himself between her open legs and he then did something interesting as he took in her legs into his arms and placed them on his shoulders, exposing her wet pussy to him and he began to do what he had done before, but this time, her panties were already gone and he targeted her outer lips and her clitoris, and with his fingers, parted them as he tasted her juices once more.

Sara moaned and cried out as she felt every sensation of Kyo's tongue on her sensitive flesh from her skin to every part of her body as if it was on fire. As Kyo made her moan and shout out her pleasure, the sounds were enough to get him hard once more and he then gently placed her back on the bed and then looked at her eyes as she panted out her desire to him, he wordlessly told her that now was the time and she nodded and recalling the description told her by the others, prepared herself for any of the pain that might hit her.

Kyo nodded and with deliberate slowness…began to u\push his cock through her outer lips and right into Sara's tight and wet sex…he could feel how tight she was all around him, and he could feel the softness and wetness as well as he pushed in slowly, it was enough to drive a normal man to the brink and he felt this overwhelming urge to just push in fast and begin quickly for release, but he disciplined his urges and wanted this to be a memory for Sara, and a memory of joy and pleasure, not of pain and disappointment.

"Oooooohhhh!!"

Sara moaned as she felt Kyo's sex enter her vagina slowly and patiently. She looked at saw just how much effort Kyo was putting into what he was doing, it became obvious to her that he wanted to do this slowly so she would not be threatened or hurt by his actions, and she loved him even more for that, as she moaned out as the sensations of Kyo's sex in her own was very much unlike anything she had ever felt…and it was not scary or frightening, it was strange and new but was so natural that it felt like it was something that she should have known all her life. It was then that the two of them felt the barrier that showed to Kyo that Sara was a virgin. Sara gulped at the sensation of Kyo's cock hitting her hymen and she braced herself for the pain.

Kyo knew that and kissed her reassuringly…and pushed as hard as he could.

Both of them felt the thin barrier give way as Kyo groaned at the feeling, while Sara yelped in pain. She held onto Kyo tightly, fearing that she would fall into a pit of pain and sadness at the feeling, and he was the only thing keeping her from falling into it. Kyo didn't hesitate to offer her comfort and spoke loving words and forgiveness into her ears, making her slowly relax as he held her close. As soon as she whispered that she was feeling better now…Kyo took that as his cue and slowly began to move outwards, slowly letting Sara get used to the sensations, and when he was already nearly out, he pushed himself forward again, burying himself into her hot, tight, and moist depths.

Sara cried out and as Kyo began to set a rhythm with his thrusts, slowly at first, and he then began to pick up speed. The sounds of their bodies hitting each other filled the room as they continued with the act of sex. Sara couldn't help but moan out her pleasure as Kyo continued to move his cock in her sex and it truly felt that it belonged there within her as she beheld her lover as he continued to thrust into her sex. She smiled at him and then got an idea she wanted to try as she decided to stop Kyo for a moment. She naturally didn't want to do it, but it was too interesting an idea to forget.

Kyo noted that and while he also didn't want to stop, he agreed reluctantly and withdrew his still hard and throbbing cock out of her sex as it was covered in her honey. Sara then walked to the nearby wall and beckoned for Kyo with her legs open. Kyo was slightly confused, but got the idea quickly and closed the distance between him and Sara as he then held the young woman as they kissed hotly once more. Being taller than Sara, Kyo had to help her a bit as she lifted her leg and he placed it on his shoulder, she had undergone a lot of physical training and being a fighter, she had plenty of stamina and flexibility as she stayed there as she helped Kyo a bit more. He then placed his cock back into her wet sex and they continued on from there and the results were worth it in her mind as she felt the sensations even more strongly as they continued to make love to one another.

They stayed that way for as long as they were both able and then Sara placed her lifted back down with Kyo's assistance, but it was hardly the end of it as she reached down with her own hands and once more guided his arms to her posterior, Kyo loved the feel of her soft and firm flesh and he then got the idea as he lifted her upwards and she helped him along as she placed her legs on his hands as he continued to thrust into her pussy, only this time, she moved her own body up and down as well.

This position was considered to be very tiring to both partners, but thanks to their respective martial arts background and Kyo's Coordinator genes and physical conditioning, it was not a problem. Kyo continued this as he then carried Sara back to the bed in the middle of the gazebo and there on the bed he stood his ground as Sara continued to run herself up and down on his cock.

"OOOOOOHHHHHHHH!!"

"SARAAAAAAA!!"

Sara never felt anything like this before and she was going to lose her mind as the sensations filled every corner of her body from her toes to the tips of her own hair and she loved it. Kyo likewise enjoyed it for all it was worth and loved the feel of it all as he kissed Sara and she kissed him back with greater passion and intensity. The two continued with their intense lovemaking and the proof of that was the streams of sweat that covered them, and the streams of Sara's juices flowing down her sex to Kyo's cock as it continued to move in and out of her sex, down to his own legs and into the bed, though droplets fell down as well.

"OOOHHHHH GOOOODDDDDEEEESSSSSS!!"

Kyo realized that he was about to come and so did Sara and the two didn't want to injure themselves as they both went down and Kyo continued the actions as he placed her on the bed and thrust with all the energy that he could muster as Sara lay on the mattress and she held on for her dear life at Kyo's shoulders as his cock thrust hard into her sex with wet sounds that followed the actions.

It didn't take long for the both of them to finally succumb to their respective orgasms and at the same time.

"KYOOOOOO!!"

"SARA!!"

Sara moved upward and cried out her pleasure as she held onto Kyo tightly and he held her back as well as they each felt their releases.

Sara moaned out as she felt Kyo's hot seed fire into the walls of her vagina and the feeling of that first stream made her feel like she had been shattered with love and lust, pleasure, and passion all at once and it was a wonderful feeling. She felt the other hot streams fill her sex and even touch the entrance to her womb and that made her nearly pass out with desire as she felt her lover's cock move in her and twitch at the very same time as her own inner walls milked it hard.

Kyo shouted out his release as he felt his cock fire out the very first stream of his seed in his lover's pussy. He felt the walls of Sara's sex move and caress his length, further adding to intense feeling of release in his body and mind as well. As he felt his cock fire out more streams of his seed into his lover's inner sanctum and he felt her walls touch his cock, he felt even more drained of energy in a very positive way.

Both lovers fell on the bed and groaned and moaned as they both held each other and looked at one another intensely.

Sara never felt anything like what she had just done with Kyo and she never wanted to replace that feeling with anything else at all…no amount of Megele propaganda could ever tell her that what she did with Kyo, her commander, her equal, her friend, and now her lover was taboo. And if there would come at time that she would have his child, regardless of the child's gender, she would protect that child for as long as she was able to physically do so.

Kyo felt the same thing too. Granted he had done this before, but he knew that each relationship he had was unique and strong and his relationship with Sara was just as unique as the ones he had forged with Meia, Jura, Dita, and Mai, and if Sara ever conceived a child, their child, he would defend them both with his life.

The two lover stayed there until they had their strength and energy back, and they got dressed and made sure to tidy up the pace a bit… and when they made their way out of the maze, they saw that it was already night time and they managed to arrive and pay the fee for the rented boat, they ignored the weird looks the owner gave them as Kyo and Sara drove back to her home and he dropped her off to her room, and gave her a parting kiss of passionate love and she kissed him back and bade him farewell.

Kyo drove his car back to the apartment and placed it in the parking area and made his way to the apartment, made a quick dinner for himself and after eating and cleaning himself a bit, went straight to sleep, happy for this day.

--

The next day…

Kyo shook his head as he woke up in his bed room in his apartment and decided to get out and grab break-fast for today. As he was cooking his new meal of hot soup, muffins, roasted beef, and baked potatoes, he was surprised to hear his door open, and he could tell that he had company. He managed to put his food on the safety margins and went from the kitchen to see who was in his place…and was surprised to see his niece Magno and Buzam.

"Hello uncle."

"Hello there Maggie, I wasn't expecting a visit from you today, please come in."

"Thank you."

Magno and Buzam arrived in the apartment and noted that while it was only slightly messy, the place was well and in good clean order.

Later, the three people had breakfast as Kyo took care of his guests and they discussed the soon to come conference that they were going to be part of and what his role would be once the conference started, both relatives knew that he might very well be the only one who just might be able to help forge the needed alliance and to help it flourish along with the others in the groups.

Though the elderly niece made sure to keep the event she had in mind as a secret from her uncle as best she could.

--

Elsewhere…

Sara woke up and smiled as her memories of the events the day before filled her mind and she was very happy at what she had just experienced. As she finished her bath and changed her clothes, she opened the door to welcome in Dita, Jura, Meia, and Mai as the women began to discuss their plans to celebrate the special day for Kyo both in public, and in private. They discussed the kinds of things most would associate for this day…

But it was what they had in mind for a private celebration between them and Kyo that got ALL of their attention to detail…after all…this was going to be one gift they all knew Kyo was not ever going to forget for as long as he was alive!!

They were going to enjoy it and no doubt…he will as well, and they were going to make sure of that.

--

To be continued…

Author's notes:

Hi there…not much of an update yet, just getting the data on who are the new men on the Nirvana's crew roster today and putting them into the story to make it more interesting, and a friend of mine had given me some very good ideas that I might soon incorporate into the storyline soon.

By the way…I will have Sara take the lead soon with Kyo so if you have ideas you all want to contribute to the story then by all means, please send them my way once you have the chance. And above all else…please be clear on what is it you want me to put into the story to make it a lot more interesting in the long run.

I hope that the relationship with Misty and Devon will be all right, and if you have ideas on how to make it better and more realistic, then be kind enough to offer them to me in you're comments and reviews, it will make it more interesting in the long run.

And on the question if there will be a lemon between Misty and Devon, well that idea is still not registering to be a workable idea as of yet, but if anyone is interested on this idea, then by all means, tell me so I can try and plan it all out when the scenes come into mind.

--

We now meet the elite forces of both the men of Talark and the women of Megele, and things are going to heat up as rumors of rogue elements in each government planning to make the conference into a massive mess that their sides could benefit from. Will there be an incident in the conference that could spell doom for the conference and the alliance between the two worlds?

Find out soon.

--

If you are wondering as to what the special occasion is for Kyo, then you will have to wait for the explanation on the next chapter, namely Chapter 11, as we are about to put a close to this chapter arc and we get down to a very serious conference that will determine the very fate of the Resistance and the pirates.

The new Chapter will be a combination of two key parts, the first will be the first stages of integrating between Talark and Megele and their forces, and the pirates will be at the forefront of the efforts to make both sides work together in order to prepare for the soon to come Harvester invasion. And you can bet ten tow one, the next four months will be very hard and stressful for the parties involved with the forging to the alliance between both worlds.

As to the fate of the Resistance? They will be in the story soon enough, but the fleets are still fighting with the Harvesters and are still rallying all the allies they could find from the worlds inhabited by other human colonists. But there is no doubt that they are doing whatever they can to hurt the Harvesters and slow them down…but the deciding battle will be at Talark and Megele, and the death of the Harvester Leader in this battle could very well change the outcome of the war with the Harvester Armada…

However, as you might have found out, the Harvester Leader will not go down without a fight and he has the time and resources to build new weapons and systems as he waits for the energy storm to die down and his hunt for Kyo and his desire to finally kill the former Yamato will be ignited once more. And from their previous skirmish, you can bet a full blown out fight between the two will be one hell of an explosive affair.

The second part of Chapter 11 will deal with a far more interesting and joyous occasion, something for Kyo that we all can relate to…and it is an occasion that will mean the very most for him as it has been something that has been LONG overdue for the young Yamato, and Magno knows just what it was, after all, when Kyo had been thought as dead…this was a special event in her family…and during the early days of the Colonization Era…this is also a very much commemorated holiday as well.

And the girls who are close to Kyo are going to have a very SPECIAL plan for him on this particular day, and for Kyo it will be one hell of a treat!! (Perverted smile)

See you there!!

--

I hope that the lemon that I made was worth it, I have been somewhat out of touch for a bit and I think I might have gotten rusty over time since I had dedicated a lot of my time to real life issues and my projects as well, both here and elsewhere.

If you think so, then I humbly apologize and I will make sure to do better on the next set, but if you think that I still have it, then I am happy and I will try my best not to disappoint the readers.

--

Reviews and comments are a must have, so send them over. Constructive critiques are also welcomed.

Flames will be ignored and thrown out the window…don't waste my time and yours with them since I won't let them stay long.


	33. Chapter 33 Lemon

GunDread SEED The Second Stage

Disclaimer: I do not own either VanDread or Gundam SEED, nor do I own the companies who made them.

Chapter 11

The Conference and the Celebration

( ): Thoughts

--

The Nirvana was currently awaiting the rest of the crew as members of the pirates began to board the ship and assemble for their trip to the main command station of the men between the borders of Talark and Megele. The Conference was the most important event that they all had to take part in, as they were needed to be there to cement the alliance between the men and the women of both worlds.

Kyo was currently in the I-Freedom running some tests on the systems and also making sure to keep his weapons fully active…as much as traveling into a supposed conference with a fully armed and equipped Mobile Suit was considered a sign of danger, arrogance, or betrayal, he was not going to go anywhere without being prepared for the worst. He had been chosen to be among the speakers to the leaders of Talark and Megele as considering his bloodline, history and ties to the very societies of both worlds.

It still made him somewhat uneasy with the fact that he would be one of the speakers apart from Magno, but he knew just how important the conference was to ensure an alliance between the men and the women and how important it would be for them all to put aside their differences and work together to accomplish the goal of defeating the Harvesters once and for all. He knew that with a large fleet of their forces and their own leader in command of the said Fleet, the Harvesters must already be getting desperate to be taking this risk.

He still couldn't figure out just why the Harvester leader was dead set on killing him personally. As far as he knew, he had never met the leader in any of his travels, let alone fought the guy…but something about the Harvester leader seemed really off…as if something about him was familiar. But he couldn't figure out what it was. What he did know was the Harvester Leader was not someone to mess around with and was a very dangerous enemy to face head on…his massacres of a Talark battle group and a Megele battle group was proof of that and how close the Harvester leader came to killing him, had it not been for Rabat's interference. He put that aside as he powered up his Gundam and took off from the Nirvana and was now in front of it as the ship gathered the last of it's crew and made it's way out of their dock…alongside it was the Paradise as Rebecca decided to come along to help keep Magno and the others safe.

As he was now in front of the Nirvana as the ship left the dock of Outer Heaven and was now on it's way, and beside it was the Paradise. He then got a call from Magno as he escorted the ships along with Barnette and Vaora and their squadrons.

"What is it Maggie?"

"Are you nervous?"

Kyo smirked a bit, he was nervous actually…talking in front of a lot of people wasn't his cup of tea anyway.

"Pretty much…but I guess there's no way around that now is there?"

"Afraid so…the good news so far is that the security around the station is very tight, under both Grand Ma and Grand Pa's strict orders as well. I'm hoping that none of the radicals take a shot at this to mess up this conference."

"That makes two of us."

It was then that his Gundam was accompanied by the three other Gundams, namely those piloted by Jura, Meia, and Dita, the three Gundams flew alongside the I-Freedom as the three women got into contact with him.

"Are you nervous Kyo?"

Meia asked as she looked at Kyo with some concern and so did the other two Gundam pilots, as they knew that Kyo was among the speakers for the conference.

"Yeah, talking in front of large crowds was never my thing anyway…besides that, I'm still worried about how we're actually going to make this alliance between Talark and Megele work out. Then there's a lot of opposition on all sides on the whole idea of men and women working together to defeat the Harvesters, I can bet ten to one there will be plenty of opponents to the whole idea and they will be dying to convince any of us to side with them and start fighting each other."

"What do you mean by that?"

Jura asked with some surprise.

"They'll try and bride any of us to side with either side, in my case, the men of Talark might start using my name and the fact that I'm a man like them as the argument for me to side with them…even if I happen not to be a citizen of their world. And since you three are pirates, I've got no doubt on my mind they might try to bribe you three to take you're Gundams and side with them."

"Kyo's got a point you three…but there's some good news to that."

The four Gundam pilots looked at Magno as the elderly woman then spoke to them about the decisions made by both Grand Ma and Grand Pa concerning them and the possibility of any member of the military trying to bribe them or blackmail them.

"That means that any attempt to coerce or blackmail any of you, or any of us is considered a crime to them on either side and would be met with swift action. Not to mention that while we are pirates, the rest of us and the crew back on Outer Heaven, and on the Paradise and the Nirvana have just been a full official pardon by Grand Ma and the same goes for Duero, Bart, Aleck, Hiryu, Max and the other mean since Grand Pa gave the order for them to be given amnesty."

The others who heard that were relieved as they were happy that they didn't have to worry about such things. Kyo on the other hand was far from convinced.

"That certainly doesn't mean that none of the men from Talark, or the women of Megele won't try something to get any of us to side with either of them, they might be skirting their authority on this matter, but that certainly won't mean that the radicals are going to just let this slide Maggie…we still have to be careful either way."

Magno nodded as she could understand Kyo's statements on the matter and the truth behind them.

"That's also true, we'll all have to keep our eyes and ear open for anything. The moment we land on the station, we have to give a good impression and try not to attract too much attention to ourselves, so as much as possible we have to remain focused on the conference, the only time we can at least take it easy is when it is over."

The pirates agreed as the small pirate group was moving along, it was then that Barnette's Dread was escorted by Max's Templar Gundam and the two greeted each other with a warm smile and the two began to chat with one another in a private communications frequency and the others decided to leave the couple be for now.

Kyo himself smiled as he looked at the two and made sure to do his best to make the alliance work out between Talark and Megele.

In the meantime, each of the women who held a place in his heart began to think out their respective contributions to the coming day that Captain Magno had told them about and what it had to do with their object of affection. They hoped that once the conference would be over between the worlds, they would have the chance to surprise Kyo.

The fleet of the pirates didn't take too long to attract the attention of several Talark and Megele space patrols, however, instead of attacking them and taking them out, the patrols were given strict orders from their respective supreme leaders to escort the pirates and their forces to the conference site without any incident under penalty of swift military action and court-martial. Though many of the pirates from Magno's crew were worried about possible retaliatory action, they were not attacked by either patrol groups, however they made sure to remain wary and cautious for possible rash actions taken by any of their escorts on the other.

--

On Talark…

The ship that had Grand Pa and the rest of the First Generation took off from Talark and were now in their way to the conference, and knowing that it was Grand Pa and the leaders of their world that they were escorting on this conference, it was hardly surprising that a large military escort detail was sent with the ship, in the number of ships that escorted the main ship…even a few of the still working MAC ships were in the escort forces, along with a large number of Vanguards and even the elite Sword Riders were there as well. The Sword Riders had lost a small number of their comrades in the fighting but were still in good numbers to be a squadron.

The ship Grand Pa owned was known as the High Father and was one of the most powerful Talark battle-ships to be ever built…this ship had been kept a secret for the past year and had been constructed along the lines of the first encounter with the pirates years before. The ship followed the older Talark ship designs, but had much faster turrets on it's firing port, several torpedo bays on different parts of the hull, and had a pair of smaller, but no less lethal MAC guns on the front of the ship as well…making this ship and the heavy armor it had as well a very dangerous ship to face…it had it's own accompaniment of Vanguards…nearly four squadrons, and a rather large number of Talark security personnel and naturally the elites of the Talark military as well.

As the fleet headed for the station, the elderly leader of the male planet wanted a report on the security detail not just to his fleet, but also on the station, as he wanted to make sure that every needed to make the conference work. He knew the situation was still unsteady and he knew that he and his wife had to convince their people of the value of this alliance, he had enough knowledge to know just how valuable this alliance was and how it could ensure the survival of not just his people, but that of the women as well. He however knew that it would be a serious challenge as the two of them would have to find ways on how to overcome all the ingrained hatred, distrust, hostility, propaganda, and prejudice that they themselves had advocated for the past three generations. That was the hard part…but from what they had seen of the pirates fighting side by side with the men, there just might be a chance to turn this thing around, they had four months to do just that and to mount a powerful force great enough to withstand the Harvesters and great enough to not just beat them back…but if possible…to break their backs and make sure that they would not have the strength and numbers needed to destroy them, or mount another invasion fleet.

With all that in mind, the old man couldn't help but sigh and think back on what they all had argued on and decided nearly a hundred years ago when they first came on this system and decided to found both their worlds, and the massive lives lost in the battle with the Harvesters all because they became too focused on such matters that came to be due to their own mistakes. He then spoke in one phrase that summed up all that had led to this very point.

"What a bloody mess we made."

--

On Megele…

The Megele Home Fleet was fully mobilized and a massive number of this cruisers and battle-ships were now on their way to escort Grand Ma's main ship the Matriarch, which was her personal cruiser and while it had it's own Dread squadrons and had powerful shields, weapons, and a large and very dedicated security force, the women were not taking any chances in the least as the escort fleet was underway and a massive number of Dreads were now along with the escort forces. Along with the Dreads were their own elite pilots and their own Dreads as well, they were known as the Crimson Raiders and had been part of the force that engaged the Harvesters previously and they too had lost some of their kin, but were ready to fight the enemy as well.

As the fleet made their way to the station, the elderly wife of Grand Pa looked out at the incoming reports from all the ships under her command and also the security on the station, the last thing she wanted was something to go wrong and the whole conference was ruined and all chance of an alliance was broken. She knew that she and her husband had to work hard to allow their people to see the value of this alliance between their worlds. She had heard and seen enough to convince her that an alliance was needed between her world and her people and that of the men. However she knew that both of them would have to find ways to overcome the ingrained, hatred, prejudice, distrust, propaganda and hostility that she and no doubt Talen had allowed to be advocated for the past three generations. Not exactly easy to do for anyone, namely for the people who advocated such things in the first place, but with what she had seen of the pirates and the men who worked with them, there was no doubt in her mind that the possibilities were there. They had four months to make this alliance work and to make an effective and powerful force that was not only capable of holding back the Harvester Invasion Forces and beat them back…but to break the very core of the Harvesters and make sure that they could never mount such an offensive ever again.

With that in mind, the elderly woman couldn't help but feel the weight of the many possible outcomes her decisions. And she also thought back at the time they had arrived in the system, the argument and the decisions that all of them made that led to this point after their worlds were founded, and the lives that were lost due to their inner stubbornness about the whole thing. She knew of only one phrase that could apply to this situation.

"This is going to be a very long day."

The pirates looked at the command station that was going to be the sight of the conference…and it was indeed a massive station…befitting it's name and purpose.

Fire Point Command Satellite was massive, and was armed to the teeth with missile bays, turrets, launching bays for the Vanguards, torpedo bays, docking bays for ships, living quarters, many other key facilities and amazingly enough, it had a pair of heavy MAC Guns ready to be used in combat. There were also smaller unmanned gunnery satellites that were able to provide a massive hail of small, but no less lethal firepower into the battle field, making sure that normal attacking strategies would result in massive casualties for the attacking forces.

Judging by the massive amount of fire power the Satellite had on it, the station was truly made to wage war on a grand scale if ever such an invasion was going to take place. They had heard that Talark men boasted that anyone who attempted to take the Fire Point Satellite was foolish and were going to be dead soon…if not from the massive weapons that the station had already in it…then from the massive garrison fleet and the smaller attack satellites that surrounded Fire Point.

As the Nirvana's escorts left to secure the station, it became obvious to the pirates and their allies that several of the Talark and Megele ships were already in the area and no doubt were part of the security divisions that belonged to either world. The pirates guided their respective machines into the area and the four Gundams that were piloted by Kyo, Meia, Dita, and Jura were suddenly approached by a large number of Vanguards…and they were armed to the teeth. Kyo was wary of them and made sure to be close enough to defend himself if need be, along with the three female Gundam pilots, but made sure to keep in mind that they were here to help cement the alliance between Talark and Megele, not to make the situation worse.

Thankfully the Vanguards merely surrounded them and were under strict orders to escort them and not to do anything threatening to the pirates and their forces. As the Vanguards escorted them all, the lead Gundam pilot sighed a bit and relaxed himself somewhat as he and the other Gundams were told to land into the main hanger bay with the Vanguards. Seeing that there was not much in terms of choices right now, the Gundam pilots decide to land in the Hanger and meet up with the others once they were on the hanger deck and near the docks as well.

As soon as the I-Freedom, the Azure Angel, the Crimson Edge, and the Silver Lightning Gundams landed, the Vanguards landed as well and the Vanguard pilots got out of their own Mobile Suits and quickly gathered to see just who piloted the machines. They were surprised to see Kyo Yamato step out of his Gundam, as they had seen him in action during the first encounter with the Harvesters and how skilled he was and even fought with the butcher of their people, the Harvester leader in his own Gundam, to an amazing fight. As Kyo rode down the cable, the men looked at him with surprise and awe as they too had learned about history in their schools, and were still trying to see if he truly was Kyo Yamato, the one that they had heard a lot of stories about and who they had heard about in their history lessons. To think that someone of his name, bloodline, and caliber was among them was…well, very interesting.

Kyo was not very pleased with the attention he was getting. He was fine with people thanking him for doing a job, but he certainly was not happy with the way he was being portrayed right now by the men…as some sort of mythological history figure, it was unnerving to him as he removed his helmet and kept his suit on. He then made his way to the other three Gundams and awaited the arrival of Meia, Jura, and Dita.

As soon as the three women were on the floor, and had taken off their helmets, allowing the men to see them, the men were stunned and looked on his shock and some hostility. That was natural in a sense as they had been raised to view women as monsters and were their enemies. Meia, Jura, and Dita were stunned when they looked at the men who then began to look away from them, though there were those who looked at them with surprise and mistrust.

Kyo noted that too and decided to tell the three girls to come with him instead and the four of them left the room, while the men continued to look at them all with looks of confusion and mistrust. The confusion was the fact that Kyo was near the women but seemed to be immune to the supposed deadly abilities that women were supposed to have, and the mistrust was the fact that the women were onboard the station as well.

Meia noted all this and spoke to Kyo and the others as they made their way to the Dock that the Nirvana was to be docking in.

"They don't trust us very much do they?"

Kyo nodded.

"That's what three generations worth of propaganda can do to people Meia. I kind of wonder just how are we supposed to make these people side with one another once the conference is finally over. Not to mention the fact that we might get the same treatment from the women of your world once they see us, I don't even want to guess the reception we're going to receive once we get there."

Jura replied.

"The best we can hope for is to get to the conference and do our best to tell them the situation and why we all have to work together. Personally I think they'll have other concerns in mind than looking at us."

"That being?"

"The other men on the station, this will be their first time seeing men in person after all."

Kyo noted that and smirked a little bit.

"You've got a point there Jura…but we'll just have to wait and see what happens once we get to the chambers that we're supposed to meet up with the rest of the group. Oh yeah, I know this might sound a bit off…but Maggie told me that we're…"

"It's all right Kyo, the Captain told us about the 'no public displays of affection' thing, it's kind of sad really, but if it will help make things around here easier, then we'll do it, you have our word!"

Dita said with a slight look of sadness, but that didn't last as she was happy just to be close to her Mr. Alien, and the same could be said for Meia, and Jura as well. They were all not happy with the 'no public displays of affection' rule that was handed to them by Captain Magno, but that was fine as they had a far more interesting plan in mind later on in the day.

As the four made it to where the Nirvana was and the shuttle that ferried the pirates landed on the ramp and out came the pirates, they quickly moved to get the Gundams out of the area that they were in and keep them fenced off for the time being. The men looked at the Gundams and were impressed by the sheer power these machines seemed to radiate in front of them and were naturally surprised at the fact that three of the Gundams were piloted by the three women who walked with Kyo.

The men watched as Kyo smiled at Captain Magno and she smiled back as the Yamato escorted the elderly woman and her group that comprised of their planet's covert intelligence officer Commander Tenmei Uragasumi, Gascogne Rheingau, Sara Elsman, Mai Miazaki, Parfet Balblair, Duero McFile, his brother Max McFile, their Alpha Hiryu McFile, Aleck Koubayashi, Bart Garsus, Rebecca Viviel, Vaora, and Barnette Orangello to the council room, and all throughout this, the men were still very much trying their best to tolerate the women who were now on the station. As the men looked on, the pirates made their way to the council room with a small number of their escorts along the way. The rest of the crew, along with newly docked

Along the way, many more men apart from those who were in the docking bay where the Nirvana was looked at the pirates and their looks of barely suppressed hostility were evident to the female pirates, and a large portion of the security personnel that accompanied the pirate delegation were getting nervous, however several calming words from the aged Captain relaxed them. The men were then replaced with women from Megele and the pirates quickly saw that both the men and the women were keeping a fair distance with one another and also avoided looking at one another.

The women were also looking at the men who were part of the pirate's party and they looked at the men with disdain, however, most of them were surprised to get very angry looks from several of the women in the pirate group when they noted the disdain they were giving to the men. Barnette glared at them when they were staring at Max, the same could be said for Parfet who broke out of her normal nature and gave a look of irritation to the women who looked at Duero, despite the fact that she only had her tools with her and not a single weapon on her…even Gascogne gave the women a look of warning when they sneered at Aleck, and naturally Dita, Jura, Meia, Sara, and Mai glared back at the women when they were looking at Kyo, though Dita didn't remain angry for long as she smiled at Kyo…and to the utter amazement of every male from Talark, and every female from Megele, the men smiled at what the women with them were doing.

The pirates were then escorted by the security forces of the men who guided them through the station to make sure that they knew just where they needed to go…and naturally, the women security forces were not far behind as they also accompanied the groups. The pirates could see that the two security teams that escorted them were barely tolerating their presence and yet they were thankfully not causing too much of a ruckus. The station was vast and it was hardly surprising that only the men knew the station, while the women were naturally getting lost on more than one instance, and as such…despite their distrust several male groups were assigned to guide the women…that is…if the women could swallow their pride and allow the men to lead them throughout the station.

Tenmei however, being privy to the station's design plans as the head of Talark's covert intelligence division, was the guide of the pirates and it didn't take long for them to be on the right track. However, that still didn't mean that the women were not impressed by the sheer size of the Fire Point Station and the number of facilities it had to deal with not just it's guests, but naturally it's garrisoned forces as well, the pirates and their male comrades were naturally curious about the station, but they then decided that they had other matters to deal with.

As soon as the pirate delegation arrived at the doors that signaled their arrival to the conference room, they entered and sure enough, the sight was impressive.

The massive conference hall had a large hologram player table in the middle and a semi circular platform around it with massive numbers of seats and on a pair raised platforms that had seats were the leaders of Talark and Megele, their forces having arrived earlier than the pirates. The seats around the hologram table were filled with many key leaders of Talark and Megele who had also arrived there to be part of the conference concerning the alliance between both worlds. They were from different parts of the two world's governments and were naturally called here by their world's respective leaders to give their input to the formation of the alliance and the use of their worlds' resources, facilities, weapons, technology, and more to help them win the war with the Harvesters.

On the lower floors were the seats of the leaders of Talark and Megele's governments, namely the Prime Minister of Talark who had been the leader of the Talark Fleet nearly a year ago, and naturally he was livid at what he was looking at as he and his like-minded cronies looked on. And the leaders of the women also looked at them as well and they were not happy to be facing the pirates…even if they were given back their citizen status under Grand Ma's express orders.

The pirates realized that this was going to be a very tall order for today…

--

Back on the Nirvana…

The rest of the crew were told to remain on the ship and await further orders by the Captain, and the same orders were given to Rebecca's crew as well. The Gundams were then taken back into the Hangers of the Nirvana by order of the Captain and the ship was to be on lockdown until the conference was over for the day.

Most of the crew were nervous, but had faith in their comrades as well. They were told not to let anyone from either Talark or Megele have access to the ships unless they were given orders by Magno herself to let them in. This was to make sure that no one attempted to hijack the ships while the pirates were currently in the conference room.

As Ezra held her baby Lacus and fed her with her break-fast, Pyoro showed up with a new set of diapers.

"Here you go Ezra… the fresh diapers are already here."

Ezra smiled at the little Navi-robot and Lacus also smiled at her robotic nanny. In the past few days, Pyoro had learned that it was not truly Lacus' parent but was still a close part of the baby's life as Lacus did find hanging out with Pyoro to be nice from time to time as the Navi-robot allowed Lacus to fly as it used it's anti-gravity systems to carry the baby around.

"Thank you Pyoro-kun."

The Navi-robot then looked at both Ezra and Lacus and sighed.

"I really envy humans."

"Why is that?"

"You can feel sensations and feel emotions, it's really different being a machine, I feel lonely at times since I'm the only one left of my kind you know."

Ezra thought about it and saw Pyoro's point…there were no longer any Navi-robots left in this day and age and as such, Pyoro was indeed the last of his kind, and that made her wonder about how to put the Navi-robot at ease…she then had an idea.

"Why don't you ask Kyo to make you a companion Pyoro? Someone like you?"

The Navi-robot was surprised at that idea and wondered what it would be like to finally have someone like him. And he knew that with his skills, Kyo could make him a companion, especially with Miss Parfet's help as well. But he was unsure if Kyo would even spare the time for such a thing.

"Do you think he would do that? For me?"

Ezra smiled at that, despite Kyo's actions towards the Navi-robot…she knew that the Gundam pilot was a kind hearted soul and he did consider Pyoro as part of the crew.

"The only way you will know for sure is if you ask him…you'll never know until you try it Pyoro."

--

In the Conference Room…

"I've already seen with my own eyes how brutal the Harvesters are, and I have no doubts in my mind that you all have seen what they are capable of. They will stop it nothing to accomplish their goals of harvesting organs and making sure that they will be the only humans left in this universe and they will kill all who stand in their way. The battle we had was merely the beginning."

Magno said as she faced Grand Pa and Grand Ma, along with the members of the Talark and Megele Governments, and she was getting a bit tired.

The Conference began with the Prime Minister of Talark stating that there was to be no alliance with the women and that nothing would be gained by siding with the women of Megele, he stated that they had taken out quite a number of the Harvesters' forces and that proved that they could handle themselves without aid from either the pirates or the women. The leader of Megele was in the same boat and also stated that they had given the Harvesters their own beating and they didn't need to align with the men and humiliate themselves by siding with the barbarians.

Grand Ma and Grand Pa ordered them both to be silent. They then reminded them of what had happened when they had taken on the Harvester leader and the numbers who died trying to kill the leader of the Invasion Fleet and how they had failed in killing the leader of the Harvesters…and what had happened to the two separate battle-groups that attacked the leader and his Gundam.

The two sides traded words at that and the elderly leaders listened to their words, and there were indeed two factions within the conference room, one was the side that began to see the value of the alliance between their worlds, despite their ingrained distrust of one another. And the other side was still those who were unwilling to give up their pride and distrust of one another so quickly and still believed that they could fight and beat the Harvester without the help of the other side.

The Prime Minister would not relent in his stance of opposition.

"Be that as it may…we are men of Talark, none of you women have ever known what it is like to be on our world and survive in it! You have neither any knowledge of who we are and what we endure on our world! And I am proud of what we have accomplished here on the world we call home, what makes you think we will just give up our manhood and side with you weak willed women?!"

The leaders of Megele took offense and they were shouting right back at the bald Prime Minister, and their representative made that very obvious.

"Who are you to think we would actually humiliate ourselves to side with you?! We are proud women of Megele and we have the best technology in our hands…we have the finest food, equipment, military forces, ships, weapons, and more compared to what you have! What right do you have to call us weak you loathsome barbarian?!"

She then turned to Grand Ma and spoke as calmly as she could, her temper still steaming at the words of the Prime Minister.

"Grand Ma, I beseech you to reconsider this alliance with the men…they've already proven that they are arrogant, egotistical, self serving, and totally ungrateful that we even came here to talk to them at all!"

"And what makes you any different?! You came to OUR Station, which if we were not under the grounds of a cease-fire should have warranted you a shot to the head! You come here and ridicule our station, our technology, and our forces, calling us barbarians on our OWN station! I will advise you to keep that flapping tongue behind you're teeth or else, by God I'll rip it out with my bare hands!!"

"Just try it you arrogant ass and I'll make sure you have a smoking hole in you're gut!"

Grand Ma had enough of this matter and quickly spoke despite her age.

"That is enough!"

The women calmed down and moved away…despite her still lingering dislike for the idea of an alliance with the men, she was not going to cause any distress to the elderly woman who was their leader. Grand Pa took not of that and knew that his wife, like him was already old and could no longer have the strength like she did before and making her angry would only weaken her…therefore, before his world's Prime Minister could open his mouth, he gave a sharp command.

"You will sit down and be silent Prime Minister!"

The Prime Minster was stunned by the command and the angry tone in the voice of the elderly leader and quickly obeyed. As soon as order was set into the station's conference room, the elderly male spoke with clear authority.

"We are not here to start another mess and ignite old hatreds! We are here to discuss the proposal to the formation of an alliance with both our worlds in preparation for the invasion the Harvesters will launch in four months! I will not have this conference for such an alliance be turned into a shouting match…IS THAT CLEAR?!"

Kyo couldn't help but smirk at his niece's brother in law, he might have never met Talen but he was reminding him of one his friends from the Archangel from long ago…Kojiro Murdock. The loud engineer was not in the mood for things on his watch to result in a fiasco and that in his mind was a good thing. Magno also smiled at Talen as she recalled how he could be quite the force when he wanted to be…it has hard to imagine that he and Anya had broken up nearly a hundred years ago.

Grand Ma…or rather Anya couldn't help but look at Talen and give a slight smile to her husband.

"It's nearly been a hundred years yet you still have that same booming voice I see, I miss that…"

Grand Pa,…or rather Talen gave a slight smirk to Anya and then the elderly leader then spoke to the assembled people in the conference room.

"We are all here for this alliance…not to fight one another, and we all know what faces us…we know the pain of what had happened, when many of our people had to bury their sons, daughters, relatives, and great grand children. We all know that we are facing a threat that we all have never faced before and we must make a choice here and now to decide our respective fates."

He then looked at the Prime Minister and his supporters.

"Do not however think that I am not proud of what we all have accomplished on Talark for three generations Prime Minister. I am proud of our sons and all our grand-sons for their efforts and the formation of our civilization, our world might not be the richest world in terms of resources, food, and water…and it is a harsh and deadly world that has death in every corner. And yet we have forged ourselves on this world. We have endured all that it has thrown against us and we have made a world where only the strongest will survive…and for that I am willing to die with a weapon in hand to defend it to the end."

The Prime Minister nodded as he could see the truth in Grand Pa's statements.

"I apologize for anything I might have said that casts doubt on you and you're love for Talark and it's sons, Grand Pa."

"Apology accepted…"

He then turned to the Megele delegation and gave them a harsh glare, and even though none of the women were willing to back down and had contempt for Grand Pa…even they were frightened with the grim look on his face.

"And for you of the Megele delegation, you are here on this station under my personal sanction, but that is not an excuse for you to insult my people, my world, and my civilization. You are here as representatives of you're world to mine, so make sure that you speak with tact and diplomacy, I do NOT tolerate any form of insult to my world, people, and civilization and as such, you would do well to choose you're words carefully while in my presence…is that understood?"

The women nodded slowly, defiant, but knowing that arguing with the elderly leader was unhealthy for them.

As soon as he was sure that they all got the message, Talen faced the pirates and beckoned for Magno to continue with her words.

Magno nodded and began to recount the events that had happened ever since the Ikazuchi had vanished along with their cruiser. Though the women and the men of both worlds, namely Grand Pa and Grand Ma knew of the events from the records, they were still stunned by what they were hearing. Magno recounted all the battles and the various types enemies they had faced in their travels back to Talark and Megele…even Rebecca who had heard all of it from Ezra was stunned and was happy that Ezra and Lacus made it out all right.

Kyo winced a bit at the memory as Magno told the stunned audience how he had been killed and somehow brought back to life by the Paeksis. To say that he felt like a bug under a microscope was a vast understatement as every eye in the audience was directed towards him, even Jin, who was there as well as stunned at the knowledge that he had actually died and was brought back to life. Every person that was looking at him made him feel very uncomfortable to the 9th power and he could bet ten to one that sooner or later, they were going to be hounding him for any information on as to how he managed to cheat death.

It was then that the elderly Captain once more showed them the video records and then she asked the two leaders to finally give the orders to unlock the second set of pods that they had sent by their forces before. The leaders agreed and finally gave the codes to unlock the information pods and that, coupled with the video that Kyo Yamato had shown before made it clear that everything about the Harvesters was very much true to all the people involved.

Many of the military leaders, including those of the civilian sector were impressed that the pirates and their Talark allies, and Kyo as well were able to escape and gain victory despite the near death close calls they had in each and every one of those battles that they had been dragged into with the Harvesters, and how they had managed to beat the odds. The facts that there were other worlds out there that had humans, both men and women living together that also got the attention of the rest of the two delegations from either world as they now realized that the rest of the Colonization Fleet had indeed found worlds to live in. They were also allowed to see once more what had happened on Melanos and also to Anpathos, and to the other worlds…namely the battle on Khudan and how close they had come to being wiped out had it not been for the support of the pirates and the technology they had acquired over the many battles that they had been in with the Harvesters.

As the elderly leaders looked over at the information, they also began to gauge the reactions of the people within the conference room. The people were still stunned at the fact that the leaders knew about this at first and as time passed, the people also began to understand why it had to be kept in the dark for the time being. The elderly pair also noted that the people, after witnessing the utter carnage the Harvester had done seemed to have gotten the hint as to what they would have to expect. They however doubted that everyone was on the side of the alliance as there were still those who spoke badly about siding with the other side.

It was also then that Magno decided to call Kyo Yamato forward. The Gundam pilot knew that sooner or later he would be called to speak about the coming alliance between men and women and what his take was on the situation, and he could tell that both the leaders of Talark and Megele wanted to hear what he had to say. This however didn't make it all the more tolerable for him as he stood up, still dressed in his pilot uniform, he was not the kind of guy to love making long speeches and he was not comfortable with being the center of attention in situations like this one.

As soon as he stepped forward, his elderly male relative spoke to him.

"So you are Kyo Clyne Yamato…I must say you are quite the surprise, looking to be around you're early twenties when you should already be…pardon the phrase."

"Acting as fertilizer?"

Kyo replied with a spark of humor that got a slight smirk from Talen and even Anya.

"Well…close enough. I meant no offense by that by the way. Considering you're history, you're contribution to human history, and what had supposedly happened to you, it's very much a surprise to find someone of you're history and caliber is still very much alive here today. If it's not too much trouble...I would like to know just how did you come to be part of these events."

Kyo sighed as he thought about it and gave an honest reply.

"It's going to be a very long story Grand Pa."

"Well Kyo, as you can see, I am a very old man who happens to find an interest in what you have to say since you and I are related. I can tell that you have quite a lot to tell us."

"You have no idea."

"Well then…I suggest we get to that shall we?"

Kyo sighed once more and began to tell them about the time he had awoken from his Paeksis crystal cocoon on Earth when it was now under the control of the Harvesters and their forces. How he had managed to escape and began to travel the galaxy in search of his past since he had suffered amnesia at the time. He told them of the many cultures and worlds he had already been to before he arrived on Talark and how he had met Jin when he managed to arrive on the desert world. He also mentioned his time as a mercenary for hire when he had to get supplies and whatever information he needed in order to get by.

He then told him of the months he spent in Talark, gathering what he could in terms of information and supplies, and his plans to leave the system and move on, but then the events that sent them to the other side of the galaxy happened and he was now alongside the pirates. He then mentioned their first encounter with the Harvesters and the results of the battles, with the creation of the GunDreads, a fusion of both his Gundam and that of the three Paeksis enhanced Dreads that were piloted by Jura, Meia, and Dita. The Gundam pilot then tapped into the data interface and showed to the people the GunDreads through the records and what each unit was able to accomplish in combat and defense. Suffice to say, he could see the wheels turning in the heads of the people who saw them.

He glossed over the details of Barnette's mutiny for simple reasons and got to the description of the first encounter with the Harvester Armada's battle-ship and the damage it could do to the Fleets. He also told them of his encounter with the second battle-ship and then with the battle with the Dominion that was able to kill him due to his Gundam and himself to be badly damaged and not at their best, along with how he had been somehow resurrected.

He then told them of the extreme measures that they had to take when they were cornered and the fact that they were able to create a star from a giant gas planet and managed to avoid being turned into molten metal was something for the history books as the men and women in the conference room were all stunned, even the elderly leaders of Talark and Megele were stunned out of their minds as they saw the records of how close the Nirvana was to being obliterated. He then told them of their continued encounters with the Harvesters and their forces, along with meeting the people who resisted their attacks on their worlds. They talked about the time they had been forced to land on the desert world when they had been lured to a trap and how they had been able to rescue Max and Aleck, and he then talked about their escape from an exploding planet.

He then talked about the battles that followed, namely when they had been attacked by a stealth fleet of the Harvesters and where they had been able to acquire one of the ships that was now part of their forces…along with their encounters with the Resistance and the fate of Melanos. The Gundam pilot then talked about the encounters on Khudan 7 and their fighting alongside the Khudani people for their survival and the encounters they had with the ever evolving arsenals of the Harvesters and what they intended to do with all humanity. And the Gundam pilot told them all what the Harvesters desired from both the men of Talark and the women of Megele, and the fact that the Harvesters came to harvest them all of their sexual organs made every man and woman cringe in shock and gasp in horror. He couldn't blame them for the reactions as they all began to speak about what they had to do now and how shocked they were at the utter lack of morality the people back on Earth now have to contemplate what they were going to do to all living beings. Grand Pa and Grand Ma called them to silence and beckoned Kyo to continue with his report on the matters before them.

As soon as Kyo was done explaining the rest of the events and battles, he could tell that the people in the conference room had a LOT to talk about, and it seemed that Grand Ma and Grand Pa knew that was true as well and they decided that all the people would be allowed to be given a recess…but not before assuring the Gundam pilot that he was now under his personal protection and anyone among his people caught trying to coerce or blackmail him would suffer serious consequences. Grand Ma herself also assured the pirates that they were reinstated citizens of Megele in this crisis and as such were under her own protection as well.

--

Later…

Kyo sat down in the table as the people had taken a recess from the conference room and he was currently eating one of his MREs and enjoying it as well. He also had a tray of Talark food pills as well with him. He still didn't like the pills, but they came in handy and were all right by him as they kept his strength up. However, the Gundam pilot was not very happy with the stares he was getting from the people nearby as the men looked at him with curiosity and more.

As he ate his food, he then spotted several military officers come at his direction, he already knew just what their intentions were as he had expected this to happen the very moment that they knew now who he was and what he was capable of doing with his Gundam in combat. He looked at the officers and could tell quickly that this new batch was trouble.

One of them, apparently the leader of the bunch, had brown hair and had it on the side and there were several medals on his uniform and he had a look of someone who wanted whatever he could get, but was not about to dirty his hands in getting it either, the other one was shorter and stockier fellow, with black hair and also wore the uniform of a subordinate officer and he looked to be a yes man type, the next was tall as well, but had the look of a conniving weasel with the moustache and the short buzz cut style red hair, and the last was a muscle man who looked to be a bit on the strong man side and wore a subordinate uniform.

He sighed mentally as he finished his beef steak and then gave a slight glare at the incoming bunch. He had been greeted by men like this before and while they were under orders not to try and coerce him or try any means to blackmail him, that certainly didn't mean that no one was willing to try and take a shot at the idea…even if Grand Pa had made it crystal clear that no one among his people could try and blackmail or intimidate him and the other men of the Nirvana crew…apparently there were some men who were more than willing to try, and the four of them seemed to be just that kind.

"And who are you four?"

The leader spoke first to Kyo as he introduced himself and his fellow associates.

"I am Captain Garret Vance of the 35th Combat Fleet aka The Iron Blades, my comrades are Lieutenant Van Alonso who is my aide in the fleet, Commander Bradley Vickers of the 5th Mobile Fleet and his aide, Lieutenant Jacob Burke. We wanted to ask you some questions pertaining to you're current…shall we say…allegiance?"

"You mean more like you want me to abandon the pirates and side with Talark and once the threat of the Harvesters is over, start fighting the women, is that it?"

Before the men could answer, the Gundam pilot finished his food and that of the pills…while the food was not entirely gone, he was not going to have much of an appetite if he had to deal with this sort of situation every time he wanted some peace and quiet.

"Understand this you four…you're not the first to come to me and make such requests of me and my answer will be the same…I will not side with any of you and I am suggesting that you don't ever come to me and try it again, because I don't buy it."

"But surely you realize that the Talark Empire is a better choice to side with than the…"

"In case it might have escape you're attention Captain Garret, I have already been to your world before and I know that you men are capable, there's no doubt about that. However you no doubt have seen just how lethal the Harvesters are in combat, no matter how many times you might say it, you will need the help of the women to defeat them as they already are no doubt making new weapons, tactics, and systems while they are waiting out there beyond the energy storm, don't waste time trying to bribe me into siding with your world because I will not do it, instead you all are better off getting ready for them and working with the women."

"But…"

Kyo had enough and quickly made that clear as he grasped his sword that was still attached to his back and took out the weapon, making the four men back away a bit as they were suddenly caught off guard by the drawing of the weapon.

"Perhaps I wasn't clear…I will NOT side with Talark when it means attacking Megele and the pirates. I am only with Talark on the case of the alliance that has been declared between both worlds that has already been declared by you're leader Grand Pa to deal with the much bigger threat of the Harvesters and their Invasion Fleet. And since this alliance is already considered to be Grand Pa personal orders…you're actions will already be considered as treason towards his will and his orders, am I correct?"

The four men couldn't help but growl at the truth of Kyo Yamato's words as they were already skirting the edge of their authority, but they were not going to give up on their mission to subvert Kyo Yamato to their cause just yet. They knew how talented a pilot he was and they were not going to give up.

"Then that means we will have to try other methods of persuasion then…"

But before they could do anything and force Kyo to fight them without killing them, someone else decided to get involved.

"What in the name of Grand Pa is going on here?!"

The four men from Talark turned and so did Kyo to see another officer of Talark looking at them and this young one was not the same as the men that had tried to coerce Kyo. The Gundam pilot could see that the young man who wore the same uniform as a Talark officer had earned his rank through hard work, sweat, blood, brain and muscle power…now that kind of man Kyo paid attention to. Though he was still curious as to what this new Talark male was going to say. The young man had blonde hair and had them in a mess of braids and in a ponytail, his build was like that of the Talark men and he was slim but well muscled and formed.

The other four men, namely their leader spoke to the new arrival.

"We were trying to discuss with Kyo Yamato, some options he would consider, but instead he became hostile and was ready to attack us. And on the station no less…he should be brought to a court in Talark and be judged for trying to attack…"

"And that would give you an excuse to get him away from his comrades among the pirates so you could turn him?"

"What do you mean by that Commander Jason?"

"I was able to hear the whole thing before he reached for his weapon Captain Garret, I know that you were trying to coerce him into siding with Talark…despite the fact that Grand Pa himself has given him amnesty and he is now under his personal protection. And as of now he is to be part of the council to ensure the alliance's solidarity. What you and you're compatriots are attempting Captain is a direct violation of Grand Pa's orders and he himself is here in this very station. It will not be long before he will find out about this incident…so I suggest you leave this room immediately."

"Is that a threat Commander?!"

Captain Garret said with some anger as he looked at the younger commander. He had a chance to improve his station and get more recognition if he could succeed in turning the Gundam pilot to their side…but now he had been found out and by the youngest commander in their military not less.

"It's no threat…it's a promise."

Garret and his lackeys then decided that all this was not worth it at all and they decided to leave. The Gundam pilot then turned to face the blonde male officer and find out just who this guy was. But naturally he had to thank the guy for coming in as he did, if he did attack the men, they would have been able to come up with some excuse to drag him off to Talark.

"Thanks for the assistance."

The commander turned and saluted him with a look of respect.

"It was nothing at all Sir."

"Don't call me that, just Kyo will do, that is my name after all."

"Oh, of course…well, my name is Commander Jason Marduke."

"I see…don't get this the wrong way Jason, but why did you decide to not side with your fellow men?"

"Because it would have been a violation of Grand Pa's orders and also because you are not from Talark and as such, you don't have to follow our culture and customs, so we don't have the right to impose them on you in the first place, let alone try to coerce or blackmail you into joining our forces…just because you're a man like us…and, well I was assigned by Grand Pa to be you're Talark liaison for the time being."

"I see…well if that's the case, then thanks again, tell you what, why don't you come with me."

"Of course…but pardon me for asking Kyo, but where are you going to take me?"

"To the Nirvana of course."

--

Later…

"So this is what a female ship looks like."

Jason said as he looked at the inside of the Nirvana…surprised at what had happened to the Ikazuchi in just a year from now when it was first launched. It was colorful, well lit, filled with so many changes that he almost didn't recognize it. Since he had not been among the male crew to enter the vessel before…he had no idea as to what had happened to the ship for nearly a year.

"Not entirely, this was a colony ship before and the women just added their touches to it to make it feel more like home. I have no doubt Megele ships are quite different from what you see here."

Kyo served as Jason's guide in the ship and also did his best to explain some of the things that women did to the young but highly skilled commander. He was impressed to find a free thinker such as Jason in the Talark military, which was a far cry from the extreme by the book men he had just been exposed to.

The crew greeted Kyo and they also greeted Jason and the they went back to their duties on the ship. Jason was impressed as he had seen the women from Megele and while they were not like the monsters he had seen in his youth in film, the women from the Megele military were always not giving friendly looks to the men, but here on the Nirvana, that was a different story as the women seemed to be very much relaxed in his presence, he wondered if it had to do with the fact that Kyo was with him, or if they had gotten used to having men on the ship.

It was then that he arrived at the bridge and there was Ezra feeding Lacus with her milk…and naturally the Talark male was stunned to be seeing a female baby for the very first time in his entire life.

The gentle bridge officer turned and greeted Kyo with her usual smile, which Kyo returned as well.

"Well hello there Kyo, how did the conference go?"

"We're having a recess while the leaders make their decisions, oh yes, this is Commander Jason Marduke, he's assigned to my Talark Liaison by Grand Pa's orders."

Ezra smiled at Jason and for some reason that escaped him, Jason blushed.

"Good day to you Jason and welcome to the Nirvana, my name is Ezra, Ezra Viviel."

Elsewhere…

Magno was going to take a break along with Buzam, and Gascogne when they spotted a certain elder Talark male walk towards them. Magno already knew who this person was and smiled as she greeted him.

"Hello Jin…it's been quite a while."

"Hello Maggie, it's good to see you again."

Buzam and Gascogne knew that this was a private moment and made sure to remain in the background nearby as the two began to talk to one another. Jin was happy to finally get to be with his wife after so long and so was Magno, as she was happy to see her husband alive and safe once more. The two sat down and gazed at the stars together, like they did before when they were still very young and began to catch up on the past years they had been apart.

--

Later…

As the people were taking their lunch, Kyo had escorted Jason back to the main hall for him to grab a bite to eat, he was tempted to show Jason cooked food, but decided against the idea for the time being as he had to let the Talark officer get used to the situation of having to work with the women for the time being. As he did so, he then decided to leave the area and head to a nearby observation deck and before he knew it, he was once more being looked at by several of the men and it was beginning to grate his nerves…however, another thing was coming his way…and this time, it was in the shape of a female blonde Gundam pilot.

"Hey there Kyo!"

The Gundam pilot turned and was quickly glomped on by the blonde woman, much to the utter shock of the men who thought that they were going to see Kyo drop dead at being held by the woman from Megele as they all heard the stories. What really was about to stun them was the fact that Jura apparently was desperate to be close to Kyo despite the warnings given to the both of them by Magno about public displays of affection as Jura quickly kissed Kyo smack on the lips.

Kyo was naturally surprised by that action and also the men were stunned. They all thought that they were going to watch Kyo die right on the spot as the woman was no doubt draining the organs out of him!! Oh the horror!! They were watching the one thing they were dreading and they couldn't…wait a minute, there was something wrong here. Instead of Kyo dying, dropping dead, or looking like a husk of a man as they thought…he was still alive and young…and what was even more shocking…was the fact that he was kissing the woman back!! What was going on here?!

Kyo noted that quickly and after breaking the kiss gently took Jura out to another section of the station and as soon as he was sure that they were not being either followed and watched by anyone, he turned and shook his head at Jura.

"Jura, you should know that we're not supposed to kiss in public, namely in front of the men, who knows what will they think."

The blonde smiled and replied.

"I know…but they have no idea what they are missing, kissing is one very great pleasure…along with OTHER ways."

Kyo already had an idea as to what she was pushing towards and that was enough to get his attention straight off the bat. However, he put that aside and spoke to Jura.

"Jura, I'm being serious here…"

"And so was I, but I know what you're saying, I just can't help it when you're around you know…so what's been happening with you lately?"

"Not much…unless you count the fact that I've been approached by Talark officers trying to recruit me to their side for the past few hours, they may think that they could charm me over to their side to fight the women from Megele, but you know me…I can be stubborn if I want to be. Those guys give me headaches when they try doing those things."

Jura snorted as well and replied.

"Join the club then Kyo."

"You too?"

"Yeah…several of the Megele officers came to me and offered me a commission in the military and a high paying rank if I sided with them. I turned them down, I don't have any plans to join the military even if I am a citizen again, I am a pirate and I happen to like being one as if gives me a chance to make my own choices…besides…I could never raise my hand on my friends. Namely you Kyo, and I can bet that Meia, and Dita had the same offers too, alongside Barnette."

Kyo sighed and sure enough, several other people came into the section they were in, and they were naturally Meia, Dita, Sara, Mai, Duero, Parfet, Max, and Barnette. The looks on their faces told the veteran Gundam pilot all he needed to know as to what happened.

"Let me guess…they tried to coerce you guys too?"

Duero nodded along with Max, the two brothers were not very happy, but they kept their patience and focus throughout the whole situation as they had explained that despite the fact that they were experienced with the use of their Gundams, they were still medics and as such were not allowed to go out into military battles unless needed. They also made it clear that what the men were attempting was considered as treason to Grand Pa's standing orders towards them. Naturally that, and the fact that they were given full protection helped deter the men who tried to coerce, bribe, or blackmail them.

Barnette, Parfet, Meia, Dita, Sara, and Mai also nodded, they too had been approached as they were taking their recess. They were met by several high ranking women who no doubt were also skirting the edge of treason by their actions. They had asked Meia and Dita to allow them to study their Gundams so they could find ways to defeat the men's own machines once the Harvesters were dealt with, and asked for the designs for the Gundams from the two, along with the design plans of the Crusaders from Sara and Mai, and also the design plans of the SwitchBlade Gundam from Barnette. They also wanted Parfet to create new weapons that would not only defeat the Harvesters, but the men as well.

The women flatly refused the idea and the plans to use their machines to defeat the men made that very clear to the officers, who were not very happy and were somewhat offended that newly instated citizens of their world would deny this chance to side them and to deal with the men once this mess was once over, however, none of them were budging and thus they decided to leave the area..

"I can't believe them! No way am I going to let the SwitchBlade be used that way!"

"No way am I going to use my partner to hurt the good aliens!"

"I am not handing over the Crusaders."

"Neither am I."

"I never liked the military all that much myself."

The women and the men were very much into the discussion and Kyo pretty much understood the situations they were placed in by those people from either of their planets and reactions they had with the people who tried to bribe, coerce, or blackmail them. He however was curious as another woman from the Megele military arrived on the scene. He and the others looked at her with some suspicion, but Kyo wondered just what was this particular woman doing here and was in their company.

"Excuse me…is there someone named Kyo Yamato here?"

The group was naturally surprised as they looked at Kyo, who was as confused as they were. Here was a woman from Megele who they knew was not part of their crew, who was now looking for Kyo himself. Kyo wondered just who this person was as he had never met her before…but as he looked closer, he began to recognize the individual as he had seen her before. The woman had short strawberry blonde hair in a short cut, similar to Meia's own style, she had brown colored eyes, and she had the usual attractive features which were a testament to the inbreeding on Megele and the lack of any traits that would be considered ugly.

"Wait a minute…you look like the Commander of the Megele forces that sided with us when the Harvesters showed up."

The woman nodded and replied.

"Yes, my name is Heidi Reynard. Grand Ma asked to serve…well, to serve as a liaison officer to the men, namely to Kyo Yamato, do you know where he is?"

Kyo walked forward and kept himself ready as he was naturally still wearing his specially armored pilot uniform, he doubted that she was actually willing to start a fire fight in the station and she showed signs of not being heavily armed, but he knew for a fact that Megele weaponry had a way of surprising the unwary, namely in the case of the laser ring that the woman might have on her person, he knew for a fact that Meia had one on her at all times and he would have no doubt that Heidi might be armed as well.

"You don't need to look far, you've already found him."

Heidi smiled and bowed to Kyo and that was something all right as the thought of a woman from the world of Megele bowing before a man was unheard of. Heidi then spoke to Kyo and while she still seemed to be slightly uncomfortable with him around, she was willing to do what she could in order to accomplish her duties.

"Thank goodness, I have to travel throughout the station and it was harrowing, forgive me for saying this…but the men on this station are unnerving at times, they look at you like a bunch of…well…"

Kyo understood the feeling that Heidi felt, the men on the station were no doubt the hard-core types, but she seemed to be able to handle herself just fine even with all of them looking at her with natural hostility.

"I can understand that, so you're assigned to me as an liaison officer for Megele, may I ask why?"

"Well…it was under Grand Ma's orders and I was actually the one who suggested to Grand Ma that our forces…well, align with Talark to beat the Harvesters. I got a lot of threatening mail for that but I stand with that choice…I just hope I didn't make a big mistake in suggesting to Grand Ma that our forces align with Talark's own forces as well."

"You didn't, only time will tell if you made the right decision."

"I guess…"

It was then that the PA system came online throughout the whole station stating that the recess was now over and that all delegations and audience members were to return to the conference room to hear the rest of the deliberations and to finally hear the outcome of the discussions between Grand Ma and Grand Pa concerning the alliance between their worlds. Kyo took that as his cue and so did the others as they all headed back to the conference room.

The Gundam pilot hoped that the alliance would be announced to be official and that both sides were willing to put aside the state of war between them and work together to beat this threat, they had done it before when the Harvesters' advanced attack fleet came on the scene and now they had to do it permanently in order to ensure that their people would survive the soon to come invasion force that the Harvesters were sending their way soon.

--

Later…

The conference room was abuzz with activity as the members of the audience once more took to their seats and were now making last minutes discussions and choices as they were awaiting the return of Grand Pa and Grand Ma. As they did so, the arrival of the elderly leaders was announced and they were escorted by their body guards…along with their secret protectors who were there nearby to further ensure their protection.

As the elderly leaders sat down, they each called forward the pirates and the respective leaders of their worlds to come forward as well to hear their judgment on the formation of an alliance between their worlds and that of the women.

The Prime Minister of Talark was unsure of whether Grand Pa would agree with the alliance and he hoped that the elderly leader did not agree with it, he was still angry over the women humiliating him a year before and he was not in the mood to work with them in the least, he was also unhappy that his lackeys had failed to convince the men who were part of the pirate crew to return to their side as citizens of Talark, and most of all, for the failure of his chosen agents in coercing or blackmailing Kyo Yamato to their side…he knew that his actions would be severely punished, but he was a proud man and was not going to be cowed so easily…however he hoped that Grand Pa would not find out as he had heard stories on how angry Grand Pa could be and what his methods of retribution were.

The Leader of Megele was also in the very same boat as the Prime Minister of Talark, and was unsure if Grand Ma would agree with the formation of the alliance between their world and that of the men. She hoped that the elderly woman would not agree to that alliance, as doing so would mean that they were humiliating themselves before the men. She was not happy that her comrades and those who still thought that they could survive without the aid of the men had failed to convince the newly reintroduced citizens to use their weapons to fight the men once the Harvesters were dealt with. She knew that her actions would no doubt be considered treason if it made their way to Grand Ma's ears, and she hoped that it didn't reach her superior's attention as the First Generation had ways to deal with treason.

As they were next to the pirates, Grand Ma was the first to speak.

"Grand Pa and I have been discussing the relevant information that has been presented to us and we have evaluated all the factors involved. And I have to admit that this decision has been hard for me as leader of Megele to take. I am proud of our world and our culture's achievements over the years…but after seeing what the Harvesters are capable of doing to other worlds and the inhuman methods they use to other cultures and human beings, I have no illusions that we, not just as women of Megele, but as human beings and members of the human race will need to align with out fellow human beings in order to counter this threat, the Harvesters have a powerful force and are a deadly threat to all humanity in this galaxy. Therefore…I have agreed to the formation of an alliance between Talark and Megele. This means that our fleets and forces are now to be combined into a combined gender force to deal with the Harvester hordes and their Invasion Force. This alliance also applies to the trade and distribution of weapons technology, resources, supplies, and equipment. This option also applies to our civilian sectors as well, including the industrial sectors and development sectors as well and this agreement has my seal of approval."

The reactions were very much loud as the women and men in the audience areas were stunned by the announcement. Grand Pa also spoke in turn as he himself addressed the audience with his own agreement and his own explanation on the matter of the alliance between men and women.

"Ever since the arrival of the Harvesters and the battles we have been forced into with them…along with the revelation of who they truly were, their intentions, and what they intended to do with humanity has told me that now has come the time to put aside the propaganda and see the big picture…I have said it before and I will say it once more to be clear, I am proud of being a man of Talark, I am proud of what my people have been able to survive and grow on our hostile and merciless world, and I am willing to fight for that, we may not have the best world, but we will fight fiercely to defend it. And we have endured all that it can throw at us, but we are facing a threat that is unlike anything we have ever faced before and as a leader, I have made this choice, along with Grand Ma to unite our two worlds in order to defeat this threat once and for all. I had long felt that we all would come full circle…I just never thought it would be today. I am doing this for the sake of not just our world…but the future of the whole human race. As of now, I have placed my seal on this alliance and made it official, therefore…all military forces of Talark are now to work closely with Megele forces and the civilian sectors as well. The alliance will extend to military technology, development and research. With that…the conference is over."

The pirates cheered as they knew that their gambit had paid off…while those who were the moderates in either world were finally able to breath a sigh of relief that the alliance was now an official order and they quickly began to talk to their allies on how to being making preparations for them to work with one another, though they were still not ready for that sort of thing. While the radicals were naturally stunned at this turn of events as they were hoping that the alliance would not become reality. However, the two leaders of both Talark and Megele were far from finished as they dropped yet another bomb shell into the mix…and this time, it landed right into the laps of the pirates themselves.

Grand Pa was the first to speak on the matter as well.

"In order to facilitate the success of this newly formed alliance, I have recommended that the former pirates be given the duties of showing to both our worlds that an alliance between worlds is possible, as such, their ship, the Nirvana will serve as the main hub for all co-gender relations of this alliance as they have already succeeded in this regard admirably. May I ask Kyo Yamato to please come forward."

Kyo did so and was now in front of the leaders of both worlds as Grand Pa spoke to the Gundam pilot in a respectful voice…after all, anyone would in meeting not only a distant ancestor, but considering Kyo's contributions to their worlds and to human history…he deserved to be respected the way he was being respected now.

"I have already assigned Commander Jason Marduke to be you're liaison officer from my world, and as such, I am also bestowing you with the rank of Admiral of the Talark Fleet and under special commendation and under my seal as well and therefore…you will have full authority over all Talark Space Forces second only to me. And in accordance with that decision…you have been selected, by both myself and Grand Ma to be Supreme Admiral of the Allied Fleet."

Grand Ma then took the stand as she also spoke to the Gundam pilot.

"I also have assigned Commander Heidi Reynard as you're liaison officer from my world as well…and while this is unheard of in the history of Megele, I have come to the decision of giving you the rank of Admiral in the Megele Navy under my special directive and my seal as well. Therefore you will be the only male Megele Navy Admiral in our world's history and will have authority second only to my own on all Megele forces. And as Grand Pa has said, I too have agreed to have you placed as Supreme Admiral of the Allied Fleet."

Kyo was naturally stunned at that development…of all the things he had expected of the alliance and what the results would be…this development was the farthest from his mind. He was now made into an Admiral overnight and for both forces…this was something he had not expected in his wildest dreams in the least. He managed to recover from the initial shock of the announcement and so did the pirates, as he did so he spoke to the two leaders.

"Are you sure about that decision?"

"We both are, you have the knowledge, the experience, and the skills to lead others in a fight like this. And your battles with the Harvesters, and gaining victories against near impossible odds adds further weight to our decision of choosing you as Supreme Admiral of the Allied Fleet. There is no one else more qualified than you Kyo Yamato…will you accept it as well?"

Kyo realized that there was truth to the words of both Grand Ma and Grand Pa and seeing that the situation demanded it, he had no other choice but to accept the situation and the new rank bestowed upon him by both leaders.

"I accept."

The audience erupted as radicals on both sides of the military forces of either worlds were not happy with the decision and made their objections very clear to everyone else.

"A man is the Admiral of the entire Megele Navy?!"

"You can't expect us to follow a man who sides with women!!"

"QUIET!!"

Any other shouting was cut short by the booming voice of Grand Pa, that along with Grand Ma's own stern glare put any other complaints aside as the two once more spoke.

"This decision of having Kyo Clyne Yamato as Admiral is final and has been accepted by us…anyone who contests this decision will have to speak to us alone on this matter. Until the crisis with the Harvesters is dealt with, Kyo Yamato is now the Supreme Admiral of the Allied Fleet until we say otherwise."

That was it as the pirates along with Kyo left the station and made their way to where the Nirvana was, but the ramifications of what had happened in this station that day were going to be felt in the days soon to come as the alliance between the two worlds has now been agreed upon by the two leaders of both worlds.

The Nirvana and the Paradise left the Fire Point station and headed back to their base of Outer Heaven and there, they would have to prepare for their new roles as the people responsible to make sure that the transition for both worlds and civilizations from sworn enemies to allies would work out smoothly.

Kyo himself knew that his new position as Supreme Admiral of the Allied Fleet would put him deep in the spotlight and he hoped that he was up to the task, had they still been alive, he would have asked advice from his parents and from his aunt and uncle how to handle the soon to come challenges of being a leader of this scale. Despite being a singer, his mother Lacus could handle being an ambassador with such skill, patience, charm, and wit that it amazed him that his mother could be that skilled.

He pushed those thoughts aside for the moment and admitted that he was about to go into one heck of a long four months.

--

Out in space…

The Harvester forces were currently gathering more and more materials from nearby debris fields and asteroids that were not part of the now vanished debris belt of the Megele/Talark system. The harvester leader was busy making checks on the steadily growing force under his command as new forces were being assembled by the factories in the Harvester Battle-ships. He was a bit bored, but he passed the time by designing new tactics, weapons, training with the E. Vendetta and also taking the time to relax with a good meal, a bath, and more.

For now, he could take it easy as he had assigned several of the still present Harvester Fleets via comm.-link to delay any reinforcement attempts by the Resistance to his current location. The people of Talark and Megele would have made good organ supplies, but they were now to be wiped out like vermin, though he intended to capture a few of the people from either planet alive to add their DNA into the serum. Once that was done, they would be wiped out permanently and he could finally kill Kyo Yamato. It still made him angry and wishing to finally kill the Yamato family off for all that they had done and what they stood for.

Kira had been the one reason he came out of hiding…to kill him was the only goal he ever had in his life and he had lost that chance due to Kira's son stepping in and saving his father. And Kira was already dead when he reawakened…but now he had a chance to finally end his four hundred year vendetta with Kira and his blood line.

--

The next day…

Kyo was busy running some tests on his Gundam and was getting ready to head off to the bunker for some rest when Magno came into the Hanger Bay and greeted her uncle with a smile. He climbed down and smiled at his niece. The Nirvana was currently on dry dock, but for some reason, none of the crew left the ship and it seemed that a lot was going on that he was not aware of, with that in mind, he planned to ask Magno just what seemed to be going on.

"How are you doing Kyo?"

"I'm doing fine…that is, with the fact that I've just been promoted to Supreme Admiral of the Alliance, it's been kind of hard to imagine just what I am about to step into."

Magno nodded as the two of them began to walk the halls of the ship…which for the very first time seemed bare of any members of the crew, which in itself was rather puzzling to the Gundam pilot, usually there would be three or four members of the crew walking about, doing their duties, taking care details, going somewhere, gossiping and more…to suddenly see the ship being bare was a bit new to him, but it did make sure that the conversation between him and Magno remained to themselves.

"I can understand that. But I have no doubt you'd do fine…you were the one who helped plan some of our most dangerous missions and pulled victory out from the jaws of defeat by the skin of our teeth, so I know that you will be a great leader for the Alliance forces, that and the fact is that since you understand both men and women, you're better off in the role. I can't imagine the Prime Minister of the Talark to be in that role, or the leader of Megele to be in that role either, if either of them were in that role, you can bet ten to one, things in the alliance would be too turbulent for them to work together, they would only be interested in their own plans and also their hatreds for one another. That would allow the Harvesters to win if they exploit such dissension the ranks of the alliance."

"I know that to be true…but it's still quite a task for me to do."

"You won't do it alone Kyo, you have us to help you and you know that you can trust us when it comes to doing what we can in order to make the alliance work out. And with all that we have learned in the past few months to nearly a year and a few months, I'd say we're more than capable of dealing such things."

Kyo nodded and thanked Magno for the words of encouragement. The elderly woman smiled at the thanks and as the two of them walked onwards, she steered him towards the Bio-Park as the set-ups were already completed and it was now the right time to throw Kyo's party, but now he had to know just what was about to happen.

"By the way Kyo, there is another reason for us to be thankful."

"What's that other thing we should be thankful for?"

"That we get to celebrate another very special occasion apart from the formation of the alliance between Talark and Megele."

"And that special occasion is?"

Magno smiled and as they entered the Bio-Park, the old woman spoke to the Gundam pilot.

"It's you're birthday uncle."

At that point, it was the cue the others were waiting for as all the members of the crew showed up and there in the Bio-Park were streamers and decorations, along with food and drinks on tables and trays, along with lights and other materials for a massive birthday party. The crew all spoke in that one same moment…stunning the Gundam pilot.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY KYO!!"

--

In the Bio-Park…

"It's my…birthday?"

Kyo was stunned somewhat, he knew of his birth-date as he got his memories back, but he had not been able to look at a calendar for such a long time now that he had lost track, not to mention the fact that since he had been fighting the Harvesters, he hardly had enough time to recall ALL the details of his past life…and he felt very foolish at forgetting his birthday of all things. He was surprised when Magno smiled at him and he then found himself in the Bio-Park and all of the crew were there and cheering Happy Birthday, he was confused for a second and made two and two together as they were looking at him.

Magno nodded with a smile as she stepped aside and accompanied her uncle to the center of the park.

"Yes…since we're directly related and our ancestors always made that day a special occasion, I am among the few who knew it was you're birthday, though I had thought you would remember it now that you had you're memories back."

"It kind of slipped my mind, with well…the whole ten yards bit."

The elderly woman chuckled at that as she had a very good idea as to why her uncle had completely forgotten that today was actually his birthday, considering all the things that he had to deal with on a very much daily basis, it was natural that he had his mind on other things. And as much as such an occasion such as this would be deemed inappropriate, it was a very important date to be celebrated…after all…Kyo had a LOT of birthdays to catch up on ever since he had been trapped inside the Paeksis cocoon all those years before.

The crew were stunned and were ecstatic at the chance to help Kyo celebrate his own birthday as they all recalled the efforts he placed into helping Meia celebrate her own birthday previously. And naturally, they were in the mood to party once more and for such an important occasion no less and to show their appreciation for all of Kyo's efforts. Barnette had been secretly making the food and naturally, she had help in making the cake as Dita, Jura, Sara, Mai, and even Meia pitched in as the women had gotten better in their cooking skills, not to a high degree, but more than enough to make a very strong lasting impression. The rest of the crew were told about this covertly by the others who were in on the whole thing and they pitched into the preparations as well in order to help out as they all began to get the decorations ready, along with the music, the food and the drink.

And now…all of their preparations were complete and Kyo was now there with them.

Kyo looked at the cake and was in awe at the beauty of it, Magno apparently had been very studious of her family history and that of her ancestors, Kyo's own family as she was the one who dictated the type of cake they should make for Kyo. She knew for a fact that Kyo had a fondness of chocolate chiffon cake with strawberries on it, sweet sprinkles, whipped cream, sliced peaches, and small bits of rock candy. The women were surprised that Kyo had such a sweet tooth when it came to cakes of his own choosing and the five girls hoped that their efforts to make Kyo his most favorite cake were worth it. There was a large candle with four notches on it's length…and each represented one life time.

The food in the tables were also wonderful, there were so many different dishes that it somewhat impressed Kyo that they were able to get this much food into the Bio-Park . the drinks that were brought in certainly proved that this was going to be a very important celebration for all the crew. The Gundam pilot felt happy, immensely happy that for the first time ever since his awakening from his crystal cocoon, he got to celebrate his first birthday after four hundred years and with people who he considered his family.

Dita, Meia, Jura, Sara, and Mai were holding their breath as Magno took out a pair of old fashioned stick matches and lit one and then lit the candle as Kyo looked at the cake before him, as he did so…Paiway began to take several pictures with her camera and also walked over to Kyo and spoke in her usual voice.

"Come on Kyo! Make a wish!"

The crew quickly took to the moment and began to chant for Kyo to make a wish and he couldn't help but smile at their actions and he looked at Magno and the others, and especially the five girls who had been working hard to make the cake before him as special as they could. He then spoke.

"My wish…is that once all this is over…we all can help bridge the gap between two worlds and two cultures and ensure that we will have a bright future not just as a crew…but as fellow human beings and we will be there to live in a time of peace for not just ourselves…but for those who will come after us. And as long as we live, we will be there to protect this future for our friends, family, and loved ones."

With that done, he blew the candle and the rest of the crew cheered as they considered it to be the start of the festivities. Apart from the Nirvana crew…several other people were there as well, namely Jin who was with his beloved wife Magno, and their son Van as well, the leader of the Sword Riders was stunned to learn that he was born of a union of man and woman, and the elderly leader of the female pirates that he had been trained to hunt down and defeat was his own mother.

Magno was impressed at how much her son had grown since she had held him in her arms, and she was sad that he had grown up without her being around to help him get used to being a young man, though the term young man would not be able to match her pride and joy as he was a lot older now. She nevertheless put that out of her mind as she spent some time trying to assure the Vanguard pilot that what he heard was not a lie. She told him on things that only his Alpha knew of and even sang a song that somehow seemed to stir great feelings of comfort and familiarity in him as she did so. This, along with what Jin told him was enough to convince the Vanguard pilot that Magno was his mother…though he found it somewhat harder to swallow that he was actually related to the famed historical figure Kyo Clyne Yamato and he was very much is great, great, great grand uncle. However, he decided to meet up with his famous relative some other time as he decided to catch up with the lost time with his mother, though he was very much at a loss on how to proceed on the matter.

Kyo was enjoying the food and was suddenly surprised to see Meia, Jura, Dita, Sara, and Mai take turns using a knife to cut several portions of his favorite cake and they quickly offered them to him, and were even willing to feed him themselves…while this was highly unorthodox he didn't mind that as he took the cake slices that they each offered and ate them. The rest of the crew were already eating and celebrating as well. Duero and Parfet were currently taking their own dishes and were sitting on one side of the park, while Max and Barnette were there as well, talking between each other and holding their own food.

--

Gascogne smirked at the whole thing and drank some of her drink, which naturally was red wine as she watched the crew relax, she was happy to hear that it was actually Kyo's birthday when she was told that by Magno and when she did know that, she went out of her way to get extra food supplies for the occasion, along with ordering up a large number of food items to spice things up a bit. As she finished her drink, she refilled some more and spotted Aleck who was also drinking the same red wine, but seemed to be deep in thought at the very moment.

She then made her way over to the older Talark male and sat next to him on the bench he was sitting on.

"Penny for you're thoughts?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's an old expression…what seems to be the problem?"

"Thinking about Grand Pa's announcement of the end of hostilities with Megele, and the alliance between our worlds…it's kind of hard to imagine that it's really happening…don't get me wrong, I've turned my back on the propaganda that my people believed in a very long time ago…it's not that simple though. It's not easy to change in just four months, I can bet a LOT of the young men who are in the military of Talark aren't happy with this sudden ruling, and it will not be easy for them to forget their near lifetime of education that women from Megele are the enemy."

"I can understand that…I think that the women on Megele will no doubt be stunned as well with Grand Ma's announcement. They had been taught for a very long time that they were to fight men and to defeat them…and I've got no doubts that this sudden change of orders is really going to throw them off balance…but at least it's a start, personally, I think it's high time the Megele military got a good cleaning up on it's act. It's been too complacent for too long and having to work with former enemies could shake things up a bit."

Aleck couldn't help but smirk at the idea.

"That idea does have a little merit."

Gascogne laughed as they drank their wine and enjoyed the music as the crew celebrated their party with Kyo being the guest of honor. At that point, Kyo had eaten enough and decided to relax a bit, however, the women had other ideas as they asked him to dance. He sighed at that and got up and took Jura by the hand and began to dance the waltz, Jura was naturally blushing at that as this was the very first time she had danced with a man. The pair danced slowly and well while the others whistled and cheered…making both partners blush.

As soon as Kyo and Jura were done dancing, he reached out to Dita and the redhead blushed brightly as she had never danced before, but being the kind hearted young man that he was, Kyo didn't hold it against her and showed her how to dance.

Gascogne then decided to share something of her past to Aleck, since she did trust him never to speak of it to anyone else without her permission.

"Can I tell you something?"

"Of course."

"A lot of people used to ask me why I act always cool under pressure and act as if I don't have a heart at times. Did you ever see that when you worked with me in the Register?"

"A couple of times, in truth that's an important attitude to have when in the middle of a fire fight, nobody wants to lose their cool in a fight or situation no matter how hard that would be. I happen to respect that attitude."

Gascogne sighed a bit.

"I figured you might…however, when I was younger, I wasn't always the calm and level headed head supplier of the pirates back then…and I certainly wasn't part of the pirates back then either."

"Oh?"

"I was very passionate back when I was still younger, I tried to risk everything I had in me to save others and naturally, I was reckless as well, I did things that totally were against regulations and I got into a lot of trouble back then…and my sister and I never got along well when we were together. She used to berate me for being too emotional and too reckless, and I used to say that she was too callous and cold-hearted…suffice to say, my sister and I never got along very well."

"I see…so what happened to you and where's you're sister now…with you being in the pirates, she must have been one too."

"Not really…my sister and I…we were part of the Megele Navy, and my sister died…we had suffered a deadly accident, she decided to seal off the room and it was already losing a lot of oxygen, and if she didn't do that, then the others would no doubt be in grave danger. I tried to save her, but she told me to keep calm and help evacuate the survivors, she then told me how important it was not to be reckless and over emotional, she admitted that she also felt those feelings, but she knew that going over one's head would only make things worse…that was what she taught me before she passed away before my eyes. I guess…I guess that was where I grew up to be the person I am now…as I realized that her words were very much true as well…and that was enough for me to finally make peace with her…even if she's already gone from my life."

"I see…well, I think she would be happy that you're following her advice and seeing as to how far you all have been able to get to, I'd say that despite her being dead, she has been beside you every step of the way."

Gascogne smiled at that and the two toasted each other as they drank their wine as the party continued to get more and more into the groove of things. Kyo had been able to sit down and rest a bit from dancing with Jura, Meia, Sara, Dita, and Mai, and this time, the others took to the dance floor as Duero and Parfet danced on the floor and so did Max and Barnette, much to the cheers of the other members of the crew.

As the party grew more relaxing, the Nirvana's crew took the time to enjoy it more as Kyo then was asked to sing like he had done before and the Gundam pilot was more than happy to do just that and began to sing once more as the crew were enjoying the whole affair, it was then that five certain female members of the crew decided to take a side trip and get a special celebration ready for Kyo as well. They each smiled as everything was already getting underway and Kyo was going to need every last drop of his stamina when he reached his quarters.

Devon and the rest of the small Talark male contingent watched the whole proceedings with intense curiosity as they tried to make sense of the whole thing. Misty however had other ideas and took a large tray filled with food to the men and told them to try it out. Devon looked at the others of his band and went ahead and ate some of the food.

Seeing that their friend was not dropping dead or having massive body pains, the men decided to dig in and see just how good the food of the women were. And sure enough, they were surprised at what they were tasting and they quickly began to dig in and try out the rest of the food, Misty smiled at the sight and sat next to Devon who was currently wolfing down a pizza with green peppers, olives, ham, bacon, and extra cheese. The Talark youth had never tasted food like this before and therefore made sure to enjoy it as best he could.

--

Pyoro then took this chance to speak to Kyo as the Gundam pilot was busy relaxing as others began to sing songs as well. The Navi-robot tapped the Gundam pilot's shoulder and as soon as the Gundam pilot turned around the Navi-robot spoke to him.

"Kyo, I was wondering if I could ask something of you."

"What is it about Pyoro?"

"I was wondering if you could…well, make me a companion, someone like me."

This got the Gundam pilot's attention as this was a very new and strange request as Pyoro had never asked him something like this before. But he decided to do this for Pyoro, despite his dislike for some of Pyoro's antics the Navi-robot certainly did it's fair share of efforts for the pirates and giving something back for the little robot's efforts sounded like the right thing to do.

"Of course…I haven't done anything like this before…so this will be a good test."

"Thank you Kyo!"

Later…

Kyo was tired…but not too tired to have not enjoyed his birthday as he made his way back to his quarters. The food was nice, the crew was very happy and the celebration was certainly worth all the time and effort that was put into it. He was a bit put off that they kept him in the dark about it being already his birthday, but it was worth it as he got to finally celebrate his birthday, and on him turning 21 no less, the year he had spent in the journey went by so quickly, along with other months he had spent with the crew in all of their pit-stops, rest periods and battles…and since it was only recently that he had recovered his memories, it was understandable that he would forget it along the way.

As he made his way into the room that he was assigned in…he was somewhat surprised to find the room in total blackness, as if the lighting was not working again. He was surprised at that and was about to turn and call Parfet when he heard a voice in the darkness.

"Lights on please."

Kyo closed his eyes as the lights turned back on as he was surprised by the sudden brightness of the room. As soon as his eyes relaxed and adapted to the light he began to see some rather new details in his quarters.

The normally double bed that he had in the room was no more and was replaced by a rather large bed that could be described as king sized. And it was looking to be very comfortable and could house a large number of people. However, admiring the bed was taking a back seat at this point and time as Kyo was far more concerned with the people who were already on the bed.

Jura, Dita, Meia, Sara, and Mai were on the bed and lounging on it without their normal clothes, in fact, they were not wearing normal clothes to begin with. They were wearing silk robes that were in different shades of color, Dita wore a light blue one that copied her eyes quite nicely, Jura wore a robe made of green silk that did justice to her eyes as well, Meia likewise wore a green robe that accentuated her eyes, while Sara wore a chocolate brown robe that added weight to her eye color, and Mai wore a deep purple robe, while not matching her eye color, was nice enough to add prominence to her form.

"Finally…we were getting tired of waiting for you Kyo…what took you so long?'

Sara asked with a seductive pout.

Kyo couldn't say a word right now as his tongue seemed to be tied in knots as the five women were sitting on the bed in the most sexy poses he had ever seen in his life. As he was bare of his uniform and was only in his shirt and pants with shoes on, he was very much exposed right now as the women smiled seductively at him. He managed to shake his head clear and get his tongue out of the knots it was in and spoke.

"W-Wha-What are you all doing here?"

Meia was the next to speak as she giggled a bit at how utterly stunned Kyo looked right now…she was embarrassed with what she had underneath the robe she wore, but she was starting to like the way Kyo looked right now.

"We decided to give you a private celebration."

Alarms were ringing in Kyo's head at the underlying meaning at that statement. Dita then spoke next as well.

"When we found out that the day after the conference was you're birthday…we worked hard to make you're birthday special."

Kyo gulped at that and managed to speak to them.

"Thanks…you all ready did so well with that part."

Mai then spoke as well.

"But since you were turning 21 and we learned that such a day was special for men back then…we all decided to give you another very special celebration and gift."

That was the cue as all five of them got off the bed and walked towards Kyo stopping only a few feet from him. Kyo unconsciously moved back until he hit the wall of his room and found out that there was no way to run. Not that he would as his legs now had the consistency of jelly and he felt like he was welded to the floor and unable to budge in the least.

Jura nodded and that was the signal for her compatriots to remove their robes, and the moment the multi colored silk hit the floor, Kyo felt like his heart had stopped beating for only a few moments and was now back online and pumping pints of hot blood and energy throughout his body…namely to his privates as he gazed at the five women before him.

Jura was dressed in a transparent green silk teddy that hugged her voluptuous frame like second skin with the top managing to contain her breasts but it looked like it would spill over as well, while giving Kyo a good view of her nipples which were already hard, the sides were exposed and that allowed her long legs to be seen, along with her shapely hips, and the teddy went down to show the juncture of her thighs and her long legs, to her womanhood and the patch of blonde fur as well, the overall picture of the gorgeous blonde in the teddy with her in a very seductive pose was enough to make any normal man nosebleed like a garden hose.

Meia was dressed in a blue silk flyaway lingerie with blue silk panties. The set made her show all of her feminine attributes to full flower and it was certainly a sight as the top contained her breasts well and the rest of the set allowed her athletic and sexy form to be seen, along with her flat stomach and shapely hips as well as her long and well formed legs. Meia was not as daring as Jura was, but her smile and come here gesture and look was enough to make any man go nuts in the head, as she didn't wear her circlet, her full beauty was right before Kyo and it was a miracle in itself that he didn't die straight away from blood loss.

Dita was dressed in a deep red strappy-back baby doll of soft silk and the over all picture was very much sexy. The lingerie showed her full form and in the most sensual way possible. The choice of lingerie was very much her own choice and she loved the look that Kyo was giving her as the strappy-back hugged her frame sensually like second skin and it was certainly easy to remove as well. That and the fact that Dita was still blushing and twiddling her fingers made her not only look sensual but innocent at the very same time…a very deadly combination under any circumstances, and Kyo was the lucky victim to see it.

Mai was dressed in a black silk halter that hugged her frame and brought out her full female assets to bare in front of the stunned Gundam pilot. The halter was not only adding a very sensual air to the brunette, but also added a great deal of sexual naughtiness to her as it hugged her very swell and curve right down to the letter. Mai leaned forward a bit and allowed Kyo a good view of her breasts and that with her V-like pose made her look like a woman ready to fight and in a bedroom sense…any normal man would have already died from the sight of such female sensuality that Kyo was lucky to be still standing.

Sara was dressed in a light crème yellow silk v-neck that hugged her frame nicely and allowed her every curve and swell to be seen in full flower as well as that of her companions. She smiled warmly at Kyo as she also posed in front of him in the most sexy way she could manage and the overall effect was very much welcome as Kyo felt his entire body turn into steel rods at that very moment. Any man who saw Sara in this style of dress would have felt like a geyser of hot water had just filled every blood vessel in his body and it was beginning to show.

The fact that he could see through the lingerie that each of them wore, and it told him that none of them were wearing any bra or panties and were naked underneath made Kyo feel like he was going to faint as his hormones were sky-rocketing right through the roof. The women smiled as they could see the effects their actions and their dresses had on their loved one and now it was time for them to finally get this private celebration on the road.

Jura was in the lead as she sensually spoke while she and the four other women closed in on Kyo.

"And we are the gifts Kyo…now then…I think it's time you get to enjoy this private celebration…"

"Happy Birthday Kyo!"

Kyo could only utter a gasp as the women were now around him. One thing however did register in his mind…this was going to be one private party he was NEVER going to forget as long as he was still alive and breathing.

It was going to be a VERY LONG NIGHT!!

--

(Hold on to you're hats and get ready…we're going to have the lemon as promised in this chapter…and for you guys…we're going to have one guy…with five women in this lemon, so you can bet ten to one that things in the next batch of pages are going to get REALLY hot and steamy!!)

(Let the hormones fly!!)

(Oh yes, just before we start…I got the idea for the lingerie the five women wore from Victoria's Secret, so as to add another sexy element to the whole thing, I hope you like that stuff.)

(And on another personal note…while I state once more that I don't do Yaoi and Yuri fanfiction, there will be mention of the women pleasuring each other in this lemon. The reason for this will be shown soon enough, so I hope that you guys will enjoy this kind of situation. I am a straight guy and while I admit that seeing two women going at it is an interesting sight, I still prefer male to female action since I'm somewhat a traditionalist, but since this is a harem style story…we can't exactly avoid that now can we?)

--

Kyo had enough time to take a breath of air before Sara kissed him on the lips deeply while Dita, Jura, and Meia had other plans as they began to remove him on his clothes, starting with his shoes. The three Gundam pilots smiled as they could tell that their planning was going off accordingly as they finally managed to get off his shoes and then his pants. They then moved onto removing Kyo's shirt and that made Sara break her lip lock with Kyo, but as soon as the shirt was gone, the Gundam pilot was kissed by Mai who moaned as she kissed him.

Sara was far from angry as she kissed Kyo on the cheeks and then from the cheek to the neck, nibbling a bit at his collar bones, and she then ran her hands on his flat and muscular chest along with Mai as the brunette also ran her hands on his body. The two women then did a three way kiss with Kyo and the Gundam pilot swore that his brain had just taken a nose dive as he felt both tongues touching his own as they each dueled with one another. The feeling of both Sara and Mai kissing him and running their hands on his form was very strong, and it nearly escaped him that he was now stripped of his pants. However it was when the three other women had taken off his boxers that things got VERY interesting. Meia and the others looked at Kyo's cock and Jura then prodded Meia with a slight nudge, meia knew already what the blonde was telling her but she was still shy about this sort of thing.

"Go ahead Meia…you'll like it, I know Kyo likes it a lot."

Jura smiled as Meia gulped and moved a bit closer, Dita then whispered into her leader's ear and Meia's blush grew even more as Dita explained how do to it right. Meia looked at the looks both Jura and Dita gave her and gulped a bit, leaned forward even more…

And began to kiss the tip of Kyo's cock slowly, trying to get used to the feel of it, and she slowly began to get into the feel of it, her shyness towards this began to diminish as she licked the head of Kyo's penis slowly, getting the feel of it and when Kyo moaned out loud, managing to get past both Sara and Mai were still kissing him, Meia realized that what the others had told her was true and she felt more interested in this action as she began to kiss and lick the shaft slowly and when the two women kissing Kyo moved aside, Kyo saw Meia and she saw him looking at her, at first Meia thought she made a mistake, but Kyo looked at her and nodded, silently telling her to go ahead.

With her confidence back on track and the advice being told to her by both Jura and Dita, the aqua haired woman continued her actions as she kissed and licked the cock of her loved one and when she felt she was ready she slowly took the tip past her lips and ran her tongue on it, making Kyo groan out in pleasure as Meia began to slowly take in his cock into her mouth. Meia blushed as she could feel the heat coming from her lover's sex and how hot it made her feel as she slowly took it in inch by inch and when she got as much as she could handle, she slowly began to bob her head backward and forward, getting into a tempo as she slowly began to enjoy this.

Meia blushed as she felt Kyo's cock twitch in her mouth, when she heard about this from Jura, then Dita, Mai, and Sara, she was curious whether it was as wonderful as they said it was and as she did so…they were right as she began to feel a kind of power in her and the sounds of pleasure and want Kyo gave out made her tremble as she could sense that despite being new to this, compared to the others, Kyo was loving her actions immensely. She then took in more of Kyo's length, then licked and sucked it well, feeling her lover's cock become even harder and hotter as well. She marveled at the feeling of the smooth skin, the hard and warm feel of it underneath the skin and heat coming from it. As she continued her actions, she began to build up her pace and was yet careful not to hurt her lover. She then removed her mouth slowly as a trail of her saliva was on the tip of Kyo's cock and connected them both, she licked it again and then she, Jura, and Dita closed and took their turns on Kyo's sex and began to lick suck and kiss it in regular intervals.

The effects such actions on Kyo were obvious as he tried his best to control his raging hormones as the five women continued to love him in their own fashion. Meia, Jura and Dita ran their tongues over Kyo's sex and revealed in the feel of him and on occasion closed their mouths around his cock and moved, allowing Kyo's cock to rub on their lips and tongues, making the Gundam pilot moan and groan further. Dita then left Jura and Meia to continue on with their actions on Kyo's cock as she made her to Kyo's ac and gently ran her hands on them..making Kyo nearly jump…she recalled that they were very sensitive and just comforted herself with touching them as she joined her two comrades as they each took turns tasting and licking Kyo's sex. Meia was allowed to take as much time as she could. They had programmed the door of Kyo's room to lock down and not open until the very next day as they had every intention of having Kyo all to themselves this night. All three women took turns licking the head of Kyo's cock and each took turns taking it into their mouths.

Kyo managed to break the kisses between him, Sara and Mai as they went to kissing his face and he looked down to see the three Gundam pilots worshipping his sex and it nearly drove him to the breaking point as he was about to come hard…he tried to warn them, but his words died out as Sara kissed him deeply and he came out hard. The three women noted that and moved back a bit as the seed began to move out of Kyo's cock. All three women got a few streams on their faces and on their upper bodies as they each moved forward and took in as much as they could as they took turns in taking in Kyo's seed. Meia was allowed to take a lot and she found the taste of Kyo's seed to be to her liking. Kyo saw all three Gundam pilots use their hands to wipe the seed off of their breasts and faces and took in the seed into their mouths and watching them swallowing his seed with obvious satisfaction made Kyo feel even more hot and instead of losing his strength after coming, his cock was now back to full power.

Sara and Mai took their turn as they kissed Kyo once more and took the place of Dita, Meia, and Jura as the three women took turns kissing Kyo. The two then took their turn at Kyo's cock as they kissed, sucked, and licked it and that allowed a second stream of seed come out from Kyo and the two women were quick to take in the new addition of seed into their mouths, loving Kyo's unique taste.

As the women moved back, Kyo was really feeling even more hot. Jura smiled and they gently took him from the wall and guided him to the edge of the bed where they made him sit down as they allowed him to reach out to them.

"Time to unwrap you're presents Kyo."

Kyo reached out to Dita, who kissed him deeply and then allowed him to reach for the straps of her lingerie and with a few tugs, the redhead was now naked before Kyo. She then straddled him and pushed her breasts towards Kyo who then took them into his mouth. The redhead moaned out loud as her lover sucked, licked, and gently bit her nipples and laved great attention on her breasts. Dita cried out her desire as she held onto Kyo. The Gundam pilot had a lot of stamina and the pillows that were on the bed certainly helped in supporting him and keeping him fron falling down quickly

Meia took her turn and took one of Kyo's hands and guided it to the tie that held her upper set of lingerie together. The two of them managed to remove the tie and Meia then guided Kyo's left hand to her now freed breasts and she moaned as he massaged her mounds gently. She let him feel her boobs and her nipples for a bit longer and then guided his hand downwards, past the valley between her breasts…over her smooth and flat stomach and then to her most private place…her pussy, which was already wet from what they had been doing before. She guided his hand over her wet entrance and over her clit, which Kyo gently touched with his palm…making the aqua haired woman even more aroused. She then guided his hand to her wet sex and then guided his fingers into her dripping entrance. Meia cried out as Kyo took the cue and began to move his fingers into her wet sex. Mai smiled as she and Sara reached for Kyo's sac and the two women each took one of Kyo's testes and having realized how sensitive they were to touch, the two women carefully took them into their mouths and gently played with each of them, the two women then also pleasured their wet sex with their fingers…making them moan as thy continued to gently play, lick and suck on Kyo's balls in their mouths, making Kyo even more aroused. Jura smiled at that and reached for the ties that held the top of her teddy upwards, with that out of the way and her breasts freed, she began to run them on Kyo's body, from his chest to his crotch and when she reached his cock, which was already standing at full mast, she smiled as she kissed the tip and then with an idea in mind, placed the sex of her lover in between her large and firm breasts and slowly began to rub her breasts on the hard organ.

Kyo felt like he was going to die and head straight for paradise right here and now. What the five women were doing to him was incredible and he was enjoying every moment of it greatly as he continued to lick and suck on Dita's breasts while his free right hand was playing with Jura's smooth and well shaped butt through the soft silk, making the blonde moan as he brushed his fingers on her pussy which was soon become wet. He could feel that Dita was getting wet also as several drops of her honey was now running on his chest. Meia was moaning and shouting out her pleasure and his name as he played with her wet sex as best as he could manage in such a situation and position and thankfully, he was doing it right as her wetness covered his left hand. His cock was in heaven as he felt Jura's soft but firm breasts rubbing on his cock and his crotch gently, the feel of the full, warm, firm, and soft orbs on him was amazing…and the feel of Mai and Sara playing with his balls was amazing as they gently licked, and sucked on them.

The women continued at their respective actions and when they were satisfied, they then moved away as they let Kyo recover and they each waited for him to make his move, and they didn't have to wait very long as Kyo got up and smiled warmly at each of them, before settling his eyes on Sara as he reached out and removed the v-neck by quickly parting the straps on her shoulders and the copper haired beauty was now in the nude. When he pulled her towards him, the copper haired beauty didn't refuse him.

Kyo kissed Sara deeply and then made her lie down as he played with her breasts and then got in position between her legs and licked her wet sex, making her moan out loud as he used his fingers and his tongue in gentle, but strong and passionate motions, while the others looked on, hardly jealous as they crowded around their comrade as their lover pleased her greatly. They busied themselves by looking at each and every action Kyo was taking while Sara continued to moan and cry out.

Sara felt like she was in heaven as she felt her lover's tongue and fingers on her wet sex, and she enjoyed this situation immensely as she held onto Kyo's head and made him come closer to her wetness, his tongue was touching her clit with each stroke and it made her scream out in pleasure every time it happened. Her heart was beating wildly as each sensation of pleasure hit her brain like a wave of hot water. She couldn't contain her orgasm as Kyo continued to apply the right kind of pleasure to her body and mind as she struggled to hold it back.

"KYO!!"

As soon as Sara screamed out her orgasm, Kyo found himself tasting her juices as they flowed out of her sex and into his mouth, he took in as much as he could and moved away from Sara, the copper haired woman however was not going to just let him stop as she moved upwards and kissed him once more while placing his hands on her breasts. Kyo took the hint and massaged her breasts passionately and played with her nipples as they hardened from the pleasure that was running through her body. She then moved away and then pushed Kyo downwards on the bed and then positioned herself on top of him, and she made sure that she was right on the spot as she lowered herself on Kyo's cock, Kyo's sex entered her own wet sex and she cried out loudly as she felt Kyo's sex fill her pussy completely, Kyo did as well as he felt Sara's wet, tight, and soft pussy surround his cock like a vice. Sara wasted no time as she began to move up and down on her lover's sex. Kyo growled out in pleasure as he moved his hips in time with Sara's own actions as well.

Jura took this as her turn as she moved towards Kyo and then straddled her lover's head placing her own dripping wet pussy in front of his face. Kyo knew what to do as Jura sat gently on his chest and he used his hands to get the blonde's hips closer and he began to lick her wet sex, tasting her honey as Jura cried out her pleasure while playing with her breasts. The blonde woman was enjoying this immensely and so was Kyo as he took in Jura's moisture while inserting his tongue into her wet pussy and feeling the insides of her sex…and the feeling was great as Jura's inner walls caressed Kyo's tongue like a soft vice.

Kyo then looked up and saw that Jura was now flanked by Meia and Dita and the two women were playing with their comrades' breasts with both their hands and their mouths, making Kyo Jura cry out even more…much to Kyo's surprise and natural arousal. He recalled that since the people on Megele were all women, it would make sense that they were taught sex education on how to be intimate with women of their world. Still seeing this in front of him turned the Gundam pilot on immensely as he reached out to both Dita and Meia and ran his hands on their breasts, playing with them as they still played with Jura's own breasts. The blonde reached the back her head

It was also when both Kyo and Sara underwent their own respective orgasms as they each cried out their release; of course Kyo couldn't cry out as he was being kept silent by Jura being on top of him. Sara moved herself off of Kyo and then was joined by Mai as the two women then also took off their own lingerie and then placed both their breasts on Kyo's cock and they licked the head slowly, while moving as best they could to make Kyo hard once more. Kyo groaned and the sensations made Jura even more aroused as she moaned out her pleasure…while Meia and Dita continued to lick and play with her breasts. Kyo reached with his hands and touched the thighs of both the redhead and the aqua-haired woman. Dita and Meia looked at Kyo with passionate love and lust in their eyes as they guided his hands to their own pussies and Kyo could tell that they too were wet to the core and they guided his hands into their sexes and he began to do the very same thing he had done to Meia before…making both women release their mouths from Jura's breasts to moan out loud. Meia then was kissed by Jura and both women moaned into one another. The two then broke the kiss and Jura felt her orgasm hit her hard and when she screamed out loud.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!"

Jura was then kissed by both Meia and Dita and when Kyo came for the third time this night, his seed hit both Sara and Mai in the face, into their eager mouths as they took in his seed. Both women moved away just as Jura lifted herself off of Kyo. Meia and Dita moved back. Kyo looked up and saw the two women cleaning their breasts of his seed with a very sensual manner and then they were alongside Jura as the blonde lay on the bed, as they removed her teddy and she was now completely naked before Kyo.

The four others watched as Kyo moved over to Jura and kissed her deeply as the two began to touch one another. Kyo finished the kiss and began to lick Jura's neck all the way down to her breasts, he took the large orbs of firm and soft flesh and began to play with them gently, kissing the blonde's cleavage and licked her nipples as well, before taking them in his mouth. Jura moaned out loudly at this while the others looked on, watching the whole time, and they kept themselves busy by looking at the two as the moans Jura made, had the effect of making them feel even hotter. Jura moaned out loud as Kyo kissed her once more and then straddled chest and then placed his cock between her breasts. Jura knew what was going to happen here and held her breasts together as Kyo began to move his hips. Both moaned as Kyo began to move his cock in and out of Jura's large but firm and well formed breasts, while the blonde cried out that the feel of her lover's cock on her breasts and flowing it's warmth to her breasts. Dita moved towards Kyo, turned his face and kissed him deeply, and allowed his left hand to wander to her breasts and allowed him to play with her breasts. Meia also took the part as she went beside Kyo and kissed his shoulders, while running her hands on his chest, as soon as she reached his neck, she began to lick the skin there, while Kyo's right hand reached for her sex and she felt her wetness grow even more.

Sara and Mai were also busy as they ran their bodies on Kyo's back, namely their breasts on his back and they also kissed his body. The women were also playing with their own wet pussies and the sounds of such actions filled the room, along with Jura's loud moans. The blonde Gundam pilot felt so much pleasure as she felt her pussy release more moisture out and she loved the heat coming from Kyo's cock on her chest and her breasts. This went on as Kyo felt Dita kissing him deeply as their tongues dueled with one another, he also felt Meia's tongue and hands on his shoulder and neck as he felt her wet sex with his own right hand, and then the feel of Mai and Sara's breasts rubbing his back. This made him thrust even faster on Jura's breast, much to the delight of the blonde Gundam pilot.

And therefore, with all the pleasurable sensations flooding his mind and body in some many angles, it was hardly surprising that Kyo came once more…his seed flying at Jura as some of it went into her mouth, the rest on her face and as he pulled back once the other four were away from him, on her breasts as well. The blonde woman took in his seed that was in her mouth and then Kyo moved back and then placed his cock right at Jura's wet entrance and without further ado…pushed his cock in slowly until he filled Jura's wet and tight sex. Both of them moaned as Kyo began to move and his cock was once more as the blonde Gundam pilot moaned out loud her pleasure and desire. She wrapped her legs around her lover's waist as the they continued to have sex while the other four women pleasured themselves with their hands, further adding to the erotic sounds of Kyo's hips hitting Jura's along with the sounds of his cock moving in and out of her wet and tight sex.

Jura was in heaven as the smell of sex filled the room and further added fire into her loins along with the feel of her woman-place being filled by Kyo's sex and the feel of it moving and touching her body in so many pleasurable ways that it made her cry out even more. She looked up and Kyo was looking at her with the same love, lust and passion as before and it made her reach up to him and hold him close to here as they once more kissed each other deeply and as passionately as they could. They and the others were covered in sweat and the room's air conditioning system was a bit taxed in trying to keep the room cool with all the increasing body heat.

Jura didn't care as she kissed Kyo deeply as they continued with their actions and the sounds of her pussy being filled by her lover's cock grew louder as Kyo picked up the pace with his thrusts As they parted their kiss, Jura was quick to shout out her pleasure to her lover and to the others as they listened to her shouts.

"OH GODESS!! THIS FEELS WONDERFUL!! MORE! MORE!!"

Kyo felt like his body was going to crash as the pleasure he felt filled every corner of his body to his brain. He continued to move his hips faster and harder and then went down to play with Jura's breasts with both his hands and his tongue as he began to taste her once more and wanted to take in her taste. He did so as he licked and sucked her breasts and massaged them as well, making Jura moan out loud as each sensation filled her body and nerves. She held Kyo's head closer to her breasts as she also held him tight as he continued to pound hard into her wet sex. The two were going at it will full force while Dita, Sara, meia, and Mai continued to pleasure themselves while waiting for their turn, the sounds of their own actions mixed with their moans and shouts of pleasure filled the room, and naturally, they added to the overall atmosphere of pleasure that spurred both Kyo and Jura on.

Kyo felt his body reach it's limit and with that he moved away from Jura's breasts and thrust even harder into her wet pussy. The sight of Jura moaning and shouting out her pleasure as she moved with each of his fast and hard thrusts, and her breasts moving up and down in front of him was enough to make Kyo lose it as his orgasm was creeping ever closer, He then tried his best to hold on and thankfully, the previous orgasms he had allowed him to keep on going for as long as he was able to do so and when he finally noted that Jura was finally reaching her climax, he made even more effort into his actions until Jura finally orgasmed.

"KYO!!"

Jura shouted out as she came hard and Kyo also shouted out as he felt Jura's inner walls milk his cock like a vice and it felt like heaven and then some as his lover's wet, tight and soft sheath touched his sex in a very arousing way. However, he didn't cum since he had come previously and still had plenty of energy left in his system.

He then helped Jura to sit on the bed and then guided her to face the wall and lie down on her hands and knees and when she did so…he pushed his cock right back into her pussy, much to her surprise and pleasure. She moaned as she felt her lover's cock once more in her wet and tight pussy. Kyo bend down and kissed the back of her neck and kissed her neck as well, and then he ran his lips to her back and kissed her shoulders and shoulder blades…much to the aroused laughter of Jura and he then kissed her fiercely when she turned to face him. The both of them moaned out loudly in their mouths as their tongues dueled with one another and when the two broke their kiss, Kyo reached for her large and firm breasts with his hands and played with them with passionate gentleness, making Jura moan her pleasure as he then ran his hands to her hips and then began to move as Jura moaned out her desire to him. He moved his hips as the sounds of his cock sliding in and out of the blonde's wet sex was mixed with his sounds of pleasure, her own moans and the sounds of the four other women calling out their own pleasure as they pleasured themselves while watching the two go at it.

Jura felt her body move with her lover's thrusts and the feeling of his cock entering her pussy at this angle was incredible. No wonder Barnette loved this when she was with Max when they had consummated their love and affections with one another. She moaned as each thrust in this angle felt even hotter and better and she loved the feel of it. Kyo continued with his thrusts into Jura's wet and tight sex. The juices that the blonde was dripping out of her sex and onto the bed, and mixing in with the other women's own wetness. Jura shouted her joy as she continued to feel Kyo's cock move in and out of her wet pussy and she could feel her moisture flow down her legs as well. She was still feeling the effects of her other orgasm and that added to her overall pleasure as she felt her lover move in and out of her wet sex.

"MORE!! MORE!! PLEASE KYO!! MORE!! DON'T STOP!!"

Kyo continued to move his hips as his cock made more wet erotic sounds as he pleasured Jura, his mind was covered in a haze of pleasure, passion, love, lust, and desire and he was already into the whole thing as the smell of sex was covering the room like mad as he finally reached his orgasm, and so was Jura as she was moving her hips in time with his own thrusts into her wet sex. They were covered in sweat and the others were as well as they too were reaching their own orgasms. Kyo felt his finally hit him and so did Jura feel her own as the two of them screamed out loud.

"KYO!!"

"JURA!!"

The two came at the very same time, just as the four other women reached their own respective orgasms. Kyo fired his seed into Jura's hot sex and Jura felt both her body and her minds blank out from the pleasure as the hot seed of her lover filled her to the brim. Kyo likewise shouted as he felt Jura's inner walls massage his cock and milk him for all he was worth and he felt as if he was in heaven as he fired several more steams of his essence into the blonde Gundam pilot. As soon as they were done, the two parted, with Kyo's cock moving out of Jura's still dripping wet sex, there were some traces of his seed coming out of her wet sex as Jura lay on the bed panting as she was covered in sweat and had a smile on her face.

Kyo barely had enough time to recover when Meia shows up and kissed him deeply. He reaches out to the former Dread Squadron leader as she helps him stand on the bed. The bed was already covered in several small, to medium, and slightly large patches of wetness from the women and the smell of sex was even stronger now, and that had an effect on everyone in the room. Meia kissed Kyo deeply as she was there and when she broke away, she moved down to Kyo's cock and smiled as she saw how wet it was. Without missing a beat and not caring about what had transpired between Kyo and Jura, she took Kyo's cock into her hand, lifted it up and began to lick and kiss it, taking in both Jura's juices and Kyo's own seed as well, as soon as she was done with the lower side, she took in Kyo's balls into her mouth and began to play with them using her tongue…making Kyo hiss at the new sensations. The aqua-haired woman then took Kyo's cock into her mouth slowly and reveled in the feel of it in her mouth once more and she slowly began to lick it while not moving and then when she felt that she was ready, she began to move her head in bobbing motions as she tasted her lover's sex. Kyo groaned out and couldn't help himself as he massaged Meia's scalp as she continued her actions on his cock.

Meia loved this and then reached down her body with her left hand and began to play with her clit and her pussy, which was wet and begging for fulfillment. She played with herself and those actions made even more sounds that filled the room, her sucking and licking of Kyo's cock and the sounds of her fingers playing with her wet sex. This lasted for a while until Meia felt herself orgasm and felt her moisture flow out of her wet sex. She moved away from her lover's cock and then moved to the side on her back.

Kyo took to the action and quickly took Meia's long legs and placed them on his shoulders and positioned his cock right at her wet and dripping sex. He went forward, with her legs on his arms and he kissed Meia hard and she responded back with equal fervor and joy as she felt even closer to her lover as he kissed her. She then held on for dear life as Kyo moved back and began to move his hips as he began to make love to Meia. The aqua-haired teen felt like she was going to heaven as the sensations filled her nerves with energy that she never had felt before until she had made the first move and seduced Kyo…and had sex with him, those wonderful sensations were something she would never forget about as long as she was alive in this universe. She felt every thrust her lover made in her pussy.

Kyo marveled at how tight and wet Meia was, as he continued to move his cock in and out of her wetness. He reached her breasts and played with them as well. Dita then came from behind Kyo and licked his neck and shoulders and rubbed her breasts on his back. Mai then came on the scene as she played with Meia's right breast, and Jura appeared, fully recovered from her orgasm and she also played with Meia, namely her left breast, further adding to the pleasure of the aqua-haired woman, and the same with Kyo as he continued to move in and out of Meia's pussy. Meia felt her wetness flow down to the sheets of the bed. Mai and Jura then played with their own pussies, making them even hotter as they played with Meia's breasts, Sara also took part and licked Kyo's own chest and played with his body with her hands and her mouth. The heat in the room was being kept down by the air-conditioning, but it certainly wasn't helping in the smell of sex as the air that had the pheromones of sex in it was being cooled and sent back into the room, adding even more heat into the situation.

The women were thankful that Magno had taken a lot of precautions, one of them making the air in the room be recycled, but not distributed throughout the Nirvana, who knew what sort of mess that would have led to in the entire ship. But the women put that aside as they all had far more enjoyable matters to deal with.

Meia cried out as the sensations she felt from Kyo's cock filling her pussy to the limit and moving in and out of her woman-hood, along with the feel of her breasts being played with by Mai and Jura. She felt her wetness flow out as her pussy was being filled and more by Kyo's long and impressive sex. It didn't take long for her to reach her second orgasm and she made it obvious to the others. Mai and Jura moved away from her breasts and kissed Meia on either side of the cheeks, while Dita and Sara held Meia's legs apart, allowing Kyo to thrust deeper into Meia's woman-hood. And both Meia and Kyo were loving every sensation that they were giving and receiving to and from one another.

Most men would have dropped exhausted from what they were all doing, but since Kyo was a Coordinator with higher than normal strength, stamina, agility, and endurance than that of a normal human being, and with the boost given to his DNA and cells by the Paeksis, he can certainly push his body to the limits if he wanted to…though he was not invincible as he was getting tired from all of his actions this night.

It didn't take long for him to reach his limit as he continued to move his cock in and out of Meia's hot and wet sex, and so was Meia and they both felt it as the two continued to move their bodies in time with each other. Meia felt her body was going to release it's pleasure and she moaned even more as she was reaching her limit. Kyo noted that too and increased his actions on his lover until they both reached their own orgasms.

"KYO!!"

"MEIA!!"

Meia felt her body arch as she felt her release hit her at full force and she felt her inner walls move around her lover's cock as Kyo fired another stream of his essence into Meia's wet sex and Meia felt her mind nearly blank out from the pleasure, and the feel of her lover's essence filling her womb. Kyo then reached out to Meia and helped her up to the bed and he then moved to the edge and went down on the floor, and he then made her leap up into his arms and he held her legs and began to move as meia held on tightly as she panted and screamed her pleasure, the effects of her previous orgasm were still there and she was loving this new position greatly as this allowed her to take in more of Kyo's cock deeper into her pussy. Meia held onto Kyo and kissed him fiercely as she felt her wetness flow out of her pussy as she felt every thrust into her sex. The two went at it as the Jura, Dita, Sara and Mai kept each other occupied, making sure to be in Kyo's field of vision the whole time.

Mai played with Sara's breasts with her hands, and Sara did the same with hers as the two kissed each other deeply. While Dita and Jura on the other hand were playing with each other's pussies while kissing each other, the sight of the women doing that for him, plus the sight of Meia being lost in a haze of lust, passion, desire, and love while he was having sex with her was enough to drive Kyo nuts as he continued to move Meia down on his cock and the fact that she was moaning and making so many sexy moans into his ears further added fuel to the fires as Kyo used his stamina to further pleasure Meia.

It didn't take very long for Meia to finally reach her own orgasm and she screamed out her pleasure to her lover. And she felt so much pleasure hit her senses like a runaway magnetic train car on Megele that she blacked out from the feel of her orgasm as she felt her wetness flow out of her pussy. Kyo looked at Meia and checked to see her condition as he was worried about her state, he was happy to see that she was still breathing and having a heart beat and she was smiling from all the pleasure she felt. He wasted little time and then gently placed Meia back on the bed and then went straight for Dita. The redhead saw Kyo moving towards her and she nodded as she parted from Jura and the blonde didn't mind as she joined up with Sara and Mai.

Dita moved over to Kyo as he sat on the bed in front of her and she then took her chance and covered his cock with her breasts as it was still stiff from all that had happened. As soon as she was able to force Kyo to his back, she began to move her breasts up and down her lover's cock and she licked the head and the shaft as well…making several groans as she tasted Meia's moisture on the flesh of her lover's sex. Dita didn't mind as she moved her breasts up and down on Kyo's penis, loving the feel of it between her breasts as she licked the head…making Kyo groan out as he looked at Dita who was blushing brightly at her actions on his cock. He turned and saw Jura playing with Mai's pussy with a smile, while Mai was crying out her pleasure as Sara licked and sucked on her breasts. Meia was still out cold, but seemed to be coming to her senses right now. The scenes were forever added to his memories and he was never going to forget them for as long as he was alive.

Dita felt her pussy getting even wetter as the smell of sex plus the sounds of sex were getting even thicker in the room. She then finished her actions and then moved away from Kyo making him groan out in surprise and disappointment, but the Gundam pilot changed his mind as she sat back and parted her legs to show him the thatch of red fur that showed her own sex which was dripping wet with her own honey, he wasted little time as he got between Dita's legs and dove in his tongue into her wet sex and took in her own sweet honey. As soon as he did so, Kyo had a bright idea and took Dita's legs to his shoulders and pulled Dita forward to him and he was now on the bed on his knees, with Dita's legs on his shoulder and her pussy in front of his mouth and he wasted no time and licked it and used his fingers, while licking and sucking gently on her clit, making Dita cry out as he held her tightly.

This went on until Dita came and she came hard as her moisture flowed out of her wet sex, Kyo lapped up as much as he could as he set her down to her back with some of the redhead's juices running down his chest. As soon as Dita was on the bed, he moved in and gently but quickly inserted his cock right into her pussy, making Dita gasp out in desire as she felt Kyo's cock fill her sex to the limit. As soon as she felt comfortable…Kyo went at it and began to move slowly, getting the pace set and to make sure that Dita was okay, she moaned out her desire as she held onto Kyo's arms which were next to her and her moans and pleas for release prompted Kyo to pick up the pace with his thrusts into Dita's wet sex.

The redhead was now screaming her pleasure out as she felt more of her own moisture flow out of her sex, and Kyo was in the same boat as he felt her moisture flow on his sex as well. The two continued on with their sex romp, and Kyo turned to see Meia already awake and she, Sara, and Mai were also taking Jura on. The blonde was moaning as Mai and Sara played with her own breasts, while Meia played with Jura's wet sex…the sight was very much arousing as he moved in and increased his actions on Dita's wet sex.

It didn't take long for Meia to reach the limit and she made it clear to Kyo as she held onto him even tighter as she felt her lover's cock rubbing her inner walls and touching every nerve, making her even hotter as Kyo moved in and out of her sex, making her feel even hotter by the second as she moaned and screamed…Kyo felt Dita's tightness hold him close every time he moved in and out of Dita's wet sex and it was incredible…he was enjoying this immensely and there was no way he was going to stop as he moved on, he then reached for her breasts and played with them gently and passionately, further adding fuel to the fire for Dita as she held him tighter.

She then reached her orgasm and she screamed out her desire as she reached her orgasm, the same time that Kyo did as well.

"KYO!!"

"DITA!!"

Dita was still okay and gasped out as her orgasm hit her fast and hard, she felt her inner walls milk Kyo's penis and it was incredible that she nearly blacked out, her mind was covered in a haze of desire as she moved forward and kissed Kyo deeply in the mouth. And he responded back as he felt her juices cover his sex like a hot river of water…and it was erotic beyond words…

It was then that Jura and the others came over to them and Jura gathered the other women and whispered something to them, another idea she had when she had seen another video and she wondered if it could be done, and since they were in a number, it was certainly going to be worth the effort, Kyo wondered what it was a bit despite the haze of lustful passion and desire that clouded his head like a mist. Sara, Mai, Dita, and Meia blushed brightly and wondered just who among them was going to go first and Jura smiled as she took the lead.

She moved towards Kyo seductively and kissed him hard and then turned away to face the wall but straddled his hips and then she nodded to Meia and Dita and the two nodded as well and got closer to Kyo and spread their legs and got closer to Kyo…he wondered what was going on until Jura lowered herself onto his cock and it slid into her wet pussy and when he felt Meia and Dita's own wet pussies touch either side of his cock, he was stunned, Meia and Dita moved themselves upward along with Jura and their respective sexes rubbed Kyo's cock like a vice…with Kyo's cock going into Jura's pussy while Meia and Dita's own sexes rubbed the sides of Kyo's cock as well, and the results were incredible as Kyo's cock rubbed Meia and Dita's clits as well as the outer lips of their woman hood, making them even hotter, and Jura felt her pussy being filled as she leaned backwards and supported herself. They got a rhythm set up and as the trio began to get into the mood of things, they were all screaming as Kyo felt Meia and Dita's pussies rubbing his cock every time they went up and then when they went down and he felt his cock being taken in by Jura's wet pussy at the very same time. The women's juices mingled and the feelings of his cock being covered by so much moisture and the feelings of his lovers' pussies rubbing his cock at the same time was something that made him think he was in heaven.

Mai and Sara looked on and then moved close to Kyo and they went to his face and pressed their breasts to his face and he played with their breasts and nipples with his tongue and his mouth at the very same time. They ran their hands on his chest and they then kissed him on the chest several times and then to the mouth of the Gundam pilot. Kyo was trying his best not to lose himself in the sensations, but he was already lost and the feelings his cock was being subjected to by being caressed by the pussies of Meia, Dita, and Jura at the very same time were exquisite…he didn't know just where the blonde had seen this in the collection of videos that she had on hand, but he was hardly the one to complain…

And neither were Jura, Meia, and Dita as they each made moans and groans of pleasure as they continued to feel Kyo's sex on their own. The aqua-haired woman and the red-haired one felt their bodies being filled to the brim with pleasure as their clits were being stimulated in a totally new and unique way and to feel Kyo's sex on them was very desirable…even if it was not in their own inner walls to begin with. Jura moaned as she felt her pussy being filled by Kyo's sex and it was very much something she would not forget and this new position certainly added to it, the residual effects of her previous orgasms were still there and this new position added an even stronger push to it all. She moved up and down with Meia and Dita and when she felt her lover's penis make it's way into her sex it made her even hotter as she moaned out her pleasure. It didn't take very long for her to reach her orgasm and she moaned out her pleasure as she felt her body hit the limit and she came hard, her wetness flowing down Kyo's cock as Kyo fired another hot stream of his seed into the blonde's soaking wet sex, with some of it flowing out as well. Jura blushed as she felt the hot seed in her pussy, making her even more aroused…while Meia and Dita also climaxed at the same time.

The blonde sighed happily and despite being tired, she moved away and allowed Meia to take her place and she took position next to Dita, her own pussy, still dripping out her juices and some of Kyo's seed was now next to Kyo's sex. Meia smiled warmly and with the same patience and gentleness, lowered her woman hood right on Kyo's cock and she moaned out loud as she felt the sex of her lover fill her once more.

The blonde and the redhead then took over and then began to move their own hips and they both cried out as more pleasure hit their bodies as they moved their hips up and down on Kyo's cock, while Meia felt her lover's cock enter her own sex. Mai took this chance and with Sara egging her on, she straddled Kyo and placed her own wet sex before her lover, who smiled and proceeded to lick her pussy gently and thoroughly, making Mai blush as she moaned out her pleasure as well. Sara in the meantime played with Mai's breasts and would on occasion, guide Kyo's hands to her own dripping wetness and she moaned at the feel of her lover's fingers deep in her own wet sex as Kyo moved his fingers to pleasure her well.

Meia moaned and shouted her desire as her juices began to flow out of her pussy and she loved the feel of Kyo's cock once more in her pussy as she moved up and down, each thrust of her lover's sex into her own made her cry out as the resulting orgasms she had before were piling up into a massive haze of desire that clouded her mind. She held onto the bed and felt her body rise back into the haze of desire once more. As she moved on, it didn't take long for her to reach her limit as she cried out once more in release…her juices flowed out and drenched Kyo's cock once more as he too released his own essence into the aqua-haired female, and she loved the feel of her lover's seed in her sex and in her womb. Despite how tired she was, she was not going to let up as she moved away gently and with enough energy despite her latest release. She then allowed Dita to take over as she and Jura took their positions.

Mai had also cum and she was in heaven at that, and as soon as she recovered, she then moved away and was now facing Kyo as Sara also straddled her lover, and allowed him to lick and kiss her pussy, Kyo did just that as Sara moaned out her pleasure to him as Mai played with her breasts and the two kissed in front of their respective lover.

Dita lowered herself onto Kyo's cock and moaned out loud, as the effects of her previous orgasms were still fresh in her body and mind and the feeling of doing this again with Kyo was too wonderful to forget quickly. Her lover's sex filled her well and as she moved up and down on Kyo's penis it felt wonderful as she made love to her lover once more. She held tightly on the sheets below her to keep herself stable, and as she continued, her body reached her limit and she came hard with a deep cry and she felt her lover fire another hot stream of his essence into her sex and it was so wonderful…no matter what position they were in, it was wonderful. She was tired and so she moved away and it was then that she and Jura moved away to kiss Kyo while Meia, Sara, and Mai took over…with Mai moving in and guiding her pussy to align with Kyo's cock that despite having released many times was still hard and strong.

Mai moaned out loud as her pussy engulfed her lover's sex once more, and she loved the feel of it greatly as she moved up and down on Kyo's sex. Like the others, her previous orgasms had not faded completely out of her system and still stayed there in her blood and it was natural that she was still very sensitive to the sensations that were still there in her body, she moved up and down and held on the bed sheets for dear life as well as balance and it didn't take too long for her to finally reach her orgasm with a loud cry of pleasure, her juices flowed out and drenched her lover's sex and she felt him shoot another stream of his seed into her pussy making her moan out loud. She slowly moved away and then let Sara take the lead.

The copper haired woman moaned out loud as she managed to guide her lover's sex into her pussy and with that done, she moved lower and rose as well, in tune with Meia and Mai as they also rubbed their wet woman hood on the sides of Kyo's sex and that made Kyo moan out even more as Dita and Jura placed their breasts in front of Kyo and the male Gundam pilot licked their breasts and nipples as well…making them both moan and thank Kyo with kisses as they would sometimes move away and kiss him deeply.

Sara cried out as she moved up and down on Kyo's cock and it made her feel more and more alive and the residual effects of her previous orgasms made her very sensitive to the sensations of Kyo's cock moving in and out of her wet pussy. She bit back her pleasure, but like the others, her body was already reaching it's pleasure limits and she soon felt her next orgasm hit her like a wave and she moaned out loud as she felt her juices flow out once more and she felt Kyo give out one more stream of his hot seed into her pussy.

As soon as the women were done with that position, they each moved away from the still lying down Gundam pilot and took turns licking and sucking on his cock, making to come back to life and also taking in his seed, along with the taste of their own respective juices…this made the women even more aroused as the smell of sex in the room had just hit another high notch. Kyo thought that he was going to faint, but managed to tap into another reserve of his own inner energy and get back to it as Mai reached out to him and kissed him fiercely.

The brunette pirate then reached down and held Kyo's cock and ran her hands on it gently…making Kyo hiss as she then once more placed her sex in line with it and then dropped down on her lover's cock as they began to thrust deeply into one another and Kyo played with her breasts as well as kissing her deeply…making her moan and cry out her deep pleasure in all this, while the others panted out their desire and exhaustion hoping to get one more chance before exhaustion claimed them all. Kyo thrust into Mai's wet sex and yet he too felt his body reaching it's own limits and he was not yet able to release his seed, and therefore he decided to finish this last round off with a bang.

This was where Kyo activated his SEED mode and managed to get a second wind of energy for the last rounds of the night, the three Gundam pilots underwent that same stage and for some reason, even Sara and Mai's eyes began to exhibit the same physical traits of SEED mode even if they had not been exposed to the Paeksis and had been infused with energy that copied Kyo's DNA into their own cells.

Kyo wasted no time as he once more thrust into Mai's pussy at a gentle but passionate and fast pace and Mai didn't complain as for a brief moment she had felt their minds meld for a few moments. It was a wonderful moment as she could feel everything and anything in that same moment, she felt Kyo's pleasure and her own and the same could be said for Kyo as he felt that whatever had given Mai this moment of SEED had allowed them both to meld for a moment, and they felt their respective pleasure in a way that defied the senses… and then she released her orgasm in one loud cry along with Kyo as he fired his seed into her pussy, both feeling each other's releases not just physically…but mentally and emotionally as well.

"KYYYYOOOOOO!!"

Mai was tired and she moved away slowly and lay down on the bed with a smile on her face and the look of utter satisfaction as well, she wanted to feel it again, it was so delicious and had an addicting quality that she was not willing to give up easily, but she was overcome by exhaustion and needed to rest. Kyo then looked at the four other women who managed to recover and were also given one last burst of energy.

Meia and Sara smiled as the aqua haired woman straddled her copper-haired comrade and then leaned down to lie on her comrade…allowing Kyo to see both their pussies on top of each other…a very erotic sight that spurred the male Gundam pilot onwards as he reached them and then pushed his cock between their combined sexes and began to move slowly….his cock rubbing their clits at the same time and making both women moan out loud at the wonderful sensations this brought to them by their respective lover. Meia and Sara moaned out loud and cried as Kyo continued to move and then he pushed his cock into Meia, making the aqua-haired woman cry out in pleasure and joy.

Kyo's thrusts in Meia's pussy had some very obvious effects on the aqua-haired woman as she moved on top of Sara, this meant that as Meia moved with Kyo's thrusts, her breasts were rubbing on Sara's own breasts as well, pleasuring both women at the same time, along with the fact that their clits were close to one another and therefore, they were touching each other as well…further adding to their combined pleasure, Kyo felt as a man possessed by desire as he continued to move in and out of Meia's soaking wet sex and Meia reveled in it as her mind was reaching it's limit. She moaned and spoke Kyo's name many times over as the pleasure filled her body, and since they both had their SEED mode on, they each felt the pleasure they gave each other at a whole new level and it was becoming very addicting to them both. They could feel each other's pleasure and the sensations both physically, emotionally, and mentally.

Therefore, when they both orgasmed at the very same time…the sensations of their respective orgasms melded and they felt it in a single moment that nearly drove them to the brink. Meia cried out in joy as she felt her sex being filled by Kyo's hot seed and Kyo also cried out as he felt Meia's inner walls massage his cock with such power and sensation and Meia shouted out her pleasure as she could feel Kyo's cock twitch as her walls caressed him in her warmth and the heat from his streams of seed that flowed into her womb.

Kyo wasted little time as he then made his move to Sara as he pushed his penis into her pussy and Sara cried out in pleasure as she felt her vagina being filled by her lover's cock and despite having felt it before, she loved it no matter how many times she felt it before. However, the brief time she was somehow able to acquire the similarities of SEED allowed her to feel the pleasure to a whole new level and she could feel that Kyo was in the same boat as her. Kyo loved the sensation that the unknown but very intimate connection that he had with the five women had given him. He continued to move his hips and his cock moved in and out of Sara's vagina and the sounds filled the room and the smell of sex in the air was still in the air, very thickly as well. The movements also pleasured Meia and she proved it as she moaned as her breasts were being rubbed by Sara's own breasts and her own clit was being rubbed by Sara's own clit and that made her moan out loud and in great pleasure as well.

It therefore didn't take long for both lovers to reach their limit as both of them cried out as their unique connection allowed them to feel each other's orgasm…and Kyo noted that while they had the connection, his connection to Sara was different and unique from the ones he had with Meia and Mai when he had felt his release alongside them. And he loved it and he could tell that Sara loved it as well as he did. When he moved away, Meia moved off Mai and both women kissed Kyo deeply before the Gundam pilot turned his attention to Dita and Jura…

Both Dita and Jura were already in the same position, but with the blonde below the redhead and both of them begging Kyo with several gestures to get to them, the Gundam pilot didn't hesitate and went to them, he then started with Jura and the blonde woman moaned out loud at this and enjoyed the sensations of her lover's cock in her wet sex and when he began to move his hips she moaned out as she felt his cock moving in and out of her pussy, and like before with Sara and Meia, the movements also had an effect on Dita as she moaned out her pleasure as well as her breasts were being massaged by Jura's own and her clit was being touched by Jura's own as well….doubling their respective pleasure.

Jura loved this and she made that fact clear as she moaned and screamed her pleasure as Kyo continued to move his cock in and out of her wet sex and Kyo likewise loved it and their connection made the sensations even more intense. Kyo noted that he too had a connection to Jura due to their SEED being active at this point and time, and it also allowed them to feel their pleasure at a much higher level than the last time, and it was just as intoxicating as they felt each other's pleasure in a far more intimate and intense way…right to the point that the two of them had their respective orgasms, and Jura felt Kyo's release in a more intense way as she felt her own as well…making it seem like she felt both her orgasm and HIS at the very same time…and such a feeling was very new and delicious to her. The same could be said for Kyo since he could feel a uniqueness to what happened between him and Jura and he could feel it all and so could see. Jura moaned out her desire as her latest orgasm filled her body.

Kyo then did the same with Dita and the blonde woman moaned out with desire and relief as she felt her lover's cock enter her pussy and the feeling of being filled to the brim was delicious and she felt the closeness between them even more as Kyo moved his hips and she felt her sex grow even wetter as she felt Kyo move, and even though she had just cum, Jura was still feeling the sensations as she moaned out at the feeling of her breasts being caressed by Dita's own breasts and her clit being touched Dita's own.

Like her comrades, Dita reveled in the connection her SEED ability gives to her in connection to Kyo and loves the sensations they each give each other and receive from each other as well, and that made her even more determined to make sure Kyo enjoyed his private birthday presents. This went on and so did the pleasure and the smell of sex in the room until Dita finally reached her own limit and came hard…and with her connection to Kyo, she felt both her release and his as well…while Kyo felt the very same sensations as well. Dita then moved off of Jura and Kyo kissed them both as well.

Kyo lay down on the bed, exhausted beyond words and was now losing the will to keep his eyes open, but the women moved towards him with whatever energy they had left in their own bodies and they each sleep beside him on either side as they all went to sleep. But not before the women spoke to Kyo with love and desire.

"Happy Birthday…Husband."

The next day…

Kyo awoke and felt like he had been in a week long battle inside his Gundam, he felt so tired and so drained energy that he thought that he had been literally drained dry, not to mention the feeling a slightly dull headache. And his body felt like it was made out of lead, like he had run a marathon…sixteen times.

My god…WHAT DID I DO LAST NIGHT?!

That was when he spotted the sleeping forms of all five women on the bed. And naturally, all of them were nude and were sleeping soundly with smiles on their faces. As soon as he recalled ALL the things he had done, ALL the positions, ALL the sounds, ALL the feeling of wet flesh, ALL the moans, screams, pants, cries of release, and ALL the orgasms…he felt like he had just died and gone to heaven. Thankfully he was not THAT tired and since he wasn't pinned down by anything, he was able to get to sitting upright on the bed and sighed.

Wow…I did ALL that…and I'm still alive. Well…that certainly was one private celebration I'll never forget.

Kyo closed his eyes to think things over as what last night would mean for him and the five women who held a place in his heart…and his nose then picked up the smell of the pheromones that he and the other women had filled the room with last night, and the smells told him that while it had been quite a long time after they had gone to sleep, the smell of sexual pheromones was still thick in the air. And naturally, sexual pheromones in the air would quickly arouse any man and woman, and Kyo was naturally open to it as well as he felt his cock come back to life. He couldn't help but blush brightly at his sudden arousal.

Damn it…you've got to be kidding me! I'm aroused again?! Sheesh…well, at least they aren't awake right now…

"Hmm…are you aroused again Kyo?"

Kyo stiffened up once more as he heard those words being uttered towards him. He opened his eyes and sure enough, the five women that he had just have almost a ten hour sex romp with were before him on their hands and knees with seductive smiles on their faces and the flames of arousal in their eyes. Kyo barely had enough time to speak when Meia looked at his aroused sex and she smiled as she leaned forward and daintily kissed the head with her lips…making Kyo groan out in surprise at the sudden action. Meia and the others giggled at Kyo's actions and the utter amount of red in his face. Jura smiled and then spoke.

"I hope the sleep you had will be enough Kyo…because last night was just the beginning."

Kyo gulped as he felt the urge to run, but his body was stuck on the bed as if held there by high grade super glue as they women closed in on, their intentions more than obvious. He couldn't help but speak out to them with a slightly panicky voice.

"You five can't be serious?!"

Dita smiled, make a cute face and replied.

"Yes we are Kyo…I want you to do what you did to me again…"

Meia also spoke seductively as well.

"I also want you to do what you did to me again as well."

Jura then spoke as well, while touching her own breasts.

"I want you to make love to me again the way you did last night."

Sara also gave a slight feminine growl and spoke with sexual mischief.

"I want to feel those sensations you made me feel last night again too."

And Mai licked her lips sensually as she spoke.

"I want to do it all over again the way we both did it last night."

Kyo could tell that all of them were dead serious about their intentions and before he could at the very least TRY to talk them out of it, they all went over to him and began to once more kiss him hard. That made his slightly strong barriers of resistance break down fast and he was once more aroused and back into action for another round today.

(Here we go again…)

Kyo found himself on his back and all five women right on him. Sara and Mai kissed him separately but with intense passion and desire as well. As soon as they were done, he moved up and was on the board of the bed and spotted Dita, Meia, and Jura licking, kissing, sucking, and playing with his cock once more…and the sight of the three women each taking turns in licking his cock, kissing it, and taking in their mouths once more nearly blew him out of his mind. Sara and Mai placed their breasts in front of him and he reached out and played with their breasts with both his hands and his mouth and tongue. Sara and Mai cried out as he played with their nipples and breasts.

Jura, Meia and Dita then moved back as Kyo wondered what they were going to do next, and he got his answer as Jura moved and straddled his hips and lowered her wet sex once more on his cock, engulfing it once more into her pussy, she made a loud cry as she began to move up and down on her lover's sex. Sara and Mai moved away and guided Kyo's hands to their respective pussies and the Gundam pilot found them to be wet as well. The two women guided his fingers into their sexes and they cried out as he began to move his fingers accordingly. Meia and Jura then went to massaging Jura's large and firm breasts, further adding a VERY erotic picture in front of the Gundam pilot, all for his viewing pleasure.

However…before anything could move on, the PA system in the room came alive and the voice of Magno came on in the room, stopping the women and Kyo deep in their tracks as the elderly woman greeted them with a charming and teasing tone in her voice.

"Good morning…As much as I dislike the idea of waking you all up after the no doubt…energetic private celebration you all had in that room last night…you all do realize that we have a lot of important work to do today as we are now going to be part of the new Alliance Council? And you uncle have a serious duty to perform, so as much as I don't want to butt into you're…ah…private affairs, I suggest you get ready for you're new line of work as Supreme Admiral of the Allied Fleet."

The women sighed as they each began to move away sadly from Kyo, and despite his own sad reaction, Kyo was thankful for the reprieve as he doubted he could have the energy to keep up with them all today. He doubted that if given half the chance, they would no doubt cripple him by the time it was the time of the day for lunch.

"However…the first Alliance Council meeting is after lunch so I can let you guys have some time to yourselves until then. I hope you all remembered the food that I had personally packed in the container in the room. Just remember that you have to be up by the end of lunch time."

Kyo gulped once more as the women smiled at the sly meaning underneath the Captain's words as the women then went back and surrounded him once more.

The women then chorused at the same time….

"Now then…where were we again?'

I'm going to die…but at least if I do die here and now…I'll die happy!!

Kyo thought as he once more activated his SEED Mode and the party was once more underway. Dita, Jura, Meia, Sara and Mai were more than eager for another batch of rounds with their lover and quite possibly soon to be husband.

In the Conference Room…hours later…

Kyo walked into the Conference Room and sat down, but in what appeared to sheer exhaustion, but he had one hell of the smile on his face as he sat down and grabbed a nearby drink. Meia, Jura, Dita, Sara and Mai covered themselves in their robes and managed to make it back to their rooms without incident as Kyo gave them some of his spare clothes. The clothes were a lot larger than they were used to, but it would be enough for now. He personally escorted them to their rooms one by one and they were happy for the actions he undertook. They had eaten a very hearty lunch/breakfast after their last celebration and he was thankful for all they had done to make a celebration just for him, one that he would never forget until the end of the world for him.

That and the love he felt for them and the people he considered family, and friends made him even more determined to ensure that there would be a future for them all…and if and when things were at peace and they were all here, it would be the chance for him to start a family. He smiled at the thought of having a family someday…his parents would have wanted that, though his situation was certainly unheard of by most standards. And he would protect his family to the death and his children as well.

He then was greeted by Magno and as they waited for the first meeting to begin, the elderly niece decided to pop the question on his uncle.

"So…how was last night's private party?"

Kyo looked at Magno with an eye of suspicion.

"How did you…wait…did you, Meia, Jura, Dita, Mai, and Sara plan out the party…including the one in my room?"

Magno nodded with a smile and amazingly enough, a slight blush, which at her age seemed somewhat slightly out of place….that make Kyo raise an eyebrow at that.

"Well…yes, at least to a point, but whatever will happen in there was their plan, I'm already too old to think about that sort of thing so I stayed out of it. Why? Did we go too far with the whole thing?"

Kyo chuckled at that as he thought about last night and this morning…

"Not in the least…like I said then, I'll say it now…that was one private party I will NOT be forgetting anytime soon."

Magno sighed and was relieved as Buzam, Jin, and Gascogne came into the room, along with Aleck and Hiryu. They waited as the rest of the newly formed Council began to arrive as they began to discuss their plans.

The only thing that Kyo wished for was that the smell of sex would leave his room soon, he didn't even want to guess what could be the outcome of anyone being in that room at this very moment and getting a good long smell of the still lingering doses of sexual pheromones in the air there.

Boy, was he going to be in for it…because at that very moment…a pair of people were in that very same room!!

To be continued…

--

Author's notes:

That was the longest lemon I have ever worked on and I am going to leave it at that for the time being, and I hoped that you all enjoyed it…I KNOW I certainly did. Now as to who were the lucky pair to be in the room of Kyo's at that very same moment, that remains to be seen in the next chapter!

And it seems that if we make it to the ending…we might see one hell of a wedding soon!!

I hope that you all enjoyed the long lemon, because I honestly busted my brain cells to make it the best as I can manage with the situation Kyo was in, but in my mind…it was all worth it, and I hope that you readers will agree on that as well. If not then I hope that you please point out the flaws in a civil, respectful and diplomatic manner. But to also add another honest point…this has been one of the toughest lemons I have ever made in my entire writing life and I personally think that it's the best fantasy for any red blooded male who loves women.

You have no idea how insanely jealous I was for Kyo to be in that position he was in…and I'm the guy who created him and put him there in the first place!! But damn…writing this lemon was fun.

Right now…I will take a break from this and relax for a bit, and work on my other projects.

That means for today…GunDread SEED The Second Stage is on hold until I get back to it. Until then, please drop by and offer me you're comments and reviews.

And as before…flames will be thrown out the minute I get them…but if there are constructive critiques, then I will welcome them.

Good bye for now!


	34. Chapter 34 Lemon

GunDread SEED The Second Stage

Disclaimer: I have no ownership of VanDread or Gundam SEED or any characters, media, and the like.

Chapter 12

Part 1

Trials

( ): Thoughts

--

In the Nirvana…

Kyo sighed as he ran through the new materials that he had been handed by his two liaison officers from both Talark and Megele and he was busy enough already. The new materials were documents telling him of the new integration of the fleets and the reports from different personnel.

The Gundam pilot felt like he was dealing with a massive beast with so many heads and the head grew back, for one head he took out, two more came back from the stump to haunt him yet again…but he put those thoughts aside as he placed the documents into his container and left his room and headed to the meeting hall…to face yet another problem.

He had hoped that no one would find out about his little escapades until the time was right to tell the crew about them, but he should have known that it was going to come out sooner or later. The women were getting even more curious about his relationships and they even went as far as to ask Dita, Jura, Meia, Sara, and Mai on how it felt to be with him in private. The girls were pretty much keeping it to themselves, but somewhere along the way, the women had heard about it and they were now even more curious if it was indeed possible for men and women to have children together. Until that was explained to them, he knew that things on the Nirvana were going to get even more hectic until the truth was told about physical intimacy between men and women.

Besides, it was what Magno wanted him to do eventually, this was going to be tough, but there was no longer any running from it as he made sure to get more details from it and hope that everything will be fully explained. But if there was one thing he knew, what he was about to talk about was really going to start a hell of a mess with the female members of the crew, along with the men.

As soon as he entered the meeting halls, he spotted all of the women who could be in the room were there, along with Buzam/Tenmei, Gascogne, Aleck, Hiryu, Magno, Duero with Parfet sitting close to him, Max with Barnette also close to him as well. The two couples were very much closer together and were a bit embarrassed as they knew just what Kyo was going to talk about with the others on the Nirvana. Near the screen were Jura, Dita, Meia, Sara, and Mai…they too were rather nervous, but were able to keep calm.

Kyo knew that under Magno's request, all members of the crew of the Nirvana, from every corner of the ship…including the men were going to be in on the whole show. This made him feel even more uncertain on how this was going to be received. But he steeled himself as he walked over to the five women and spoke to each of them.

"Are you sure you're all ready for this? I mean you all don't have to be here, and this will be a very embarrassing situation for all of you."

Jura shook her head and so did Meia, Mai, Sara, and Dita.

"We don't need to hide it for that long, it'll have to come out sooner or later. Besides…we talked about this with the Captain…and we're all aware that it might happen and we're ready for it."

"Are you all sure about that?"

Meia nodded and spoke for the others.

"We are Kyo…go ahead."

Kyo could tell that they were all serious about their stance on the matter, and that reassured him somewhat at least as he got some items from the desk and then faced the women crew-members there and took a deep breath and called their attention. Many of the women were from the Dread Squadrons and some were from the Crusaders, and several more from the Register and the Engineering Teams. He took another calming breath and began to speak.

"Many of you are wondering what exactly is it you are all doing here under the request of the Captain. This has something to do with the question that many of you have been asking. Namely on the possibility that children can be conceived between men and women, as you have seen in the video before during the Christmas we had last year. The answer to that question…is yes, it is possible for a man and a woman to have a child together."

The women were quickly looking at each other and rumors began to circulate just how it was done, he was thankful that Paiway was not here on the Nirvana as she decided to stick around with Ezra, Lacus, and Rebecca in the Paradise for a while. As soon as the women were done talking, he got ready for the next part of the explanations.

"However, the process is…not the same as the methods used by you're world and that of the men, it is more emotional, and physical for both partners as the child born of the union…whether boy or girl is part of both parents, which in the old Earth terms is mother and father respectively. It is also not very…accurate as the artificial methods on either Megele or Talark, the timing has to be right…the partners…have to be…in the right mood. And even if it is done, it does not always assure pregnancy for the woman…it takes several attempts."

One of the women then raised her hand to ask a question.

"If it's so much trouble and so unreliable back then…why do they do it in the first place?"

Kyo felt like déjà vu all over again as that question was very much the same as the one that Bart had asked him when he had asked him back why he was not agreeing to the idea of going to Dita's room a few months to nearly a year before. He cleared his throat and looked at Dita, Jura, Meia, Mai, and Sara who blushed at that and nodded a bit. This made him sigh as he placed the video cassettes on the table as he decided to say it.

"Because the process of co-gender procreation is very…pleasurable, and if the two partners have made a strong and…lasting relationship…they sometimes do the act for the sake of it. That is where…love can be found between both partners."

The women were still unbelieving as they began to talk to one another once more about how can such a thing be possible, until one of the women, a member of the Dread squadrons raised her hand and Kyo waited for her to ask her question…and he had a feeling that this was one that was going to floor him like a sledgehammer to the head.

And sure enough…it was a question that was going to hit him on the head like a sledgehammer…

"Is that the same thing you did with Dita? Or with Sara, Mai, Meia, and Jura?"

Kyo couldn't help but blush a bit and pinch the bridge of his nose at that question as he knew that things and questions like that were the one things most people didn't want to talk about when it concerned intimate relationships. Most guys who were players as the term was known would have boasted about their relationships…but he wasn't one of them…his respective relationships with the five women was unique in their own respective right. He looked at the five women and saw them blushing as well…

The women saw that and they all looked on with a stunned look at the discovery that Dita, Meia, Jura, Sara, and Mai had actually….done it with Kyo and they all began to whisper what could have happened. Kyo however called their attention as he knew that it was now time to drop the bomb, though he doubted that he would get the very same reaction he got from Duero and Bart when he told them about the intimate details of being in the same room with a woman.

"In light of you're question…the answer is yes…but before you start asking you're comrades and me about it, it is important that you are shown the mechanics of procreation between genders. However, before I start telling you how it's done…I'll give the general description and I need to ask a very simple question for all of you. Are there couples on Megele?"

The women wondered why he was asking the question, but they decided to tell him that there were couples on Megele, some of them have had very important relationships, and they of course had children.

Kyo sighed and knew that his next question was really going to make him very uncomfortable, but since he made it this far, he might as well keep going at it and get the situation over and done with so he could finally teach them what procreation between men and women was all about.

"All right then…now, do these particular couples do things to affirm their relationship…namely in the intimate sense and with their….private parts?"

The women thought about that and Gascogne was the one who answered Kyo.

"Yes they do, we call it…"

Kyo however had SEEN that done when he had been in his room with the five women a few days before and he decided to speak before it brought back more memories that would really make things hard of him.

"All right then…now, the reason why I asked those two questions, is because in order for men and women to have children…is when they are able to be intimate with their respective sexual parts."

The women were stunned and they began to talk once more about it and then Kyo decided to speak once more in order to keep them from getting the wrong ideas of how it should be done, he knew that it had to be done the right way or else things would get really confusing.

"Before you start getting ideas, I want you all to know that what I have mentioned is very much true and this is not something you just do all the time, circumstances permitting. The act of sex between men and women is very different, and as such has different mechanics than the ones you're no doubt familiar with back on you're world. The videos that you will be seeing is how it's done between men and women…now I request that you ask your questions AFTER you see the videos."

With that…Kyo placed the video tapes into the player and got the show on the road…the minute the people in the videos began to get intimate with one another…the women gasped greatly, while on the men's side of the Nirvana, the small band of Talark men who were part now of the crew watched as well and they too were very much surprised by what they were now witnessing, they were now going to be among the few men to actually SEE sexual relations between men and women on record.

Kyo prayed that he was doing the right thing once more as the women gasped and looked at the video as the situation the couple was in was getting hot and steamy, he was thankful that Jura's collection of videos was not in the darker categories of sexual taste, otherwise, who knew that sort of ideas would be popping into the heads of the crew if they saw that.

--

Hours later…

Kyo took a drink from his mug of hot chocolate and placed it down on his table and rubbed his forehead to try and remove the slight headache that he was having right now. He had just showed all the members of the crew of the Nirvana the way men and women had children in the old days and he felt like he had just opened a Pandora's box of surprises. The women were stunned and they were soon asking questions on how it would feel and was it actually very pleasurable. The Gundam pilot explained it as best he could, with Magno helping him, along with Meia, Dita, Jura, Sara, and Mai helping him…along with Parfet and Barnette, with their respective male partners.

The women were all stunned as they looked once more of the videos of how men and women got intimate together, and it didn't take long for the men to come out of their section and ask their comrades whether it was true or not. They were in awe at Duero and Max since they had actually done THAT with Parfet and Barnette respectively and were still alive…alive and happy with it too. The men also asked the Gundam pilot about it, but Kyo kept mum about that. The women then asked their comrades if it was truly pleasurable, and the warm smiles and the answers they got from their female comrades was enough to confirm it.

(My God, I hope that we have enough time to work all this out properly, before the men of Talark and the women of Megele find out about this…I don't even want to know what would happen if they find out about it and raise hell.)

Kyo looked at spotted Meia walk into the room, along with Magno, the elderly niece smiled a bit at her uncle and greeted him.

"How are you feeling uncle?"

"Like I just told the crew the ultimate dirty secret….which in truth I did…I hope that we don't get reports of them going overboard on that discovery."

Meia and Magno sat down with Kyo as he got up and got two more mugs for them and filled them with some of the hot chocolate that he still had with him. He then placed the mugs before them and sat down once more and sighed as he took in the drink.

Magno drank some and then spoke to her uncle about the situation.

"I managed to tell the crew to keep this a secret until we are sure that the men and the women work well together, no use telling them now about procreation between genders while they still are not used to working with one another. I don't think that telling them now at a time like this is a wise idea."

"Good point there Maggie…what I'm worried about is how the others on the ship are taking it."

Meia smiled a bit and spoke to Kyo.

"They are still a bit shaken…I know I was when I saw a video left behind by Jura before…but since they've been around men for a long time now…I think they will be able to adjust, though it will take some serious work to get things straightened out."

"No kidding…how are you and the others handling this? Now that…it's out that you, Jura, Dita, Sara, and Mai did it with me? I mean…I hope you all aren't being bothered too much by all this."

Meia smiled a bit and replied.

"I've been asked about it a few times, Jura's happy to finally say it out loud, and so is Dita, Mai naturally has to tell her fahma and ohma about it when they arrive here on the Nirvana from Outer Heaven, and the same could be said for Sara. I get the feeling that all our respective families will come and meet you…since it will not take very long for them to find out about you."

Kyo groaned and massaged his head once more.

"I guess that means that if I do tie the knot, I will be meeting my soon to become in-laws…as if I didn't have enough to deal with already."

Meia nodded as she could understand the burdens Kyo was carrying, not only was he the Gundam pilot of the I-Freedom, her own teacher and more, leader of the Crusaders, but was now the newly crowned Supreme Admiral of both the combined forces of the worlds, along with being responsible for every military and civilian aspect of the newly forged alliance. And despite the fact that he was already four hundred twenty-one years old, he was so unused to such a great deal of responsibility.

And now he had to deal with the possibility of having in-laws…she had to admit that she thought herself lucky not to be in his shoes right now, but she knew that she could do her part and help him deal with all the pressure in any way that she could, and she knew that the others who loved Kyo would do the very same thing for him. She proved it as she held Kyo's hand.

"I'll do what I can to help you Kyo, on dealing with all this, I know…that my parents are gone, but I know that they would have loved to have met you…you helped me out of my shell and made me feel life again, so I have no doubts that they would not mind me being close to you."

Kyo smiled a bit at that.

"Thanks Meia…but I wonder how the ohmas and fahmas of the others are handling this little development. I better have a chat with the others."

Kyo took out his communicator to contact Jura, Sara, Mai, and Dita for a discussion with him…they had a lot to talk about. Namely when their parents got wind that their daughters had just snared a man.

(Gods…as if I don't have enough problems as it is…)

--

Actually…Kyo had another problem to deal with…

Misty looked at herself in the mirror and calmed herself down, she sighed as she then faced another person in her very own room. Devon was busy looking at the wall…at the ceiling, anywhere but at Misty…and for good reason. What they did was totally new and very much unbelievable…but still…

"Devon…please look at me."

The Talark teen faced the former Pluto resident and his normally calm and patient visage was replaced with worry and fear.

"We…we shouldn't have…done that…I mean we…"

Misty sighed and walked over to Devon and the Talark teen tried to leave the room, but Misty stopped him and held him close, Devon didn't resist as Misty replied.

"It wasn't what I had in mind at the time…but I don't regret it…not in the least."

"But I…I couldn't control myself…and I lost…"

Misty sighed as she knew just what Devon was driving at, what happened a few days ago was unexpected…but she certainly was not against it…it had been something she had wanted for a very long time…after all, despite being frozen and technically at her early seventies…she was biologically a young woman…and she had her needs too, like the others on the ship. She had to admit however that it really was very surprising what had happened between her and Devon.

--

Flashback…

--

Misty and Devon were currently exploring the rest of the ship and were also discussing the various aspects of relationships being able to be born between men and women, the young man was rather curious whether such a thing would really happen between men and women and Misty naturally told him that such things could indeed happen between men and women. They were moving along to the rest of the crews quarters and they were still going strong on the matter.

"So have you ever been in such a relationship with a man?"

Misty blushed a bit at that question as she recalled her crush back in her younger days back on Pluto and her own crush on Kyo, but she put that aside and replied to his questions.

"I have had friends…but never that close a relationship if you really want to know."

"If that's the case…how come you know about it?"

"Well…it's one of the things most teens back then would talk about on their free time, but that will be for another time, I wanted to talk to Kyo about some matters, namely with the fact that he's now the head commander of this newly created Allied Fleet."

"What for? He's a man, he can handle the responsibility."

Misty shook her head at that and replied.

"He's a man, no doubts about that…what I mean is the fact that he's still rather young, he might have been in cryogenic suspension far LONGER than I was, but he's barely out of his twenty first birthday and now he has to deal with the fact that he's placed in such a leader position…you try waking up one day and you're leader then tells you to be responsible for not just the fleet of you're home-world, but the fleet of the people who were you're enemies for a very long time, how the heck would you feel?"

Devon thought it over and had to agree with Misty's argument, that stuff WAS a lot to take in just one day. He shrugged his shoulders and the two of them made their way to Kyo's room. Misty wanted to see how Kyo was holding up after his birthday. She had been there to celebrate along with the crew on such an occasion. She wanted to talk with him but since he had not left his room all morning, she was getting curious as to what the Gundam pilot was doing in his room all day.

And since she had nothing left to do since it was a day of rest for the entire crew, she decided to ask Devon to come along with her…namely to help Devon get used to being around Kyo, the two had only met on a few occasions and as such, she wanted them to get along with one another. She still recalled the signs of jealousy that Devon showed towards Kyo when she talked with him…he wanted that to be over and forgotten so as to avoid another possible mess between them.

As they made their way to the door that led to Kyo's room, she typed in the key code and thankfully the door opened and that allowed the two of them to enter the room. As they looked about, the only thing that Misty could say was.

"What a mess…"

The room had messed up sheets and some of the pillows were strewn all over the place and there was some other things that really made the place into a mess. The only thing that made sense was the fact that Kyo had left the room.

"Well, I guess that means that he's already left and we missed him."

Devon replied, but it was then that the two of them began to pick a strange smell in the air. And for some reason, the smell seemed to have a very unsettling effect on both of them as they looked about. The smell in the air was strong and it seemed to make their nerves tingle with energy. When they looked about more, the two of them began to adapt to the smell, but they felt a high state of awareness, Devon didn't know what it was and Misty was not very sure of it either.

It was only when they looked at one another that the smell began to test them and the reactions they gave when they saw each other made things even more electric between the two, and neither of them figured out why they seemed to tingle when they looked at one another…

Misty and Devon left Kyo's room and made their way out of the room…however, the remaining pheromones in the room which were thick and concentrated did their job for when they both got to Misty's room…

Misty turned about and looked at Devon and the Talark teen didn't know why he suddenly felt this urge…but he did and the very second Misty unconsciously licked her lips, that was it as he came onto her.

--

End of Flashback…

Devon was still feeling somewhat guilty and Misty knew that as soon as she was able to convince him that what they did together might have been accidental…but it was far from wrong in a sense since that was the way man and woman interacted in a physical sense. But she knew that he might be thinking that she was only trying to alleviate his guilt…and as such she came up with an idea.

"Tell you what…why don't we talk to Kyo about this…you already know that he's…well done it already so you can talk to him about it, maybe that way you can understand what happened between the two of us."

Devon gave her a serious look and replied with a slight touch of sarcasm.

"What makes you think he's going to listen to me?"

"Well…for one thing, he's done it already before with more than one woman…which by the way is a dream for most young men come true, and he's already answering questions from the rest of the female crew about it. Plus I think you feel more comfortable talking to a guy who knows about it."

Devon sighed and looked at the floor of Misty's room to weigh in his options. He knew that until he knew if what he and Misty had done was indeed part of co-gender relationships he would still be utterly uneasy with the whole thing between him and Misty…despite her reassurances to him that she liked it and she was okay with it…and while it had been…very different, and he did enjoy it…he was still unsure about it all. And he had to admit…now that he knew that Kyo had experienced it…

--

In the Engineering Bay…

Kyo was currently working on another project, but this was not in the war efforts, but something he had promised to do for a certain Navi-robot, he managed to get his hand on Navi-robot blue prints and was currently making the new Navi-robot to serve as Pyoro's partner while here on the ship. The Navi-robot came into the room while he was working and asked him a question.

"What are you doing Kyo?"

Kyo answered Pyoro's question while still working on the inner circuitry and the basic chassis of the new Navi-robot.

"I'm making you're partner Pyoro, now I can't really be sure since this design is rather old and I have plenty of duties to do so I can't dedicate ALL my time into making you're friend here."

"But…"

"No worries, this actually helps keep me relaxed and I have something constructive to do…so don't worry about me too much. By the way…I will need to download a good portion of you're data and use it to create the emotional-data matrix of you're companion, plus I will have to get a fragment of the Paeksis in order to effect the transformation and make it the same as you."

Pyoro looked on as the Gundam pilot was busy showing his mechanical and computer skills as he began to create a machine that had not been made for nearly a hundred years and he was going to make one in a time frame of at least four months. The Navi-robot decided to watch and not interfere with the Gundam pilot's work as a sign of his respect for the Gundam pilot and the Supreme Admiral of the Allied Fleet and since the Gundam pilot was taking the time to make him a companion, the least he could do was help in the process.

"Can I help with anything?"

"Sure…I need you to decide on at least three things first Pyoro."

"The first?"

"The name for this new Navi-robot."

"The second?"

"What color scheme do you want?"

"And the last?"

"You want it as a female or male AI version of you?"

--

Later…

Kyo was busy running through the records of the officers under his command, currently he was contacted by Commander Heidi about his presence being required in the Megele Space Academy to speak to the latest batch of Dread pilots who were to replace the ones who were lost or too badly wounded physically and emotionally to start flying again. He had been told that he was needed to be on the Academy in a few hours, while the pirates…or rather the former pirates were to be along with him to help train the new recruits on how to fight with the Harvesters.

The former pirates were the most familiar with the Harvesters, especially with their new weapons and systems so it made sense that they would have to be the ones to teach the Megele forces on how to defeat the new weapons of the Harvesters.

He also had to deal with another request for him to travel to Talark and train the new recruits on how to fight with the Harvesters and also to defeat the new weapons that the Invasion Fleet had with them. Fortunately, both were separate classes for today and thus it would give him time to know just who the people he would be working with in the coming four months are.

Of course, that was not his only concern for the moment. He would have to trade new technology to both worlds on how to modify their already existing forces and make them more capable against the Harvesters. The Dreads would need better response systems, better armor and better engines in order to even up the odds. The Vanguards would need also better armor, weapon systems and more in order to match up. Not to mention he would also have to plan out how to make the Vanguards of Talark and the Dreads of Megele work in combat formations that were of the same make as that of the formations the Crusader Squadron used when they worked with the Dreads on the Nirvana. They would also have to trade newly developed technology along with modifying existing technology in order to adapt and utilize their weapons more effectively.

Of course…that was only possible due to the newly formed alliance pact between Talark and Megele, had it been otherwise, things would not be easier for him. He still knew that despite it being an order from their Leaders, there would still be men and women on either world who would cause trouble for the alliance, either out of pride and stubbornness, or just because they were against the whole thing and swallowed the lies of their worlds too many times. While he understood that it gave the people of either world a goal…that goal was dead and now it was time to change priorities…though he knew that it didn't mean that things were going to change overnight. He was going to be the herald of change and he was going to be in the thick of it all.

Oh well…at least things between me the girls is a bit straightened out…now I have to meet their fahma's and ohmas soon.

He recalled the conversation he had with Meia, Jura, Sara, Mai, and Dita and the girls agreed that they would help Kyo in any way they possibly could in order to help him cope with the many details that he had to deal with in the coming months, and also they would help him deal with their respective families when the time came. He was thankful that things were working out, though he did feel a little embarrassed when they would tell him about the many questions that the crews were currently asking them on what they had done with him. The questions were rather colorful and made him wish he could tell the crew to not ask those things.

He was happy that Maggie did tell the crews not to talk about the art of co-gender procreation with anyone outside of the pirates until the time was right and there would be relationships that would spring among the two factions and that would certainly help.

The Gundam pilot however, couldn't help but snicker as he imagined the reactions the men and women would have once such things could happen between them. However he also had to admit that it was going to take some serious work in order to straighten things out between the men and women of both Talark and Megele should it ever happen, namely because the act of co-gender procreation was NOT normally taught to the men of Talark and the women of Megele and doing that would no doubt be considered by either side to both be the ultimate taboo and the ultimate sin for any of their people to commit. They might NOT know about it yet…but if there was one thing that he knew for a fact was with emotions and other factors playing into the situation…then stranger things could happen.

The door alarm chimed up and the Gundam pilot knew that he had guests coming into his room, he put aside the letters for the moment and decided to find out just who was paying him a visit at this time of the day. The rest of the crew were currently doing routine training, maintenance and corresponding with their parents or family members, who no doubt in his mind were very happy to see them…he wondered how the reunions were shaping out between the pirates and their parents, and he was hoping that the four others who he loved and cared for were having an easy time in talking to their ohmas and fahmas about the situation.

He was surprised to see Misty and Devon walk into his room and the two of them seemed to have a lot on their minds and that was something that made the Gundam pilot rather curious as to what was it they wanted from him at this time of the day. He placed aside his paper work, got up and greeted the two as they entered his chambers.

"Misty, Devon, what brings you two down here?"

Misty smiled in greeting while Devon looked at his boots and it took Misty to make the Talark teen to look at the Gundam pilot. The three shook hands and then Kyo directed them to sit down as he reached for a pair of mugs and took out the container of hot chocolate that he had with him. As he did so, he spoke to the pair while pouring them their drinks.

"I have some duties to take care of today, not to mention I have to go to both Megele and Talark soon to meet up with the new recruits on both worlds, so I can't be here long, but I have time to listen."

As he handed them the mugs with the hot chocolate he sat back down and looked at the two.

"So, what do you guys want to talk to me about?"

Misty placed her mug down on the table and sighed and then blushed bright red as she recalled what happened between her and Devon, this made Kyo a bit suspicious and a bit nervous…both feelings were further added when he noted Devon doing the very same thing as well on his chair as well, this was getting to be serious.

Misty recovered and then spoke.

"Well…it has something to do with, um, the facts of life."

Kyo looked at the two of them back and forth, his eyes widening at the meaning of that phrase.

"Don't tell me you two…did it?!"

Misty nodded and Kyo could only look at the two with a great measure of shock and surprise for a few minutes and looked at Devon who looked a bit confused and very distracted to say the least. Kyo could shake his head once more and decided that he was going to have a hell of a time explaining to the two what just happened between them…Misty could understand it, but Devon was another matter.

--

Later…

Kyo sighed as he powered up Infinite Freedom and was given the go-ahead signal by the pirate crew that he was clear to leave the Nirvana…he had an appointment to keep and he had to move it to brief the Megele females on the history of the Harvesters and their combat missions against them…not to mention the records of what the Harvesters had in their arsenal.

Dita then called in.

"You want us to come with you Kyo?"

Kyo shook his head as he pressed the button to bring down the transparent shield on his helmet and then responded.

"No need to worry about me Dita, I can take care of myself and I need you and the others to stay with the Nirvana for the time being. I'll be back in a few hours time."

Dita pouted and smiled back.

"Don't take too long Kyo! I'll have a great meal waiting for you soon, my fahma and ohma will be wanting to meet you!"

"Okay…I'll see you later then Dita."

As Dita's communications was over, the Gundam pilot could only sigh as he realized that he now had to deal with his new to come in laws…along with his duties as Grand Admiral of the Allied Fleet. And he then recalled what happened in his office with a shake of his head.

As soon as he was out of the Nirvana's Launching Bay and the I-Freedom's wings were opened and thrusters active he made his way to the Megele Space Academy…all the while thinking about the happenings in his office. He had taken the time to digest everything and began to explain to Devon what he and Misty had done…but before that, he asked the Talark youth if he recalled what happened.

As soon as he got all the facts straight, he explained to the two that what they did was in this case a normal reaction, and he explained patiently and calmly to Devon that what he felt was a normal reaction to a woman. The Talark youth then asked if what he did was wrong, and he explained that in a certain way, it was, but it was hardly something to be worried about since Misty didn't show that she disliked him for it. Misty agreed and she mentioned that such things happened where she came from and it was something she was used to hearing about. This made Kyo sigh but continued his explanations and was able to convince Devon that what happened was not a mistake in too many senses, but he advised the two of them to take more time in getting used to each other's company and if they felt that they could pursue the next step of their relationship, then they could. He was not sure that his advice would work…but it was better than nothing at this rate.

His thoughts were then broken when he spotted several contacts coming in on his Gundam's threat scanners and they appear to be Dreads, and sure enough, there were incoming communiqués from the interceptors. The Gundam pilot activated them and he spotted a blonde Dread pilot with deep brown eyes with her hair in a set of braids, rather fetching but she seemed serious and her question pretty much stated it.

"This is sovereign Megele territorial spaces…identify yourself."

"This is Kyo Clyne Yamato, Grand Admiral of the Allied Fleet, I am here under clearance from Grandma herself to report to the Megele Space Academy, here's my access code and identification number."

The Gundam pilot then gave the access code and ID number that was handed to him by his Megele liaison Commander Heidi. As soon as it checked out, the female Dread pilot and her cohorts then placed themselves around the I-Freedom as the blonde once more spoke.

"I am Meer Varnell and my squadron and I were sent to escort you unde4r orders from Commander Heidi."

As the group moved in and headed towards the location of the Megele Space Academy, they were moving past several smaller ships of Megele design and some larger ones, including the types of battle-ships that he had seen before…and the ones he disabled in his first foray into Megele space, along with the ships were their Dread squadrons and they were all on patrol at the moment. It didn't take very long for him to see the Space Academy of Megele.

The structure looked impressive enough…reminding him of a smaller version of the PLANT stations he had seen in his days travelling between Earth and the PLANTS on covert or diplomatic missions, of just having a vacation from time to time. The place resembled the PLANTS well enough in size and shape…but not too much…he looked and spotted large numbers of Dreads in the area as well….so there was no doubt this place was a training facility for their pilots.

As they entered the area where the Dreads were being housed, along with several other ships…it didn't take long for Kyo to notice the considerable military escorts that were in the area…fully dressed in the same outfits the pirates had used when they had taken over the Nirvana back in the days when it was still known as the Ikazuchi. He wondered why that was the case until he reminded himself of something.

(I forgot this will be the first time a man ever set foot in a Megele owned facility…damn, this is going to be one of those days.)

As soon as he got his Gundam on the ground and opened the cockpit, he spotted the Megele guards…all looking at him and were not very happy, that much he could tell despite the presence of their heavy and still bulky space suits, it still made him wonder why in the name of all that was sane in the universe do they still wear them. But he was not there to comment on those things. As he rode down the cable, he spotted Commander Heidi come towards him with her own escort of Megele military forces and his liaison officer greeted him.

"Welcome Admiral Kyo, I've prepared most of the key details and the pilots we have are ready in the main briefing room, right this way please."

As they went out of the Hanger, the Gundam pilot could tell that the military escort were busy whispering among themselves, namely the ones wearing the suits, no doubt using the built in communicators inside the suits, while those who were in the rest of the facility were all looking at him as he had his helmet removed and in his arm. Women staff members who wore the basic suits that Meia's own Dread pilots normally wear, with different colors of course were looking at his direction and unlike the ones wearing suits, he could hear their voices just fine.

"What's a man doing here?"

"Oh my Goddess…we have to talk to the commander!"

"Is he a prisoner?"

"Who made those clothes, they look so…wrong."

"I recognize him…he's the Grand Admiral of the Allied Fleet!"

"That man's the Grand Admiral?! So it is true…"

"No way am I going to listen to a man's orders!"

"Isn't his Gundam the same one that took out an entire strike group at the penal colony when the pirates tried to escape?"

The list could go on as Kyo sighed mentally and put those thoughts out of his mind as he turned to speak to Commander Heidi.

"How many students are there in this Academy?"

"At least four hundred students…half are still recruits, then another part are veterans, and the rest are higher level pilots Admiral Yamato. They are all being assembled in the main meeting hall at the moment, you'll be meeting them there."

As they made their way into the Academy, the Gundam pilot had to admit that for a military installation, the place resembled a resort…trees where everywhere, fountains, bright lights, the whole ten yards. He couldn't help but wonder how anything was done with so many distractions to be on hand. The pilots were going to be quite the handful when he got to talk with them, that much he figured out as he walked with Heidi and her escort team. As he arrived in the main meeting hall and entered the room…he found himself in front of a sea of Dread pilots…all wearing the same uniforms that Meia usually wore before he commissioned her Gundam pilot suit and the ones worn by the other pirates, including Meia's friend Vaora. The pilots had different shades of color to their uniforms, some had the same shade…probably indicating that they belonged to the same squadron as the others…however the rest were of varied colors, it was like looking at a multi-colored river, he could have sworn his eyes were going to break.

Kyo put that out of his mind as Commander Heidi began the meeting.

--

"Are you sure you want to meet him soon? I think he's real busy right now."

"We want to meet him, after all, you have said nothing but good things about him, and we want to see him for ourselves if he truly deserves such…praise."

"I have to agree with you're ohma dear…I hope this Kyo is truly worth you're plans to…marry him, such a decision is not easy…even more so if it is with a man."

"Kyo's no ordinary man, mama! He is a great person and he's definitely worth my praise."

"Enough for you to actually consider being the ohma of you're child…Jura?"

Jura nodded as she looked at her parents, and she replied.

"Yes…more than anything, I consider him to be the only one I want to spend my life with and have my child, or my children with."

"We shall see Jura."

--

Back on the Megele Academy…

The women were currently looking at the images of the newly created Harvester units, namely the Overlord units and their other variants…namely the ones fought by the pirates and the Gundam pilot himself. Kyo had to deal with the facts that throughout the lecture on the Harvesters' history, their level of weaponry and technology…there were women who tried to distract him…others ignored him…while some make comments that he could tell were not exactly one would consider tactful or considerate.

The Gundam pilot however put such things out of his mind…he had been called worse and he was given an important job to do…and he was not going to waste his time trading word barbs with the Dread pilots.

He pointed out that while the Dreads were effective in ranged combat and were in ways stronger than the Vanguards…they were also with weak points…weak points that the Harvesters have exploited more than once. This got the heckles of some of the women, including squadron leaders but he didn't mind that as he showed the new combat formations being used by the Harvesters, their Cube Fighters would be the front liners, while the Overlord variants, including the two colored variants were shown engaging their targets both in close and long range with their arsenal of weapons.

"As you can see…the Harvesters possess quite an edge in many ways…unlike us humans who have to train for months or years be at our best and also to have more field experience, they can merely program their forces with the needed combat data to even up the odds against their foes."

He then showed several records of Cube Fighters, the first showed that they were being dispatched with some ease by the pirates…and the second then showed the Cube Fighters being more organized and better in terms of agility, speed, and tactics…and only in a matter of days. This was enough to get the women to pay attention as he spoke once more.

"The only known way to halt the Cube Fighters is to attack the Seed Ships…with them destroyed; the Cube Fighters they will release will also cease to function, the same can be said for the Overlords…however, the strike has to be overwhelming and effective. If not, the Seed Ships would be repaired and returned to full combat functionality."

He then showed the images of the Harvester Battle-ships and that made the women make comments like ugly, unfashionable and the like…however, being the serious guy that he was when it came to military matters, he put those aside and explained the dangers posed by the Harvester battle-ships, their weaponry, and their main function as the central control center for all Harvester operations. He made sure to mention just how many of the ships were currently station beyond the energy storm…and the fact that while they were here in the relative safety of being behind the energy storm, the Harvesters were still able to build and prepare.

He then discussed the Gundam models that were currently being used by the Harvesters and showed that while they can be beaten…they were not to be taken lightly and were far more lethal as they could be modified by the Harvesters and customized as well to suit their combat environment…what made them more deadly was the fact that unlike the Dreads, they could operate on planetary surfaces and atmospheres…just like his own Mobile Suit and that of the men's Vanguards…which gave them all the edge in ground warfare…where the infantry of Megele would be no match for them. He also pointed out that while the Overlords were never seen operating on a planet's surface…they very well could be conditioned to do just that.

As he wrapped it up…he then told the women to ask their questions once more and then he would observe them in their training simulations to gauge their combat effectiveness.

--

Back on the Nirvana…

Magno sighed as she looked at the incoming requests made by the arriving Megele crew who were going to be there as part of the working group with the men. The elderly captain couldn't help but grumble at the fact that her ship was now going to become a day care center. Tenmei/Buzam noted that very quickly and walked over to the elderly woman…the special vocal device on his neck was on and therefore the former Talark spy would speak in a female voice.

"Are you all right Captain?"

"I'm just a bit tired…I can't believe that we've gone from a pirate group to a day care center…with the new batch of women coming in…and no doubt the men coming in, things here are going to be a big problem to deal with."

Buzam/Tenmei nodded at that as he/she knew that with the announcement of the alliance…there would be those from both Talark and Megele who would be tasked to live together to see if there was any possibility that men and women from their worlds could live together in the same way the crew of the formerly all female pirates had learned to live together with their former male prisoners.

There would be problems though as there would no doubt hardliners who would cause trouble in this alliance…and that was what worried Magno a great deal.

"We just have to do the best we can Captain."

It was then that a signal came on the communication system, and they looked to see the image of Ezra smiling.

"What is it Ezra?"

"I am sorry to bother you Captain, Commander, but it seems we have a pair of guests coming to meet up with you."

"Who are they?"

"Jin and Van…they appear to wanting to see you Captain."

Magno smiled at the thought of meeting her husband and child and gave a nod.

"Go ahead Ezra…let them in."

It didn't take long the two men to arrive and Jin hugged Magno and the elderly female responded with the same happiness and did so with her son who while still unsure how to act around his mother by blood, was able to respond by greeting her, though still awkwardly...Magno didn't mind that in the least and still smiled.

The couple sat down and Buzam was about to leave when Jin spoke.

"No Tenmei…you need to stay, this is important for you to hear as well…it has something to do with the soon to be arriving male delegation from Talark."

The group then began to discuss special matters and hoped that the solutions come up with will be helpful in order to make things more stable once the two groups meet each other for the first time. As they did so, Van would sometimes ask Magno what things would have been like if they were still together…Magno sighed sadly as she and Jin thought about how life would have been like..but they all persevered and went on with their part.

--

Back on Megele…

Kyo was looking at the pilots as they went through their simulations in combat. The Gundam pilot could already tell just who were the skilled pilots and those who needed to work on their combat strategies a bit more. He then noted that they were using the same strategy as the pirates did when they hit the Ikazuchi…but no doubt with the advent of newer weapons technology developed by the men for their ships and their Vanguards, they had to modify their tactics…as he watched them one of the women who was still against the whole idea, and an officer walked over to Kyo and spoke to him.

"So how do you find our pilots?"

Kyo looked at the results and replied to the question.

"They are not bad…but there are a lot of them that still too inexperienced for the battles ahead."

"I disagree, sir, they will be more than a match for the Harvesters when the time comes."

"That remains to be seen…sorry, what was you're name?"

The woman, a dark brunette with deep green eyes and long hair and dressed in the usual Megele military uniform spoke back to the Gundam pilot, hoping to see just what was it about this man that made him such a legend and someone that Grandma respected.

"My name's Alexis Carlson…and I am the leader of the 45th Dread Squadron. I still think that my fellow women will be more than a match for the Harvesters…better than some of the way the men fought."

Kyo raised an eye-brow at that and decided to test the women in an actual battle field scenario, something he had been making for a bit…he still had records of his battles with the Harvesters and the Gundams they possessed, along with their new units and how lethal they were. He then turned to his Megele liaison and spoke to the female officer.

"Commander Heidi, have the Dread pilots end the simulation, I have a program that I will be testing them with."

"What sort of program sir?"

"It's something that will test them on how they will fare with the Harvesters. Do not worry, this is not dangerous. I will be right back."

The commander and Kyo's Megele liaison thought about that and agreed and gave the order for the Megele women to halt their training and wait for the Gundam pilot to return…it took at least an hour and a half for him to return with a data disk and he then accessed a nearby computer and began to program the system at a rapid pace…much to the surprise of the women there…and when he was done…he downloaded the data and it was now being used by the simulators…once he was assured that the data transfer was successful and was now ready for operational use…he gave the order for the women to run the simulations.

The women who were in the simulators were still confident that they could handle the new data…what they didn't expect was the facts that Kyo had entered a thought matrix for the newly introduced Harvester units…a controlled one, but allowed the simulations to fight more like the Harvesters did, and he included their new units, the Overlords and their own Gundam units…including the models he had been able to face on more than one occasion.

The end result was the squadrons finding their tactics to be tested to the limits as the harvester units were overwhelming them. They had been trained to fight the Talark soldiers and pilots for a long time…and they were good pilots…but the presence of the Harvesters advanced combat units and their Gundam models proved to be too much for them as one by one…or even in pairs or groups, the women were knocked out of the fight…it didn't take long for all the women to be beaten easily.

The pilots got out and were angry at losing and then they looked at Kyo with distrust. One of them was brave enough to say something.

"You cheated!"

"How did I do that?"

"You made them too hard to beat and those new units they have…"

"Are already part of the arsenal of the Harvesters…the Harvesters are not foolish…for the past year, the pirates…former Megele pirates and I have fought the Harvesters and there is one thing we know with absolute certainty…they will NOT use the same methods or units too many times…what you've faced in your simulations is merely a taste of what they can do when they have the advantage of AI units…"

Kyo then spoke as he looked at the women who were silent…including Alexis.

"They have already developed the weapons you have faced and since they have AI, like I said before…they can adapt their next batch of fighters quickly and therefore have the ability to update and upgrade their forces in a matter of days or weeks…you don't have that time. The program I installed will be your test bed for future combat operations against the Harvesters…every day I want you to be ready because this program will allow them to adapt…just like they would in real combat…and so must you. Now then…begin the simulations again and show me what you can do."

The women grumbled and went back into their simulation cockpits and went at it again…as Kyo watched them and took notes to see how the women would be able to perform against the Harvester Armada's forces. He wanted to have to determine who would be best suited to fight the Harvesters and their forces and have them reorganized into being squadron leaders…this was not going to sit well with the officers, but it was important that skilled pilots were selected.

He then turned to Heidi and gave his orders as Grand Admiral of both the Allied Fleet and today…as Supreme Commander of the Megele Space Forces.

"Commander Heidi… I want the Dread pilots to have these exercises daily for three hours."

"Three hours?"

"Yes, then I want them to have copies of their simulation missions on hand to look over and see where they have made mistakes and where they can improve their capabilities as pilots. Then I want them to get ready for field exercises that will involve them fighting with Harvester Cube Fighters."

"I understand Admiral…anything else you wish to have done?"

"I want the women have as much combat experience with facing Gundam units under the command of the Harvesters…I will be having them undergo combat training against these types of foes…and I will be the opponent."

"You Admiral?… Forgive me for saying this but isn't that risky? We can't afford you being injured in such a training exercise."

"There's no better way for them to face a Gundam than mine…not to mention the fact that trying to salvage the wrecks of the Dominion Gundams there were with the Harvester advanced Fleet will take time…I'll need your help in sending out any salvage teams to find as many of the wrecks as can be found and that can rebuilt…they will serve as opponents for the women to face…I'll also find and help rebuilt them and the other three models…the Devastator, the Wyvern, and the Hellfire models…I have no doubts in my mind that the Harvesters have more of those three Gundam units in their forces and we need to be ready for them."

"I see…well then, I'll be sure to relay your orders, and though I am rather late…I welcome you Megele Admiral."

Kyo smiled at that and nodded.

"Thank you…now then, we've got work to do Commander Heidi, so I suggest we get to the brass tacks of this mess."

"Brass tacks?"

"It's…an old Earth saying I knew as a kid in my younger days…it means let's get down to the main details."

"All right then Admiral Yamato…we do have a lot to do."

--

Later on…Kyo traveled to the Dread Assembly bays to study the Dreads used by the Megele Space Force and studied their design and construction, with Heidi beside him as his Megele liaison and a small security detail…the Gundam pilot began to point out the flaws of the Dreads in a diplomatic manner to the engineering teams and showed the data to prove it from the records of the battles the pirates had with the Harvesters.

The engineers looked at it and had to agree that some improvements and redesigning had to be done for the Dreads in order for them to match up with what the Harvesters have been developing lately, and after seeing the interchanging weapon systems used by the pirates on some of their Crusader units, and how effective they were in combat…being able to rapidly adapt in battle…they decided to create some weapon systems that could very well help them even up the odds and give them a chance to face the Harvesters and their forces one on one and prevent them from being overwhelmed in a fierce fight…as they too had seen the destruction one Gundam could inflict on their forces.

Kyo did several more rounds and was busy as he was shown how the women operated in their military duties and while the number of people there were numerous and truth be told, the number of highly attractive females would have made any normal man who knew of female beauty and form would have considered himself to be in heaven…and Kyo had some thoughts of that too…he already had people he loved and found attractive beyond them…and he had a duty to do as Grand Admiral.

He then told Heidi that for one month starting the next week from his time in the Nirvana, he would then stay in Megele to begin training and testing the women and their skills…not to mention the testing of the needed upgrades on the Dreads. Heidi then asked him where he would be in the next month, and he explained that he would be training with the men of Talark and point out what was needed for them to prepare for battle.

The two planned out the situation and schedules and Kyo knew that he was going to be in for one hell of a long day and that was already saying something as such a work load is not something one can easily handle…but it had to be done regardless of the situation.

After that was finished…Kyo spent the rest of the day with the female officers…answering questions, and more…along with dodging a few attempts to get him in a bad light…some of the females who were there were actually part of the same force that he had disabled when he had gone off to free the others nearly several days before the alliance was now placed into effect, along with the days after the main battle that he and the pirates had been in with the Harvesters. Some of the women were angry at him and only the fact that he was under the protection of Grandma that he was not attacked outright by the indignant pilots…however, he could understand their anger and ire towards him…after all, he had not only defeated them…but had shown how skilled a man could be in a fight. Of course…there were those who were not happy that he was not able to come in time to save the ones of their groups who were all slaughtered by the Harvester in his Gundam…some of them had sisters, daughters, fahmas, ohmas…and more tin the ships that were decimated…along with the Dread squadrons that were all destroyed in the fighting. He put that out of his mind as he worked on building relationships with the officers…

Thankfully not every woman was after his head…apart from Heidi, there were some women who were thankful to him…having halted the bloody massacre that the Harvester leader had done on their forces days before, these women were still not truly liking him…but they did thank him and that was enough for the time being. There were those who had to admit that he was a highly skilled pilot for his abilities to have survived against such foes for nearly a year and a half ever since encountering them.

These things were tiring in their own sense…but Kyo sucked it up as he knew that it was still needed to improve cooperation and morale…Heidi then took him to his quarters and office where he would be while he was in Megele and there would be a pair of guards in his area as well. Kyo made sure to check the rooms for bugs and whatnot, as soon as he was assured that the security sweep revealed nothing unusual…he double and triple checked to be sure, he called the quarters adequate and the office worth the work.

After a few more details were worked out…he boarded the I-Freedom Gundam and planned things on his end once he got back on the Nirvana.

--

In the Nirvana…

Kyo landed his Gundam in the hanger of the Nirvana and as soon as it was in the paddock, he powered down the systems and then got out of his Gundam…and as he walked down…he spotted Jura walking towards him, he was a bit surprised that Meia, and Dita were not about with her, or Sara or Mai. The look on the blonde's face told him that she had something of great importance to discuss with him.

As he got off the paddock, Jura walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek and the blonde Gundam pilot smiled and hugged him as well.

"So how did it go?"

Kyo smiled as he kissed her back and replied to her question.

"Been okay…had to deal with a number of questions and some women who still carry an axe to grind on men…but all in all, things seem to have a lot more promise…however, with the battle we had with the Harvesters before and the losses…we're going to have to work extra hard to get the Megele pilots up to speed to fight the Harvesters and their forces."

Jura nodded at that and she then spoke to the Gundam pilot.

"I had a discussion with my Fahma and Ohma Kyo…they want to meet you soon enough once you're free…I told them a lot about you Kyo and they, they want to see if you're worth my support, affection…and well…the idea of you being the oh…I mean, the father of my child."

Kyo was surprised at that and Jura replied.

"I don't mean that they are here now…they'll be here in a few weeks and so will my family. I told them to meet you when you are not busy or tied down by work…I hope you will be all right with this."

The Gundam pilot could see the apprehension in her face and could tell that she was hoping that he was all right with the whole situation and he thanked her for that and replied.

"You can tell them that I'll be happy to meet them when the time comes."

Jura smiled brightly and hugged Kyo again and both of them walked back to where the others were, the blonde smiled warmly at her lover and very much respected partner and fellow Gundam pilot. They arrived in the cafeteria and Kyo managed to grab a good meal of hot rice, beef stew, fish and greens, while Jura naturally took the normal meal she had and the two of them began to relax as the other pirates were moving about in their duties. As they ate, Jura began to talk to Kyo about having him as a father to her child, or children, the Gundam pilot was a bit unsure about all this and answered as best he could on the matter.

As soon as they were done, Meia and Dita arrived and the four Gundam pilots sat down on the same table and were now discussing matters…namely with Meia reminding her comrades about Kyo's current number of responsibilities as Grand Admiral of the Allied Fleet. The other Gundam pilots nodded and they agreed that they would talk about these things at a much better time. With that done and his lunch already finished, Kyo bade the girls farewell as he went back to his duties as Grand Admiral.

As he left the cafeteria, he got a call on his personal communicator, he reached for it and activated it.

"Kyo Yamato here."

"Hello Uncle…we have some matters to discuss with you here in the Conference Room…can you make it here?"

"Of course Maggie…I'll be right there."

The Gundam pilot made his way to the Conference Room and as soon as he arrived, he was greeted by Buzam/Tenmei and by Jin and Van…he greeted his relatives and sat down with them and began to talk with the group about the plans they would have to come up with. As Kyo thought it over…the idea seemed more promising.

"So you want us to have the men and women work together in pairs?"

"Yes…we divide the remaining rooms we have here on the colony ship section of the Ikazuchi with one man and one woman and they will be working together while here on the Nirvana. Of course we will have to determine who will be compatible with who so there will be less friction and tension between the two groups….it's a bit of a risk, but I think it's a lot better than just tossing them all together and hope for the best."

Kyo nodded at Magno's reasoning and after all, it was a solid idea that could very well help in keeping the peace between the men and women once they were on the Nirvana. The discussions also included the need for representatives on either side to help with the program…namely Duero and Max…having lived with women for a long time would serve well as advisors and aides for the men on how to adapt to female culture and natures, while Barnette and Parfet would handle the Megele group.

Naturally Jura, Meia, Dita, Sara and Mai would also help in the Megele group while the women volunteers were on the Nirvana…while Aleck, Hiryu, and Bart would be there to help work with Max and Duero, things at this point at least were more stable and the pieces were falling together to make the situation more helpful…

--

Later…

Kyo was tired as he took the time for his annual medical checkup in the Medical Bay and with Duero working in the Medical Bay, things were all right…the Gundam pilot knew that something was up as there was a glow of some sort in Duero…he however had an idea on why Duero seemed to be in the best of moods at the moment.

"You seem to be in a good mood today Duero."

"I guess…it's been a while since I was able to relax…it's going to be a long for months, right Admiral?"

"I know…don't call me that by the way Duero….I may be an Admiral right now, but here on the Nirvana, I am still Kyo, all right?"

The Talark Medic smiled at that and agreed as Paiway brought Kyo a glass of water…the young nurse had heard everything and had to admit that she felt pity for the young Admiral.

"You can do it Kyo…you've done your fair share here on the ship ands then some…you can certainly do much better with the alliance.!"

Kyo smiled and nodded at Paiway as he handed back to her the glass of water as he spoke to her in appreciation for the support she was giving him.

"Thanks Paiway…I really needed to hear that. How's your work load here so far?"

"It's okay…hard, but certainly rewarding."

"That's good…you've really come a long way Paiway…and I am really happy for that, well…I'll see you guys…I need to get some sleep…I've got to rest because tomorrow…I have to go to Talark soon and get things set up with the men on the other side of the alliance."

Duero and Paiway bid Kyo farewell, as Max came in and greeted Kyo as well, the younger brother getting ready to start his shift alongside his brother and their apprentice Paiway. The two brothers were hard at work and knew that sooner or later…they too would have their own roles to play in the alliance between Talark and Megele soon enough.

--

Kyo's quarters…

Kyo arrived in his room and sighed as he lay down on his bed and decided to get some shut-eye, he had been working for a long time at the moment and some shut-eye before dinner was certainly going to be worth it all.

Man…what a day…it's going to have top be like this for four months…this is going to take quite a lot of getting used to.

The Gundam pilot however went to sleep quickly and sure enough…he was at least in normal clothes and he needed to get some rest and now he was getting it…as he slept for an hour and a half…he was unaware of the fact that his room's door was opened and someone came into his room. The smell of cooked food however was enough to make him wake up quickly. The Gundam pilot looked and much to his surprise he found himself looking at Jura in her normal dress with a smile on her face and cart next to her with food on the table.

The blonde smiled and greeted her lover.

"Hi there Kyo…you look like you could use a meal…so I brought you something to feed your stomach…enjoy it!"

Kyo looked at the food and he reached out and began to eat the food, which had roasted meat in barbecue sauce, corn and carrot bits, hot potatoes and celery. There was also some cool water in a glass and a small bun of bread. Being hungry and tired, he wasted little time in gobbling up this early dinner that Jura had provided…and to his surprise…Jura got behind him on the bed and as he was nearing the completion of his meal, the blonde began to massage his shoulders and he was happy as the knots in his body began to unravel…cramped muscles and aching areas began to loosen and relax as the blonde continued to massage him with rather surprising skill…

Kyo sighed contently as he finished his food and allowed Jura to massage his shoulders and back and he felt even more relaxed as he felt his food settle in nicely and he was about to fall asleep again, but he was awake enough to look at Jura and smiled at her in appreciation for what she was doing for him.

"Thanks Jura…I didn't know you could do this."

"What?"

"The massage…I wasn't aware you could do that."

The blonde chuckled at that and replied.

"I'm not surprised…I used to do this to my ohma when I was still younger and I figured with all the pressure on you being the Admiral of both Talark and Megele's forces, you need to unwind now and then…I should have done this to you a long time ago when we first met."

"Why?"

"You look so content and happy…and you certainly look handsome when you're fully relaxed you know…"

"Gee…thanks Jura…I really need this…the day I spent there with the Megele military was tough…and I have to get used to it all since the time will come that I have to be there to oversee the training and preparation of the Megele Navy for the soon to come battle…and then there is also the fact I have to work with the men of Talark and have them ready to…

Jura smiled and placed a finger on Kyo's lips and spoke.

"Let's not talk about that for now…here…it's just the two of us…and now…I have something which can really help you relax…"

--

(Lemon time gentlemen and ladies! It's between Jura and Kyo for the moment right now…but don't worry, Meia, Sara, Mai, and Dita will have their chance soon enough.)

--

Kyo was not able to say another word as Jura kissed him, the two kissed one another and Kyo turned around and forced Jura to lie on his bed…the two continued to kiss one another as Kyo reached for the latch and like clock-work he was able to remove Jura's dress once more, though it required him…revealing the stunning blonde's well endowed form…the blonde was blushing at that as Kyo looked at her with lust, love and desire in his eyes.

Kyo reached for Jura's breasts and held the fleshy orbs in his hands and felt them once more…he then played with her nipples gently…and in just the way Jura liked it done…making the blonde moan out loud at the sensations that were flooding her body, she had wanted that in a while and Kyo noted that as she moaned at his ministrations…and he loved that a lot in her as he played with her breasts. He then leaned downward and began to lick and kiss both her nipples evenly and then he kissed her breasts even more…while moving his left hand towards her face…as soon as he was done, he kissed her once more and passionately as well. Their tongues dueled with one another as Jura loved the taste of her lover, and Kyo did likewise as well as they kissed once another more deeply.

Kyo broke the kiss and Jura moaned a bit at that as he began to remove his clothes as his body was already heating up…it didn't take him very long to be now be bare of his clothes as Jura helped him along with the removal of them…he reached for her once more and the kissed as they were on the bed on their knees…Kyo ran his hands into Jura's deep blonde hair and marveled at the feel of her silken like golden tresses as they kissed each other deeply once more.

Jura on the other hand had other ideas as she ran her hands from Kyo's chest to his cock and ran her hands on the sex of her lover and felt it as it was already hard from their previous actions. Kyo moaned in their kiss at the feel of Jura caressing his sex with a good motion…no doubt she had realized how to pleasure a man with her hands and it showed as Kyo moved from caressing her hair and her scalp and went o her breasts once more…making her moan as he played with her breasts. The two caressed one another and Kyo was enjoying this greatly as they would stop kissing for a few moments to get more air back into their lungs…his cock was hard and was now touching Jura's stomach…making the blonde blush bright red at the fact that her lover's cock was prodding her belly and her navel. Kyo smiled wickedly at that as they kissed once more and he moved his left hand to his lover's own sex.

Jura's pussy was already wet and was dripping her honey and Kyo liked that as he ran his hands gently over her outer lips…making Jura moan loudly as she continued to pleasure him with her own actions on his cock, she moaned as Kyo began to run his hands on her wet vagina slowly and sensually…making her body even hotter and her moisture to flow even more into Kyo's hands…Kyo liked that a lot and made that clear to Jura as he kissed her neck and nibbled her left earlobe the way she loved that done by him. The two kissed one another as Kyo slowly parted his lover's pussy and the fluid filled his hand as he began to move his fingers into her tight and wet sex.

Jura moaned out loud as Kyo did that and he moaned as Jura began to play with the tip of his cock and then her other hand was now caressing his sac…Jura was naturally careful with that part of her lover's body as well…knowing how sensitive they were to touch. Kyo loved that and then decided to give Jura a favor as he gently moved his fingers in her tight, wet, and soft sex to locate the elusive G-spot…like all young men in their teens, he had heard of it and he knew that Jura had one as well…and the trick was to find it.

It didn't take long for him to locate that part of his lover's sex and he gently played with it, with his other hand playing with Jura's breasts still…the blonde cried out and so did Kyo as they pleasured one another…Jura continued and kissed Kyo deeply…with him replying in kind as he pleasured her G-spot…the results were hot and steamy for both lovers as their pleasure began to increase further and further…until they reached the end as they both orgasmed.

Both Jura and Kyo moaned at the same time as they came at the very same time…Jura's pussy milked Kyo's fingers…adding more pleasure to both of them as he touched her G-spot…Kyo's hand was soaked by Jura's honey while Jura felt Kyo's own seed splash on her stomach and her hands…she felt the touch of his hot seed on her skin and that made her more aroused as she felt it begin to run down her stomach to her thighs and her sex…she moved her hands away from her lover's sex…just as Kyo did and with a seductive smile, he licked her hands clean…removing the cum that was on her hands, doing so in a very sensual manner.

Not to be outdone…Kyo showed the hand he had used and licked off Jura's honey that covered it, slowly in front of the blonde woman…making them both smile and become more heated towards one another as they closed the gap and kissed one another…as they broke away, the blonde moved down and removed the remaining traces of her lover's own seed and took them daintily in her hands and repeated the actions…much to Kyo's desire.

Jura smiled and then spoke to her lover.

"Lie down…let's try this then…"

Kyo raised an eye brow but did as Jura suggested to him and as soon as he did so…Jura moved to him and then moved over him and faced the other way so she was facing his crotch and his cock, while her still wet sex was now above Kyo. The blonde Gundam pilot smiled warmly and then parted her blonde hair to the sides in the middle so her hair wouldn't cover her lover's face, and she licked her lover's sex gently…making Kyo hiss in pleasure.

The blonde began to gently lick, suck, and kiss her lover's sex and Kyo decided to return the favor has he reached for Jura's very well shaped rear and licked her pussy's outer lips…making the blonde moan and become more aroused as she slowly took in her lover's cock into her mouth and slowly licked it…knowing how it was done, she loved the feel of it and it made her feel both powerful and sexy at the same time. Kyo likewise returned the favor by licking his lover's sex and tasting her sweet juices…Jura moaned out loud and continued with her actions on her lover's sex as well…her tongue caressed Kyo's cock gently and sensually, and when she moved her head up and down, she would occasionally release Kyo's cock and lick the head and all the way to the base and then take Kyo's sex back into her mouth.

Kyo would lick Jura's sex and gently push in his tongue into Jura's inner channel and his tongue was being caressed by Jura's inner walls…the blonde moaned as she moved her head up and down as she had her lover's sex in her mouth and the vibrations as she did so sent pleasure down Kyo's spine and he responded by licking and gently sucking on her clit…making Jura moan and work on her oral ministrations on her lover even more…she then caressed Kyo's balls and took the time to move from his cock to his sac and gently played with his balls gently in her mouth…further adding pleasure to Kyo and she then continued with her part in the position that she knew was the 69.

She had no idea how it worked at first…until she reviewed the video collection she had with her and figured it out and she had to admit that it was certainly worth doing as she not only gave pleasure to her lover, but he gave her pleasure as well…she had a plan in mind to show this to the others soon…but for now…this was between Kyo and her.

The two continued as Jura increased her actions and so did Kyo and naturally…it didn't take long for both of them to orgasm together...

Jura moaned as she felt her lover's sex convulse and she readied herself in time as Kyo's cum filled her mouth, she calmed herself and took in as much as she could as she deepened her hold on her lover's sex, she managed to take Kyo's cock in her mouth until it hit the back of her throat…while still releasing his sperm in her mouth…Kyo likewise got his own share as he tasted Jura's juices as they flowed out of her sex, while her inner womanhood caressed his tongue…adding pleasure to him as well. The two lovers stayed in this position for a while until they parted and Jura lay on the bed and Kyo got between her thighs and he lifted her legs and placed them on his shoulder and with a smile from Jura…pushed his cock into her wet and tight sex. The two lovers moaned out loud at the sensations that flooded their bodies as they savored the sensations slowly and fully. As soon as they were feeling ready, Kyo began to move slowly and carefully…making Jura moan out loud as the Gundam pilot began to make a rhythm and began to move his cock in and out of his lover's wet sex.

The two continued with these motions for as long as they were able…Jura moaned out loud and she held to Kyo as he continued to move in and out of her pussy…the sounds of their union were both wet, erotic…and very arousing to both of them.

"OH!! HARDER!! RIGHT THERE!!"

"JURA!!"

Kyo continued the pace and then reached down and played with Jura's breasts…further adding to the pleasure the blonde felt, he then let her legs down and she quickly wrapped them around his waist and she held him tight as he leaned forward to play with her breasts with his hands and mouth, along with further moving his hips…pushing his cock into her wet vagina and making her feel alive and in heaven… and as he did those actions…Jura was moaning out loud as the pleasure assaulted her senses….no matter how many times she had felt this with Kyo…every second…every moment was pure heaven with him…to think that nearly a year ago she had no idea about this…and now…she was feeling the love, lust, desire, passion, joy, and pleasure not just in making love to a man…but a man who truly was special to her…she would never replace this with anything else in the universe…nothing could replace this feeling…with the exception of the knowledge that no matter what happened…Kyo loved her and she loved him back…and they would soon have a child from this…

"I….I…LOVE YOU!! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!"

"JURA!! I LOVE YOU TOO!!"

"MORE!!"

Kyo complied and increased his actions and it paid off as Jura's pleasure increased as both of them once more activated their respective SEED abilities…the effects were obvious as they gained an increase in all their physical abilities, Jura looked at Kyo and kissed him deeply as he continued to thrust into her warm and wet sex…Kyo looked back at Jura as he continued to pleasure her…he wanted this to last and then decided to try another position.

The two then moved and Jura changed her position and was now on her hands and knees as Kyo got behind her as she moved her hips sensually and Kyo got the signal and pushed his cock right into Jura's tight, soft, and wet sex…the blonde moaned out loud at the feel of her lover's sex now in her pussy and they two savored the moment as long as they could.

The young man then began to move his hips, while he held his lover's hips with his hands and the blonde woman was moaning out as she felt another wave of intense pleasure in her body and her mind…Jura moaned and screamed out her pleasure as each thrust of Kyo's cock into her wet pussy made her even hotter and wilder.

"YES!! MORE!! OH GOOOODDDDESSSSSSSS!!"

"JURA!! THIS IS….!!"

"MORE!!"

Kyo looked at saw Jura's breasts moving in the air in time with each thrust of his hips and every movement of her body and he was aroused as he leaned down and held her breasts in his hands and played with them and made Jura even hotter through those same actions. The two lovers were doing the very same position that Barnette and Max had used on their first night together…and both found it to be worth learning as the sensations they gave each other in sex was magnified by the position. It didn't take very long for both of them to reach their limits as they came once more and shouted their release at the same time.

"KYO!!"

"JURA!!"

The blonde moaned out loud as she felt her lover's hot seed flow into her pussy and into her womb…she knew that she was not yet at the right time to be fertile…but she was not in a hurry as she wanted to savor this moment…knowing that a part of Kyo's very being was inside of her and having the potential to give her a child born of both their blood and born of their love for one another was a pleasure that she treasured well…she sighed as she felt it in her womb and the feel of her lover' still hard cock in her sex made her more aroused.

Kyo felt his lover's inner walls milk his sex and he felt his seed flow out and knowing that Jura was a woman that he loved with his heart and more was making the pleasure of release even more delicious and intense for him…he looked at his lover and saw the same pleasure and joy on her face and that made him even happier that she had that face on her that made her look more like a Goddess with golden hair. He then slowly moved away and held Jura and whispered in her ear…

"I love you Jura Basil Elden…"

Jura smiled warmly at that and replied back to her lover.

"And I love you…Kyo Clyne Yamato."

Both lovers then moved to lie down on the bed side by side…as much as they would have gone on with another round…both of them needed to rest and with a final deep passionate kiss, they fell asleep.

--

Later…

Kyo opened his eyes and couldn't help but groan a bit as he felt his body being tired, but he was content to say the least. He then turned and spotted Jura lying next to him the same position as before…with her right arm on him and her right leg as well. The blonde was sleeping and had a warm smile on her face. Kyo loved that look on her and gently kissed her on the lips, making her mumble a bit in her sleep and move a bit.

That act made Kyo react as his body began to go back to arousal…but he was not going to let that happen right now as they were both tired at the moment…however, he looked and spotted the chronometer and saw that he had only an hour before it was dinner time. And after that hot period of making love with the blonde…he needed something in his stomach. With some regret…the Gundam pilot gently moved away from Jura and decided to get a shower before heading to dinner.

A few minutes later…Jura woke up herself and stretched herself…and moving her body in a very sensual way…she removed the sleep from her eyes and looked about…she smiled warmly at the memories of what they did and also the sound of running water…getting up slowly so as not to make any noise that might alert her lover, she walked into the bath-room still in the nude and entered the shower.

Kyo jumped a bit as he felt Jura's arms around his stomach and then felt her breasts press on his back along with her sexy and well sculpted body next to his own. The blonde moved forward and whispered into her lover's ear seductively.

"You should have told me you were going to have a shower…I could have joined you."

"Well…you were still sleeping and I didn't want to wake you up."

"How considerate…another thing about you I love…well now that I'm here I guess that we both can shower together….and do something just as relaxing."

Kyo was stunned at the statement and could only turn his head and speak.

"I think we've already done that Jura."

The blonde giggled and then made Kyo turn around and she kissed him as the water from the shower began to hit her as well covering her in droplets of water…that and the lights in the shower room added another sensual quality to the blonde female. As soon as the kiss ended, she replied.

"I hardly think so….besides…I was planning to do this before in that apartment you were in before…and now seems a good a time as any."

Before Kyo could say anything else…Jura kissed him yet again while slowly running her hands on his road chest…feeling the hard and strong muscles underneath his wet skin, as she did so, she kneeled down and held his now hardening cock and kissed it…as the water from the shower beat down on them both, Jura licked and kissed Kyo's sex and then she placed the cock between her breasts and pressed her boobs together and then began to move her body slowly up and down. As soon as she found her rhythm, she looked at saw the utter desire in Kyo's face.

The feel of Jura's soft, but firm, wet and smooth breasts rubbing his cock all over and her occasional lick and kiss on his cock's head made Kyo groan out in pleasure…any form of protest died a horrible death as he looked at his lover and saw her blushing face covered in water…her hair like a wet blanket of golden silk behind her and his cock moving in and out of her breasts…the feel of that and the way Jura looked made Kyo even harder and that was to the delight of his blonde lover as he continued her actions on him…

It didn't take long for Kyo to finally lose it as he cried out his orgasm as he fired out his seed…some of it hit Jura in the face and she took some into her mouth and let some fall to her neck and her breasts as she released her lover's sex from it's fleshy prison of her breasts and she then took her lover's cock into her mouth and sucked it gently…taking more of his hot seed into her mouth…as soon as she was done she got up and Kyo moved in for the kill…so to speak as he lifted her left leg and with his cock still hard, he pushed it into her wet sex and the male Gundam pilot began to thrust into his lover's wet vagina…making Jura moan out loud as Kyo began to move his cock in and out of her wet sex once more.

The blonde moaned out loud and Kyo then kissed her deeply as their wet bodies began to caress each other as both moaned at the sensations. Kyo then held Jura's smooth and shapely posterior as she wrapped her arms around him as well and they kissed each other while Kyo continued to thrust into Jura's wet sex. The two continued their actions as the water beast down on them and Kyo then moved away a bit and both he and Jura sat down on the floor of the bath room as Jura wrapped her legs around Kyo and began to move herself up and down on his cock…his sex was deep inside her and thrust deeply at every movement she made, Jura blushed and moaned out loud as she continued to move her body up and down and taking in her lover's cock into her wet pussy over and over again.

And the pleasure that she was getting was driving her out of her mind as she kissed her lover deeply and reveled in the feel of her body covered in water rubbing sensually on his own wet and hard form. The two continued their actions as Kyo reached out and played with Jura's breasts, savoring their slick and wet feel and he would often lean forward as Jura would lean back a little and allow him the chance to suck and play with her breasts with his mouth. The blonde held on and as they reached their end…Kyo stopped and managed to help Jura to her feet and turned her around at face the shower and he then thrust deeply into her wet sex…making Jura moan out loud.

The two continued as Kyo played with Jura's wet breasts as the water beat down on both of them and he continued to thrust his cock into Jura's wet and dripping sex and the blonde continued to cry out.

"MORE!! MOOOOORRREEEE!!"

It was then that both lost it and both came…Jura screamed at the top of her lungs and so did Kyo as the feelings of utter pleasure and satisfaction filled them both. Jura nearly lost her limbs, and while Kyo was also tired…he had enough strength to help Jura sit down and both of them held one another as they sat down on the floor of the shower and let the water cover them a bit more and they held one another and then they kissed one another gently….along with Kyo and Jura caressing each other with their hands…Kyo playing with Jura's hair, face, breasts, nipples, her stomach, the patch of blonde fur between her thighs and then her pussy as well…while Jura ran her hands on Kyo's muscled chest, his shoulders, his face and neck, and lower to his abs and then his cock, gently playing with her lover's own sex…making it react a little…much to her delight and Kyo's own surprise.

As they two of them broke the kiss and leaned on the shower wall, Kyo couldn't help but sigh and speak.

"You know…if you keep this up…I might not even make it to dinner."

Jura grinned and kissed him back.

"I think you've already had your dinner my love…"

"Haha…I love you Jura…and I mean it."

Jura smiled at that and hugged her lover and possible future husband…it was a bit of a pain to share him with the other women, but she was more than okay with it after all. And Ktyo was certainly a man worth loving, she knew that well. She however planned to tell the others about this soon enough. They might pick up a trick or two.

"I love you too…and I'll never get tired of saying that or you Kyo."

"I know…"

Later, the two of them got dressed and then walked back to the Nirvana's galley, a bit tired but they were up and about and decided to grab dinner and Kyo knew that tomorrow was going to be yet another challenge as he would have to leave the Nirvana for the end of the week and spend a month among the Megele women and get them ready for the challenge of having a male commander in charge…it was going to be a hell of a month…but being who he is…he was more than ready for the task…for now…it had a chance to take things easy for now here on the ship.

Because it was going to be a very long and hard life he would be stepping into once he was on Megele. Once he was there…he was going to be busy for every hour and every day and week of the first month.

He hoped that soon, they could be ready for the up and coming battles ahead. As they arrived in the galley, the two spotted the others, including Meia, Sai, Sara, and Dita waiting for them…while Max and Barnette were in their usual seat, eating and talking together…and smiling at one another as well. The same could be said for Parfet and Duero as the couple would be eating together and having a good time as well.

A she gathered his food along with Jura and sat down with the others…he wondered just what the heck was the Harvester force doing at the moment…namely their leader.

--

The Harvester Invasion Fleet…

The Harvester leader looked at the incoming data and smiled warmly at it…the Harvester forces were ready for the mass production of their forces…when they were ready…then all will fall before them. For now he can take it easy and take his time in preparation…his training was over for today…but there was always another way to relax.

The door opened and in walked a clone operator…a female at that with quite the figure and looks, but while she was human in the senses…she was an obedient slave to the Harvesters…and to the leader…after all, like the others…he saved them and she owed him.

"You summoned me Leader?"

"Yes…I want you to help me relieve my stress."

"How shall you want me to do so Leader?"

The leader smiled in a warm fashion, unlike his sadistic nature in the previous battles and then went over to the clone and brought her before his own sleeping area and then removed her communicator…

Later…

The leader smiled as he looked out while sitting on his bed…thinking about the coming battle, his companion asleep and under his covers for today.

(Soon, it will all be over and my revenge will be complete…but today I have my own time…)

He gave the clone female in his bed a warm look and then went back to her….intent on enjoying things for as long as he could. And for today it was time for him to get something to eat this time, he would then have to oversee the production of the new generation weapon systems and units for the upcoming war with the pirates, the people of both Talark and Megele…and of course…Kyo Yamato himself.

It was going to be a long four months…but with all that was going to happen soon…in his mind it was all worth the wait.

--

To be continued…

--

Author's Notes:

Sorry for the long delay…had too many projects and ideas…plus real life stuff that kept me busy…however, I do have some news.

I have been able to get the application to show that I am eligible graduate from college and will be doing so in the coming weeks…that's why I've been busy as I can be at the moment and thankfully…now that I am leaving college, I can have more free time on my hands.

The lemon is not the same as the ones I made before…I haven't written one in quite a while so it might not be the best and I must admit, I am out of practice in this case…so I hope that this lemon will be more than enough for the readers to look at. If not then I apologize for that and hope that my next chapters and lemons are worth it. We do need to give Kyo the chance to relax, unwind, and enjoy life and love since he is going to have his hands full in the Chapter 12 arc as he not only juggles his own personal problems…but having been promoted as Grand Admiral and Commander of the forces of TWO planets and civilizations…he is going to have his hands full in dealing with two factions who have to work together…

Of course, the other couples will be at it also to even things up…and we will get to how Misty and Devon will handle the situation between them…and another couple might soon appear out of the blue on the coming chapter arcs. The more the merrier I say! ( ) And wait till we see how the first two groups of men and women on the Nirvana from either world will react to the situation.

However, on the Chapter 13 arc I have to warn you that since it is the official ending arc of GunDread SEED The Second Stage there will not be that many lemons since it will be primarily all combat and battles as the Resistance, the Nirvana crew and their fellow pirates, and the newly formed Talark-Megele Alliance will be facing the full power of the Harvester Invasion Fleet…

And unlike the fleet defeated by the original cast of VanDread, the Harvesters in this story have Gundams and new models of the said Gundams, Mobile Suits, and over forty battleships…and naturally, unlike the kid leader in the original series that had telepathic and telekinetic powers ( I saw the anime) we have the Harvester leader who is an ace Gundam pilot able to match Kyo in move for move and his Gundam is truly the evil version of Infinite Freedom…unlike the paltry seven that were sent before…this is not just an invasion force…but an extermination fleet.

So when we enter the Chapter 13 arc…expect things to get REALLY dicey!!

See you on the next chapter!!


	35. Chapter 35

GunDread SEED The Second Stage

Disclaimer: I have no ownership of either Gundam SEED or VanDread…if I did own both…then why bother making a story out of them?

Chapter 12

Part 2

Trials

( ): Thoughts

--

In the Megele Naval Academy…

"All right ladies…let's have a review of last week's practice sessions."

The Dread pilots groaned as they handed their PDAs to the Gundam pilot who fed them into the computer data archives. Kyo then studied the records and had to admit that it was certainly a bit of an improvement than the last batch of scores he got from the Dread pilots.

The Gundam pilot was busy running through the records and also observed his 'students' as they sat down on their chairs and awaited his verdict…compared to the Dread pilots of the Nirvana and the Paradise…these ladies were going to need a ton of work…the strategies that they used in combating the Harvesters were not too bad…but with the ability of the Harvesters to rapidly modify their tactics to suit the situation, he knew that standard Megele tactics were not going to work against them.

He wondered how they would be able to handle operating with the men of Talark when the time came to incorporate them with the men and their Vanguards, and that was something that he knew was ready going to be heck of a lot of work for him to do in getting them to work together. So far this bunch had promise…but getting them to think outside of the box was becoming a bit of a chore for the Grand Admiral of the Allied Fleet, and it was getting to really be a chore to do at times.

He had spent a week in the Nirvana and afterwards left the pirate ship to work in the Megele Naval Academy to train and prepare the next band of Megele pilots for their battle with the Harvesters. It had been quite a number of days since he got there and he had gotten quite a number of odd messages from the women…no doubt disliking the fact that he was a man and their new commanding officer…some of the messages were amusing…while others were not too amusing and at one point were rather insulting. Kyo however didn't lose his temper too much on these matters. He understood that the women who sent the messages were still uncomfortable with the idea of working with men and since he was the only man in the whole Megele Navy…he was going to be the main target board until the formal merging of Talark and Megele's military forces…

However…he was not just going to turn the other cheek all the time and made it clear to the women then he was not someone to intimidate and he proved his words right as some of them were given an idea of how serious he was in training exercises as he beat them in the open field exercises with his Gundam and even when he made sure not to use his Gundam's full power...such as using his I-Freedom's Super DRAGOONs, or his Anti-ship swords in either form, and his fused plasma and rail-gun cannons…he was able to beat them when they came at him, relying on his experience and his skills…and he never relied on his inborn SEED ability to do those either.

He also had to show his skills in other matters as it seemed that some of the women had heard of his non-combat talents and tested them…such as cooking, music, song, and also dance. It was a distraction that he played out when there was not much to work on and it made him a bit amused to see the nerves of the women tested…however, he made it clear that this was a direct order from Grand Ma herself to the women and if they had an issue with that matter, then it was better that they took it up with her as well. The women got the message and decided to listen and follow his orders…but that certainly didn't mean that his challenges were over…but at least it gave him something to pass the time while on duty in the Academy.

And like the women of the Crusader Squadron all those months before…the women of the Dread Squadrons found Kyo to be a hard but fair taskmaster as he set them through their paces and their training. He played no favorites and wanted them all to prove themselves to him and to what awaited them and he was not above using his authority as Grand Admiral to give insubordinate women in the squadrons object lessons…but he was fair and made the tasks manageable but not something to take lightly either way.

He also made sure to physically train them in the same manner as he did the Crusaders…not like he was going to force them to pilot either Vanguards or the created Crusader units…but to make sure that they were physically and mentally fit for combat duty as a team. They were going to have to make do in four months what the Crusader Squadron had done in a matter of nearly a year and a half. That was no mean feat and the women before him were going to have to work even harder to be up to standard.

As he reviewed the data Kyo faced the women and called them to attention as he replayed the images from the missions they had undertaken and before them was their individual performances and their squadron performances. The Gundam pilot looked over the details and spoke.

"All right…there's been improvement in you're overall performances and that is a good sign…however, there are some of you who still need to work on your team and individual tactics in order to handle the Harvesters in combat. For today, your performance is satisfactory."

The women were relieved at that and Kyo waited for them to calm down as they gossiped with one another for a few minutes. He let them do so and then when things had calmed down he called their attention and spoke.

"However…there will be a session of training after lunch so I suggest you get some rest along the way…you are dismissed."

As the women left the room, the Gundam pilot turned as Commander Heidi came in and saluted him, he saluted back as she handed him a data-pad with a report on it. The Gundam pilot took it and read the data and spoke to the female liaison officer under his command.

"How are the rest of the Dread pilots doing with the simulations I have cooked up Commander Heidi?"

"They are doing well enough Admiral…however some of them are complaining about the level of difficulty of the training programs, namely on the battles with the new Harvester units."

Kyo shook his head at that.

"Can't be helped…the Harvesters caught us totally by surprise too when they sent those units after us of all things. I can't blame the others for being unable to be prepared for them…but that's what they have to deal with when the Harvesters are involved. Have them redo the sessions once they are done with their break…and tell them that I want them to send me their PDAs and their records…and NO tampering with the records…I don't need flowery descriptions of their performances in the missions, I want the serious results."

"Yes sir…anything else?"

"Yes…I want to have a report on the modifications to the Dreads that I ordered by the end of the day so we can see if any other corrections have to be done…after that…I want the latest manifest on any and all new recruits from Megele. And if any of the pilots have complaints that they don't want to put a report or a data-pad…tell them to air them to me and not to anyone else. The last thing I need is to be swamped with too many unneeded complaints from the higher ups. The same also for the other officers under my command at this point and time."

Heidi nodded and she could see the tired look on Kyo's face…she had to give the man credit for being this dedicated to the job and working as hard as he did…if all men were as driven and focused on the tasks in hand as Kyo Yamato was…then it's a shame that not all the women on Megele were like them. Heidi had been efficient and hard-working herself, along with other officers in the Megele Navy as well…but Kyo was the more hands on approach kind of person and was open minded to say the least.

"I'll have those orders drawn up…sir…"

Kyo looked at Heidi and placed down the data-pad.

"Yes?"

"With all due respect sir…shouldn't it be better that you…ah, get some rest yourself? I mean no disrespect and all…you're an efficient person and it's quite admirable…but you've been working very hard for the past few days and you look like you need to sleep."

Kyo looked at Heidi and smiled a bit and chuckled as well.

"You're right there Commander…I'm bushed and I feel like I've run a marathon for three days straight. I doubt I'll be of much use in the battle field if I mentally break down. All right…tell the pilots and the rest of the officers to have an extended break while I'm gone for some rest time myself. But make sure to keep me informed of any and ALL happenings from both Megele High Command and here in the Academy."

"I'll do that sir…take a good rest."

"Thank you…I guess we both have to go grab a bite to eat then…if there are any more details that have to be straightened out we can discuss it there in the galley…"

"Of course sir…the officers will be there as well."

Kyo nodded as he used his encrypted pass-word on his console and put away all his paper work and reports as he got up and stretched himself and then walked with Commander Heidi to the galley to grab a bite to eat. They were then flanked by several MPs as they made their way there.

Kyo moved his head a bit and groaned mentally at the sound of the kinks in his bones loosen themselves were heard…he wondered just how things were back at the Nirvana.

--

Back on the Nirvana…

Things were getting rather hectic and as the new arrivals to the pirate ship were now getting used to working with one another…that is…the men were getting used to being in the presence of women and vice versa, the pirates…who were now reinstated Megele citizens were busy doing their assigned tasks while they also interacted with the men…the most important players in the integration of men and women were naturally the ones selected by Magno and the other seniors.

Duero, his brother Max, and the other men who had been on the Nirvana the longest were the ones who were the liaisons of the men to women and thankfully the arrivals were not too many and it seemed that things would be easier in the respect of numbers. Though the men of the Nirvana were not having it easy as they had to explain many of the intricate mysteries of female culture and customs to their male comrades in ways that would make sense to them and not cause an incident that could be misunderstood…they recalled how the incident with Dita's planned secret celebration of her friendship with Paiway and how things turned out at that point.

On the other side of the spectrum were the women chosen by the officers of the Nirvana to be the liaisons to the women batch…thankfully the numbers were manageable…but the questions were far from easy as Jura, Meia, Dita, Sara, Mai, Parfait, and Barnette were having a lot of work apart from their normal duties as member of the Nirvana's forces. The women were able to hold on and handle as much of the questions that were asked of them by their female comrades from Megele…but with so much work to do it was tiring stuff.

At the moment…both liaison groups were on their own respective breaks and discussed their matters.

--

In a section of the Nirvana…

Jura sighed as she and the other women who were the liaisons lounged in the Nirvana Communal Bath, the FEMALE Communal Bath that is, after another long day with working on their Gundams and respective machines…and teaching their fellow women about the intricate cultures and customs of men…plus other matters on the topics of men.

"By the Goddesses…what a day…it's amazing we got to have some time for ourselves this day…"

The others agreed with the blonde Megele Gundam pilot as they soaked up the warmth of the bath water and the calming and soothing smells of bath salts. They were currently in the bath tubs and were happy to have some time off.

"I know Jura…it's tiring trying to answer all the questions they have about men…who would have thought we'd be talking about men to our fellow women from home?"

Jura smiled at Barnette as her best friend was in another bath-tub with a hot towel on her head, taking in the time to relax.

"It can't be helped Barnette…we all know more about men than they do…especially about how much FUN it is to be with men, right?"

The others blushed bright red at that as they knew just what Jura was implying, and then they all laughed at that heartily as they agreed with Jura…it was fun to be with men…especially in THAT fashion.

Dita was washing her chest with a bar of soap and she chirped out an idea.

"Do you think we should tell them about it? I mean…we've learned a lot about that and maybe we should…"

"Dita!! You know we're not supposed to tell them that until the Captain gives permission!"

Meia said as she blushed bright red at the thought of telling the other women from Megele about how it was to have sex with men…not only were they all ordered not to talk about it until the time was right, but the idea of talking about how men like Kyo…especially Kyo were like in the intimate sense made her very uneasy…she was comfortable with the idea of talking about it with Sara, Mai, Jura, and Dita…and even chatting with Barnette and Parfait was okay since they all knew about it…but the idea of revealing it to the women on Megele was somewhat…unwise.

"I have to agree with Meia there…are you REALLY sure you want to talk about how Kyo is in private with others Dita?"

Mai asked her comrade as Dita thought about it and the redhead had to agree that it didn't sound too wise…though it would have been funny.

"No…I guess not…but what would have been the reaction if they did know about it?'

Sara thought about that as well and gave her own thoughts about it.

"That would be one hard thing to digest you know…not to mention it flies in the face everything our people learned since childhood…I mean…when we heard about how it was done…it was really hard to believe for us too."

The others remained silent until Parfait spoke.

"I agree with Sara…I mean…it was hard for me too when I…well did it with Duero…but it was worth it."

"On that we can all agree Parfait."

The women decided to put that train of thought aside for the moment as they relaxed in the bath and then as soon as they were done soaking themselves in the bath-tubs…they decided to wash themselves with cool water and as they began to dry themselves with towels that Dita spoke.

"We've all come a long way you know…I mean, we've been through so much and it was a real challenge…but you know…I would never want it any other way."

The others looked at Dita and were amazed by her show of wisdom and agreed with her as they recalled what they all had gone through ever since the day they had raided the Ikazuchi and all that they had gone through since that day…the lessons they learned, and what they had understood…but there were more important things there too.

For Jura, Meia, Dita, Sara, and Mai…it was about learning more about themselves…and being with the one who they loved the most…Kyo.

For Barnette, it was about learning the good in men and finally meeting a man she not only respected and admired…but loved with all her heart and she would never forget that.

And for Parfait…it was about meeting a man she treated as a good friend…and now was a lover and potential mate in the near future.

The women then went their own way and decided to grab a meal and relax a bit more before heading back to their respective duties.

--

Duero and his brother Max, along with Aleck were busy getting some work done on their computers in the Medical Bay with Aleck doing some work on his own data-pad…the three men were tired beyond belief after such a long week of helping their fellow Talark men adjust to the presence of the women onboard the ship that had been their home for the past many months…and it had been a very tiring form of work.

The eldest brother sighed as he leaned back a bit and worked the kinks out of his back…his youngest brother did the very same thing and moved his shoulders and heard the kinks loosen up. Aleck looked at his two former students and smirked as they finally relaxed somewhat and Max sighed.

"I am so tired…who would have thought talking about women to our fellow men would be this hard?"

"I agree…at least now I know why Kyo had some reservations about talking on the subject of women."

Aleck nodded as he sat next to his former students as he thought back on how it was when he and Max would deal with women and their fellow men…the past months on that desert world were very hard…at least in the first few months…more than once the men on their side would try to hurt the women, and the same could be said for the women. It was frantic…but after they realized that they would have to rely on one another to survive in the desert…both their sides managed to start a very fragile alliance…in fact…both he and Max were among the very few who were keeping the alliance from collapsing due to in-fighting.

Ever since then…and discovering the truth about the Harvesters and looking past the propaganda….he had to admit that the women were really different in his eyes now…and he had no doubt that the same could be said for Duero, his brother, their Alpha…and Bart as well…the other men were getting used to it…but the new arrivals from Talark were proving to be really the ones who needed a great deal of coaxing out of their shells, so to speak. The men were still very wary around the women…and while the former pirate crew of the Nirvana were more than willing to work with them…the women from Megele were not that willing to work with them and that was a problem to say the least.

The three men turned to see Hiryu walk in with a slight smile on his face…and this smile grew as he looked at his two sons…this made the two brothers a bit anxious while Aleck was rather curious as well….whatever it was that made Hiryu smile like that must have been very much worth his interest.

"You know something boys…I've been hearing some rather interesting rumors around the ship lately."

"Oh?"

Hiryu smiled even more as he sat down with the three men and Aleck was rather curious, and since Hiryu was not asking him to leave the room, it was all right for him to sit down and hear this as well. Whatever it was it sounded interesting and sure enough…it was indeed.

Hiryu had heard rumors about the relationships between his two sons and the two women he had met before…and he had already approved of the relationships…but he was surprised to hear that it had been taken to the next level…and he wanted to find out from his two sons if the rumors were indeed true. Duero and Max's blushing faces were enough to tell him that what he heard was right on the money and that made him even more interested…and after some prodding…his sons told him what happened…but naturally kept the rest of it private…that also got Aleck's attention and Hiryu couldn't help but laugh a bit at the looks his sons had at remembering what had happened between his sons.

He relaxed afterwards and spoke to them.

"I won't say anything about that…it's your lives after all. So…how are you dealing with your task as advisors?"

Max sighed and replied.

"To be honest father…I would give anything for a decent day of quiet so I can calm my mind and think of other details."

"I'll bet…but it has to be done…after all…not only is it an order from Grand Pa…but it is vital for the welfare and growth of the new alliance…we all have to do it…regardless of how we fell about it…however, at least it is for the good of not just ourselves…but of the entire human race after all…so no need to worry about it too much."

The men were talking a bit more and then Bart showed up…the bald navigator still had his usual goofy smile, and while it looked weird due to his being bald, the men didn't mind that. The young man had been able to meet up with his Alpha and Omega a few days before and while they were happy that he was alive…they were somewhat surprised with his looks. They were not all that happy that he shaved off his hair, and for a young girl…but they respected the maturity, determination, courage, and honor their son had now…in truth they were thinking that their decision of forcing their son to join was a mistake…but now they thought otherwise. The family had been in deep discussion and while they were not pleased too much of his relationship with the women, they were not going to question his siding with them as it was now mandatory following the formation of the alliance between Talark and Megele. However they were surprised with a suggestion that their son had placed forward.

Bart reached into a package and revealed another set of food pills…in their usual colors and quickly munched on them and then sat down with the others. He then offered a few of the purple colored ones to Aleck who looked at the young cadet with a look of surprise.

"What's this for?"

"These are among the new pills that I had my family company begin to make…with the modifications I mentioned…try it out Gunny, I need an honest opinion here."

"Shouldn't you try it with the other men first before me Bart?"

"Normally yes…but since you guys have eaten food cooked by the women here on the Nirvana… your taste buds are more attuned to the taste of cooked food so you guys are a much better choice for this kind of thing…give me honest opinions by the way…I really need the input to make it better just in case I got something wrong."

Aleck thought about it and nodded a bit as he took a few of the pills and ate them, the taste was…different, there was a sweet, fruity taste and it seemed to be a bit sharp than most…but worked rather well. The elder Vanguard pilot took a few more of the pills and munched on it thoughtfully and then swallowed. The Vanguard pilot smiled a bit and replied.

"Not too shabby, the taste is a little too strong but it fills well, what flavor is this supposed to be?"

"Grape flavor if I remember right…I took a gander at the galley supplies and found a good number of fruit juice powder and decided to add some of the fruit powder to the pills and see how they would do…tried some myself and they were not too bad. I was hoping to introduce some of the fruits the women eat in pill form, and I had the grape flavor mask the taste of the pills' contents."

"Well you might want to cut down a fraction on the fruit flavor…but you've got it right Bart…nice step forward…come guys, try a bite."

Hiryu, Duero, and Max shrugged and tried some of the pills as well and found them to be a lot better than the pills that were supposed to have grape flavor but tasted really bad…there was some trace taste of the vitamin and mineral mix, but the fruit flavor made it more bearable by a higher degree and they munched on the pills more carefully and noted that the fruit taste remained with the pills all the way to the bottom.

Bart looked at them and waited for the verdict from the others and when he saw their nods and smiled, he was elated…it seemed that his plan was finally paying off in dividends. The others then swallowed the pills and gave their opinions on the new brand of pills that Bart made and they liked it. Bart sighed and felt even happier as they told him to try handing a few more pills to the rest of the men and see how it fared with the rest of them all. Bart hoped to get some input from Kyo when the Gundam pilot had the free time from all his duties.

He then took out a few more fruit flavored pills, including apple, orange, banana, cherry, and pineapple…and the other men had to admit that his hard work and meticulous research had finally paid off well for him. Bart nodded as the brothers, their father, and the elder Vanguard pilot gave their opinions and when they offered some needed ideas on how to change some of the pills he was eager to get as much data as he could.

--

Back on Megele…

The women were busy with quite a number of military matters as they were getting all of their factories to focus on production of new material for the soon to come conflict with the Harvesters and with Grand Ma ordering full war-time production for all of their weapon plants and ship-yards the women had to work 24/7 to make ready for the battles ahead…some of the women were not very happy with the current workloads that they were given as every available hand was called into service.

A drafting order was given out as all young women with aptitude for flight was called in to serve in the Megele Navy…many of them were fresh out of school and some were those who had a hard time finding jobs and groups to hire them out. The gap between the rich and well to do Megele women and those who were struggling to get by were forgotten as women with any flight experience was picked up from wherever they could be found. Even the women who had criminal records were given the option to enlist in the Megele Navy…and while this was considered highly unorthodox to say the least to the eyes of the more conventional Megele military members, they had no choice but to fill in the ranks with many of the women pilots lost in the battle with the Harvesters and their leader who butchered their sisters and daughters without mercy or regret.

The women who were recruited were also former shuttle pilots and those who were washed out from the Academy for many legitimate…and not so legitimate reasons. The women who were found were quite the mix as many of the newly recruited women were all wondering why they had been recruited. The Megele officers and high ranking leaders then showed them the videos of the battle that had happened between their forces, the Talark forces, the pirates, and the Harvesters and seeing that one lone Gundam rip apart the cruisers before them and slaughter their fellow women was enough for them all…and when they were told that the Harvesters planned to slaughter not just the men…but all of them as well without mercy, the women were all angered and were ready for a fight…those with criminal records were given amnesty and allowed to fight but had to be screened by the officers and recruiters to see if they had what it took to be in the military forces. The leaders of Megele knew the risks, but the situation demanded that they do what they could to ensure the survival of their people.

The women were stunned to find out that they were going to be under the command of a male who was by Grand Ma's own decree and seal to be the Grand Admiral of their whole fleet…and they were even more stunned to learn about the alliance. The reason was that since many of them were not from well to do groups on Megele…they didn't have all the news about what had happened to their world. They were not happy to hear about the newly formed alliance with Talark, but they had no choice… however, while a few agreed with the new order of the situation, not all were going to go along quietly while some of them wanted to challenge this new male leader and see just what he was capable of.

Yet another bunch of problems for the Gundam pilot to tackle on his new duties as the Grand Admiral, and this was just the first few weeks, and things were going to get even harder for the young man as the number of recruits began to grow and his duties were now being given extra importance by the rest of the officers.

Thankfully, he had support from the officers who respected him.

--

In the Megele Naval Academy Galley…

Kyo sighed as he finished his meal and relaxed a bit while grabbing his glass of melon juice and took the time to think about his duties and what this meant. He looked at each woman in the galley and he knew that after the first month of his duty as Grand Admiral, the officers here would have to learn how to work with the men of Talark and that was going to be another challenge…while he was a man, he was not from Talark and he knew fully well that the men of the desert world were not very happy with the idea of working with the women and there would be those who were really going to cause him and the alliance headaches.

But for now he put those thoughts aside as he knew that he had to focus of thinking of other things apart from his duties. And he wondered once more on how the others on the Nirvana were doing with their own duties at the very moment. He had to admit that he missed them all already and hoped that they could visit…after all, their citizenships had been reinstated and that was a good thing on his mind.

As he finished his drink, he left the galley…but not before returning his tray, glass, utensils and dishes to the cleaning crew and bide them farewell and thanks for the meal…much to their surprise as he moved out.

As soon as he was out of the galley he made his way to the section of the Academy where his office was located, then there was Commander Heidi and his escort…and to his surprise…there were a number of Megele women in civilian clothes heading towards him and they had cameras as well…and there was only one kind of profession he knew that involved cameras and lots of people.

"Reporters…just what I do not need at the moment."

Commander Heidi walked over to him and gave a salute and spoke…her tone telling the Gundam pilot that she had tried her best to deal with the reporters…but it seemed that her best efforts were not enough to deal with all of them.

"I'm sorry Admiral…but they insisted to see you and they wanted to interview you as the only male commanding officer of the Megele Navy…I tried to tell them that you were indisposed at the moment…but they wouldn't take no for an answer. Normally these things are part of your duties as a leader, but I had hoped to re-schedule this until the end of the week."

Kyo shook his head and sighed, he had a feeling that the fact that a man had been given full approval by Grand Ma to in overall command of the Megele Navy in the Allied Fleet was going to attract a lot of attention…in truth…he had wondered just when this was going to happen. Public Relations work was never his thing during his time as a Guardian back on Earth as he had no idea how to talk in front of crowds when he was younger. But now that he was older and had more experience under his belt…he knew that it was part of the job.

"Don't worry about that Commander Heidi, I had a feeling that this was going to happen at some point…let's get this over with."

--

Days later…

As the days passed, the crew of the Nirvana had to work long and hard as they were now part of the alliance, Kyo was juggling his time training the Dread pilots who were recruited into the Megele Academy, teach them the various weapons of the Harvester Forces, the Gundam units, their battle tactics, and more…along with Dread simulators and live field tests with them facing the converted Harvester units he had requested from the still present Harvester Battleship that they had under their control. He also took the time to get to know his officers better, both his main command staff and the ones who were leading the Dread Squadrons.

Some of the officers in the Dread Squadrons were very talented but they were also arrogant as well…and they were the ones that deserved his attention more than most as he needed them to learn how to work with the men of Talark and not get their pride too high just because of their skills and the Dreads. And he succeeded at the most part though the women were not going to give up and give him headaches.

The crew of the Nirvana…that is the male crew members and the new male arrivals were getting settled in and it seemed that while things were far from calm, they were at least tolerable and there were things that made it easier…Bart's new food pills being one of them. The men tried the new pills and had to admit that the new tastes were quite different from the ones that they were more used to and added a certain punch to their meals as well. Now, not only did the pills come in different colors…but in different tastes as well. Though some of the men did not like the changes….the women of the Nirvana were a lot different from the women from Megele who they met, and for good reason, having grown used to having men on the ship…the former pirates they were more welcoming of the men from Talark than the women who lived their lives on Megele. Dita, Meia, Sara, Mai, Parfet, Jura, and Barnette were busy as can be to help their fellow women adjust to being with men and it was hard work for them all at this point and time as not only were there questions, but also other matters on dealing with men working alongside the women..

The men of Talark were also busy in their own ends as the men worked non-stop to get as much of their material and resources to bear for the soon to come conflict…this was where the women were going to be outpaced by the men. The men, being from a barren desert world were the hard working, practical, self-reliant, and efficient kind so they were able to use all their resources and material to their best levels, this meant that while their weapons, ships, and Vanguards were not as advanced as the Megele military, they were easy to mass produce, were easy to repair and maintain, and were efficient in all manner of design. The ship designers had run through their ship designs to counter the flaws that were shown to them with their battles and decided to come up with a better shielding system and with the trade in technology with Megele…they decided to come up with a new solution to the vulnerability of their ships to beam based weapons.

They had come up with a previous solution but it was impractical due to the strains placed on the ship's core engines, namely in creating a shield system that relied on energy…and they decided to create a special energy deflecting coat solution, but with no beam weapons to test the solution on, they were not having much luck…but with the alliance, they now had a chance to do just that, originally the solution would have been used to counter the weapons of the women, but now that they were allies of theirs…that idea was out the window.

The Vanguards were to be outfitted with the same solution and so were their energy shields so they would have a far better chance in combat with the Harvesters and their arsenals…they however needed time to test the solution carefully and to make sure to remove as many of the flaws there as much as possible with the solution. This also meant that in order to match up with the Harvesters…they would have to remodel the Vanguards from the top up to match the weapons their foes had and get things ready for the soon to come battle. With the alliance in place…the time would come for them get whatever data they could in order to improve the combat performance of their machines.

Grand Ma and Grand Pa were also busy on their own side as they each worked in helping the diplomatic situations and helped ease the tensions between their two worlds…it was a tough challenge and both of them were tired, and so were their fellow First generation…but with what awaited them and what was at stake…they could ill afford to relax and let things slide anymore, and they had to finally work together after nearly a century apart. The two had a private comm. channel to one another and there they talked about the work they had to do in order to make the alliance flourish.

The Nirvana was currently on it's recon voyage and while it was escorted by it's sister pirate cruiser, the Paradise, there were several Talark Destroyers nearby, along with some Megele Cruisers and naturally their Dread squadrons were out in force…along with the Vanguards. The Nirvana's own Dreads were out along with the Gundams as they were all out on patrol, and so were the Crusader Squadron and their machines as well.

--

In the bridge…

Pyoro was currently giving Lacus a piggyback ride on his back while the baby was cheerfully smiling and cooing all the way as Ezra smiled at the sight of her daughter being happy while she was working. Pyoro had stopped calling Lacus Pyoro-2 since Kyo had begun to make him a companion like him and acted more like a nanny to her daughter.

The rest of the bridge crew were on their duties as well while Buzam/Tenmei was working on getting the latest data from the Talark forces, as the commander was a man and had knowledge of Talark language…he would be able to translate for the rest of the crew.

"How are things looking Buzam?"

Buzam turned to Magno and spoke with his/her modified voice.

"The scanners on the Vanguards have picked up nothing so far…but with the random energy emissions coming from the energy storm, there's little that can be said…and from what I can get from the Dreads…the same can be said for the scanners on the Megele side as well."

Magno sighed as she looked at the screen and saw the massive energy storm that surrounded the area that made up the original debris belt that surrounded their worlds. He wondered how her uncle was doing with his current duties and decided that when the time came…they would pay him a visit and see how he was doing.

(Hold on…why don't we do that now?)

Magno smiled and then spoke to Buzam.

"Buzam…get the coordinates for the Megele Space Academy…I think it's high time we paid a friendly visit on our young Grand Admiral."

Buzam looked on with some surprise but also smiled as that was a good idea…and he/she was concerned on how Kyo was currently handling the situation that he was currently in.

"All right Captain….Bart…set course for Megele space…we're going to pay Kyo a friendly visit."

"Aye Commander…Megele space it is!"

--

In the Hanger…

Jura was back in her Gundam's cockpit…running through the data feed and was busy with repairs and basic maintenance…normally she let the Register do most of the work…but ever since her Dread had been transformed by the Paeksis into it's current Gundam state…he had to do the work herself…not that she minded…it was somewhat interesting and also helped her a great deal in improving her Gundam's battle performance…however, her thoughts were divided as well.

She wondered on how Kyo was doing…working with the other Megele women in the Academy and that was what worried her. Normally she was not too worried when Kyo was here with them since he had been part of the crew for a very long time now…but she did feel anxious on how he was doing when in the company of other women who were not from the Nirvana and that worried her for some reason. She kept that out of her mind for the moment as she finished the last touches on her Gundam…and it was then that an incoming message came to her as one of the Dread pilots came over.

"Jura…your fahma and ohma are here to see you."

"All right, I'll be right there."

The blonde left her Gundam and made her way to the changing room and was now in her usual dress to meet her parents. She had hoped to have more time and to get Kyo when he was not too busy with his duties as the Grand Admiral of the Allied Navy. She hoped as well that he was not being given too hard a time by the women he had to be working with for the past few days.

Of course…she was not the only one who had her fahma and ohma over…

In Dita's room, the redhead was busy chatting with her fahma and ohma who were smiling at her as they sat down and talked about what had happened since she had disappeared…however, the main focus of the discussion was with her relationship with Kyo Yamato of all people. Dita's ohma and fahma were very interested to meet the man who seemed to be a very important person to their daughter.

The same could be said for the other women who were close to Kyo as Sara and Mai were also talking to their respective parents on the happenings since they left the system all those months ago. The two women had a hard time explaining how they each had met Kyo and what had happened between them and him respectively.

As the Nirvana made it's way to the area of Megele space, the crew wondered how Kyo was holding up to being on the Academy and meeting their fellow women face to face. Magno thought about how her uncle was doing as well and hoped that he was going to be fine working with the women of Megele as being the only man in Megele space would no doubt take a toll on his body and mind…not to mention his patience.

--

In the Megele Academy meeting hall…

Kyo sat down with a cup of coffee and looked over at the design plans for the Dreads which he had requested modifications to be tested out and he read the reports on the construction process. He shook his head as he read the amounts of resources that were used up and it was a bit annoying to have that much material wasted just for the parts alone…he decided to have the materials placed in storage for later use…despite the comments of the designers that those were waste products. He had a feeling that these would still be of much better use in the long run.

He placed down the reports and drank his coffee and then rubbed his head with his free hand to ease some of the tension he had that created the slight headache he was having at the moment and that was what annoyed him more. He was busy working out all the details and yet he had to deal with more pests. Recently he had done a routine security check on his room and had found a few bugs in it….he took them all out and traced them to some of the cleaning staff.

He questioned them all and found that the one who had placed the bugs was from the Megele military intelligence forces and she was trying to gather more intel about him when he was alone…for what reason, he had little to no idea at the moment, but he was not about to let his personal life become something a spectacle for others to look at when he didn't want them to. This however was not the first time it happened…a day before…he had done a security sweep and found a recorder that was designed by civilians….and like before he tracked it's origins down and found out that someone had let a reporter into the Academy to plant the bug.

He tracked the reporter down and sent her a formal note of notice that he was on to her plans of trying to take a peek at his personal life and told her to try and get a real interview with him instead of all the cloak and dagger stunts she tried to pull on him, reminding her that they were at war and now was not the time to be digging through the trash of other people…he had yet to get a reply from said reporter.

He was thankful that his Megele liaison officer Heidi dealt with most of the more mundane concerns and he respected her tenacity and skill, not to mention that since she was among the few women who didn't see her as an enemy, she was a good help to explaining some key details on Megele culture and customs as he was not in the mood to stepping on the wrong situation. She also helped him with the many other messes of the office of Grand Admiral.

He drank his coffee and finished it and moved his neck to remove the stiffness in his body for a bit and checked the next batch of reports…namely on the combat performance of the latest Dread pilots who were currently using the simulators with his own constructed training program and nodded that while some had improved their performances, the rest were still trying to catch up and make due with their own talents and skills…he knew that he was asking a lot for them all to be ready in a few months…but that couldn't be helped. There were the usual barrage of complaints that he was getting very tired with, but tolerated as this was to be expected.

He turned as the door opened and in came his security detail, and sure enough, Commander Heidi came into the room and saluted him.

"Admiral, are you not too busy?"

Kyo sighed and looked at his liaison officer.

"Are there reporters out there again? I was under the impression that the last interviews were enough for them for this week."

"No Admiral…the Nirvana is on it's way here…we've gotten a communiqué from the Captain…one Magno Vivian Yamato who claims to be your niece."

Kyo smiled at that and nodded.

"I'll take the call in my officer, thanks for the information Commander Heidi."

"You're welcome sir…"

Kyo then took his leave…bringing along the data reports and more as he headed to his office…as soon as he was in the office…he took the communiqué and there was Magno and the rest of the Nirvana…faces he had missed ever since working in the Megele Academy.

"Hey there Uncle Kyo…how are you?"

"If you really want to know Maggie…Terrible…hate to say it…but this is tiring work…"

--

In the Nirvana's command bridge…

Magno smiled as she couldn't help but see the plight of her uncle…he looked tired and stressed out a bit, she was not the only one as the bridge crew commented on how tired Kyo looked at the moment before them…even Buzam/Tenmei had to admit that he had never seen the Gundam pilot and Grand Admiral this exhausted at the moment.

Ezra also was dismayed somewhat at the sight of Lacus' Godfather this tired.

"You really should get more rest and energy Kyo…are they treating you all right?"

Kyo smiled at Ezra and spoke.

"Commander Heidi said the same things to me too…but I can't relax all the time…there's so much to do and those reporters certainly don't make things any easier for me either…this is the reason why I would have preferred to say no to this position…but what can you do? How is Lacus?"

"She's all right Kyo…sleeping at the moment…but she no doubt misses you."

Kyo laughed gently and replied.

"Well I miss her too…I miss you all right now…thanks for taking the time to come and drop by."

Magno smiled again and in a very mischievous way however and replied.

"We're here to have a bit of a break today Kyo…so we're going to the Academy to greet you in a small party for today…you need to relax for real uncle…no sense getting a rest every so often when you really look like you need it. We'll be on the way right now."

Kyo sighed and nodded.

"Thanks…I really need a break…I'll send orders for the women here to take the week off…they need to rest too and get some time off."

--

Later…

Kyo watched as the Nirvana docked within the station of the Megele Naval Academy and he was told by Commander Heidi that Captain Magno and several of the pirates and the officers were now on their way to greet him in the Hanger Bay. With that in mind…Kyo decided to leave for the Hanger and was escorted by his female body guards.

Kyo was wearing his normal clothes but still carried his pistol and a small dagger nearby…along with wearing a special combat vest that he had with him. He had requested this from Parfait a few days before he was here in the Megele Naval Academy for protection…it was well made with hardened light weight alloy plates with hardened ablative liquid coating to withstand hits from energy weapons…not that he distrusted the women who were there in the Academy grounds and the security in the place…but you'll never know.

As he arrived to the hanger Bay…several of the Dread pilots and engineers in the Hanger Bay saluted him while some did so more reluctantly…showing that while he was slowly being recognized as the leader of the installation in the soon to come war with the Harvesters…not everyone was all that cooperative on the matter itself. He put that aside and walked over to the Nirvana as the crew inside had stepped out into the hanger Bay…everyone was there at the moment and Magno was in the lead with Buzam next to her and Gascogne as well.

Kyo couldn't help himself but grin at the sight of his elderly niece and the rest of the familiar faces of the Nirvana crew who were there at the moment. Meia, Jura, and Dita were there as well and were happy to see Kyo…so much so that they quickly rushed up to Kyo and hugged him…much to the shock of just about everyone in the Megele Naval Academy and they were quickly joined by Sara and Mai.

The other women who were not from the pirate crew gasped in shock as the five women who held Kyo's affections hugged the man right before them. The women who were still untrusting of men were shocked at the sight and wondered how could the five women let themselves touch the man and they were going to make sure to find out just what was going on at the moment. Kyo put that aside as he and the crew of the Nirvana got to settle in for the time being.

--

Later…

Kyo was sitting down and amazingly enough was relaxing a bit as he was being massaged by Meia at the moment…Dita and the others were currently chatting to their parents via communications link and that allowed Meia to have some alone time with the Gundam pilot and Kyo appreciated the gesture and Meia smiled at him in response as she could tell that Kyo loved that…and in her mind he deserved it a lot…since he was swamped with such duties and responsibilities being the head of both the Talark and Megele fleets.

"Mmm…thanks a load Meia…"

"You're welcome…you really should take some time to unwind Kyo, you're muscles are really tensed up at the moment."

"Yeah…so how is it having a larger male crew on the Nirvana for the co-gender relationship experiment made by order of Grand Pa and Grand Ma?"

Meia sighed at that and told Kyo just how it was doing.

"It's been tiring as is expected…the men are still trying to get used to being around women a lot more than they like, and the same thing for the women…and explaining things between genders was quite tiring and time consuming. But it's working so far…me, Dita, Jura, Barnette, Parfait, Mai, and Sara are the liaison officers for the women, and Duero, Max, Aleck, Bart and the other men on the Nirvana work as the liaison officers of the men. There have been some real odd and confusing times as well…I hope that by the time it's over we can make sure that the men and women from both worlds will be more understanding and open minded."

"You and me both Meia…but I've got my hands full working with the women here in the Academy already. It's not easy being a male commander in an all female Academy…"

"I can see that."

Kyo nodded as she finished up and when he stood up slowly and moved slowly…he was relieved to feel the kinks in his body loosen up and he turned to thank Meia…she beat him to it as she kissed him on the lips and he smiled back as he kissed her back.

The two were getting into the mood when the door suddenly chimed open and in walked Magno and Buzam, along with Gascogne…the two moved back and tried to look as if nothing happened…but Magno laughed at the blushes they had while Buzam was confused and so was Gascogne. The elderly captain smiled and spoke.

"No need for that you two…it's all right."

Kyo and Meia blushed even more as Kyo reached for the nearby coffee maker and prepared a few mugs of coffee to his guests as they sat down and chatted for a bit and they were then joined by Jura, Sara, Mai, and Dita. The four other women each hugged Kyo in greeting…showing how much they missed being with him when they could…much to Kyo embarrassment and affection, and Magno's liking of the whole thing.

Commander Heidi arrived and she could see the obvious affection being showered on the Grand Admiral of the Allied Fleet by the five women and while she was surprised by this, she didn't comment on it and she sat down after asking permission. The Commander could sense the bonds of friendship, family, and trust in the group and marveled at the fact that it really was possible for men and women to work both on and off the field of battle.

Kyo was happy for the break in his weeks of work and dealing with the public and private sector and seeing very important people in his life paying him a visit was certainly a welcome thing for him at the moment and while they were chatting, he talked with Commander Heidi as well and she was understandably surprised to learn that Magno…despite being already an old woman was in fact Kyo's niece…and that he had been asleep for over four hundred years and was far older than any of them.

As time wore on, Kyo also toured the Nirvana crew around and some of the women who were living in the Academy were still unaccustomed to seeing women being comfortable to a man's presence as they gazed at Dita, Jura, Sara, Meia, and Mai being close to Kyo and showing him great affection, he knew for a fact that the rumor mills were going to go all out when they got wind of this but he was actually looking forward to that as it will certainly give him something to laugh about at the moment. As time passed, the crew of the Nirvana decided to return to the ship and to take some time off…

However, it was then that Commander Heidi got an incoming call from the command center of the Academy and as soon as she got her information, the Megele liaison officer spoke to the gathered crew.

"Excuse me…but who among you is Jura Basil Elden?"

The others looked at Jura who was also confused and decided to speak.

"I am, why do you ask?"

"Well…we have some visitors coming to the Academy…I believe it's your parents."

Jura's eyes widened as she heard that and everyone looked at Kyo who groaned a bit to himself…it seemed that Jura's fahma and ohma have just decided to meet with him sooner than he expected.

--

Later…

Kyo drummed his hands on the table as he worked on what he should say to Jura's parents. He knew that sooner or later, he was going to get a visit from the parents of the girls he was intimate with at this time…but he was not expecting it to be today of all things. And much to his discomfort in admitting it…he was rather nervous.

As far as he knew…Jura had not mentioned her family much and it seemed that Jura's family were something of a slightly sore subject for her to discuss and he hoped that they didn't have a family issue…as he knew that things like that were quick to get out of hand the very second something was misinterpreted. This was rather taxing to him as he found himself fixing up his uniform in order to look more formal before the parents of Jura. It was then that he heard the door chime and there before him were Jura's parents.

He already knew that due to the birthing methods on Megele…the term ugly didn't exist in their vocabulary, and even the most plain of their civilization had a very attractive quality there if one took notice…namely Duero's utter love and devotion to Parfait. But seeing Jura's parents was certainly something else entirely.

Jura's ohma was a tall and statuesque woman with dark brown hair in an elegant coif and deep green eyes which were well emphasized by her makeup and eye liner. The same features were there and Jura's ohma was certainly the rather attractive type, though she was bit less curvy and well formed as her daughter. That didn't mean however that she was not as attractive as her daughter. Jura's ohma carried herself with a strong air of focus, intellect and dedication…a little off place in his mind in a way… considering how Jura used to act back then when he knew her, but he could see that Jura had some of her ohma's traits when she displayed her own inner strength when it counted. The eyes of Jura's ohma were an exact same match to Jura's own emerald green eyes, certainly the kind that would grab a guy hard and make him stay right in place just to look..

(So that's where Jura got her eyes from.)

Jura's fahma was near the same lines as her daughter and she had deep blonde hair and it was in a lush ponytail on her back, her eyes were deep brown and were certainly the kind most men would drown in, deep brown chocolate pools was the best way to describe it all. The same attractive features were there and Jura's fahma was certainly an attractive one as well, she had a fuller and more curvaceous form that her mate and was a bit shorter by at least an inch or two than her mate, showing just where Jura got her own form. She had an air of a high paid model, having a confidence in her own beauty, sharp and certainly packing with attractive appeal, and seemed a bit flighty in a way…but there was an aura of will there.

(Wow…Jura's certainly got the best of both worlds…that much I can see.)

The women were dressed different…while Jura's ohma was dressed in a business like ensemble with long skirt, long sleeved shirt and vest, complete with lapels and a jacket, making her look like a strong but very attractive business-woman, Jura's fahma was dressed in the same way as her daughter's…with a very eye catching deep purple dress with similar features to Jura's own wardrobe, slits on the sides of the lower dress and no sleeves, along with a rather eye catching slit in the front.

Kyo had to admit that Jura's parents were certainly the pair grab a guy's fantasies all night long…but his eyes were always going to be on Jura no matter how attractive her parents were. He walked away from the table and bowed to the two women surprising them a bit as they had not expected that from the man their daughter was very much attracted to. Jura merely smiled as she looked at her beloved as he rose and spoke.

"Good day to you, my name is Kyo Clyne Yamato…may I ask your names?"

Jura's ohma nodded a bit and replied as she introduced herself to Kyo.

"My name is Alexia Basil Elden."

And Jura's fahma also spoke as well as she introduced herself.

"My name is Selima Basil Elden."

The couple then sized Kyo over as he guided them to him room's living room and to the couches. They had to admit that he was not what they expected of a man that they had long since been accustomed to seeing in the propaganda films in their own youth. He was tall and certainly a strong looking young man, and seemed to be rather intelligent and confident in the way he carried himself as he walked, they noted that Jura walked with her intended ohma and she seemed completely at ease with him. As they sat down, Kyo turned and smiled at both Alexia and Selene.

"I believe you've had a long trip from your home in Megele to get here…would you like something to eat and drink?"

"Of course…"

Kyo nodded and decided to head to the nearby kitchen to whip up some snacks and drinks to his guests. But he decided to ask even further.

"If it's all right, I would like to know what is it you happen to enjoy eating and drinking, so I can prepare it."

The two women nodded and told Kyo just what they liked and Kyo nodded as he went into the kitchen and got to working on the menu at the moment. Jura smiled at that as it didn't take long for Kyo to whip up what he could in terms of snacks and drinks for his guests. A few minutes later...he came back with a small vegetable salad with olive and sesame seed oil, fruit rolls and some cool green herbal tea for Alexia, and for Selima, he prepared some ancient Japanese sashimi and egg rolls, with sauce and some cool apple tea as well. This impressed the two women as they had not totally believed their daughter when she said that Kyo was a talented cook and had made wonderful meals in more than one occasion. As the two parents noted the food prepared by Kyo, they began to ask questions to both him and their daughter to see for sure if their daughter's praise to Kyo was worth it.

--

Later…

Kyo cleaned the dishes and sighed a bit as he was currently alone in his room in the Megele Academy. It had been only an hour and a half since he had chatted with Jura's fahma and ohma…but in that time frame he felt as if he had been interrogated by some very skilled operatives. As he washed the glasses and the plates he thought back on the time he had been seriously grilled by both Jura's parents. They had asked him a lot of questions…some were general questions…while others were a lot more personal…namely how did they meet, how long had they worked together and more…

He wasn't the only one as they also questioned their daughter on the matter concerning her relationship with him and he could tell that it was somewhat uncomfortable to Jura to talk about it…even if they were her parents after all. The blonde Gundam pilot also answered other questions about things that he knew were important…Alexia and Selima were shocked to hear how close Jura came do being unable to have children…all because she wanted to save him from death. it made things rather uncomfortable for him as the two women glared at him at that…but Jura assured them that she was fine and was more than able to have children.

The discussions were not thankfully interrupted frequently by visitors but he had to occasionally leave the room in order to handle some important calls that couldn't wait…it was then that Jura's parents and their daughter left the room to chat…in private and now here he was…

As soon as he was done washing dishes…both Alexia and Selima came in and he greeted them and the three decided to chat for a bit as Jura was talking to some old friends from her days back in school.

"I must admit that you are not what I expected Kyo Yamato."

"Oh?"

"Yes...for one thing…for a four hundred and twenty year old man, you certainly appear quite young."

"Trust me, it's not something I like to brag about…in fact it makes me rather uncomfortable to say the least."

"True…but tell me…how exactly did you and our daughter Jura meet?"

Kyo was a bit confused by that and decided to ask why they asked that of him, since he thought that since Jura was their daughter…she would have told them about they had met and hit it off during the trip back to Talark and Megele.

"I thought your daughter told you how we met."

Selima nodded and spoke.

"True…but we want to know from your perspective…"

"I see…but it's going to be a LONG story."

The women however told him to go on and he decided to tell them how he had met Jura from the very beginning. He told them how he met Jura and how they had worked together ever since they had met, he told them everything…including the time he had kissed her in order to get her attention, and the times they had been close…including the times she had tried to get his seed. The two women gave him very confused looks and he knew that if he told them about HOW men and women had children back in the old days…Gods only knew how much flak he was going to bring to himself, thankfully they didn't press him into giving out details on the said subject, either because they thought that the way Jura wanted his seed was the same methods used on Megele, or they were going to ask Jura about that herself.

As soon as he was done talking about the past…Alexia and Selima looked at him with a pair of sly but respectful looks, and that made him rather nervous to say the least.

Alexia was the first to speak.

"I see…no wonder Jura is insistent on having you as the ohma of her children…I guess there is nothing more I can say but Jura is lucky to have you, despite being a man….however…"

"Yes?"

"I am also aware of the fact that Jura is NOT the only woman who is close to you…there are others who you are affectionate with apart from our daughter. So I must ask…do you love our daughter?"

Kyo nodded with conviction and replied.

"Yes I do love Jura…and I can say that it was somewhat hard to hear that Jura loved me enough to not mind sharing me…it was not simple and I was completely against the idea at first…because I didn't want her to think I was denying her and favoring others. I admit that your daughter and I didn't EXACTLY start out as the best of friends…there were times that she was flighty and could be a pain at times and more…but I also saw her inner strength, her courage, will, and ability and those are what made me love her. I love Jura not just for her outer beauty and that is utterly the truth of the matter and I know that she loves me as well since she told me that time and time again ever since we knew each other. I know that this might be rather unorthodox…me marrying other women and not just your daughter, and even in my time, such a thing is frowned upon…but Jura and I have made that choice…and no matter how things turn out…I will not change my stance because I love Jura enough to make that choice. And she loves me enough to standby with the choice as well."

Selima and Alexia could see that Kyo was utterly serious on the matter and they saw the same seriousness in Jura as well. When they heard that Jura was willing to marry Kyo and have a child with him…even though her fellow women Dita, Sara, Meia, and Mai had the same plans as she did, they were shocked and they had tried to dissuade her…but Jura was utterly adamant in her decision and there had been some heated words between them…it had taken a bit of time to heal and they decided to give her a chance on the matter…

And now they were assured that Jura was making the right decision…and that made them feel relief as well…though it was going to be a challenge for them to deal with the results of their daughter's decisions.

The two smiled and they turned to the side and spoke to Jura who was smiling with utter joy, love, and pride at her beloved and intended husband.

"You made the right choice after all dear."

"I am proud of you Jura…you have truly grown."

"Thank you…"

As Alexia and Selima left the room, Jura turned and leaped into Kyo's arms, catching him off guard for a moment and she hugged him tightly at that moment. Kyo hugged her back and Jura whispered in his ear.

"I guess that means I can finally marry you for real when this is all over Kyo…"

Kyo smiled and they kissed each other deeply and Jura utterly moaned in pleasure and so did Kyo as they did a torrid lip lock with each other. The two parted as Jura knew that she needed to let Kyo do his work as Grand Admiral…but she had a plan in mind…she had planned for this for quite a while now and since her fahma and ohma approve Kyo now…this was going to work well. The blonde bid her loved one farewell as she left the room, and this allowed Kyo the chance to sit down and take a rest for the time being.

It did him good to know that the crew took the time to come and visit him and it was nice that they would be around for the next few days…though he had a feeling that sooner or later he would need to work herder on his duties both as a man and as a Grand Admiral.

Elsewhere, Jura met up with her parents and with a few minutes of discussion, the two women thought about the plan their daughter had in mind and agreed with it and allowed her to bring some friends along and she already knew just who she had in mind at the moment. Jura also knew that sooner or later…Sara, Mai, and Dita's own fahma and ohma were going to come and pay Kyo a visit soon enough. She was looking forward to that actually.

--

Kyo was not the only man who was about to meet the parents of his loved one though…

Duero was busy working on the latest medical reports when he heard the signal that told him that he had some company coming into the Medical Bay, he had expected that either a previous patient was coming in for a routine check-up, or some of the men asking questions about yet another thing about women that they had no idea about at the moment and he was the one they came to for some advice of explanations, he sighed once more and placed aside the report and gave the all clear.

Much to his surprise it turned out to be Parfait and the head engineer of the Nirvana was not alone as there were two other people with her, but the thing that surprised the doctor of the Nirvana was the fact that they were not familiar to him and he knew just about everyone in the Nirvana's crew roster.

"Hi Duero."

Duero smiled at Parfait and stood up and greeted his friend and loved one and the two other women looked Duero over and the slightly taller one who wore glasses spoke.

"So he's the one you haven't stopped taking to us about Parfait?"

Parfait nodded as she smiled and hugged Duero.

"Yes, this is Duero McFile."

Duero was curious, it seemed that not only did one of the stranger know Parfait, but it seemed that Parfait knew just who these people were as well.

"Parfait…may I ask who they are?"

"Oh, I forgot all about that, sorry, Duero I'd like you to meet my ohma and my fahma, my parents from Megele."

Duero was a bit surprised at that, he had learned from Kyo to expect company in the shape of Parfait's parents but he had hoped to meet her parents in a much more acceptable situation and not in the middle of so much activity at the moment. However, it seemed that the parents of his loved one had other ideas as they were now before him, he quickly recalled his manners and bowed in greeting to the two women.

"Hello to you both, I'm honored to meet Parfait's ohma and fahma."

"My…you're very polite."

Later…

Duero busied himself as he served some cool tea to his guests as he had brought some tea previously to help him with his time in the Medical Bay, he needed the drink in order to keep his body hydrated for the time being as he had reports to fill in. The women didn't mind as they took in the tea and this allowed Duero the chance to study both of Parfait's parents.

Parfait's ohma had the same chocolate brown hair as her daughter, but unlike Parfait who kept her long hair in the braids that he recognized, her ohma appeared to keep her hair in a short style and without any hair accessory. She appeared to be around the same build as her daughter, though she was taller than Parfait at the moment. From the way she moved…she appeared to be a skilled operator of machines and the fact that her belt was that of an engineer like Parfait made him realize that she no doubt was the person who taught Parfait all about machines. And no doubt had some similar short sightedness as her daughter as she also wore glasses, but from the grade of the glasses he saw…her case was not as severe as her daughter's, he could see that she had deep olive green eyes as well.

Parfait's fahma was different from both her mate and her daughter as she had deep black hair and wore no glasses but had deep violet eyes, she was around Parfait's height and the same build as well…she appeared to be of a different occupation than either her daughter or her mate as she was dressed in what appeared to be that of a teacher….simple but crisp and functional clothes and she carried herself with the air of a teacher and intellectual. The fahma of Parfait looked at Duero and seemed rather curious on who he was and how her daughter knew him.

Parfait then smiled as he introduced her ohma and fahma to her loved one.

"Duero…this is my ohma, Rina Balblair."

"Pleasure to meet you Duero."

"…And my fahma, Cassandra Balblair."

"Likewise, our daughter spoke very much about your talents as a doctor…"

"Did she?"

Parfait nodded and then gave Duero praise in front of her parents, honest and respectful praise and well earned at that. Rina and Cassandra smiled and Duero felt rather embarrassed at that and replied.

"I'm just a humble doctor from Talark…"

"That might be true Duero…but none of us would have gone far if not for you, so don't be so shy about it."

Rina and Cassandra smiled a bit more…seeing the obvious affection their daughter had for Duero…it seemed that there was a lot of history between their off-spring and the young man before them at the moment. The group sat down and began to chat about themselves….and Parfait's parents decided to find out what were the things that drew their daughter to this young man.

Elsewhere…

Max was busy working on his Gundam when Barnette called his attention for a moment and when he got out of his Gundam, he found himself being introduced to Barnette's Alpha and Omega, or her Ohma and Fahma…he had not expected this at the moment and managed to tidy himself up as he met the two women.

Barnette's ohma had deep brown hair with was in a long tail that was all the way to her back and she was dressed in what appeared to a military outfit of the Megele Navy, namely that of an armory supply officer…which explained why she was not entirely in agreement with Barnette siding with the pirates, no doubt she was not liking the thought of her daughter being one of the pirates the military might have to face in battle someday, thankfully it never came to that and no one knew that her daughter Barnette was among the pirates and now that Barnette was given her citizenship, she was allowed to come home. She had deep violet eyes, the same ones that Barnette had and Barnette's ohma carried herself with a strong air of command though gently balanced by the smile she had when she gazed at her daughter which showed great love and affection. She was taller than Barnette by a few inches and apparently was as skilled with weapons as her daughter was and like her daughter, she carried a vintage projectile firing fire-arm as a weapon of her choice, namely a Colt. 45 Pistol. Like all women of Megele…she was attractive and her high cheekbones and very lithe figure matched her daughter's own rather well…showing where Barnette got her body structure. Max had to admit that she was attractive…his love for Barnette and his time with women a year before and now made him very much aware of the attractiveness of the female form…he put that aside as he shook hands with her and then directed his attention to Barnette's fahma…

Barnette's fahma looked like the typical housewife…dressed in the same manner as Ezra as well…but her deep emerald hair was in a style similar to Barnette and it was obvious where Barnette got her hairstyle. She wore an ensemble that spoke of a position of commerce and trade….though she carried herself with a fierce and gung ho attitude when it mattered…showing another influence to Barnette's overall personality, but there was affection as well as she seemed ecstatic on the fact that her daughter was alive and now allowed back home…she showed some dislike for Max but seeing that her daughter trusted and showed affection for Max…she relented.

Barnette had not expected her ohma and fahma to be truthful…but she had a lot to tell them…the former Dread pilot told her parents everything and how Max had saved her life a few months ago and how much she had changed over the year ever since being sling shot across the galaxy. She had hoped for her parents to meet Max and she hoped that they did not mind her seeing him. She then introduced her parents to her loved one.

"Max, I want to introduce my ohma, Kaela Orangello."

Natalie smiled at Max politely.

"And also my fahma, Danae Orangello."

Max bowed and respectfully spoke to the two women who were surprised that he was showing comfort in talking to them. And he seemed to be utterly respectful, confident, and intelligent. They had thought men were weak and more…but after all that had happened for the past few days and the things Barnette had told them…they were willing to try understanding men more.

"Our daughter told us that you saved her life…nearly giving up your own in the process…is that true?"

Max nodded and replied…

"Every word of it is true…there is even the scar on my left shoulder to prove it…"

Barnette thought back at the time on the desert world trap that they were in and where she met Max and where her whole world was forever changed…all because Max willingly shielded her from death. She hugged Max and Kaela and Danae could see the affection their daughter had for Max and decided to learn more about this man who apparently had become important to their daughter.

--

Days later…

The days moved on and the Nirvana was busy with the new duties of integrating men and women to work together, it still was touch and go at the moment, though progress was getting there…Bart's introduction of the new flavored food pills made with his recommendations and specifications proved to be a valuable addition to the process as the pills not only retained their old use in Talark, but also helped the men get adjusted to the array of food the women had on hand at the moment with them.

The men would often wonder what sort of food the women ate when they were able to visit the female section, namely the galley and while they admitted that the food of the women were certainly sweet smelling in many ways, they were still wary of the food, despite the assurances of the male members of the Nirvana crew that the food was worth it and safe. That was how the food pills made the difference…the men were impressed by the food pills that now had different tastes and retaining the same qualities from back home and as soon as they were assured that the food of the women were all right, they tried it out. Bart had also asked several of the female crew to try the pills out…some were not welcoming of the idea…but Jura and Dita tried it and were surprised that the pills no longer tasted horrible….but were actually rather good to the taste buds. The women then asked how did Bart manage to turn it all around and he replied that good old fashioned hard work turned it around. The women of the Nirvana were still not willing to try it out…but with prodding from Jura, and the others who tried the new and improved pills, they found them to be rather good and help them in working on their projects and reserve their food supplies.

The women were also curious why the men were only eating pills, and after hearing for utterly revolting the pills were from some of their fellow women who still were wary of men, they were against trying any of the pills, however they were surprised to see that on occasion when working, the women of the Nirvana would try out the pills as well and as soon as they learned of the new and improved pills they decided to try them out and see if they were worth the hassle and they had to admit that it was rather nice.

Though not everything was all peachy at the moment as there were the usual incidents in the Nirvana that happened between men and women who would rub each other the wrong way and therefore it was a struggle at times for the crew to deal with all the troubles that could result if the said disturbances, along with the usual arguments and disagreements…things were pretty normal to that point at the moment and time as the crew worked hard to get things done.

Back on the other worlds of Talark and Megele, the situation was still very much going on the way it had before…the women and men were working their butts off in order to rally their people into preparing for the soon to come war and things were not so easy either..there were still people on either world who were opposed to the alliance and while some were knowledgeable enough to not make too much noise…there were others who openly protested about it…on Megele, several of the more vocal opponents to the alliance were usually staging rallies to ask for the dissolution of the alliance…despite the fact that it was an order from Grand Ma herself…the same thing was on Talark as some groups would show their discontent and even the threat of being imprisoned did nothing to stop these situations from cropping up every now and then…

The Governments on both worlds did their best to deal with the opponents of the alliance…but they knew that until a more effective way for these matters to be resolved was found…they had no other alternative but to do what they could without trampling on their own people as they needed everyone in order to challenge the Harvesters and their soon to arrive invasion armada.

It was then that the annual Government Party in the Megele capital city of Radiant Citadel was about to be hosted in a week's time…it was a normal tradition for all key leaders and officials in Government, both civilian and military to attend, along with other prominent families and groups on Megele…and it was a tradition that all leaders of Megele had followed for it helped the leaders of their civilization unwind and enjoy the celebrations for a while….it was a three day affair and thus was well received by all the Megele leaders and officers. However…for the very first time…there was going to be a new guest..the first MAN to be a leader in Megele's military sector and the Grand Admiral of the Allied Fleet. It was an occasion with mixed thoughts on many groups and this was a cause for concern for Grand Ma…

Anya knew that by marriage relation…she was Kyo's great niece and she wanted to make sure that it was all going to go smoothly as she didn't want anyone to take advantage of this occasion to damage the alliance and with Kyo Yamato being the symbol of the Alliance and the leader of the Allied Fleet, there was a chance that elements who opposed the alliance with Talark might make a move on him, and while she knew her people were following her orders…there were those who opposed it still and that would do what they could to make things difficult.

That was why she had paid Kyo a visit recently and Kyo greeted her and she became his guest and as soon as she was assured by her Amazon guards that everything in the room was now safe she decided to inform Kyo of the exact situation and why he was soon to be asked to go to Megele as he was now a leader in the Megele military.

To say Kyo was not happy was an understatement as he was not very much agreeing with the whole thing as anything could happen in a moment with him being on Megele…which was something he knew for a fact would have been considered a historic first…he was about to be the only man to set foot on an all female planet…and while he knew most young men would have cheerfully agreed, he knew that this was something that most conventional women of Megele would view as an invasion and sacrilege to their world. He was not sure about the need for his attendance…

But he also understood the value of his presence and therefore the stability of the alliance and decided to agree with Anya's request to be there. At that regard he called Magno and informed his niece of the situation and after some discussion, Magno convinced him that he was taking the right course in the matter and that being there was good…besides…he was under Grand Ma's protection and orders…thus he was safe…to a degree at least. Grand Ma was pleased and bid Kyo farewell and hoped that he would be present in the party when it was to start and he bid her farewell.

He checked the date and decided to call his liaison officer Heidi to set up the remaining regimes for the students and Dread pilots when the time came for him to attend this special Party that the Megele Government was hosting at the soon to come date and he worked on all the other details…he was happy to get good news for a change as the scores of the Dread pilots he was training showed better improvement and the engineering reports were better sounding as well. Things were now looking up for a change…

The days went by and the time came for the party to start a week from now and therefore…Kyo had to bid farewell to Heidi and he arrived in Megele and quickly settled into a place to stay…the main residential building of all the Megele military officials. And as he worked there….the days passed by…until it was time. The only good news he had was that Magno had made some arrangements for him to be accompanied in the Party...though by who he had no diea yet.

--

In the changing room…

Kyo sighed as he fixed his tuxedo once more…he had forgotten how much of a hassle it was to get ready for social functions at times. He recalled him and his dad dressing up for such things when his mother Lacus had a social gathering to attend…granted they were her body guards but they were also her family and as such…they were guests as well, he did the same thing with his uncle Athrun when his aunt Cagalli had her own duties as Prime Minister of Orb though he knew that she didn't feel comfortable in them at all. Attending social functions was not bad in his eyes and he was okay with them…it was the fact that he was going to an all female ball that made him very nervous at the moment.

He sighed a bit and knew that his old friend Mwu would have had a field day laughing and congratulating him on his good fortune at being in such a function. He thought about his old friend and was unhappy for a moment at not being there to be the best man at Mira and Mwu's wedding when they had tied the knot…but as much as he missed so much for the past four hundred years he spent in stasis...he knew that he had another chance soon enough…

Ah…enough gloom! This is a purely social function and it's been a life-time since I've been in one…I guess I might as well enjoy it.

He was dressed in a classically made tuxedo and it was well made to suit him comfortably at the moment. And the clothes were certainly comfortable as he had been allowed to access some of the clothing materials that Megele had at the moment and he had programmed the automated tailor with his body specifications and he also placed in the data on how to make a tuxedo for the human male..it took some time as the machine was not used to taking male body measurements but it was done and the tuxedo was looking good as it was made from silk, mohair, and velvet…all in all, a very good fit.

He had taken a hot shower and took some time to clean himself up properly as he had to look presentable at the moment as this social meeting was being held by some of the influential members of Megele society, he had thought that being a man, he was being excluded from this party but apparently he was invited and he was not the kind to turn down an invitation if it was sincere and he could tell that it was at the moment. He looked himself over once more and decided that he was presentable already and grabbed his car keys and headed out of the changing room.

It had been a week since he had been allowed to visit Megele personally and he recalled the time he had spent in the Megele High Command Complex as a resident in the personnel sector of the massive complex that housed the high command of the Megele Military. His room was not bad to say the least…good accommodations and some more decent privacy and he made double sure of his privacy as he meticulously scanned the room and the equipment for any bugs and cameras…no doubt recalling the whole camera incident in the Nirvana and he was NOT in the mood for a replay of that while he was on an all female planet.

He drove his fully restored car and headed down the roads to the main function hall where the occasion was being held…according to what he had been told by Heidi, this was a natural occurrence on Megele as all members of Megele's Government would host annual balls and social gatherings from time to time. The place was a grand location and would have made most assembly halls look like a hovel…the walls were lavishly decorated and well made…there were also streamers made to welcome all the incoming attendants and celebrants. All of the regally and somewhat lavishly dressed women were no doubt key members in Megele's government There were a large number of Megele security personnel and more…there were also reporters and he knew just why the reporters were there…they were there for him.

After all…he was the very first man in the history of Megele to set foot on the world of the women and not be executed on the spot for such an act. He sighed as he parked his car and security locked it, as soon as he was out…the reporters came right at him and while the security personnel had held them back from swarming him, there were plenty of questions directed at him by the reporters.

Kyo merely replied to the reporters that he would speak at a much better time and he moved on and wondered just what he would do now...he was the only one who was without an escort or partner…as the women had their own partners and he knew that appearing alone in a party was usually a negative sign to others…he didn't have to wait long…

"Kyo!"

There were five voices there and Kyo couldn't help but smirk a bit as he recognized the voices and turned around to see the people and he gasped as he saw Jura, Meia, Dita, Sara, and Mai…and there was a reason for his gasping…he was happy to see the five women he loved deeply and held close to his heart, he was just surprised at their choice of dress. The dresses were well suited for such an occasion..but the sheer effect was stunning…he knew the women that he loved to be utterly beautiful and their wardrobes further amplified that fact to him.

Dita was dressed in a deep ruby red party dress that hugged her figure without restraining her and was made from silk and had a necklace that had deep blue sapphires in the golden necklace…along with a modified version of her tiara…with a beautiful sapphire and an amelyst placed together…she also had a pair of beautiful bracelets on her made from silver and gold leaf that made Dita look like a beautiful nymph as she wore comfortable high heels to give her some height as well. The redhead walked elegantly towards Kyo and so did the other girls but Dita was a head as she no doubt had trained hard to walk elegantly and resist her usual routine on glomping on her loved one. She wore light makeup that didn't detract her already present attractiveness to Kyo…but somehow made her look radiant all the same.

Jura was wearing a beautiful emerald green dress with golden streaks done in such a way that they worked seamlessly with one another. The blonde had her hair in a simple but classy top-knot held in place by a pair of lacquered wooden hair clips while her hair flowed down in a simple but undeniably attractive tail behind her. The green and golden yellow dress hugged her voluptuous frame and held her breasts well and was following some similarity to her normal dress which she wore constantly. Jura also had an upper arm bracelet that had a beautiful flower pattern that was similar to a rose with the petals made from rubies as well. Jura also had a pair of comfortable shoes as well, she too wore makeup, but not in large amounts…but well balanced…relying on her natural beauty to flow out from her as she walked as she always had when in front of Kyo…sensual and bursting with fire.

Meia wore a deep white dress that were simple yet elegant with no straps on the shoulders but had a row of beautiful light blue diamonds on the dress that added a very nice picture to her overall appearance, the dress was well made and hugged her figure very well and that also included her bust, there was also a sash that was following her hair color and a lovely gold metal string belt with diamonds and emeralds as well on her waist. The aqua haired woman also wore a well placed amount of makeup which suited her well and allowed her natural beauty to show as well, she walked efficiently and yet had a nice sway to her stride and her hips as well. She wore simple high heels but the high heels were made to be both useful and comfortable for her to walk with and that was nice enough.

Sara wore a deep black dress that seemed to take in the night rather well and seemed to shimmer a bit as that showed that there was near weightless silver thread woven into the dress to add a shimmering style and there were small diamonds there as well that were placed into the fabric that gave the impression of her dress being like the sky at a cloudless night…making her look wonderful…she wore a simple necklace with a brilliant blue stone in the middle and she had on elegantly designed shoes as well and she was comfortable as she walked towards him. Sara also had a balanced amount of makeup on…just enough to give emphasis to her beauty and to also not block or distort that same beauty as well and her hair was allowed to flow freely as well.

And Mai wore a beautiful light brown dress and also had a sash on as well…her dress hugged her frame very well and showed her athletic build very easily and also showed her beauty as well. The Crusader pilot had only a simple chocker as a jewelry piece but it was apparently not too constricting and it had a deep red ruby there as well, she also had long gloves made from silk cloth on her arms and the gloves reached her elbows. She also had makeup which was well balanced and worked to show her beauty very well.

The people outside watched in utter amazement and so did the security detail as the five women walked over to Kyo who managed to close his mouth and get his brain back into order and he spoke to the five women.

"What are you all doing here?"

Jura answered for the others.

"We're your dates for this occasion, the Captain asked us to come with you and it worked with what my fahma and ohma wanted…I was supposed to come with you as well either way, and my fahma gave these dresses to us to use for this day…what do you think?"

Kyo looked at the five women before him and he replied honestly.

"You're all very beautiful."

The women smiled warmly and knew that Kyo was telling the truth and they then took their positions with Kyo and Meia spoke.

"Let's go Kyo."

Kyo felt like he was going to die of utter embarrassment and the girls were with him and were all smiles as they walked together to the entrance of the Party Hall…the crowds near them were silent at first until reporters began asking for interviews from Kyo and the former pirates who accompanied him. The women who were nearby also gave the five women incredulous looks as they had never thought these women would willingly accompany a man into the hall. The five former pirates however didn't pay attention to the stares and that helped Kyo relax a bit and he and the others moved on into the hall as the doors parted.

Inside the hall, the Gundam pilot had to admit that the place was certainly an attractive place and for good reason…there were gardens there around the main hall, and a massive fountain of water in the middle of the hall, there were lights and tall statues as well, along with large pillars of colored and none colored glass with soft lights installed to create beautiful light patterns that the crystals let out…no wonder this place was used as the main venue of the Party hosted by the Megele Government. The group looked at everything and there were others there as well, many of them Megele Government officials and also high ranking people in Megele society…many of them looked at the group as well and the Gundam pilot could hear their whispers and words...

"So that's the male we've heard so much about…"

"He certainly isn't what I thought a man would look like…I thought they looked like brutes…"

"Why are those women with him?"

"Isn't that girl with the white dress the daughter of that scientist all those years ago?"

"Yes…I heard she was pardoned and reinstated by order of Grand Ma herself."

"Why is she with that man anyway? What is so special about him?"

"I wonder if all those rumors about him were true?"

"Of course they're not…."

"But still…he is the Grand Admiral…"

"Either way…it's still hard to believe a man is here of all places…in the very surface of Megele as well."

"The others…you recognize them?"

"Yes…that blonde there….she's the daughter of Selima and Alexia…hard to believe that she's with a man…it's kind of scandalous."

"Yeah…"

"But still…they seem to be quite comfortable with each other…"

The rumors went on and Kyo was getting rather annoyed by all of it but he knew better than to lose his temper as doing so would only provoke unneeded tension and he was representing the Alliance between Talark and Megele after all…acting badly could very well have dire complications and consequences for the alliance at the moment. He therefore kept his mind on the task at hand as he and the others moved on through the halls and the other adjourning rooms and soon enough, they all arrived in the main hall.

The hall was even grander than the one they had been in and there was a massive dancing hall there and on the sides were tables and a large podium in the back, along with statues and other attractive features such as trees, flower bushes and more…the Gundam pilot felt that this whole hall was spared no expense in order to be this elegant…but he had to admit that this further told him that there was a great waste of viable materials at the moment. However there would be time for that later…once he got back to his duties as Grand Admiral, he could make the needed changes with Grand Ma's permission in order to further improve the war machine of Megele…he knew the changes he had in mind was going to be met with hostility and disbelief…but he had to do it…they needed all available resources and material for full war production soon…time was of the essence.

He put that aside for the moment as he and the others had to register their names into the guest list and they were allowed to sit in their reserved location and soon enough…the other guests and celebrants were now also registered into the guest list and soon the host…a high ranking official began to speak in greeting of the current leaders and officials of the Megele Government. Kyo focused on relaxing as best he could for this day as this was a three day party celebration that he had to deal with at the moment. The caterers arrived and there was a massive buffet that came out in hover carts that brought the food and drink in and the speech was winding down…but Kyo was going to be in for a surprise when the speaker called his attention.

"I would like to have a special…guest come forward to address us tonight in this celebration…as you are all aware…Grand Ma has recently created an alliance between our world of Megele and that of the men of Talark…and placed a man in command of the Allied Fleet, and that man is present here in this hall tonight…I would like to call forward…Kyo Clyne Yamato for a few minutes of his time."

The lime light was now directed at Kyo who gave a look of surprise on this matter, he knew that he should have expected this to happen at some point but he was not expecting to be merely twenty minutes after he had sat down on the chair of his table…he looked about and saw the sea of faces directed at him by every woman in the hall…many of them were showing different looks at the Gundam pilot and Grand Admiral…some were of disdain, others of veiled hostility, others of curiosity, some of indifference…and more…it was a veritable sea of expressions and emotions and it was not limited to the leaders and officials in the other tables and seats…even the caterers, security personnel and hall staff looked on at him and this made Kyo rather annoyed and uneasy…

The only non hostile looks he got from the women were unsurprisingly from the company near him and who knew him better than just about anyone in the whole of Megele. Meia, Jura, Dita, Sara, and Mai smiled at him with encouraging looks and trust…that alone made him feel more comfortable and despite his unease, he took pride in the fact that there were people here in the hall that were on his side, and who were very important to him at this point and time. He then stood up and moved towards the podium and then faced the large number of women before him and knew that he was in the one place he was very uncomfortable in but he swallowed his unease and focused on doing what must be done here and now. He cleared his throat silently and began to speak.

"Greetings to everyone present…you already know me at this point and time so I rather doubt introductions are necessary. To be honest I was not expecting to be called up here to speak before you all and frankly, I'm not that talented when it comes to speeches, since I prefer to be in a battle-field fighting the enemy. I have been in the position of Grand Admiral for almost several weeks and it has been rather difficult to say the least as there are plenty of challenges that I have to overcome in order for this alliance to work. This is my first time being on a planet where the entire populace is female and frankly it has been rather interesting to say the least."

Some of the women gave slightly curious looks, others were a bit bored, some were cooling down their hostility by a fraction. Jura and the others however looked on and were more supportive of their loved one as Kyo then spoke once more.

"I am well aware that there are many here that think that my presence here on Megele is unwelcome and I will not presume to say I know who the people in question are…but I am here because of the crisis that looms before all the people in the system of Talark and Megele. I have seen many things in the many months I have spent on my own before arriving in this system and many of the things I have seen have been helpful in many ways, prohibitive in others. And while there are those of you who may dislike the alliance between your world of Megele and that of the male planet of Talark, there is great reason for it's formation. I also would like to point out a bit of history…I am no resident of Talark and therefore have no allegiance with the men of Talark, so I do not think under the same perceptions of the men towards other people…namely women…if you are familiar with what transpired between the meeting between Grand Ma and Grand Pa…then you are well aware of my origins…but if you are not then I will tell you if you are willing to have the time."

Seeing that he was not being stopped by anyone…he continued.

"Very well…I was born on Earth…not the same Earth that the Harvesters now reside in…but Earth from long ago…long before you're ancestors were ever born. In that time of Earth's history, at least four hundred years before the Colonization Era, I was born between two people in that period. My father was Kira Yamato, a former civilian resident of the Orb Space Colony of Heliopolis and former Alliance Mobile Suit Pilot, and my mother was Lacus Clyne, a famous singer, diplomat and leader on the ZAFT Space Colonies. I have both a male father and a female mother so I was born through the union between a man and a woman…"

Gasps were heard and the women were all looking at him as if they were trying to see if he was lying before them, Kyo let it be for the time being and when the gossip calmed down, he continued.

"As to how I am still before you despite being actually four hundred years of age now…that is a very long story that I believe should be told at another time. However I am telling the truth on this matter and I have no reason to lie about my parentage, because before I had been placed in suspended animation, I was there to attend the debut of my sister Mira before the event that 'froze' me in time. Due to my actions nearly four hundred years ago, a potential disaster that could have wiped out the human race at the time was stopped…in exchange for saving the people of Earth so long ago… I lost my memories, and was thought dead for the centuries as time moved on without me, my family and friends eventually perished and the world I knew ever since I was a child vanished forever. In that time until my awakening from my long sleep, the Colonization Era had begun and when I finally awoke, the worlds you all know now exist and so do your civilizations. That meant that my actions had allowed humanity to grow and prosper until they explored beyond their solar system and found the worlds that are inhabited by human civilization today…including that of your world of Megele and that of the world of the men of Talark."

The implications of that was not lost to the women and they were still shocked by the fact that before them was a man who was a figure of legend, what was more unbelievable was the fact that when further understood…they all owed their lives and their very existence to this man before them. There were those of them who were still disbelieving and voiced that out a bit more loudly than most and Kyo noted that for the time being and when he was sure that the time had come for him to speak…he continued.

"I however do not see myself as some legendary person, nor will I use that facet of my life to lord over others…that is not the reason I brought that part of my life up, it is merely stating the truth, and there is one thing that I have learned from my parents…and that is not to think that you are better than others, I might be able to do things others cannot, but they can also do things that I cannot, and I cannot be judged by my abilities and gifts….but on how I use those said gifts and abilities. The things I did long ago was for the sake of the people I cherished in my life, and while I was not aware of the long term consequences and results of my actions, I will not hesitate to do them all over again. I am just a person who cares for others enough to risk his life to do so…you might find that strange…a man who is willing to help others including women, but there is no lie in that."

"As Grand Admiral of the Allied Fleet, I know that there will be hard times before all of us in this alliance and the soon to come war with the Harvesters, there will be misunderstandings, arguments, disagreements, and possibly fights…but we all must look to the truth that if we do not stand united in this time, then we all will not survive to see the future of those who will come after us. It is hard to place aside generations of prejudice and hatred…I should know because I went through the same things long ago, but we have to for the sake of the future, not just for ourselves…but for the future generations yet to come. Yes there will be hard choices, hard decisions to be made, sacrifices have to be made…and more, I will not deny that. I however am not asking you all here to discard all your ideals and your own hopes and dreams, but I am asking that for those same things, you have to put aside the past and stand united with others…including the men of Talark for this alliance can very well be the only thing that will prevent the end of all human life…that is all I have to say for now."

With that, Kyo left the podium and walked back to his table and sat down and sighed, Jura and the others were smiling at that and Kyo felt a lot better, the women there were looking at him and the Gundam pilot knew that this was going to take some time to handle for the moment. For now however…it seemed that things were moving along well enough as the women were no longer showing veiled hostility and disdain towards him…until one woman stood up and clapped her hands towards him…surprising him for a moment…until others, though only a small number did the same thing. It was not much…but it seemed that there were those in the hall that were in agreement for the time being.

--

Later…

Kyo looked out at the city of Megele and had to admit that despite all the massive uses of resources and the wasting of it too…there was a certain beauty in the city that was undeniable…and despite his dislike for their wasting of precious resources and material…he could see the beauty of Megele itself…though he hoped that in this time of crisis, things would change. He was currently out in a balcony as the party was still going on at the moment…but he decided to get some fresh air into his lungs for the moment and looked at the lights. He then took a drought of the wine in his glass and looked out to the city once more…he and the others had their dinner and the buffet was pretty large…all manner of food was there and he was very much enjoying the food and drink as well…after the dinner, there were some other speeches and small gift giving sessions to lighten the mood…and at the moment…the people in the party were free to mingle and chat with one another for the time being.

He then heard footsteps and he turned and found himself staring at a brunette woman who wore a rather elaborate dress which was orange gold in color and she seemed to be rather tall and about Jura's height, her hair seemed to be in an elaborated number of smaller braids…similar to the dreadlock hair-style that Amarone favored back on the Nirvana.

"Excuse me…are you Kyo Yamato?"

Kyo wondered what this was about and he was wary…however he sensed that there was no malice or ill intent with this woman.

"That I am…who are you?"

"My name is Kylie Reese…my daughter Sheila Reese served in the Megele Navy during the battle with the Harvesters a few days before…she was among the survivors of the Megele cruiser the Verdant Plain, that you were able to save by fighting that leader of the Harvesters."

"I see…why? Is something wrong?"

"No…I had heard you were here at the moment and I wanted to talk to you about what you've done…"

The woman gave Kyo a letter and she bowed to him and turned to leave but not before she spoke.

"I want to thank you for saving my daughter's life. And that of others as well."

The woman left and that was when he was greeted by Jura and the others who had looked for him a few moments before until the three former Dread pilots used their SEED senses to track him down instead of wandering about all over the halls. Jura and the others had seen the whole thing and they were curious about what had transpired between the woman and their loved one.

"Who was that woman Kyo?"

Meia asked as Kyo felt the letter and finding nothing dangerous at the moment to be sure, he answered.

"Her name is Kylie Reese and she was the mother of one of the women that I supposedly saved during the battle before…I'm not really sure about all that at the moment but I can sense that there's no danger at the moment so I guess opening this letter would be all right."

The women gathered about as Kyo opened the letter and true to his thoughts…there was nothing dangerous there as he read the letter.

'To Admiral Kyo Yamato…

If you have received this letter from my ohma…then I guess you know my name to be Sheila Reese…I severed on the last ship that was about to be utterly destroyed by the Harvester Leader all those days ago, the Verdant Plain…I was one of the Register Hands onboard and I had barely escaped with my life…I was thinking I was going to die that day until you and your Gundam showed up to save us…I know that you were not able to save my other friends who died that day in time…but you saved many more and I thank you. There might be those that think this alliance is wrong and that we can still win without the help of the men…

I'm not one of them…I thank you and hope that someday I can meet the man who saved my life…I would like it if I served with you as well.

Sheila Reese…'

The Gundam pilot couldn't help but smile a bit that and the women were also happy for him…to know that there are women on Megele itself who supported the alliance was a welcome thing in his mind and that of the others with him. The Gundam pilot placed the letter aside and was feeling in a more festive mood.

"Well…at least the alliance is working out here as well."

Jura replied as she kissed Kyo on the cheek and the others also agreed as they were happy for the letter and it was then that the party was now in full swing and for the first time since the night began…Kyo began to loosen up and be more relaxed. The Gundam pilot and Grand Admiral was slowly approached by other women from the party and many of them were high ranking officials and Kyo knew that he had to watch his drink as he knew that any slip up might be asking for trouble at the moment…plus he was not in the mood to be dealing with a hang over the next day.

The women who chatted with him were curious about him to a degree and asked questions…some were mostly harmless…while others were not so harmless but he dealt with them carefully and did his best to handle the situation diplomatically at the moment until time was better on his side. When the time came for the people to dance, he watched as couples danced well with one another and the scene was certainly very moving in a way…he was then asked to show his other talents and to the amazement of the women in the hall…Kyo showed his skill in dancing as well…he started with the waltz and Dita was the first he would dance with, and the two danced very well together, he then danced with the others, Jura was next and the pair were doing very well indeed, and then Meia, then Sara, and lastly Mai. All the while as the dances changed…Kyo was able to match up well and show a great streak of skill in the dance floor…shocking many of the women who were there to witness the whole thing before them as they witnessed a man who could dance very well…almost mirroring the surprise the other pirates had when they saw Kyo dance with the five women back in the pirate base.

As the party died down…Kyo was able to drive back with the girls to their chosen home…Jura's family owned a summer house that was more of a mansion than anything else at the moment…showing how wealthy and influential Jura's family were on Megele. The girls begged him to stay with them in the house for as long as he was to stay on Megele before heading back to his duties in the Megele Academy…the ultimate temptation for most men…

And Kyo was VERY tempted to say the least…however, he thought better of the idea…doing so would surely invite a slew of questions from every media group on Megele if they got wind of it. The idea of a man being in the same house with a woman was certainly something he knew the women of Megele would really be angry about and also cause quite the commotion…and he didn't even want to guess the outcome if they caught him being…well…intimate with the girls…the effect of that being seen by the women of Megele in the news would be VERY much something he hoped to avoid.

Jura and the others were somewhat disappointed but had to agree with Kyo's reasoning on the matter as they knew that since they were on Megele at the moment that idea would be asking for way too much trouble. They had to wait until there was a better time for any nightly escapades. Kyo bid them farewell and drove back to the Megele High Command building and headed for his room…his Amazon body guard detail was already there and after making a proper security sweep of his room, he took of his clothes and then went to sleep.

--

The next day…

"Oh man…what a night…"

Kyo yawned as he got out of his bed was only dressed in his boxers and under-shirt…he tidied up his bed and checked his PDA for any new messages and finding none at the moment, he went and got dressed into a pair of pants and a simple shirt and got on his sandals. He then headed for the kitchen and took a look in the fridge and began to cook his food, which comprised of bacon, eggs, muffins, rice, and some hot chocolate as well.

He was able to wipe up a simple break-fast as he placed the food in the dining area and as he ate the food and drank his hot chocolate…he turned on the nearby TV with the remote and sure enough…he was on the top news segment today as a reporter showed images and videos of him…apparently the first section of the report was based on the interviews that he had done in the Megele Academy a few weeks before. As he finished his food, he took the mug of hot chocolate and listened to the news.

"In what appeared to be a previously recorded interview with the new Grand Admiral of the Allied Fleet, this is the first time that in our history of Megele that a man was given a place among our people…the man in question going by the name of Kyo Clyne Yamato has been seen as a strict but apparently fair officer in the Megele Navy. He was recently seen in the company of several members of the former pirate crew of the Nirvana…who have recently been given amnesty by Grand Ma and had their citizenships returned."

"As far as civilian analysts have reported…the new Grand Admiral has been seen as a competent officer and is a talented pilot, though his record with our forces prior to his being promoted to Grand Admiral has been spotty…leaked reports stated that he had entered Megele sovereign space to help in the escape of the former pirates while they were still incarcerated on the asteroid prison colony, and had disabled the Megele Navy detachment that was sent to capture the pirates with whom he was apparently a key figure. There is still much speculation on how this action taken by Grand Ma will play out…however there have been those among the population who have shown considerable discontent with the addition of Kyo Yamato and there have been protests in some areas of Megele…while some have been peaceful…others have been vocal at the moment and a bit more physical."

"The Grand Admiral was recently present in the annual Party hosted by the Government and there, he had delivered what some have called a very interesting speech about the need for the alliance, which others have called it as a joke. However, the facts remained that many have considered him a good speaker…and amazingly enough…a talented dancer…several analysts have studied the videos of him dancing with his companions and have seen that he was dancing in perfect fashion. There is much yet to be decided but as far as reports have gone…Grand Admiral Kyo Yamato is proving to be a solid individual…though his detractors may say otherwise…"

Kyo sighed and placed aside the remote and finished his drink…he then headed for the door of his residence and looked to see none other than Heidi at the door…he was rather curious about what his liaison officer for Megele was doing here on the planet and he opened the door. Heidi saluted the young Gundam pilot and he replied.

"Commander Heidi…I didn't expect to see you here today."

Heidi nodded and replied.

"Grand Ma asked me to come here to help you with your stay here on Megele for the time being…I am your liaison officer after all. I also have to report to Grand Ma about the progress of the new trainees for the Dread forces and the Navy."

"I see…come in…did you have break-fast already?"

"Uh…I'm afraid not Sir…"

Kyo nodded and finished his hot chocolate and allowed Heidi into the room and her escort as well. He then led them to the seats and allowed them to sit down as he spoke.

"Well then…wait here and I'll whip you some food to eat."

Heidi looked at her superior with some surprise as she was not aware that Kyo was able to cook…she had been raised to think that men ate only those disgusting food pills, so while she had begun to lose some of the prejudice of her people…she was still convinced that men didn't know the first thing on how to cook.

"You can cook Sir?"

"Yes…I do this a lot and when I am with the Nirvana crew, I cook for them too, after all Commander…I am not from Talark so I grew up differently and I do things quite differently as well. Now what would you and the others like to have today?"

Heidi and her escorts, including Kyo's Amazon Guard detail looked at one another and wondered if they should…

Kyo wasted little time and began to cook the food for his guests, and has he did so, the smell of cooking food made it's way into the living room and to the amazement of Heidi and her fellow women…the smell was pretty good right of the bat. The Gundam pilot had a lot to do as this was the second day of the celebration and he had to be there soon…but for today, he had guests to feed as he finished with the dishes and then made a fresh batch of coffee and some fruit juice. As he took out the food and handed the food to his guests, the women looked on at the selection of sliced fruit, cooked bacon, scrambled eggs with cream cheese, warm rice and grains, hot bread with both butter and fruit jam, and they were surprised to taste the food as the food was well prepared and they couldn't help but sample more and more of the food…as Kyo watched in amusement as he poured some coffee into a mug and after adding non fat sugar and cream, he stirred the coffee and had a good drink as he waited for the women to finish the meals.

Heidi had to admit that she could see how the perceptions of her people towards men would not apply to Kyo Yamato as she could tell that the way he showed comfort around others of her gender and she couldn't help but wonder how he had grown up…he had no records she could study and since he was actually four hundred and twenty years of age, it would make sense that no one else would know about his past…only he could as he had been there before and therefore knew more about his own life. She wondered what life was like back in the past but being in the military had cut down her time in doing any work on it.

"Well…how's the food?"

Heidi smiled and replied.

"The food was great Admiral…you really know how to cook, may I ask who taught you?"

Kyo gave a slightly sad smile and replied.

"My mother and my aunt taught me how to cook when I was younger, and after I had awakened from my time being in suspended animation, I took the time to travel to other places in the universe when I had the chance and there I also learned how to cook."

"I see…"

"Well Commander…what's the next batch of activities that are on the schedule for this Party?"

"Yes…there's supposed to be something of a beach party in one of the beach resorts on Megele's coast area…the newest is the Five Star beach resort The Sapphire Mine. There's a special transport that will be ready to arrive in an hour or so. The party there is to last at least a full day and it will end there the next day as well."

Kyo gave a look of surprise at the information.

"A beach Party eh? All right…I guess I have to get ready for the transport then."

"Yes sir…I'll be taking care of the details on the ground for you in order to make sure that everything will be as needed for you. I have to take my leave sir…but thank you for the break-fast you made."

"Not a problem."

As soon as Heidi and her escorts left the room, Kyo decided to get things ready for his little trip to the beach…however…as he was getting ready to pack things up..he was alerted to a person at his door…he was a bit cautious as he left the bed room and headed there to figure out just who was at his door. The moment he opened the door he was greeted by none other than Jura, Meia, Dita, Sara and Mai…the five Dread pilots apparently were carrying bags of some sort and seemed to be on the good mood.

"Hey there Kyo!"

The Gundam pilot was immediately glomped by the girls as they each kissed him on the lips in greeting and the Gundam pilot was relieved to see them here. He had not expected them to come to him here in Megele High Command as they were technically civilians and only government and military personnel were allowed in the area. However…after a few moments of patient explanation, it turned out that Grand Ma had given special passes to come go on the premises when they could be able to do so..and apparently they were there to accompany him to the location of the second day of party hosted by the all female world's government…and they apparently had their own sets of clothes for the occasion and that made Kyo shake his head as he had a fairly accurate idea of what was going to transpire the very second they were at the location of the party's second day.

After packing his gear and being told that the transport had arrived and was waiting for him, Kyo and the former pirates made their way down and boarded the transport and were on their way…The vehicle was similar to large bus but was very spacious and had several seats and sections that were large…Kyo took a seat while the five other women who were close to him were there next time and pointing out the sights as they passed through Megele's capital city. The Gundam pilot had to admit that seeing the city was interesting indeed.

They then got to see the hotel that would serve as the venue of the second day of the party and Kyo had to admit that the place was certainly a spectacle for the moment

--

In the beach…

Kyo sighed as he looked at the ocean and had to admit that the women of Megele at least were blessed with clean waters for swimming in and he was at least impressed with the area he was supposed to stay in for the duration of the party that he was to be in for a three day period…though he was uncomfortable being in a beach of all places for the second day. And he had some good reasons…the first was the fact that he was obviously the only male on the whole beach…the rest of the occupants were all female and they were wearing various types of swim-wear which fit the environment…but those were also very distracting for him in many ways.

It was then that he knew that he was getting stared at as well, and he knew that he was being tested once more as many of the female beach goers have him odd looks. He wished that the others were around, but the five former pirates were busy getting their registrations into the very much high ranking hotel. He was very much alone as he sat there on the sand and looked on at the beach…if the place wasn't this crowded and filled with buildings…it would have resembled his home back in Orb all those years ago…

I miss home…

Kyo thought about his past and wondered on what else he would do when the war was over…he knew that thinking this way was not considered to be a wise idea as many things could happen in time and he knew that in 3 months and a few more days from now…the war that will determine the very survival of the Human race would begin and it would be a very bloody and decisive battle. He knew that things will never be easy…and he accepted that….but if they won and peace would settle in the universe…then he would have to find a place to call home eventually…the Nirvana was home but he wanted to also have a place on the surface of a planet to call home as well.

"Kyo! We're here!"

Kyo turned and his eyes widened as he gazed at Dita and the others who apparently had finished their registration and had settled into their rooms for the night and were now there to join him in the beach and boy were they dressed for the part…

Dita wore a two piece swim suit and the cloth was made from blue silk and the parts had beautiful flower patterns there and the upper top was shaped to hold her chest well, while the two piece showed her full and very lush figure and the redhead looked very desirable as she had her long red hair in her usual fashion but had a different looking tiara with a beautiful blue sapphire on the top of the tiara…she was very stunning and her smile was worth it as it was pure and very honest and innocent…not jaded and practiced.

Jura's own swimsuit was deep green to match her eyes and there were beautiful light streaks of gold yellow there as well, the swim suit there was a slit in the middle that exposed her flat stomach and the one piece suit was holding Jura's ample breasts well while her lush blonde hair was behind her and acted like a golden silk cloak behind her and added to her overall beauty, which was very much stunning…but Kyo knew Jura's inner beauty and spirit and that further made her gorgeous in his eyes.

Meia was wearing a deep white one piece suit that showed her back well and hugged her frame very well and there was a beautiful lace work of green gemstones that mixed well with her own deep green eyes and added beauty to the former Dread pilot and current Gundam pilot despite the fact that she didn't wear her circlet for the time being…but to him…she was radiantly beautiful…even more so now that she smiled more often and enjoyed life and more open to being with others who cared about her.

Sara wore a deep red one piece swim suit that was in a two piece design and had straps that overlapped each other on the back and the swim suit hugged her frame very well and there were also small flower like designs on the swim suit which mixed nicely with her figure. She gave a warm smile at him and that made all the difference…he knew he could rely on Sara when the chips were down and her being attractive and a brave woman was a plus.

Mai wore a deep purple two piece suit and there was a triangle there on the top of her breasts that showed a portion of her breasts…and there was a pair of slits on the sides too… near the hips and made her appear even sexier than most and Kyo loved the way she carried herself with a warrior's grace and showing a kind heart as well.

The Gundam pilot looked at them as they walked over and hugged him and he hugged them back…the other women were stunned to see the five women hug a man and while there were those of them who were giving looks of disgust at the sight of the women hugging the man..there were those who were looking on with surprise as the five women showed no discomfort or were suffering any diseases that men were supposed to carry at all.

Kyo however smiled as he went with them and decided to enjoy the party and have fun with those who he trusted and loved with every fiber of his being and the girls loved him back and that was all that mattered to him and the thought of having the chance to start his own family someday made his spirits even stronger…

For the five women…to see Kyo smiling and being happy filled them with their own happiness and that was what mattered to them as well and the thought of someday being able to live in peace with him and have children with him was a dream come true for them…something they were willing to fight for.

The party was well under way as the various numbers of female officers were busy having contests and more and Kyo was able to participate and Jura, Meia, Dita, Sara, and Mai were his team in some of the contests as well and this was making Kyo feel more at home…and during the later parts of the day…Kyo was always accompanied by them as he socialized with the other members of the Megele government, both civilian and military and his patience helped him navigate through many possible traps that could be there and he was able to help improve the perception of the people in government of him being part of the Alliance and the current head of the Allied Fleet. Kyo was finally able to enjoy the party in the second day and he hoped that things would continue to improve for the Alliance…his one concern was how things were going to work out once he got to Talark…he had a feeling things were going to be hard once he got there on the all male world.

As the day moved on…Kyo wondered on how else things would play out while he was here on Megele. He had already met Jura's Fahma and Ohma and while there was little chance that Meia's own family would visit him…there was still the chance that he would meet Dita's own parents and those of Sara and Mai as well. He had a feeling that sooner or later…he would have to deal with meeting the parents at some point…but for now…he was content to be here.

He then wondered how Duero and Max were doing…he had no doubt in his mind that they would have already met their loved one's parents and he hoped that things would work out for them all.

--

To be continued

--

This is the finish of this chapter for the time being….as the last day of the party is nearing the end…how will the Megele officers view Kyo as Grand Admiral of the Allied Fleet and the only male officer in the ranks of their military with the end of the party?

Apart from that matter with the Alliance…there is also the question on how the meeting between Duero and Parfait's ohma and fahma…along with Max's own meeting with Barnette's own fahma and ohma…how did it turn out and will the parents approve of the relationship that has blossomed between their respective daughters and the two Talark men. How will that turn out and will it be good for them all.

And naturally….Kyo has to meet the ohma and fahma of Dita, Sara, and Mai respectively at some point and how will the meetings play out.

The story took me a while to wrap up due to so many things that have been occupying my mind for some time and for the long delays…I apologize for that long delay as I had so many things to work on…but I will be easing myself back into this story and hopefully reach the completion of this work of mine…and I hope to end it with a loud bang. The other members of the Resistance will play a role in the coming conflict so don't think I have forgotten them all entirely.

The story arc chapter 12 will be reaching the end soon and soon the Chapter 13 story arc will begin and when that happens…things will be very long and fierce so enjoy the peace that is in the Chapter 12 arc as it lasts….and if you want to know if I have plans to have the couples in GunDread SEED have families soon…well…you'll have to wait and see.

But until that time comes…well…you can bet that things for Kyo will be far from peaceful or restful as well…but they will be far from boring.


	36. Chapter 36 Lemon

GunDread SEED The Second Stage

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to VanDread or Gundam SEED.

Chapter 12

Part 3

Trials

( ) Thoughts

--------

Megele…

Kyo was busy as it was early morning on Megele and he needed to get some needed exercise in order to relax and get limber in the day. Last night's party was rather loud and extravagant…as was expected in a place like Megele and after all he had seen it was rather overdoing it…and that was a concern that eh would have to address at some point and time when he got back to his duties on the Megele military…but for now he placed those thoughts aside as he walked out of the hotel and arrived near the beach. He looked about and made sure that he was the only one there and when he was assured that he was alone, he began to train in the martial arts in order to loosen up…but not before stretching and doing some jogging on the beach for a few minutes.

This was something of a routine he had whenever he was on a planet without battles and he just needed to rest and gather supplies in his free time….it kept him fit and the reason he never did this on nirvana was that he preferred to keep this limited to planets when he was able to do so. As soon as a light sweat was on his body and the first slivers of morning light came to the horizon, he went down to the routine and used his martial arts training to strengthen his muscles.

As Kyo felt his body adapt and move with better speed and power, he threw kicks and punches as he moved in a graceful kata that made it seem that he was fighting with several variants of martial arts. The Gundam pilot focused himself and he felt his body and mind begin to work in cohesion with one another and that was something he enjoyed and it helped him well.

The Gundam pilot was so focused in his training that he didn't notice that he was attracting a small audience. Meia, Jura, Dita, Sara, and Mai were awakened and had attempted to sneak into Kyo's bedroom suite to surprise him, but they were surprised to find the place empty and there for a moment they began to panic…until Dita suggested they try and use the special senses that they had gotten from Kyo and were able to find him…they were about to call him but decided not to and they were happy that they didn't disturb him as Kyo began his routine in the martial arts.

The five girls were also enthralled by the images and it was understandable that they also didn't pay much attention to the place and area around them as they were more interested in looking at Kyo as he went through the martial arts routine and it was only when a number of voices filled the air that they turned and found nearby that a number of other Megele females were on the scene…most of them were hotel support staff and others were also some of the few Megele officers who were early risers as well. They were commenting about what Kyo was doing and it was Jura who put a stop to that with a spoken phrase.

"Keep quite!"

The women were surprised and watched as the blonde was joined by her companions in giving them warning glares and while not that intimidating was unexpected to say the very least as the five girls went back to watching Kyo do his routine training…as the sunlight began to fill up the beach and the sound of gentle waves came in as well. The audience grew until it turned out that some of the new arrivals were members of Megele's media group that were there to cover the last day of the party being hosted by the government and the moment they were in the area…they quickly recorded what was happening in the beach.

It naturally didn't take long for Kyo…who was dressed only in a light pair of training pants when he began his exercise to know that he had company and that made him rather self conscious…granted that he had only been wearing his swimming trunks yesterday during the party but this was definitely something he was not expecting this early in the day…but he decided to finish the training anyway and worry about the consequences later, besides…it's not like he was doing anything indecent anyway…just training, right?

--------

In the dining hall…

Kyo was busy eating some hot rice and ham with eggs as he sat there alongside Dita and the others who were with him at the moment…the Gundam pilot occupied a reserved table for him and his companions were all around him while they were in the large hall, which he had been in before, last night for the dinner party. The Hotel was certainly an eye full in his mind and the many decorations and designs were a lot than he expected…along with other things such as statues…most of them were artistic and some were following human shape.

That was not on Kyo's mind as he recalled the massive number of people who had witnessed his training in the beach earlier and it had given him a lot to explain over the course of his trip back to his room…being accompanied by Jura and the others as he went into the suite he was assigned to and took a long shower…keeping the water neutral in temperature and he dressed in a simple but classy pair of clothes, a white long sleeved shirt and black jeans with simple shoes…simple but he was comfortable in them and he took comfort over style many times in his life. As he ate his food he felt the stares being directed at him by the people in the hall and it was getting to be rather annoying but he knew that it was part of what he had to expect and being in the company of the women he loved helped him ease through those feelings and situations.

The one thing that galled him a bit more the rumors he kept hearing about him and sometimes directed at Dita, Jura, Meia, Sara, and Mai…it was getting on his nerves when some of the rumors he heard were far from being polite and that was what irritated him to the most at this point and time but he knew that to balance it out…there were nice people here enough people who didn't have too many bad things to say about him being here on Megele and that was enough.

He finished his meal and then took the time to watch his companions eat their own food at the moment and he listened to their conversations.

The girls were busy trading stories back and forth being the friends they had been before he came on the Nirvana and into their lives and he couldn't help but smile at that as he listened intently to their stories back and forth and laughed with them when something funny came on the area of conversation as well. He then wondered just what was happening back the Nirvana at the moment and how his comrades were doing back there with their current slew of duties.

--------

Back on the Nirvana…

Duero was busy working on several cases of injuries to the crew and he was doing his work patiently and admirably as he always didn't, but he seemed a bit more alert and somewhat better focused in his duties. As he finished checking the last case, he took the time to sit back and calm his mind and he couldn't help but smile a bit as he thought back on his meeting with Parfait's ohma and fahma. The meeting was not that bad and they were open-minded about the affections their daughter had towards him…and apparently things were going to be all right.

Truth be told…it was nerve wracking as he was busy giving them information about the past year and his relationship with their child, and while at first glance that didn't seem to be that hard, it was to him in a lot of ways. They listened intently and Parfait filled in other details that she knew were of great importance to her parents and that helped the two understand why their daughter spoke so highly of him and his contributions to the pirates…and…to her.

The Talark doctor stopped his musings as a certain someone came into the room and he turned to see Parfait smile and she hugged him as soon as she was close enough to him. The Talark doctor smiled and hugged her back and Parfait then kissed him in the cheek and spoke.

"How is work Duero?"

"It's been tiring but rewarding as well."

Parfait knew that to be true and she hoped that when peace time had finally come once the war was finally over with the harvesters she and Duero could start thinking about their own future together…her ohma and fahma were highly approving of Duero and had even spoken with Duero's Alpha and her parents and Duero's only father seemed to be comfortable talking with them and that was something that Parfait liked a great deal. The two sets of parents were in very good terms and that was something that made her even more comfortable as well.

Parfait then did her work and checked the Medical Bay's computers while Duero greeted a new band of men from Talark who came to ask him questions regarding women and when they saw Parfait they were somewhat surprised to see a woman there…but they decided to talk only to Duero as that was the reason they were there in the first place. The men were very curious about why is it that whenever Parfait would smile at Duero's direction, the young Talark medic would smile back at her as well…almost with affection

The men were becoming a lot more comfortable with the women in the Nirvana…mainly the ones who were from the Megele delegation though there were the usual ups and downs of the situation as well, the women would do something that confounded the men and the same would happen when the men did something that confounded the women as well…though it seemed that things at least were smoother…better in some respects than what the crew of the Nirvana had to deal with for the past year and a half…while working together to get home. So far things were more hectic and the crew would take whatever time they had to relax from the hard work that they had to be part of.

In another part of the Nirvana…Max was busy on his own end as he was discussing some of the fundamental differences between men and women to several women who were on the Megele delegation, with Barnette helping him out on areas that had to be understood better by her comrades from Megele. The emerald haired woman was comfortable with her loved one and so was he and she even told them how she and Max met…much to his embarrassment and it made more than one of the Megele delegation wonder if there was truly a chance a woman could love a man from Megele…of course the biggest examples of such unions were none other than Duero and Parfait, and Max and Barnette themselves…and there were other friendships between men and women as well.

The friendship between Gascogne and Aleck had been growing for the past few weeks as the strong and tough head supplier was normally seen in the company of the hardnosed but dependable Vanguard pilot. They were usually seen playing cards and trading stories back and forth, along with Aleck helping out in the Register every now and then.

There were other signs that the project was working well as there had been less incidents of misunderstandings between the delegations of men and women and it was improving the morale and belief in the alliance between Talark and Megele at the moment.

--------

Back on Megele…

Kyo was enjoying the sights of the beach as the last day of the three day long party was reaching it's end with a large open area buffet in the hotel's outer courtyard facing the beach at the moment. And there were speeches and more as the women enjoyed their celebration, while he and his companions were also looking at the celebration…the place was also being recorded by the media as they were focused on the party and him as well…he had no doubt that by the end of today…he was going to be on the news all over again…not like that was anything new…he had gotten so used to it for the past few weeks that he was ready for another interview the very second they asked him questions.

Jura, Dita, Meia, Sara, and Mai were never apart from him and he would not have it any other way as they looked on and then several reporters came towards Kyo and asked him another band of questions that were very much different and they wanted to know what his thoughts were on this world that he was on and one he was charged to protect from the Harvesters. He told the reporters that while there were some things he disapproved of on Megele…such as their rivalries with one another and the overuse of resources…it was beautiful world fighting for and he would do what he could to defend it but reminded them at that they all had to stand united with the men to accomplish such an end... and to do that…they needed to work and prepare and be ready for the battles ahead…and to avenge those who died in the war with the Harvesters.

As the party began to die down and come to an end…Heidi arrived with a few guards and Kyo extracted himself from his companions and went to his liaison officer, Heidi saluted him and then spoke to him.

"I was informed by Grand Ma…she had seen your actions in the party while you were here on our planet Admiral Yamato…and she is happy for all that you have done to the survival and credibility of the Alliance…there will still be dissent but you have begun the process of making the Alliance a reality…so she had given you one week leave starting today."

"Really?"

Kyo was surprised at that…he had been wondering if he was going to be taken back to work and he would leave to ride in his Gundam, the I-Freedom…but it seemed that his arrival had played a key role in further improving the Alliance in the eyes of the women on Megele and that in his mind was a good thing.

"Yes…she has also issued a high priority protection order on you while you are here on vacation. That means that the Megele Military Intelligence Agency will be responsible for your protection and under Grand Ma's personal order while you are here on Megele for the duration of your stay…Grand Ma has even commissioned a bank account for you to use while you are here."

Kyo smiled at that and made his way back to the others and told them the news and they were naturally pleased with that fact that he was now able to reside in Megele for a week and they had every intention to make his stay here in their world a very memorable one. Heidi was pleased as well…she had grown to admire and respect the young Admiral though chronologically she was FAR older than her or anyone else on Megele at the moment.

She then decided to return to her duties and needed to make a check on the Admiral's Gundam…the I-Freedom was currently under strict guard in a Megele Military Hanger at the moment and was under strict security and was not tampered with under Grand Ma's orders…she had told Kyo that the Mobile Suit that he piloted was in good hands and it was…several women had attempted to bypass the security but they were removed without incident…the Commander had seen how the Mobile Suit performed and knew that NO woman could master it the way the Admiral of the Allied Fleet did. And besides that…The admiral did state that the Mobile Suit was not only heavily protected by a security program…but it had something of a sentient system that forbade anyone else from operating it except him…and she took his word for it.

The party celebrants were all brought back to their residences and Kyo was brought back to his place in the Military building and he then packed up his gear and clothes as he now was convinced by Jura to bunk down with them in her summer home. He was still not very sure about all this but decided not to argue and he got ready to go as he and the five girls rode in the car he had rebuilt and headed to the summer home…

Jura's parents were well connected to have the summer home resemble a mansion that was spacious and decorated to the extreme and was well made too…the security seemed to be top class and the people who resided here would have lived in complete luxury and comfort as well, Kyo speculated as he was escorted into the compound by the girls and he was guided to the room he would be staying in for the time being…there were several servant girls in the compound as well…no doubt residents in the summer home as well.

As Kyo entered his newly assigned room…he whistled at the very specious sight and thought about staying here…when he could very well fit the living room, dining room, and kitchen of his old home into this one room. There was already a bed and some closets though what they were full of he had no idea at the moment.

"Wow…this is one spacious place….you sure I can stay here Jura?"

"Of course I do…besides, as much as you were able to stay in that hotel…I doubt you can afford being there for too long, the rates are high and here at least you'll be our company."

The Gundam pilot gave her and the others a very curious and sly look as they all blushed at him in answer and he spoke.

"I give up…all right…give me a few minutes to unpack."

As Kyo finished the unpacking…he dressed into a comfortable pair of pants and a shirt with sandals and made his way through the house and marveled at the sights once more when he spotted Dita walking up to him with a warm and open smile and it seemed that she was not alone as there were two other people behind her and it seemed that they were eager to meet him for some reason as he could tell that from the way they were looking at them…Dita naturally introduced them to one another.

"Kyo…this is my ohma, Marian Liebely."

The women before him had the same deep red hair that Dita had on her…but in her case it was in a shorter length than Dita's and was in a ponytail and the woman's eyes were deep green…certainly not the same as Dita's deep blue eye color but he could tell that Dita had some similarities to her ohma, Marian was taller then Dita and it would make sense that Dita would get her height from her ohma. The woman also wore the same types of clothes that her daughter wore…the only difference was she wore a pair of pants and short boots unlike Dita and she seemed to be wearing some sort of decorative hairpin on her hair.

Dita then turned to the other woman in the room.

"And this is my fahma Jen Liebely."

The woman had deep brown hair in a rather simple but elegantly made ponytail and she had the same deep blue eyes of her daughter, this told Kyo just where Dita got her eye color from and the woman was tall…somewhat taller than Dita but not as tall as Marian. She wore a very clean cut and somewhat formal suit, showing that she was a high ranking member of Megele society as well…though in what capacity he had no idea at the moment…Kyo knew that Dita had not talked about her parents a great deal since he knew her and he did have some worry on how the relationship between Dita and her parents would be…thankfully it became apparent that Dita was on very cordial terms with her parents.

Kyo greeted both women and they were directed to the dinning area of Jura's home and there the tables were already being covered by food and drink and it was a good thing to see…as they all ate their dinners, Dita's ohma and fahma would ask questions towards Kyo on many things that they wanted to know about him and his relationship with their daughter Dita. They were very much amused by the story of exactly how their daughter and Kyo met and they were impressed at how much things had changed for their daughter. They also asked questions on how they had been together.

It was also there that Kyo learned that Marian

As time wore on and the night was getting longer… Kyo bid farewell to Dita's parents and decided to go and get some rest And this allowed the women to talk among themselves and think over what the future might hold for them when they did win the battle with the Harvesters and granted their people a chance to finally relax and recover.

--------

The next day…

Kyo woke up to a new roof and he was at first rather confused until he realized that he was in Jura's summer home…the home was naturally lavishly decorated and there were paintings here and there as well were statues of beautiful shapes and figures. Kyo recalled just what sort of memories he had last night when Jura and the others were waiting for him at dinner, and he then met Dita's fahma and ohma. The two women were very much as open minded and kind hearted as their daughter and that told him loads on where Dita got her open minded and kind nature.

The two women were very much interested in the deep seated affection their young daughter had for Kyo and were very much impressed by what they were able to learn about Kyo and from their daughter…he couldn't help but wonder what was he going to do now that he was given leave by Grand Ma to relax and be there on Megele for a week before heading off to his duties…it was to allow him to enjoy a break for a bit before his return to combat training.

As he got out of the plush and undeniably comfortable bed he yawned and decided to do some routine stretching exercises to get the darn kinks out of his system and as soon as he was done with some of the basic stretching, he then did a few martial arts routines in the spacious room that he had been given by Jura. The security in Jura's summer home was pretty high…as expected as her fahma and ohma had high places in Megele society so he didn't have to do the usual routine of checking for any bugs in the room. And he then reached for the remote nearby and then out came the TV and he decided to see how the media was going about it's usual business of informing the public.

So far the reports were focused on the ever growing military mobilization along with other reports on various sectors of the planet and the government crackdown on dissidents who were still not fully trusting of the alliance at the moment…he decided to at least plan out a dialogue meeting with the leaders of the said dissidents to see just what is it they still had against the alliance and he hoped to smooth things out. He then looked at the other channels and to his discomfort…he found out that a vast portion of the channels had soap operas on them…most on the romantic drama/comedy stuff…he was understanding of it…he had seen a few in his younger days surfing the channels but this was the first time ALL the characters were female.

He placed the remote down and then got up from the bed and opened the door and there in the halls…he decided to head to the kitchen and see if he could cook break-fast for the day…however, he was beaten to it when he spotted a number of female servants already hard at work with the preparations of break-fast…making him realize that he was not going to get much done and decided to visit the bath-room and get a decent soak in the hot tub.

As he got into the bath-room, which was the same size as the Nirvana's communal bath he decided to get into the hot tub after making the needed adjustments and then took a quick shower after removing his clothes and then he went into the pool of water which was now showing some steam and he removed the cloth piece that held his hair together and allowed his hair to spread out as he entered the bath while wearing only a towel and as soon as he sat down and was in the water…he sighed and relaxed a bit at the warm water.

"Ahhhh…that's better…"

Kyo enjoyed the warmth and the feeling of ease for a change of pace…he had no idea just how utterly stressed out he was until now…the three day party might have been enjoyable for many involved…but it was not entirely enjoyable for him as he had to do a lot of dodging for the past three days…namely in the sense of not doing something that could have bad results for the alliance between Talark and Megele…that was the thing that marred the celebratory atmosphere for him entirely…but at least he was now given a full week to relax under the orders of Grand Ma…he had been told so by Heidi who he had left in charge of the ongoing training of the new Dread pilots for the time being, he had no idea how long he would be on vacation but he was going to enjoy it for as long as he could as minutes passed..

(I had no idea how tired I really was…I guess I really need to build up my stamina and rest for a while…and seven days is really going to be worth it.)

Kyo was so relaxed that he was not aware of the fact that he had company as he had closed his eyes for a few minutes…it was only when he heard giggling that he opened his eyes…to find none other than Dita, Jura, and Meia in the pool with him…and they were in their birthday suits at the moment…making Kyo gasp a bit as he realized that he was not alone…but unlike his last encounter with the girls in a situation like this where he bolted like greased lightning…he stayed and looked at them.

"Hey…I didn't know you were here."

"You must have been really tired Kyo, we were only here for a few minutes."

The women then decided to see if they could help their loved one relax and they talked it over for a few minutes on how things were going to be for the day and they decided that just for today they would stay in Jura's summer house and relax…Kyo agreed as he decided to enjoy the atmosphere for the time being and being with familiar faces was certainly a good thing on his mind as this spared him from worrying too much on the war…at least for a week before heading off to Talark.

As they finished their bath and got dressed, Kyo and the others sat down to break-fast and he told them about the rest of his life…namely both good and bad details and the women attentively listened to his stories and his memories and they asked what he had done on his travels, since while he told them some of his travels in deep space before arriving at Talark and Megele, he kept some to himself for other important reasons as he had been fighting as a form of mercenary to get by…just like Rabat in some degrees but never in the same capacity.

After break-fast, Jura and the others decided to take the time to go shopping for some goods and supplies in the city for the time being and make things a lot more comfortable for Kyo and also to make sure that the summer house was well stocked…while the servants were more than qualified to do those things…Jura preferred to do the shopping for herself for the time being as she had a plan to learn how to cook even more…this left only Meia with Kyo for the day.

It was then that Meia spoke to Kyo.

"Kyo…can I ask a favor from you?"

Kyo looked at Meia and replied.

"You don't need to ask twice Meia…what is it you need from me?"

"I need to buy some things…for my ohma and fahma…I plan to visit them."

"But I…oh I see…all right then Meia…I'll get the car ready."

Kyo already knew for a fact that her parents were already dead and no doubt in a cemetery and this meant that Meia had every intentions of visiting her now deceased parents…and from the sound of her voice…it would be the very first time she would visit them in a long time since their deaths and the tragedy that scarred her.

"Are you going to be all right?"

Meia saw the concern in his eyes and smiled back and replied.

"I'll be fine. I'll be there in a minute."

Later, Kyo awaited Meia as he got his car ready for the trip to the city to buy what she needed for the visit and there came Meia in her new and simple white sundress. They two drove into the city and when they arrived at the city Kyo escorted Meia into the stores to get what she needed and while there were many women who were shocked to see him, they were able to quickly get the supplies before things got hairy…though several bands of women would sometimes block their path and ask Kyo questions…the Gundam pilot managed to diplomatically move his way past them and help Meia get her gifts from the stores that had them and as soon as she assured him that she had everything she needed…he got the car ready and logged into the Megele's civilian navigation system and was now on his way to the cemetery that held the tombs of both of Meia's parents.

The navigation system allowed him to guide the car past the traffic and pick the quickest but also the safest routes through the city and right for the cemetery that Meia's parents were in…as they arrived there…Kyo decided to let meia have time for herself in this as he would feel like he was intruding on a private matter had he come along with the aqua-haired girl…he knew about the relationship she had with both her parents and how much she had wanted to make things right with them both if given the chance…and this was it.

--------

In the cemetery…

Meia, dressed in a simple white sundress and wearing her circlet, walked towards the marker that had her fahma and ohma's names on it…it had been so long since she had ever set foot in this place…so long since she had seen the funeral of her parents and then her life as a street hood started…she wanted to never come here again for a long time…but now that she had made peace with her past…she wanted to come here and make amends for not being there to visit them…the marker was still there…and she was happy that cleaner droids kept the place clean and not overgrown with grass and weeds…she had several things on hand…some flowers that she knew her fahma loved, a small box containing incense for her ohma and a small gemstone that she had been able to purchase.

Kyo was there on the other side of the field…watching over their car and he understood that this was something that Meia needed to do on her own and decided not to interfere…she was happy that her beloved had volunteered to escort her and help her with getting the gifts for her trip to her parents' grave. It had been something she had always felt she would never get the chance to do…but after all that has happened…now was the right time.

As she arrived there at the marker…she placed down the flowers and the gifts and spoke a brief prayer…and as soon as she was done…she decided to speak to her parents.

"It's been so long…I thought I would never have the courage to come back here…after all that has happened between us. But I have…and it feels right."

"I am so sorry for all the times I have ever been a problem, on how I lost my way…how far I have fallen from being your daughter…and how much of a mess I made of my life for so long, all the time wasted on being afraid…you were all so courageous…more than me..I miss you…I miss you both…"

Meia began to cry but unlike before when she would try to fight away her tears...she let them loose this time as she thought about all the memories she had of her ohma and fahma and how much she really missed them. She wiped away her tears as she looked at the marker and smiled.

"But I've grown up now…after so long, I finally made peace with myself after all that has happened to me…ever since that day I saw you all last. I know in my heart that you both were always there for me and that you always loved me no matter how things turned out for me…I have so much to say to you both that I do not know here to begin at all…"

Meia wiped away her tears and decided to talk once more to her parents…she knew that they would not hear her as they were no longer in this world…but the feeling of finally being before them and letting loose all her emotions overpowered her as she gathered composure.

"I have made friends and family again…and I…am in love…I am in love with someone who helped me in so many ways…but it's not with a woman of Megele…but a man…yes, a man, but not any ordinary man and not a man of Talark…but a man who has done so much for all of us and the human race…I wish you were alive so you both of meet him…you would have loved him. His name is Kyo Clyne Yamato…"

She then spoke about how she and Kyo met all those months before and she could feel her heart beat faster at the memories of the past as she continued to pour out her memories to her parents and despite knowing that they were already gone…she could feel them smiling, laughing and listening to every word she said and she felt herself grow happier as she talked about all that had happened since joining the pirates and meeting Kyo Yamato.

It was then that she told them about her…first time with Kyo and how wonderful it was to be with him after admitting that she was in love with him. She blushed as she finished talking about it and then she spoke once more.

"I love him so much that it hurts to be apart from him…I know that it might seem odd I would love a man…but I do…he broke the walls I placed around my heart and made me feel more alive than I ever thought possible…I shudder at the thought of being apart from him and never meeting him…he saved my life many times and always did his best…I always felt great fear whenever he was in a dangerous situation…but I would feel utter joy to be close to him again. I tried to deny these feelings but I treasure them now. There's so much happening out there…"

"A war is coming…and I will soon be in the very heart of it, with him and my friends as well…I'm not the only one who loves him…but he loves us all and I would be proud that once this war ends…I can be able to bear his child…I don't care if it is a boy or girl…I will love the child born of my life and Kyo's own and be a good mother to my child…and if Kyo wants to…I would gladly bear many children with him. I love him…and he loves me deeply as well…and him and I are united in a way I can never truly describe…someday I will bring my future family for you to see…I will see you again and I will make your dreams and mine a reality…I promise."

Meia felt in her heart that her ohma and fahma heard her and they were there with her and that was enough as she bowed and made another prayer and turned to meet up with Kyo.

Kyo looked at Meia and smiled a bit as he could see that Meia had finally been able to make peace with her family and he was happy for her as well. The Gundam pilot walked over to Meia and hugged her as she was still crying and with a simple smile that showed his feelings…Kyo kissed her on the head and she smiled back as they drove all the way back to Jura's summer home.

As they got back to Kyo's residence he was able to arrive at lunch time and there were the girls already having lunch and he and Meia joined them and it was then that Jura asked Kyo a question that has been with her since he had set foot on her home planet.

"Kyo…what do you think of our world here?"

Kyo thought it over and replied.

"It's a nice planet but Gasco showed me the uglier side of it as well…no offense but we can't afford to be wasting time on all these unneeded projects such as who has the better garden…I doubt the Harvesters would care about that anyway."

The blonde nodded as she understood what Kyo was saying as she replied.

"I guess…there were plenty of jealous and just annoying women who tried to derail my ohma and fahma's respective careers more than once…and despite their love of our home…I sometimes saw them being frustrated with it all."

"I see…well…your parents are all right Jura and I'm sure they're happy for you."

The blonde smiled and teased Kyo.

"That's true…and I can bet they would love it if they met their soon to be conceived grand –children."

Kyo nearly choked on the fish he was eating but recovered and looked at Jura with a surprised look as the blonde merely grinned and he was very much curious if Jura was pulling his leg, Jura however replied to the inquiry she could see in Kyo's face.

"No…I'm not pregnant yet Kyo so no need to worry just yet."

Kyo gave a look of relief and said to Jura that he would never mind it if she did become pregnant eventually…and Jura smiled at that. The group had some time to themselves and since he was in good company...Kyo didn't mind taking it easy for once and enjoy the lunch they were having as there was a good spread there before him at the moment.

As they ate their lunch they took the time to relax as they were all alone for the time being and it was something that they treasured for all it was worth…the months of battles, and more…plus the personal and emotional changes they all had undergone ever since the journey they had taken had placed a strain on them all and a break was certainly something they welcomed greatly. And it was even more so for Kyo as he had a lot of things to do when he got back and having the time alone with the girls was certainly something he wanted to enjoy for the time being.

After lunch the group headed off to play in the backyard garden and swimming pool area in Jura's summer home and it was a beautiful place to be in for the time being as it was cool and there were plenty of trees that were naturally grown at the moment and this allowed them to further enjoy the calm atmosphere….the group then the time to go swimming yet again…though Kyo was at first unsure about the idea until the women pushed him into the pool. The water was cool and well regulated and was not too deep and Kyo sputtered as he got to the surface and turned…just in time to see the women had been removing their clothes and were now only in their comfortable bras and panties…making Kyo gulp at the sight as they all went into the water with him and Kyo quickly found himself being surrounded by the women he loved deeply and they were all taking turns to hold him close…

The day was spent nicely in the pool and the five women and the Gundam pilot enjoyed the comforts of being in vacation for the time being as the pools in the back were very large and spacious at the moment and were good for swimming in. The group spent time there to relax and then the servants would have food brought in for them to have as they each took the time to enjoy the calmer atmosphere as the day wore on….

As the group decided to let the servants head on home in the servants' quarters in Jura's summer home….Kyo decided to get out of the pool to get himself dried out….but the girls had OTHER ideas….it had been some time since they had been with Kyo and in their minds…it was high time they got to catch up on things that involved them and the man they each had a love affair with. With that plan in mind the women got ready for another wild night in the pool.

Kyo had barely got out of the pool and headed for the door when Meia grasped his hand and spoke to him.

"Where do you think you are going Kyo?"

"Uh….to dry up and…"

Meia however smiled warmly as she made Kyo turn around and before he could do anything at the moment….she went forward and kissed him. The Gundam pilot was surprised by this and he hit the reinforced door with a slight thud. And it was then that Meia and the others made their mover as they all reached Kyo in record time…

Kyo only had enough time to take a gulp of air before the real party began.

--------

(Lemon Time…)

--------

Kyo had no time to react as Jura kissed him on the cheek and Dita then kissed him deeply on the lips as well as Meia…making it a three way kiss between the male Gundam pilot and the redhead and aqua-haired Gundam pilots.. Jura then moved downward with her hands and ran her hands gently on Kyo's toned and well formed stomach and he moaned as Jura placed butterfly kisses on his stomach and rubbed her hands on each kissed area….adding to the sensations he was feeling at this very moment.

Sara and Mai however had other plans as they reached for several towels and there was still some food and drink there on the relaxation area of the pool, the two of them set up the place as Jura, meia, and Dita were busy getting the Gundam pilot and Grand Admiral of the Allied Fleet ready for another very interesting night with them. They had been unable to be with him for the past few days and they were eager to get him together with them again….they wanted this night to be something that Kyo would not easily forget.

And it was working as Jura reached for his sex and gently rubbed her hands on her loved one's penis and she smiled warmly as it reacted the way she liked and got hard immediately. The blonde woman then reached for the straps of her bra and gently removed the comfortable undergarment and freed her large and firm breasts out and she tugged down Kyo's shorts….revealing his sex and she smiled warmly as she continued to run her hands slowly on his sac and kissed it gently on the head with her lips…making Kyo moan out in an even louder fashion, much to her delight. Jura then got up and traded placed with Meia and kissed Kyo deeply while rubbing her breasts on his body.

Meia reached Kyo's sex and gently kissed it and then she took it into her mouth slowly and gently….moaning out loud at the feel of it in her mouth and recalled how to do this right. As soon as she was assured that she was comfortable…she began to move her head back and forth, while licking and kissing Kyo's sex gently...making him moan out in a very loud fashion and all three Gundam pilot relished that as they continued to pleasure him.

Dita and Jura then moved away and Dita also removed her bra and panties…with Jura following in the same way as Meia did likewise. The aqua haired woman then was now naked before Kyo and grabbed his hands and they took him to the area where Sara and Mai were at the moment and as soon as Kyo was there….he was turned around and Jura made him sit down on the chair and she straddled him…placing her breasts in front of his face…and Kyo didn't have to be told what to do as he reached out and touched Jura's breasts and licked them gently and then took her right nipple into his mouth…making the blonde vixen moan out in pleasure and desire as she held him close to her.

Meia then moved next to Kyo and as she kissed him….she moved his free right hand and placed it on her own breasts as Kyo kneaded them gently with his hand and she then guided it to her wet sex and Kyo could only moan as he felt Meia's wetness before him at the moment. He felt his body increase in pleasure as Meia guided him and he moved his fingers to pleasure her as best he could and he then moved to Jura's other breast and laved the same hot and passionate attention on the blonde's other breast and nipple. Jura moaned out loud at this and she felt Kyo's penis on her butt and she smiled lovingly at the feel of Kyo's sex there….she then had an idea and got up a bit and positioned Kyo's sex in line with hers and she slowly pushed it down….Kyo groaned as he felt Jura's wet sex take him into it's hot, wet, soft and tight depths….Jura relished the feel of it and then began to move her hips up and down on Kyo's sex.

"Jura……!!!!"

Kyo lay down on the chair and Dita took her turn as she presented her breasts to Kyo and he gently responded to the offer and played with her right breast with his mouth….making the redhead moan out in utter pleasure and desire…a few minutes of this and Dita then straddled Kyo's face and revealed her glistening wet sex and Kyo replied with the unspoken invitation and leaned upward and took in Dita's moisture and licked her folds….making Dita moan out even louder than before.

"Oh yes!!!"

Kyo looked up and saw Sara and Mai playing with Dita's breasts with their hands and he was even more aroused by the sight and felt his fingers enter Meia's wet and hot pussy quickly and the aqua haired Gundam pilot relished this greatly as she moaned out loud. Kyo felt like he was going to be in heaven in the next few minutes as he moved his hips up and down as Jura did likewise….the blonde was relishing this greatly as she moved up and down Kyo's cock with all her pent up desire and hunger….

Kyo licked Dita's wet sex even more as she moaned out loud at the pleasure she was being given at the moment as she felt Kyo's tongue on her womanhood and Sara and Mai playing with her breasts at the moment. The redhead had been wanting this for a long time now and she was not going to be denied and she was going to enjoy the sensations that flooded her body at this point and time and she was not going to let it be forgotten at this very moment as she moaned and felt her pleasure grow….she leaned back and Jura then leaned forward and gently nibbled Dita's ears….making Dita moan out loud.

Jura then decided to let Kyo have his chance to unload all his tension as she continued to move her hips in time with his and she relished each sensation greatly as each thrust Kyo made her feel more alive and happy than she had ever been. As she continued with her actions….she felt Kyo beginning to reach his limit and as much as she wanted to have his seed in her sex once more to relish the warmth and oneness it made her feel she wanted Kyo to last much longer than this at the moment so as to make this meeting more enjoyable….

With a few parting thrusts of her hips, she gently got off Kyo and then spoke to Meia and the others as they all nodded as they got off Kyo and Meia then decided to allow herself to lean into Kyo's chest and allowed herself to lift her hips and gently guide Kyo's sex into her own and she leaned back as she began to move her hips in pleasure and joy at the sensations that began to fill her body at the moment….she had seen this done in one of the videos Jura had on hand from the Nirvana, and her collection and while she thought that the position would be unwieldy….it proved to be a lot more challenging but also pleasurable as well. It also reminded her of the time she had been in the GunDread she and Kyo had formed all those years ago….and she relished the feel of it all.

"Kyo….you remember the position we had in the GunDread we made?"

"Yes…."

"This reminds you of it?"

"Oh yes…."

"Good…."

Meia began to move her hips and Kyo held her breasts and Meia turned her head and kissed meia hotly as the blue haired woman relished the pleasure and joy that came with being with the man she fell in love with. She relished her pleasure and the moans Kyo gave out as she continued to move her hips in time with his…Sara then got behind Kyo and rubbed her body which she had coated with edible body oil and she relished the feel of Kyo's muscled back on her chest and breasts and she reached for her wet sex. Jura however was not going to be left out as she reached Kyo as he broke the kiss with Meia and the blonde kissed Kyo deeply and Mai and Dita were not going to be left out.

Mai licked Kyo's sac, gently playing with his testicles with her lips and tongue while Dita licked his cock gently from base to shaft as Kyo continued to gently move in and out of Meia's wet sex in time with her own movements with her hips. The result was so much pleasure for Kyo that he felt like he was going to drown deeply in the ocean of sensations each woman was giving him at this very moment.

"Oh yes!!! More!!! Harder!!!!"

Meia moaned out even louder as Kyo continued to move his penis in and out of her wet sex as she felt each thrust hit her sweet spot every time and it was delicious as the sensations continued to build up for her and as she could sense with his growing heart beat….for Kyo as well….she had wanted this for a long time ever since the end of the three day event that they had been with Kyo for some time…the reason they didn't jump him in the hotel was that there was no way she, Jura, Dita, Sara, or Mai were going to let any other woman see this…they wanted the women to find out for themselves just how much pleasure and joy there was to be found by being with a man….especially a man they would care for. They knew that it was asking a lot from the women of their world….but to them it would be worth every second. Kyo had opened the doorway for men and women to make connections to one another, and they wanted the women of Megele to learn for themselves….just what they were missing out on. There was MORE fun and joy being with men than fighting them.

It didn't take very long for Meia to finally reach her limit as she held the edges of the chair tightly as she reached her limit and so did Kyo at the very same time….meia screamed out loud as she felt her inner walls caress Kyo's cock one final time before she felt him unleash his seed deep into her sex and the feeling of her loved one's seed in her body….spreading it's warmth and filling her sex to the brim was exhilarating at this very moment and she wanted not to lose that feeling for as long as possible as she thrust her hips up and down and felt several more hot streams enter her vagina from Kyo's deep thrusts into her wet and eager pussy.

Meia moaned out loud and moved away and lay down to sit on the grass and it was then that Dita took her turn and kissed Kyo deeply and she held his hand and guided him off the chair for the moment and she reached a nearby bench and bend down….showing her own wet and eager sex before Kyo….it was enough for Kyo to fully recover his full strength and get ready for another round with Dita.

Kyo moved forward and held Dita's hips as she moaned out as he pushed his cock deep into wet and willing sex…the redhead moaned out her pleasure in gasps and saying Kyo's name as she continued to make love to Dita and she relished the pleasure and joy that she felt as Kyo continued to thrust his cock into her wet and hot pussy. Kyo then leaned forward and reached with his right hand to play with Dita's breasts and he nibbled on her ear gently…making her even more aroused as the other women observed the whole thing and they were keeping themselves busy at the moment in their own way. Jura was busy playing with Meia's wet sex with her fingers and her lips were on Meia's breasts as well…while Sara and Mai watched the scene while touching each other's wet sex.

The sight was enough to push Kyo on he increased his thrusts in speed and power and Dita just urged him further on as the pleasure for her began to rise and she relished it all and she moaned out her pleasure to Kyo….who then leaned forward and hugged Dita and kissed her deeply when she turned to face him at that moment and the two kissed one another ravenously and after a few minutes….they parted at the very moment that Kyo's thrusts into Dita's wet sex had finally hit the right spot and at the right time to send the redhead into her release as she moaned out in utter bliss and joy.

"KYO!!!!!!!!!"

"DITA!!!!!!!!"

Kyo also felt his own release as he felt his cock being milked by Dita's inner sex and the feel of the redhead's inner walls caress his cock and it felt like being in a tight, wet, soft and hot vice that sent massive waves of pleasure into his body…making him moan out as he thrust just a few more times for good measure and the Gundam pilot then moved out of Dita's wet sex and he moved back to see Dita moan out in pleasure and look at him with love filled eyes as his seed was in her wet sex and she slowly stood up and then she walked over towards him and then kissed him deeply as he kissed her right back and the two kissed each other heatedly as Kyo's cock fully recovered and was now ready for another round as it poked Dita's stomach and that made the redhead moan out as she and Kyo separated. Kyo then moved towards Sara…

The young copper haired woman smiled welcomingly to Kyo as she moved forward and without any reservations and hesitations, Sara kneeled down and licked Kyo's cock gently and after a few licks….she took in his cock, unmindful of the wetness there and relished the feel of Kyo's sex in her mouth at the moment. Sara licked and sucked on Kyo's sex and made Kyo moan out loud as she then got up and brought him into the shallower section of the swimming pool and they she leaned on the wall and allowed Kyo to move between her legs…

Kyo used his strength to lift Sara's right leg and this allowed him to finally angle into her wet sex and she moaned out in pleasure and joy as the two of them were finally united in the way they both wanted at this time and moment. Sara moaned out loud and she began to move her body on Kyo's own form and the Gundam pilot responded in kind as he began to thrust into her wet and hot sex with gusto and abandon. Both of them moaned out in utter pleasure and joy as Sara held on for dear life as Kyo continued to thrust into her wet pussy. The two were then joined by Mai who made Kyo turn to kiss her as she rubbed her breasts on his back. The two lovers continued with their actions as the others were busy watching the whole thing at the moment. Dita, Jura, and Meia watched as they pleasured each other willingly and they made sure to get ready when Kyo directed his attention on them as well.

It did not take long for Kyo to finally unleash his seed into Sara's wet sex and the two moaned out loud at the pleasure that flooded their bodies at that exact moment and time. Sara relished the feel of her lover's seed in her body as she had not been able to feel that in quite a while now and she relished it for all it was worth as she kissed Kyo deeply in the lips as he gently released her from their current position and he was quickly kissed by Mai as the two women licked and kissed him in regular intervals. The three of them left the pool and it was then that on a nearby chair with Meia and Dita on either side was Jura and the blonde was begging for her turn….she was deeply wet and her moans got Kyo's attention quickly and with nods from Sara and Mai….the Gundam pilot made his way and then was between Jura's parted legs. He kneeled down and began to lick her folds…making the blonde moan and scream out her pleasure and desire for more of the intimate contact.

"KYO!!!! GODDESSS!!!!!!"

Kyo continued his actions on Jura's sex as Meia and Dita held her carefully and touched her breasts gently to further stimulate Jura and the blonde Gundam pilot was enjoying the sensations greatly at this moment as she looked at Kyo who licked her juices greatly and added to her growing pleasure and desire at this very moment. It didn't take very long for the blonde Gundam pilot to finally be satisfied as Kyo moved and then pushed his fully erect penis into her wet pussy with a quick and hard thrust….and she moaned at being filled with her lover's sex once more and Kyo stopped to enjoy the sensations once more and as soon as he felt that he was ready for this, and as soon as he felt ready….he began to move his cock in and out of Jura's hot sex and the blonde Gundam pilot relished the sensations greatly as she moaned out her pleasure and so did Kyo as he thrust hard and fast into Jura's vagina with great abandon.

"Harder!!! More!!! KYO!!!!!!!!"

Jura reached out and Kyo leaned over her as he traded deep kissed with her, then Meia and then Dita, and finally Sara and Mai who were right behind him at the moment….the women relished the sight of their lover making love to Jura and they were ever eager to have their turn with the man the each loved more than anything in this world. Jura was loving this as Kyo then licked and suckled on her large breasts further adding to her ever growing desire and joy and his thrusts became faster, deeper, and stronger as he moved his hips.

It didn't take very long for Kyo to finally roar out his release and so did Jura at that moment as she arched her back and she felt Kyo's cock fire his seed into her sex and the feel of the hot, thick and potent seed in her womb was enough to make Jura fall even further into her release of her orgasm at the moment. The same was for Kyo as he felt Jura's sex milk him for all he was worth at the moment of release. He relished her womanhood's caresses on his sex and as he felt her body beginning to relax.

As he pulled back….Jura moaned and the blonde stood up as Kyo fell on the ground the women finally crowded him and with all of them naked….Kyo found himself being surrounded by the five women in the nude, their bodies covered in sweat and Mai finally made her move as she straddled Kyo and gently lowered her wet and eager pussy on his cock and Kyo could only groan out loud as Mai's hot, tight, and wet sex engulfed his own in a very quick and hot pace. As soon as he was assured that Mai had taken in his hot length, the brunette began to move her body up and down while Sara was there to caress her breasts from behind. While Meia and Dita would guide Kyo's hands to their pussies and he got to touch their sexes, while Jura would straddle his head and allow Kyo to lick her still wet and eager sex. The sight was so utterly erotic that Kyo felt like he had died and gone straight to paradise at this moment.

The women each moaned out their pleasure and bliss and they were thankful for the fact that the private swimming pool area was secured and there was no chance of anyone suddenly coming in and getting the drop on them all while they were currently enjoying themselves with the man they loved deeply at this moment. Mai was wet and eager to feel Kyo's sex in her own as she had been waiting for the right time to finally make her move on her loved one and this was the best time to do it.

As Mai moved her body up and down on Kyo's sex, she moaned out loudly and leaned back as Sara played with her breasts and she reached out and touched Kyo's chest as Kyo moaned out a bit, the sounds making Jura moan out loud in pleasure as well as she was still there, allowing Kyo to taste her juices once more and he relished that greatly. It didn't take very long for Mai to finally reach her limit and she shouted out her pleasure and joy as she felt her body orgasm and she then felt Kyo's seed fill her sex once more and moaned out loud at the feel of her lover's seed inside her sex. Kyo likewise came and felt Mai's pussy milk him for all he was worth and he was able to have enough energy to make Jura, Dita, and Meia reach their own orgasms as well with his tongue and hands.

The women were happy and content, and Kyo himself was utterly exhausted for the time being. However, there was food and drink in the area so he was able to replenish his strength and energy and they rested, with all of them naked at the moment and the five women were happy to be with him as they ate their dinner at the moment and they were able to finally relax. But not for long as the amorous blonde leaned to Kyo and kissed him deeply once more as night fell on them…the blonde then moved down and placed Kyo's cock between her breasts and used her hands to make them into a soft vice around Kyo's cock and the blonde began to move her body and her breasts up and down on Kyo's cock and made the Gundam pilot moan out loud in pleasure at her actions at the moment. The blonde relished this feeling and the others were not far behind as Meia and Dita kissed him deeply and Sara and Mai took his hands and placed them on their breasts.

The scene was erotic to the core and Jura finally moved away from Kyo's cock and then the women moved away as well and they all took turns arousing Kyo with their bodies and Kyo was almost overwhelmed by all the pleasure that was flowing all over the place at this very moment. Meia took the first run as she took in Kyo's cock in her mouth and licked it from base to tip and even played with Kyo's sac gently in her mouth as Sara presented her breasts to Kyo as he licked and suckled on them gently to her pleasure and joy at the moment, Dita also joined in with Meia as well as Jura as the three women played with Kyo's sex in turns and Kyo could only look to see the three worship his cock with their mouths, tongues, hands and breasts in various ways while Sara and Mai used their breasts and their mouths to stimulate him as well at this moment. The results were very much arousing and Kyo felt like he was going to die.

However, their actions were cut short when they noted that it was already going to be time for an evening dinner, their food might have been filling, but the food they had would not be enough for the night and therefore….they all….very reluctantly got dressed but not before the women kissed Kyo and headed off to change into their normal clothes once more….allowing Kyo to get dressed.

As he did get himself dressed for the day….the Gundam pilot could only shake his head and look out at the sky above him at the moment and as he thought about how this day had started….he could feel his sex react once more after that session. He looked at himself and sighed once more and spoke to himself.

"My god….if my family were here….I don't know how'd they react to this kind of situation…."

With that out of the way for the time being, the Gundam pilot and Grand Admiral of the Allied Fleet finished getting dressed and entered the house and made his way to the kitchen and seeing that the servants were still getting out their food ingredients, the Gundam pilot decided to help out with the making of dinner at the moment and he was in the mood for a very good dinner at the moment. The servants could only watch as the grand Admiral began to cook….some of them were amazed while another went to locate Jura and tell her that Kyo was cooking food.

As the others arrived they couldn't help but watch as Kyo was busy cooking meat, vegetables, and more on the pots, pans, and woks that the servants had brought out while the other women watched the Gundam pilot cook as if he was born in the kitchen from the way he handled the food, sauces, condiments and more. It didn't take very long for the Gundam pilot and Grand Admiral to finally finish the food he had cooked and the other women sampled the food as they were allowed by Jura….and to their amazement and surprise…the food not only looked and smelled delicious, but was delicious as well.

The group had their dinner and so did the servants as Kyo had made enough food for just about everyone in the whole household at the moment and the Gundam pilot didn't disappoint as his dishes were still as delicious as ever at the moment. The food included beef stew with potatoes, celery, carrots, and herbs, deep fried chicken, steamed crabs, roasted fish, hot bread, fried rice, potato salad and vegetable salad as well. Jura had brought out the cool red wine and the group enjoyed the night as they ate and drank the food….this was also the chance they wanted as they later spent the time chatting and relaxing….for the five women who loved Kyo, this was the perfect way for them to experience what it would be like if they decide to marry Kyo someday….which they hope will be soon. As soon as the dinner and party was over….Kyo went to his room and decided to rest for the night….he went to the bed and was about to fix it up when he heard footsteps and when he turned…

"Hi there Kyo…."

Kyo barely had time to react when Meia also kissed him deeply and before he could do anything….the women crowded him and quickly made short work of his clothes….leaving him literally buck naked once more and as soon as he was bare of his clothes, the women also began to push him towards the bed there and as soon as he fell on the bed….Jura stepped forward and in a seductive and aroused tone of voice….she spoke to Kyo.

"What makes you think that this party is really over Kyo?"

Kyo looked at Jura with an incredulous look.

"You can't be serious?! We all just…."

"We've been itching to do that with you ever since this whole affair

Kyo looked on as the women smiled at him as Meia pushed him to the bed and the women slowly moved on the bed and they were all smiling at him with loving and lustful smiles as they finally surrounded him and before he could say anything else at the moment…the five women then took turns kissing him as the Gundam pilot could only gulp as Jura, Meia, Dita, Sara, and Mai decided to continue the festivities they had started back at the pool in a more private setting.

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The next day…

Kyo groaned a bit as he got out of bed…last night's little romp in the pool had rained him very much and now he was very much feeling the effects as he felt some aches in his body….but those were the good and enjoyable kinds of aches. He looked to see Jura, Meia, Dita, Sara and Mai resting on the large bed they had brought for him in the room and he smiled at them reverently. He then kissed them on the lips gently and they each moaned as he got out of the bed and got dressed in his t-shirt and shorts….as he got dressed further in a pair of pants and shoes, he reached for the data cubes that Rabat had handed to him before his death and he had a feeling that whatever Rabat found out would have a deadly effect on the soon to come battle.

He reached for a nearby computer in the house after a quick search and some directions from the returning servants. He then slid in the data cubes and accessed the information and what he saw was something he knew as going to weigh heavily on his decisions when the time to head back to spend his time with the Megele Military forces and plan out the strategy that Megele would have to follow.

The first data cube highlighted the experiments the Harvesters were undertaking to create the serum needed to help them be able to improve the strength and genetic viability of the organ stocks they had and ensure that their race would survive once they could grow their own supplies. The reports of organ riots in Earth and the losses of their sources of supplies had placed on the people of Earth. The Re-Genesis Program had now used his DNA as the key to helping the Harvesters counter their genetic damage and as he studied the information, they could very well finally be able to rebuilt their race.

Kyo however knew that with the Earth the way it was….the process would take too long and there was a chance that by the time the serum would unleash it's effects on the people of Earth….many of them would be destroyed. It weighed on his conscience that if they succeed in defeating the Harvesters they would doom them to death. But he kept in mind that his conscience was the thing that separated him from the Harvesters…he had it, the Harvesters threw that away along with their morals and humanity the day they started this grand madness of theirs. It made him rather uneasy knowing that he had unwittingly contributed to the serum with his blood.

It took him a minute or two to recall the mission he had undertaken on that desert planet with the Lancer Platform and how it turned out after they got the Gundams and rescued Aleck and Max….the medical droid that had somehow wounded him must have stored the blood it got from him and was later salvaged and brought back to the Harvester home world and was used as an ingredient in the serum the Harvesters had been working on for their cure.

(I get it now…no wonder they have this invasion force….all they need is the organs of the Talark's male population and Megele's female population…with the serum in their hands once it's perfected….this could be bad news.)

And for good reason, if the data was right, and the Harvesters would finally be strong enough to live without organ transplants….they could very well begin eradicating the rest of the colonies in their belief that they were the true human inheritors of the universe….their madness would be the end of the human race as they knew it. It was not something he was keen on occurring as there were too many things that had to be taken into account The Gundam pilot knew that this would mean that even if the fleet was dealt with….it would be years before the peace could be restored.

Even if the Harvester Invasion Armada was defeated by the Resistance and the Allied Fleet, they would have years to rebuild and there was still the threat of the Harvester forces till roaming the universe…and he had to help plan and prepare to lead the forces of the Resistance and the Allied Fleet with the rest of the people assigned to be under his command.

The second data cube contained the blue-prints and design specifications of the new battle-ship that was used by the Harvesters to eradicate Melanos and reduce the once beautiful world into nothing but a burning pile of irradiated ash and dust. The diagrams showed him that the machine was using layers of Phase Shift Armor that was modified with higher power settings in order to increase it's resilience to beam based weapons and the Phase Shift was also giving it excellent protection from solid and explosive rounds. This meant that the ship that housed the doomsday weapon used by the Harvesters had to be attacked from the inside….the schematics pointed out a special hanger section that had a closer run into the reactor banks that powered the whole ship and provided power to the GENESIS weapon-system….he recalled the images of Melanos being destroyed and knew that no matter how many ships would be placed before the Harvesters….if that ship armed it's weapons….there would be nothing stopping it from destroying the two planets. The only way was a strike into the very heart of the monster and shutting it down.

However….he had to make some calculations as a ship that large would need a seriously effective escort fleet to defend it and would no doubt have a myriad of defensive systems to protect it from close attack. Who knew how many Cube Fighters, Overlords, and other Gundam units would be there to protect it. This was a seriously risky move but he had to make some plans ahead of time. There was one thing he had learned after all the years he had been in the Guardians and in the months to a year and a half since joining the pirates…there was always a chance for victory….his father faced deadly odds as well has his mother, aunt, and uncle….and so did he when he was still back on earth all those years ago.

The ship itself would no doubt send it's main forces ahead to attack the Allied Fleet to soften them up and if possible defeat them and when that happened….they would come in unopposed and destroy the worlds and harvest everyone and the fact remained that if they fell here….then the Resistance would be on it's own and things would be lost. There was a chance that the Harvesters would just fire the weapon on the GENESIS battleship….but he doubted that….they would not destroy all of the people as they needed the organs and when they were done….then they would finish the job.

Kyo looked over the information and calmly looked at the screen of the computer and began to run ideas and simulations in his mind to counter the threat before him. This was not something he wanted to work on as he needed to take a break but he knew his duties….and in a few more days….he would be back to the daily work load that he had to expect, being the only male officer in the Megele military and he had no doubt in his mind that his trials were far from over.

He was interrupted from his work when he saw Dita and the others walking towards him in their sleeping robes and he decided to think about these things later on. He knew that he would have to make some hard choices….but it was for the best. But he had NO intention of dying at all….he had a future with them and he was going to be with them to the very end….

He might make a very risky plan….but dying was not part of the equation and it never will be when he has thought it all through.

As he met them, he decided to cook their breakfast like he normally did at times, he wanted to thank them for being with him ever since the journey began and some food would be the ticket….though he knew for a solid fact that there were other ways to thank them, and he hoped that sooner or later, peace would come and allow him a chance to make a new life for himself and the others here with him.

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Days later…

Grandma and the rest of the Megele leaders looked at the data that Kyo had presented to them and to say that they were not liking the news would have been a vast understatement. Among them was Magno and Rebecca and they too were shocked by the images that were playing before them at the moment. The Gundam pilot had called forward this meeting after he had returned and resumed his duties as Grand Admiral of the Allied Fleet. They all had been concerned by this as this was a serious meeting as Kyo was all business when they sat down and he began to show them the images.

As he showed them the simulations, everyone in the room were shocked and were silent as Kyo explained just what they were looking at this very moment as the simulations were being played on a holographic interface and the outcomes as well.

"As you can see….I've been running key simulations concerning the Harvester Invasion Armada's main flagship and the weapon system it has onboard and how much of a threat it can be….and I have be honest….it is a serious threat as it's weapon systems can be able to destroy entire battle groups and anything else in it's path. The calculations I've made…plus the simulations show that if the Harvester Armada's GENESIS ship is able to get itself into a good firing position….then it will be able to obliterate main battle groups with ease….or strike at either Talark or Megele itself. Megele would no doubt be a viable target for a first strike as it is located in the area close to the former asteroid belt."

The people were silent….to think that their world could be well within the firing range of that nightmarish weapon made them shudder with fear. The supreme leader of Megele was the most hard hit of the news as she looked at the sight of a virtual simulation of her home world being placed right in the firing path of the Harvester's doomsday weapon….she then turned to the young man who she had charged to safe guard her people.

"So what can we do?"

"There are plenty of possible counters….but what I am concerned with is the possible need….to evacuate Megele as soon as possible to prevent the massive loss of life on this planet….the estimated fatality rate for a weapon like the GENESIS striking Megele is 100% fatal….it's not just the massive loss of all living organisms, it's the fact that the weapon could irradiate the planet so severely that Megele might be rendered uninhabitable for an unknown period of time."

The hardliners were quick to react as one of them….and the ringleader of the bunch stood up. She was dressed in officer's robes and had been one of the high ranking members of the Megele Navy and was one of the most vocal against having Kyo join into their ranks in the Megele navy though she had not taken it to the point of openly rebelling against Grand Ma…but apparently she had reached the end of her ropes.

"This is some sort of joke?! You want us to believe that we have to abandon our home planet without a fight….to turn our backs on the world we lived in for nearly three generations?! You're crazy….as is expected of a man!!!"

Kyo glared and looked at the leader of the hardliners and spoke evenly.

"This is not some joke or a play….this is the hard facts before you and there's not much that can be done….if worse comes to worse, then be ready to plan out the evacuation of Megele's population. There is no denying the facts that the risk is too high should the GENESIS weapon make it's way to the perfect firing range and distance to attack Megele….planetary evacuation is the best chance we have at this point and time should worse comes to worse."

"You're insane! You can't expect us to just order our people to abandon their home-planet!!! It's like leaving behind their own families and their own identities!!!"

"I'm not insane….and I didn't say that it would be done now. I said it already that we all need to plan the possibility of the need for a mass planetary evacuation when the time comes."

"We will not leave Megele!!! We will fight than leave our world!!!"

"You saw what the Harvester mother ship did to Melanos….it reduced the planet into nothing but a burning irradiated ash pile and no amount of ships, or Dreads can stop a beam like that….I've run the simulations three hundred times for the past three days since I considered the possibility…and the situation is still the same….if the GENESIS weapon is locked on either Talark or Megele…then either planet is doomed."

"Maybe you're calculations and simulations are wrong Admiral…."

The mocking tone of the woman was not lost to the others in the room and Kyo's temper was getting rather annoyed with the obstinate woman before him who was too blinded by the Megele propaganda to see that these were the cold facts that were before her. He was about to speak when Commander Heidi spoke.

"I am afraid that Admiral Yamato's simulations and calculations are accurate and precise….I had several analysts' study the scenarios for the past few days to see if there were any errors….and there are none in the simulations. The facts are clear that if there is no established solution to prepare for this event….then Megele is great danger. Our ships and Dreads cannot shield the planet from that weapon no matter how many we send….the casualties from the GENESIS beam will be in the billions."

Magno then turned to Kyo and spoke.

"What about the Super GunDread? Can the shield block the shot from the GENESIS?"

Kyo shook his head and replied.

"It can do that Maggie….the problem with the idea is that the energy required to block that shot is very high and it could damage the power plant for the Super GunDread. We might block an attack from the GENESIS but the Harvesters would then launch a heavy concerted assault on the Super GunDread….limiting our mobility and even the shield can't handle a heavy salvo like that, it will be even worse of the GENESIS fires another direct hit….even the armor on the Super GunDread might not block a shot that powerful."

""So what are our options Admiral Yamato?'

Grandma asked Kyo as he ran through the data once more and spoke to the assembled forces.

"We do have options….we can use special ordnance such as mines and heavy EMP and Ion particle based weapons to slow down the advance. I have to know just what sort of heavy and special ordnance we have that can be used….Grandma….Commander Heidi told me that Megele has a stockpile of operational nuclear weapons…am I correct?"

The elderly woman nodded and replied.

"We do….though the codes required for the use of those weapons is hidden by me and the First generation here on Megele…why?"

"We need to unleash those nuclear missiles to not only buy us time but the heavy radiation and EMP discharge will be able to cause enough damage to the Harvester forces….the nuclear missiles will be able to shatter and destroy as many of the Harvesters as we can…this will thin their numbers and make it easier to attack them….However….nuclear missiles will not be the only weapons we need….I want to have the Megele industrial arm to begin the making nuclear mines."

"Nuclear mines?"

Kyo nodded.

"These mines will be equipped with a Mirage Colloid generator that will cloak their presence from the Harvester scanners and will be armed to exploded as soon as a large number of Harvesters have entered the kill range of the mines….the succession of explosions will cause disarray on the Harvesters for as long as possible and allow use to unleash the nuclear missiles which will be supported by the MAC Cannons of the Talark Navy….this will ensure that we can take out as many of the Harvesters as we can and if the mother ship is in the area….then we can at the very least slow it down. Afterwards….the development of EMP canons using random power frequencies should utilized for the second barrage along with the use of all Ion Cannon weapons and another salvo of nuclear missiles to even up the damage that can be unleashed by the Allied Fleet."

Rebecca then spoke.

"I normally would say that would be overkill but in this case…we can accept that….but that ship we're going to fight is huge….even if we attack it there's no guarantee that even with all our combined fire-power that we can kill it. That ship no doubt has a massive number of ships guarding it…who knows how many of Gundam units, Cube Fighters, overlords and more….plus the schematics did show that it's using Phase Shift Armor, and form what I understand….that armor is modified to take anything thrown at it. We'd probably end up wasting all our weapons for nothing if we can't break through the armor."

"I have to agree with Rebecca….if this plan fails…we could have wasted those weapons for nothing."

Kyo nodded and replied.

"I am aware of that….however, Rabat's data cube which had the GENESIS blue-prints did state that there is a flaw that we can use."

"The GENESIS does have Phase Shift and the armor system is no doubt being fed vast quantities of power to make it much more resilient to beam based attacks and the armor is in layers. However….the analysis that has been run on the blue-prints shows that the GENESIS can be attacked by a small surgical strike team that will target the power reactor blocks that power the GENESIS. Taking out the power plants will destroy the GENESIS ship from the inside out."

The women were utterly silent and even the hardliners were utterly quiet….any plans to try and prove Kyo wrong were gone in the wind as he explained the utterly insane plan that he had in mind….a small team against THAT?

Magno then spoke.

"Kyo….do you realize that you're suggesting? It's suicidal to the extreme…."

"I know…but the situation requires we approach this in an unconventional fashion…we cannot use normal fleet tactics on this ship because of the vast number of Harvester battle-ships and their fleets that are protecting it….and the fact that it too has it's own fleet is even more of a concern. We can't try to outmatch it in numbers as they have more than we do…and as you all know…we cannot match this ship in raw fire-power….one beam from this monster of a ship can wipe out a large chunk of the ships we have….not even the Nirvana can withstand a hit from that cannon, let alone a glancing shot….it would kill Bart and kill us as well."

Kyo looked at the now silent council before him and he spoke seriously to them all.

"The way this can end is in two ways….either we are wiped out by the fleets of Harvesters and the GENESIS can just take it's time and then reduce both planets into nothing but burning irradiated wasteland after they take all the organs they want…or we can stand up to it and allow the Invasion Fleet to blow us apart while the GENESIS will just take potshots at our forces and destroy us piece meal. Either way…we lose if we don't prepare for the worst, there's a saying for this plan….pray for the best but be prepared for the worst."

He then spoke to the women.

"I KNOW that what I suggested is insane, and it is painful for you all….but we have to be prepared for the possibility that we have to prepare for evacuation should it come to this. The choice is hard and it will be the hardest of your lives….but as it stands…this is the choice before you should it come to that…you evacuate your people and save as many as you can…or not do it and risk the extinction of your entire society. And don't think that the men will be scot-free as well….because the same fate awaits them as well if The GENESIS is able to arrive and attack."

Kyo then gave a hard look to the hardliners and their leader finally backed down and looked at him and he spoke seriously.

"I said it before….and I'll say it again….this is not the time to be thinking about pride, competition, superiority of sex, race, or culture….this is about the survival of your people and your new generations to come. If you decide to delay the plans needed to prepare for the worst….then they will be the ones who suffer and worse. It's either the survival of your people…or your pride. I have had enough of these divisions…of those of you who still cling to the propaganda of your world….the time has come to make the right choice….not out of pride, greed, selfishness….but of survival. Either you can work together to ensure the survival of your people with the Alliance or you can only cause more problems for it and then it will be too late. This is a difficult choice…but that is war….you HAVE to make choices…no matter how distasteful it might be. I know I have…"

The women looked at the Gundam pilot and he replied.

"I came up with this plan…and I weighed the options…and I will be the one to lead the strike team."

"WHAT?!"

Magno was stunned by this and she looked with horror in her eyes at her uncle…he had taken the mantle of this suicidal mission and she couldn't help but feel like she had just seen him commit suicide before her eyes. She stood up and spoke.

"Kyo….you can't do this….too much is riding on you to lead the Allied Fleet…we cannot lose you….not after all we've been through…the Alliance needs you alive….you can't mean to throw your life away like this…"

Kyo knew that to be all true….but he was sure of this plan…besides….he had a feeling that he will pull through….he had died once and he had finally made peace with his past and now he was ready for the soon to come challenge. This was the risk and he was ready to take it, after all, he was not planning on dying so easily until he defeated the Harvesters and their genocidal plans to wipe out all life on this universe.

"I won't throw my life away Magno…I will succeed in this mission…of that you can have no doubts. But that will still be months from now….here and now…we have to plan and prepare. Grandma, these are hard choices….but we have to be ready."

The elderly woman nodded and gave a loud sigh and then faced her leaders in both civilian and military.

"Begin making plans for the possible evacuation of all people in Megele…"

The women did not protest and they quickly talked with one another to plan things out as Grandma then reached for a data pad and then pressed her finger on it and then handed the glowing pad to Kyo and spoke.

"Admiral….I am giving you full authority to begin all the needed measures and plans that you deem needed for the possibility that we must leave Megele in order to ensure the survival of my people. The nuclear arsenal and materials of Megele are all yours to use…though I pray that the worst does not happen in either case."

"So do I Grandma…we must make sure NO ONE outside of this hall hears of these plans….the panic that could result from this leaking to the media can be enormous. And the military can't fight both the Harvesters and the ensuring panic. Once we've got the ground work covered….then we can discuss how we can inform the population of the plans we have made, the plans won't be easy to hide…but it has to be done, I do have other plans as well."

"What else do you plan for the mines?"

"I need the nuclear materials ready and shipped to Talark's weapon factories, it's there that I will oversee the mines' construction and that of the nuclear missiles. There is a reason for this of course."

Grandma and the other listened and for once the hardliners….thoroughly dealt with by the Grand Admiral were ready to listen.

"I had been on Talark months before I boarded the Ikazuchi and when it was attacked by the pirates…and in my time there I have noted that the factories on Talark have one advantage over the factories here on Megele….and that is that they are highly efficient when it comes to mass production of equipment and weapons. I did a complete analysis of the two methods of production on both Talark and Megele and while the factories here in Megele are top notch when producing Dreads, ships, and more….they consume too many resources and supplies….and there is a high level of wasted material that is left over….while on Talark, the men are able to use all the resources they have with amazing efficiency and precision. This allows them to out produce Megele factories and while their equipment might not be as high tech as the equipment made here on Megele, they are able to make reliable and high quality work."

"Due to their ability to mass produce equipment with little waste and leftover resources, we can divide the workloads for the re-arming of the Fleets and making replacement parts, munitions and more for the Fleets. Here is a simulation that has a Megele Factory here on your world and a Talark Factory….now the simulation places in the construction of a single Dread…let's have the Talark factory produce the missiles, fuel, coolant, power packs and emergency repair parts, and we'll have the Megele factory produce the Dread itself and we will determine how much resources are used up in the construction."

As the people viewed the simulation….the Talark factory was able to mass produce the ammunition, fuel, coolant and spare parts in a time frame of three days….while the Megele factory took at least four to five days longer. The numbers were rather serious and Kyo then ramped it up once more.

"Now let us have the factories on both worlds create a squadron of Dreads under the same parameters."

The women and the Gundam pilot watched as the simulations were run and the Talark factories were able to make their filled quotas with extra munitions, fuel, coolant, missiles, and parts in a week earlier than the Megele factories that took another week to manufacture the Dreads In all the Dreads were now able to have surplus munitions, fuel, coolant, and parts ready to equip nearly two Dread Squadrons instead of one. The women were impressed as the simulations end and Kyo spoke to them all.

"As you can see….we are seeing a near 300% increase in production in the Talark factories than that of the Megele factories….and the reasons for this is that Talark mindset….the men live in a world with limited water, food, resources, and more….and in my time there….they had perfected art of desert survival….they know that wasting water, materials, equipment, and resources will be the key to survival and that is why when I was there….anyone caught taking more and wasting resources on their world is quickly sent to prison or sent to labor camps. The men know that they have to make everything count and that is why they are very knowledgeable in being able to mass produce whatever supplies and equipment they need….their weapons are not high tech and advanced….but the men know how to make due and use whatever they have on hand and use it well. If you want further proof….then you can send delegates to Talark under MY personal protection to inspect the finished products and have them tested in battle field conditions."

Kyo then concluded his report and faced Grandma and the others and finished it off.

"These measures are within the written guidelines of the alliance between Talark and Megele and as such….this can be done as soon as possible….the net effect of trading technology, resources, and more is that we can rebuild our losses and cut the time needed to field our forces….and in return….this will buy us the time needed to improve the training of all the recruits we have to train both on the side of the men and that of the women."

Grandma looked at the data and she smiled at Kyo.

"You have really thought this all through Admiral Yamato….the reports are impressive and you have great attention to detail….very well. As by order of the Alliance….you have full authority to begin these plans."

Kyo nodded and turned to speak to Heidi and make the needed changes and the plans while the other officers were also getting ready for what would be a hard but important step in ensuring that they will be able to counter the soon to come force of the Harvesters. The Gundam pilot and Grand Admiral knew that the industrial sector leaders of Megele were going to be breathing down his neck the minute they learn of the situation but he knew that they would have no other choice in the matter at this point and time….they needed a fully functional and combat ready fleet for the soon to come conflict with the Harvesters and with Grandma's approval of the plans he had in mind, they would have to comply. However, he understood that this was something that was unexpected and he did make the concession of having quality inspectors from billeted on Talark in order to ensure that the munitions, parts, fuel, and more were up to Megele standard. He also had to make sure that proper trading of supplies, resources, information, and technology was being done in order to make sure that the Alliance would not be hampered in any fashion that could spell disaster for the entire war effort that they would have to take part in soon enough.

As he went off to begin organizing the plans and contingencies that he knew could spell victory and survival for the Allied Fleet and the people of Talark and Megele, he knew that sooner or later, things would get even worse for him as the people of Megele would soon get word of what he intended to do in order to improve the survival of the planets they lived on, he knew for a fact that his plans of possible planetary evacuation would not sit well with the women, but with the facts before him….it was an option that he knew they had to take when it came to do so….though he hoped it would not come to that just yet.

--------

Later…

Kyo looked at the outside of the Megele Government building with Commander Heidi standing next to him and she was very silent and so was Kyo…..he had reason to be utterly silent….he had much to think about and plan over and time was soon coming that he would be moving out of Megele and then reside in Talark….that was one part of his job that he did not look forward to….he had gotten used to being in the climate controlled conditions on ships and the cooler atmosphere of Megele…and the idea of staying a month in the desert planet was not too pleasant.

"I am not going to like being back there…"

"Where Admiral Yamato?"

"Back to Talark, I've gotten so used to being in cooler climates that going to the arid and strong heat of the desert will be like walking into a cooking fire willingly."

Heidi nodded a bit at the agreement….she had recalled her past lessons in the Academy concerning the barren and very hostile world of the men. She had always asked how could those men even endure being in such a harsh and hostile planet….many women in her younger days scoffed at the men but she had seen them in action had to admit that her world's perceptions about the men were wrong in many ways.

Before she could ask him about that part of his life….she turned and saw the elderly former pirate captain being accompanied by the three female Gundam pilots and the two others who were part of Kyo Yamato's Crusader Squadron. Kyo saw them too and the sad, shocked, and sorrowful looks told him volumes of what was going through their heads at the moment. He knew that sooner or later, the announcement of him leading the strike team would come back to haunt him….and now it did.

--------

On the Nirvana…

Misty was busy reading a new report and next to her was none other than Devon who was working on his usual rounds on the Nirvana….after their discussions with Kyo a few weeks before….the two had gotten along a lot more than they had back then, though Misty knew that her relationship with Devon was somewhat still shaky at the moment. However, they were able to work well and get along with one another as they continued to work in their respective duties at the moment.

Devon thought about a lot of things at the moment….with the alliance well into the first month of it's founding….the men who were once ostracized by their own men for not following the set traditions and listened to the propaganda were given full amnesty and even given back their citizenship to Talark The young man however had other things in mind than the reinstatement of his Talark citizenship and that particular train of thought was centered on the conversation with Kyo about his relationship with Misty.

He wondered if now would be the time for him to ask her the question that had cropped up in his mind ever since that fateful day in the bed room that she had brought him in and what had transpired that day as well. He had no idea what had gotten into him and while Kyo had told him that it was natural in a way….he was still very much unsure and in the dark on how he was going to proceed on this matter before him. That had gotten the attention of more than one crew member and Aleck had been one of them.

The veteran Vanguard pilot was somewhat confused by the way Devon had been acting for the past few days and had asked him just what was bothering him at the moment. The young man replied that he had some issues that he needed to work out when it concerned women and all the things that he thought he knew about them when he was still back on Talark at the time. The veteran then told him that women were not all bad people and he should take the chance to see how things would work.

The Talark teen thought it over and decided to talk it over with Misty, he placed aside his tools and equipment for the time being and turned to Misty.

"Misty….can I talk to you for a minute?"

The blue haired teen woman turned to her partner and nodded as she placed aside the report.

"Sure….what is it about now?"

Devon sighed and decided to just get in on with as he was never the kind of guy to beat around the bush, though he had no idea what that meant when he heard about it at the moment. He had heard the saying in passing before and for some reason, it fit the situation that he was currently in with Misty.

"I was thinking about what happened between you and me….and what it means…."

"Really? Go on…"

Devon took a deep breath and told Misty all that he could at the moment….ever since the incident, he had been looking at her in ways that were totally foreign to him and while they were utterly confusing they were far from unpleasant to him as the images included him and her catching up where they had left off nearly a month and several weeks before and when they had that conversation with Kyo, the images began to get more and more vivid for him and he had no idea why he had them at this point and time.

Misty listened the whole time…not interrupting Devon as he tried to make sense of his vivid imaging's concerning him and her together. The young woman had to admit that she was very much amused and happy, but kept in mind that Devon was not entirely comfortable with the idea of being intimate with a woman….they had come close to doing that themselves but they stopped themselves in time. But now….it was time.

She looked at Devon and replied.

"You know….that's not really bad….you're just feeling attracted to me Devon…Kyo said it was normal after all so you shouldn't be worried."

"But those images….I was doing those…."

"I know….you told me that remember? But I have to say I'm really aroused by that…."

"Really?"

"Yeah….listen Devon….I know that you're really confused and all….and I have to admit that I am getting used to the idea of being physically attracted to you as well."

"What?"

Misty gave a cheeky grin and replied.

"believe me when I say that you're not the only one in this ship getting naughty ideas….i can wager a bet after being told the facts of life by Kyo, that the rest of the crew here on the Nirvana are having thoughts like the ones you and I have….and the images in MY head are so interesting that I am tempted to grab you right now….kiss you senseless and drag you to a room and we can make all those fantasies come true right now."

Devon blushed bright red and so did Misty and she took a deep breath and replied.

"But maybe we could go to that at a much better time….I know for a fact that you are still new to the whole thing and I don't want to rush into this….when you feel that you are ready for the next step….then tell me when you want to, okay?"

Devon thought about it and nodded. And it was then that Misty smiled and kissed him right on the lips…making him blush somewhat at the action she had just done on him at the moment. The deep blue haired teen knew that there would be time for this to happen but she wanted this one to be special and to last as well so even though it would be torture for her at the moment….she would wait until Devon would be more open minded and willing to take the chance of moving their current relationship to a much higher level.

With that settled the two got back to their usual duties onboard the ship.

Barnette herself was busy on her own matters as she ran a diagnostic check on her Dread and also did some of the routine maintenance work on her Gundam the SwitchBlade. As she did so….she thought about her own future with Max and hoped to be with him again….with their duties the Dread and Gundam pilot barely had time to be with Max and it was annoying her to no end at the moment….but she was not going to be idle for long as she had every intention to finally get some alone time with him. As she finished her rounds….she decided to go and meet up with the rest of the crew and see how things were shaping up. As she got up and made her way to the door, she thought back on what could happen and she rubbed her belly and thought about having a child with Max and that made her bluish bright red for a moment or two as she thought about it….

(Maybe someday….when this is all over….)

She was not the only one as Parfait was also thinking about her relationship with Duero as she worked in the Engineering Bay in the Nirvana….with all their current duties, the two barely had time to be alone and despite her focus on her duties, she found it to be very distracting and she hoped that sooner or later she could finally have the alone time she wanted with Duero so they could finally catch up on other things. She then thought about what they had talked about and she couldn't help but touch her stomach a bit and thought about the idea of having a child with Duero and she felt this desire for that to happen when the fight with the Harvesters would be over soon, she also wondered just how her family would take to the fact that she would have a child with a man and the fact that she loved him more than anything in her life. She thought about it even more and decided to get some time with Duero and have a chance to be together for themselves once more. With that in mind she decided to go get some coffee to drink for the time being.

--------

In the Megele Academy….Kyo sat down and spoke to the six women who were in his quarters at the moment….these six were the closest he had to a family and he knew that his announcement of him leading the strike team right into the very heart of the Harvester Mother ship would not sit well with them and as much as he also disliked the idea…he knew that his words were very much true to say the least.

"You can't be serious Kyo!!! Going with only a small team?! You'll…."

Meia didn't want to say it but she couldn't help but try and plead to Kyo not to throw away his life this time….there was too much going on now for him to just decide to die and leave them….she loved him and the idea of living on without him by her side for the rest of her life was like being stabbed in the heart.

Kyo didn't need to say it as he looked at Jura, Dita, Sara, and Mai….the same fear and sorrow gripped them as well….he knew that his actions would not sit well with the women he loved more than anything and now he had to reassure them that he would come back….he would not die so easily and fall. He had vowed not to die until he had a truly worthy future before him.

"I will not die Meia….I have no intention of dying easily. You have to trust me on this…"

Jura spoke slowly to him, hoping that she could convince him as well.

"You might mean that Kyo….but we can't sit by and do nothing….who knows what can happen to you out there…we've endured things together ever since this journey started….we will not leave you….if you really want to go through with this…let us come with you…."

Kyo expected that and looked at Jura who was serious with tears in her eyes….Meia likewise spoke as well.

"We will be part of the team….we will not let yet you go alone this time Kyo…."

Dita nodded as well as she spoke to Kyo seriously as well.

"I want to be with you to the very end Kyo….I will NOT let you go alone….you've been alone all your life before you met us….and you will not be alone when we finally face the bad aliens!!!!"

Sara nodded in agreement as well.

"We love you Kyo and nothing would make us happier than to be with you in everything….we've thought it over….and we want to have a future with you, we want to live with you to the very end….and we mean it. We nearly lost you once and then several times over….and the pain for us was unbearable….we will not leave you now."

Mai then finished that with her own words.

"Because we want you to come back alive to us….we want you to live….and most of all ….we want you to be with us for as long as we live….because living without you is far worse than death."

Kyo knew that to be true and he nodded and he hugged each of them in turn and felt their tears on his shoulders as they held him tightly…the fact that Meia, Dita, Jura, Mai and Sara would rather die than live without him made him vow to come back from the soon to come battle and he wanted them to know that.

He touched their slender stomachs each and looked at them all and spoke seriously.

"I promise you that I will not let myself die…and when this war is over….I will be with you to the very end of my days, and I will be more than happy to raise a family with you all…."

He then gave a slight chuckle and replied.

"Though it's going to be hard as hell to find a job to support you all when this is all over…."

Jura and the others smiled and laughed a bit at the truth in that statement and Magno couldn't help but shed a small tear at the sight before her at the moment and she decided to speak to further lighten the mood before them all at the moment.

"Don't worry Kyo….with your qualifications….there's NO job that you can't do."

Kyo nodded and as the day wore on….he bid Magno and the others farewell as he got back to work with Commander Heidi arranging meetings with the military, commercial and industrial bloc leaders of Megele's government. He knew that his break was now officially over and he now had to go back to leading the officers on Megele and laying down the foundation of the plans that he had created to ensure that the women of Megele would be given a fighting chance when the time came for them to face the Harvesters.

It was going to be a very long number days before he shipped off to start his work load in Talark and he knew that as soon as he would set foot on Talark he would be swamped with the work that was coming in soon for him. Talark was a whole new slew of challenges and he knew that things are going to change as he knew that sooner or later….the Megele women will have to visit the men's world and see just how the men survive in the desert world. He had made plans in having women live on Talark to understand the way the men lived, and then have the men also live on Megele to see how the women lived on their world and what sort of world the women were born in so the two sides could learn from each other's cultures and customs….plus the previous delegates from the two planets would also be able to show the others their experiences.

He therefore made a mental note to talk to Magno and he would each interview the delegates and see how much they have learned about living with each other. He only hoped that the experiences would be able to allow them to see the good things and bad things that exist in each other's cultures and beliefs. That was going to be the hardest hurdle in the Alliance.

For now however….he focused on the coming meetings with the other leaders of Megele in order to tell them of the plans. He knew that he was going to have a hell of a time explaining everything but he knew that it was part of his job.

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To be continued…

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Author's Notes:

Well now….this wraps up this chapter and I have to admit that despite the long time it took to make this….it has grown well enough. To all my readers of GunDread SEED The Second Stage….I apologize for the long delays of updates….but keep in mind that since this story is reaching it's end….coming up with a good climax and ending for this gem of a story is taking much longer and is much harder than anyone thinks.

However….this chapter is the prelude to what is soon to come in the series….as you have seen so far, Kyo is now making the plans to make the alliance between Talark and Megele work together in the soon to come invasion of the Harvesters, and making their industrial sectors share the work load proves to be the very first step and dealing with the hardliners on Megele is the very first victory Kyo as gained as Grand Admiral of the Allied Fleet, and the second will be shown in the coming chapters as Kyo will be heading to Talark to spend the next month there.

How will Kyo handle being on an all male planet despite the fact he had been there before? Namely when he would have to deal with the hardliners of the men who would no doubt use this chance to try and convince him yet again to favor the men of Talark over the women of Megele in this alliance? Kyo is going to have his work cut out for him as he juggles this second part of his alliance…

But there are still two months before he would have to deal with the problems of combining both forces and have them learn to work in unison in battle as a cohesive fleet when the battle with the Harvesters will soon begin in earnest. How will Kyo be able to forge them into a single unified whole? And what of the Resistance forces that are beyond the belt? Will they make it in time as they rally their forces to finally come to the side of the newly formed Allied Fleet?

We'll have to find out soon enough!

Oh yes….before I forget…

In the coming chapters….the romantic and lustful antics of the five Megele women with Kyo is about to produce some VERY interesting results, and will give Kyo even MORE reason to fight for the future of both the Allied Fleet and the Resistance…

That's right….the women in Kyo's life are about to finally hit the home run on their antics in bed and out of it….they will soon be pregnant! Of course….they will not be the only ones as a certain pair of couples will also get the news that will further reinforce their relationships and give them something to look forward to after the war is all over.

The men and women from both Talark and Megele who are onboard the Nirvana will also show the results of being together for the past few weeks. I didn't talk about that due to having some prior engagements to speak of…plus I did need time to relax and avoid burning myself out and suffering writer's block at the moment. Nothing in my mind is worse than suffering writer's block at a critical point in the series. We will see interactions with the male and female delegates onboard the Nirvana and while some will be funny, other might not be so funny and will be downright serious and direct as well. This will also apply when the militaries of both worlds will have to work and live together for the next months in order to build unity and cohesion.

We will see how the men and women act once they are now working side by side and what will be the results of the previous delegates returning back to their worlds and cultures in the coming chapters and then the real hard work gets underway. And at the next chapters…we will see what happens when the information on how men and women had children with on another is finally shown to the men and women of both worlds.

Hang on to your hats for that number as this story is soon to reach the end of the line!!!

Oh yes….here's something for all you readers of GunDread SEED The Second Stage….I already made mention that sooner or later….the sexual antics of the couples in the story will soon bear fruit and here's a sample of what you will expect soon enough.

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Trailer:

Jura was shocked and delighted by the news as she looked at the results of her latest medical examination. She was not the only one at the moment as Meia, Dita, Sara, and Mai were also shocked and delighted by the news being handed to them at this very moment by both Duero and Max….along with Paiway….and another new addition to the Nirvana's medical roster….Nurse Fiona from the Paradise…

Kyo himself was shocked and amazed by what he was being told at this time by his long time friends as he was there with them all in the Nirvana's Medical Bay….it had been a quiet day for him being on the Nirvana and working on his Gundam when he was called into the Medical Bay by Duero and Max. When he got there….he was greeted with shouts of happiness from the five women and by his friends….including his grand niece and Buzam/Tenmei as well.

Jura was the first to speak…

"Is this true Duero, Max….am I really….?"

"Yes…you will be expecting your child's birth in less than a month from now….and you're not the only one Jura….as you can see, you're not the only one expecting a young bundle of joy in a few months. Congratulations to you all….you are soon to be come in a few months… mothers."

Jura sniffled and she looked at Kyo with a warm smile and she was joined by Sara, Mai, Dita, and Meia…..it however wasn't long before two other women entered the room and they were none other than Barnette Orangello and Parfait Balblair and they were smiling beautifully to their loved ones and they walked up to the Duero and Max and the two women then hugged the men they loved.

The others were somewhat surprised except Kyo and Magno who were both quick to get the hidden message of the smiles the two women had on their faces at the moment and Kyo was able to speak to his two friends.

"Looks like you two are about to become a father like me….am I right Barnette, Parfait?"

The two women nodded and the looks on the two brothers were priceless as both Barnette and Parfait spoke to them.

"I'm pregnant!!!!"

The brothers reacted in the way Kyo expected…

THUD!!!!

They fainted…

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I hoped you enjoyed that and I am going to make it clear that these will not be the only couples in the story as the men and women of both Talark and Megele are going to mingle soon enough. And we get to see the results of having the delegates return home to tell of their experiences with the opposite gender and it will not be the end of the Nirvana playing a key part in the reunification of men and women in this sector of space.

The biggest question will be how the men and women of both Talark and Megele would react when they find out that Duero and Max, men from Talark are now expecting their first child with Parfait and Barnette respectively….as well as the announcement that Jura, Dita, Meia, Sara, and Mai are also pregnant with their first children with none other than Kyo himself….

See you there!!!


	37. Chapter 37

GunDread SEED The Second Stage

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Gundam SEED or VanDread.

Chapter 12

Part 5

Trials

( ): Thoughts

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In the Nirvana…

Magno drank her tea and was reading all the reports that were being given to her by the delegation of women from Megele on their current interactions with the male delegation from Talark on her ship and while some of the news was very amusing, some were more serious as the women complained about some of the things men would say or do, of course the women were not blameless as she read the reports from the men as well to be fair.

It was both difficult and tiring in trying to run a ship on patrol while dealing with a whole new slew of youngsters from both worlds who were very eager to see the differences between one another, while Meia and the others who were very much part of her uncle's life were serving as ambassadors to the women alongside Barnette and Parfait, it was not easy for them either, but she was happy that none of them were going to give up for any reason. This alliance meant a great deal to the survival of both Talark and Megele, and in the long run, the human race. This would mean everything so as long as men and women learned to live side by side, in some form, then that would be a major victory.

So far the good reports were able to outweigh the bad ones, men and women were not perfect beings, no matter how much they thought their respective gender was better than the other, but that was what made them human after all. As she read each report, she wondered just what was going to happen once the truth on how men and women became intimate with one another finally comes out to the general public of both Talark and Megele.

She had to admit that the sight of the men being shocked out of their skin was very amusing and it brought back memories of her first night with Jin as husband and wife, making the old woman sigh and regret all the good times she missed with her husband…she would have wanted more children in her life. But for now she thought about how the women of Megele would react to how men and women got intimate with one another.

But that was far from her mind as she thought about how to break the news to Kyo about the soon to come announcement that Jura, Meia, Dita, Sara, and Mai were ready and willing to have his children. She found the idea very humorous and very interesting at this time and hoped that the marriage he was about to have would make a high point in his life as he needed to be happy for once. And the idea of being married to five gorgeous women who he loved and loved him back equally was no doubt a dream most young men who appreciated women would have gladly sold their souls to the devil or committed murder to be in.

As the elderly woman thought about it even more, she wondered if she could contact Kyo and inform him of the plans the five women had, and she wondered just how the five women were planning this idea of being married to the man they loved.

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In the Communal Bath…

"Ahhh…this feels great."

Jura sighed as she, Meia, Dita, Sara and Mai were currently bathing in the Nirvana's Communal bath and they were in the very same spring in which Kyo had fallen in and where they had seen him in all his naked glory and that was something they all relished remembering, it was sad for them to know that he was not with them at the moment, they could have had a lot of fun with him here.

"Yeah…it's a shame Kyo isn't here…."

Dita said with a slight pout and all four women nodded at the assessment. But Meia spoke then to remove the gloom on her comrades as well as herself.

"Cheer up, we're going to see him again soon enough and then we can tell him of our decision."

The women smiled but it was then that Mai thought of something.

"I know that it would be great to be with him legally, but we do have a problem…where is he going to live? He can't live with just one of us since that would be very tiring as he would have to move from our homes to see us and I doubt we'd like that."

Sara nodded.

"Mai's got a point there."

Jura, Meia, and Dita thought about that as well and then Jura had an idea.

"Why not have a house built for all of us to live in? That way we can always be there in once place and Kyo can be with us equally?"

Meia then spoke.

"That's a very good idea Jura, the problem is that it's going to be expensive, I don't exactly have a very large income and neither does Dita, Sara, and Mai for that matter."

The blonde nodded but smiled.

"That's true, but we all can pool our earnings together, plus I think that my fahma and ohma would be willing to pitch in to have the house built, and I have no doubts Dita, Sara, and Mai's respective fahma and ohma would be more than happy to pitch in, The captain would as well since Kyo is her uncle after all. And we know for a fact that since Kyo's literally a living legend on both our world and that of the men, they can pitch in as well….so I doubt finances are a worry."

Meia nodded at that and so did the others as the finances was at least dealt with, they all knew how to cook so Kyo didn't always have to cook for them all and then they wondered about what sort of jobs they could find to help support each other and themselves as well as Kyo. They knew that Kyo took his duties as a father seriously so he would no doubt find some form of work in order to help the family. He was already a Grand Admiral and worked for both Talark and Megele while not born on either world, so he would have quite the funding for himself, yet they didn't want to burden the one they loved.

They also thought on other matters, namely their dresses for the wedding, they each would have to wear something that was both elegant and worth the occasion that they were going to be placed in, they wanted their own style and also how to make Kyo happy for this moment.

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On Talark…

Kyo sighed as he drank his water and read the latest report that was once more on his desk and he couldn't help but find some level of amusement as the men who gave him the report were all new cadets fresh from the Talark Academy who had taken the course on learning how to interact with women. It was going to be a few days more before the first Talark delegation on the Nirvana came back to begin telling their fellow men on how it was living with women for a number of days. Kyo was practical in some respects and knew that only a few months wouldn't make men and women do a full 180 but at least it was getting somewhere…and he knew that a LOT can happen in a few months.

As he thought about that, he then wondered what was going to happen with his life and with five women in particular. He knew that war was uncertain, but at the very least things were going to be on their side for now and he was looking forward to the chance to finally know some measure of peace and a future. Of course he had to plan a lot of things before he could actually take his relationships with Meia, Jura, Dita, Sara and Mai to the next level.

He would need to find a place to call home, find a job or start a business, and then make a name for himself as well as support them all as well as any children who were going to be born at some point. He thought it all over and he had to admit that he had a lot going for him, as Grand Admiral to BOTH Talark and Megele's military forces, he had quite a salary that he was already in the process of earning, he was considered a legend in both worlds and had a chance to start the construction of a brand new home. In fact he had no doubt that compared to married couples in the past on Earth and the PLANTS he had more advantages than a motherboard has chips.

He smiled at what could happen when he had children with the five women who had been very precious to him and he hoped that he would be able to be a good father. And he then recalled some advice given to him by his own father Kira.

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Flashback…

"Kyo….when you have your own family, you must remember that you are not superman, you can't be perfect all the time. But being there to help your family when they need it, giving them advice and support when they need it, and being there always is good enough. Let your children and your wife know that you are there always and they can rely on you is enough for them."

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End of Flashback…

(Dad, I wish you and Mom were here to help me in this right now…)

Kyo's train of thought however was interrupted when Dom came in with a another stack of reports and the former Third Class Citizen was wearing a more formal form of uniform modeled after his normal Third Class garb but was colored with areas of silver, grey, blue, and black as well as having rank tabs to show that he was an advisor. The old friend of Kyo then wondered just what seemed to be bothering him.

"Something up Admiral Yamato?"

"Not much….just thinking about how things had changed for me…and for everyone involved. So what's the status on the Third Class Citizenry?"

Dom smiled.

"They are at very high spirits, the new pill rations they got from Garsus Foods is proving to be a hit with them as well as the Second and First Class Citizens. That and the much better medical care and incentives they have made them all the more capable in their work and production has ramped up to 75%, much more than the factory managers have ever seen, and the women who came from Megele to inspect the weapons are very happy with the results. Plus we've been getting even more recruits from the Third Class to fill in the gaps for the Talark Navy and Vanguard Corps…you're plans are working well Admiral."

"What of the former convicts we gave amnesty to?"

"They are adjusting well so far and their skills have proven to be very unorthodox and yet effective as they had been testing some of the newly constructed Vanguards. They are using all their talents to the highest effect Admiral, though a good number of the men are still uneasy with them about, but that is to be expected. By the way, we have another request for you to lecture to another batch of students from the Academy."

"Again? I just lectured there last week."

"I know, but it seems that the Academy has gotten some problems with the recorder systems so they wanted you to go back there."

The Gundam pilot sighed and looked into his schedule for the month and seeing that he didn't have any other important announcements, he decided to go ahead with the idea of meeting the Academy officials and students, the faster the men of Talark can learn about how to interact and work with women, then all the better for everyone.

As he got his work together, he decided to go to the nearby Hanger and check on his Gundam to see just how well it was doing at the moment. The trip was not that long and as soon as he arrived and was flagged in by security, he went to the Hanger area and then checked the status of his Gundam

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In the Nirvana…

As Jura, Meia, and Dita got their Gundams ready for flight, Sara and Mai also got their own Mobile Suits powered up for their trip to Talark. The five wanted to surprise Kyo but decided against it and sent out a message to Kyo there on Talark to inform him that they were coming. It was Jura who decided to send the message ahead as she was the first of the five to leave the Nirvana.

Jura worked on her controls and managed to get into contact with the Infinite Freedom, however she found out that the Gundam pilot was not in the office at the moment but she did locate him since she was already aware of the communicator frequency he used on his communicator. As soon as she typed it in, she smiled at the image of Kyo on her screen.

"Kyo, it's good to see you again."

"Jura? I wasn't expecting a call from you today."

The blonde Gundam pilot decided to tease her lover a bit in spoke in a mock hurt tone.

"Oh really? Don't you miss me and the others?"

"Of course I do miss you all, but being very busy at the moment with all the planning and duties as Grand Admiral, I don't exactly have a lot of free time to chat. But nevertheless it's great to hear from you and the others again, so what is it Jura?"

"Me and the girls have been talking about something important. Something that we think you are going to want to hear, namely since this has something to do with all of us."

This got Kyo very curious about the whole thing as he looked at the blonde Gundam pilot, he had a feeling that Jura was up to something and no doubt the others were as well, not that he didn't like it or anything, unlike the men of Talark who were still not trusting of women that he had to deal with here on the said desert planet, he trusted Jura and the others very much, after all they were like family to him and Jura, along with Meia, Dita, Sara, and Mai were the ones he loved deeply, they loved him just as much as well so there was no reason for him to think that they were going to do something bad to him.

"Really now? What is this I wonder?"

Jura grinned and replied.

"Ahhh….that would be a secret, we'll be on our way there to share it with you all right?"

Kyo shook his head and nodded.

"All right, I'll see if I can set things up for you all. But I hope you all can get used to the land here on Talark it's not the same as your base or Megele for that matter."

"As long as you're there to help us, I think we'll do all right."

Kyo laughed a bit at that and smiled.

"All right, I'll see you in a few hours, be careful all right, if anything happens, you all use what I have taught you to make sure that you are all safe all right?"

"Sure thing, see you soon Kyo."

Kyo looked at the now blank screen and sighed a bit at that, he then decided to head back out into the Academy and get things done there so he could find out just what was it that was so important for the women he loved deeply to come to Talark of all things, he then decided to set up a place for them to rest and relax while they were here on Talark, thankfully the influx of trade between Talark and Megele had allowed him to make some purchases that would help make things a bit easier for the people of Megele to live on, such as food and some basic amenities that the women love. They were not much in terms of quantity, but they would have to do for the time being.

Kyo however was unaware that someone has just taped the conversation between him and the women he loved deeply and this recording was for a more nefarious purpose.

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In a hidden room on one of Talark's office buildings…

There was a small cabal of people there and they were all men who appeared to be deep in thought as they listened to an apparent recording and the voices in the recording were that of Kyo and the five women that he was very much close to, as soon as the recording was finished, one of the men spoke very seriously.

"This is completely unacceptable! A man and a woman being intimate is already bad enough, but now five women are coming here on Talark soil?!"

"What do you propose we do?"

"We must know why these women come to our planet and ascertain if they are a threat. What do we know about them already?"

"The five women appear to be pilots of Mobile Suits, three of them command their own Gundams and the other two appear to also be pilots of their own mecha. From what we can understand of the situation, they appear to be planning something with regards to the Grand Admiral of the Allied Fleet."

"I see…so they are very close to the Grand Admiral eh? And it is confirmed that they possess the Gundam models that we have found previously?"

"It is confirmed sir, they are the only ones who are able to use such machines."

"Understood, this is a prime chance for us to get the plans to work even more than before.

The one who spoke turned out to the Prime Minister, the most vocal opponent of the alliance between Talark and Megele and it seemed that while he had been working with Grand Pa on the Alliance between them and the women as per the leader's orders, he had other ideas on the matter and had been secretly gathering those who were with him on his plans to shake down the alliance between men and women.

He had already begun to set things in motion and now this would be perfect to add to the plan, besides it would give him a chance to even up the score with the Grand Admiral. He had every intention to make it seem that Kyo was too much on the side of the women and with that done a real leader would arise. Despite the legacy that the Yamato had, the Prime Minister believed that the time of the Yamato was over and now the new should take their rightful place as the leaders of mankind, and he was one of them. As soon as he got what he needed then he would prove that the alliance was nothing but a chain holding men down.

"Have a small fleet move out to the projected flight path of the women."

"Yes Prime Minister."

The Prime Minister thought things over and waited for the right time to make his move, while he was sure that if his plan failed, he would no doubt executed and his followers destroyed, but if it worked, then it would be worth it. As soon as he placed his plan in motion, the strength of the men of Talark would be affirmed and the alliance would be dissolved and with the data they were going to gain from the Mobile Suits would be worth the risk that he was undertaking.

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Three hours later, out in space….

The five women who were flying in their Mobile Suits after getting permission from Magno to leave were surprised to suddenly find themselves being greeted by a small fleet of Talark ships as well as an escort force of Vanguards, they were not expecting this as they decided to slow their movements and figure out what the fleet was doing out here. As far as they knew, the men were supposed to be on a rebuilding and rearming mode and only patrols to keep an eye for Harvester activity were sent out, just like the ones they had seen before.

Meia couldn't help but feel some level of unease on the situation before her and the others and decided to speak to the rest of the group that she was part of.

"This is Meia Gisborn of the Gundam Silver Lightning, identify yourselves."

The Vanguards however didn't seem to be in the mood to answer for the moment as they and the ship they were escorting kept coming closer, Meia didn't like this to say the least, normally she would have fired at the forces to cripple them or escape, but she was not sure how to react to this kind of situation before her, if she fired, then there was going to be a serious incident that would place a great deal of pressure on the ongoing alliance as well as pressure on Kyo himself. Nevertheless she did not like this and tried again.

"I repeat, this is Meia Gisborn of the Gundam Silver Lighting, identify yourselves."

The Vanguards came ever closer and Meia was getting very worried and she was not the only one as Sara, Mai, Dita, and Jura were also getting worried by all this as they had no idea what was going on with the men before them, they were also ready to fight but hoped that they were not going to get into one. Jura was naturally the first person to speak to try and find out just what the heck was going on before them.

"Meia, what the heck is going on here?"

"I have no….what the?!"

The five women were suddenly surprised when several more squadrons of Vanguards came right at them and they were armed, this was enough to throw the women into the defensive as they readied their weapons, Meia drew out her beam rifle and her shield, while Jura took out her beam sabers and turned one into the beam whip mode, Dita got out both her guns while Sara got both of her Crusader's weaponry, while Mai drew her Crusader's sword. They had no idea what the men were up to but they recalled that they were going to have to be very careful as well on how they were going to deal with this.

It was not long before they found themselves surrounded by the Vanguards and the ship came at them and then they got an incoming message from the ship, but it was not the kind of message that showed a good sign.

"You women will surrender now, if you do not then we will take you by force."

Dita was utterly confused at this and replied.

"What's going on here?! Aren't we supposed to be allies with the aliens or something?!"

Meia thought it over and finally recalled what Kyo said about not all men of Talark being friendly with the idea of making an alliance with women from Megele and while it was under Grand Pa's orders that such an alliance be made, there was no doubt going to be those whow ere not inf favor of the alliance being made, was this group of men part of that dissenting faction?

If they were….then they were in trouble. Meia quickly made a decision and activated the computer system of her Gundam to access her OS, she quickly began to type in several code sequences that Kyo had taught her and Jura as well as Dita, Sara and Mai, this was the security measure that Kyo had taught them to use if they were in a dire situation and needed his help, she quickly contacted the others through a secure frequency that they had developed with Kyo's help that was not easily broken by either Talark or Megele.

"This is not good, we need to send a message to Kyo about this now, we need to hurry."

The four women nodded and did the same thing with Sara and Mai passing down their own data streams as well, this code sequence would serve as a message to Kyo, due to the fact that their OS was custom created by Kyo the male Gundam pilot had covertly established a transmission data stream system that could only be picked up by his Gundam and due to the fact that the three Gundams that the three former Dread pilots used were created by the Paeksis their Gundams would send the message in a frequency signal that only the I-Freedom could pick up.

They were able to finish this and send it out in time as the Vanguards closed in, they decided to surrender and lie low for the time being and their Gundams as well as Mai and Sara's Crusaders were quickly restrained by what appeared to be high tensile strength metal cables that were enough to restrain Mobile Suits and apparently were very durable. They hoped their message made it through in time as they had included the ship's name which they had been able to see as Ares.

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In Talark…

Kyo was busy wrapping up his lecture before another batch of Talark soldiers and students when he heard the signal coming from his specially made data-pad, he excused himself and read the message before him, the very second he was able to type in the secure password, he saw that it was apriority message he had just gotten from the I-Freedom.

The data pad was constructed in such a way that if anything was picked up by the I-Freedom's still active systems it would relay it to Kyo quickly, as soon as he found out the situation Meia , Dita, Jura, Sara, and Mai were in he growled and quickly contacted Grand Pa

"Admiral Yamato, what seems to be the problem?"

The Gundam pilot informed Grand Pa of the message he had just gained from his Gundam and spoke seriously about the situation and Grand Pa was not pleased with the image before him as he processed in the information that he had just been given by the Grand Admiral of the Allied Fleet, he quickly ordered several of his Shadow hands to get the information he wanted, he also assured Kyo that he would see to this personally and hand the information over to Jason.

Kyo thanked him and called Jason to get ready to meet him in the Hanger as soon as he got the information coming from Grand Pa, once he did so, then he would meet him in the Hanger where the I-Freedom was. Jason agreed and also decided to send out some orders to the people managing the operations in the Talark shipyards to see if anything had happened.

Kyo was not liking this as he took the transport to the Hanger and as soon as he got there, he took off his normal clothes in the changing room and placed on his uniform and took his helmet along with his sword and pistol, he checked the ammunition and the sharpness of his sword. As he got out, it was then that Jason arrived to see him. The young Talark officer was not very happy with the information he had gathered, apparently the Ares had been in dry dock and was being sent through special maintenance when a massive number of personnel had been moving in and began to take over the Ares. In the head of the operation was the Prime Minister himself along with a number of people who were close to him.

Kyo's eyes narrowed, the Prime Minister had always been a thorn in his side and it annoyed him to no end why the man was always trying to shoot down the alliance between his world and that of the women of Megele, but when the data gathered by the Shadow Hands came in, it really got Kyo's full attention at this moment.

He was told then by Jason that the Prime Minster had tapped his conversation with Jura and had planned to capture the women and hold them prisoner and also force them to give up their Gundams' secrets to him, once that was done, he would get rid of them and use the technology he would gain to help the men and make them stronger to prove to all that the alliance was nothing but a fluke, but he would then have the women sent away in disgrace. There were also rumors of the Prime Minister having a plan to place another strike of blame on the women.

The very second Kyo found out about the kidnapping, he was livid with rage as he stood up and slammed his hands on the desk in the Hanger Bay, he knew that the Prime Minister was an arrogant and stubborn ass when it came to working with the women. But this was going way too far, and worse yet, it was personal!!!

The coward had just kidnapped and threatened the women who he held dear to his heart and who were his loved ones at this moment, the thought of that bastard harming Dita, Jura, Meia, Sara and Mai filled him with great anger as he spoke to his Talark liaison.

"Where is he now?!"

Jason had never seen Kyo this angry and for a second he couldn't help but feel a slight bit of pity for the rogue men who had done this deed, he got his composure back and replied.

"He's currently onboard the cruiser Ares and is currently holding a fair distance from Talark, as far as our intel forces know, the three Gundams and the two Crusaders were captured without incident…"

Kyo was gritting his teeth and quickly spoke.

"Give me all the data on their previous and current locations, and Commander Jason, I want you to get as many ships and personnel as you can spare."

"As backup Admiral?"

"Yes, send word to Grand Pa of this kidnapping and tell them to hurry, because if they don't reach the Prime Minister in time, the only thing left of him when I get him will be a corpse!"

It was then that the door was opened and in walked Grand Pa himself.

"I would prefer you bring him here alive Admiral Yamato, the Prime Minister has committed high treason and normally the penalty for this crime is death, but we want him brought back as a prisoner to face trial for this, we have also contacted Megele and Grand Ma of the kidnapping. She also wants to place the former Prime Minister on trial for his action on her people as the five are currently reinstated citizens of their world."

Kyo nodded and got ready to move back to take command of his Gundam, he had a ship to intercept.

--------

On the Ares…

Meia and the others were currently being held as prisoners in ironically the very same kind of room that was once the prison where the men had been kept when they took over the Nirvana, the former Dread Squadron leader had a cut on her lip but no other visible injuries, she got that when one of the men tried to touch her, but she retaliated and he gained a broken nose while she got the cut on her lip, which was healing well enough, she decided to not resist when the other men were threatening Dita, Jura, Sara, and Mai.

As soon as that was over they were shoved into this cell as the men were still very much afraid of them, no doubt these men still believed that women were the enemy. And that was troubling already as the woman hoped that the alliance between worlds would make them forget this idea of seeing women as the enemy. However it seemed that Kyo's suspicions of the possibility that not everyone on Talark would be willing to accept this alliance was proving to be true.

As she and the others were staying in the cell, they focused on defending themselves if they were attacked, she had no idea why the men were doing this, but seeing that they could do little at the moment, they decided to play at being docile for the time being. They had been stripped of their weapons as it seemed that the men had been told what exact types of weapons the women would normally use, which was why they had taken her laser ring when they found it.

Jura had a slight gash on her arm when one of the men had roughly shoved her a bit but the blonde toughed it out and held away from crying in pain, her time with Kyo had made her a lot stronger than she was before, it hurt her, but she was not going to show it to her captors.

Dita has also nursing her side when one of the men had hit her with the butt of his rifle to move her along, she was all right and instead of being her usual self, she knew that now was not the time for her to be acting like this was normal.

Sara also had a gash but on her left hip from another man pushing her about with a staff, she had wanted to attack him but the fact that she had her friends to consider restrained her from fighting back, besides, there was no way she would risk losing her life like this.

Mai also had a gash on her leg as well, she was not happy with how this was going on at the moment, but like the others had not attacked the men and held her own.

The men who had taken them apparently were wearing suits that were no doubt supposed to keep them from being killed by them, it made the women even more confused and slightly amused despite the situation before them, the five of them then got these injuries and they were sent here to be held.

They could only hope that Kyo would come and rescue them soon, he had done it before and they had no doubt that he was going to do it again.

In the bridge of the Ares, the Prime Minister was smiling a bit as he looked at the screen that showed the technicians he had brought along as well as the engineers looking and studying the Gundams of the women and their Mobile Suits as well. These would prove the key and with the data, they were going to be at a much better position of power than before.

The women were not going to be easy to break but they had time for…

"Prime Minister! We have an incoming contact!"

The man looked at the image and as it closed in, the man was growling in anger at this as he recognized the incoming unit to be the Infinite-Freedom Gundam itself, it seemed that the Grand Admiral of the Allied Fleet had somehow found them out and that was something he was not hoping would happen so early in his plans, he had hoped to deal with Kyo Yamato when he was at a better position of power, but now this happened.

"Deploy the Vanguards!!!!"

--------

In space…

"This is Grand Admiral Kyo Yamato of the Allied Fleet to the Ares and it's forces, throw down your weapons and surrender yourself to the authority of the Alliance between Talark and Megele."

Kyo had been able to triangulate the exact location of where the Ares was, he had also contacted the Nirvana about the kidnapping and sure enough, the others were not very happy with the news as well. Magno was utterly shocked that someone from Talark would willingly kidnap members of her own crew who she saw as family. Barnette was livid with anger at this as she wanted to go out and find the men who would dare to harm Jura and Max was willing to help her as this kind of action in his mind was utterly stupid and insane.

Buzam/Tenmei was also not in the best of moods about the kidnapping and quickly ordered the Nirvana to break patrol and head off to the Ares' location as the rest of the crew got ready to help Kyo, and so did the Crusader Squadron who were not going to forgive the fact that their leaders were also kidnapped.

He had been able to spot the Ares and was now closing in and then spotted several incoming blips on his screen and found them to be hostile ones, as he closed the gap he spotted them to be a large number of Vanguards closing in on him and carrying what appeared to be Gauss Rifles of some sort.

Kyo glared at the charging Vanguards and could see that they were the basic models that had been developed previously by the men of Talark and that fact alone was what made him wonder what the heck the Prime Minister was thinking, relying on the older models. But he had no time to think it over as the Vanguards closed the gap and began to fire at him with their newly equipped Gauss Assault Rifles. The rounds slammed into his Gundam and they slammed hard into it, but the fact that the I-Freedom had it's Prominence Phase Shift Armor online, it rendered the weapons useless.

He tried once more to make the men stand down, he didn't want it to be like this, these men were following orders and while there was no doubt in his mind that there was a chance that the others were fanatics, that certainly was not enough to make him kill them. But he knew that if he had no other option left, then he would take their lives if it came to that.

"I repeat, this is Grand Admiral Kyo Clyne Yamato of the Allied Fleet, throw down your weapons and surrender under the authority of the Alliance between Talark and Megele."

It was then that the man he came to loathe appeared and sneered at him.

"You are way over your head Admiral Yamato, we will not surrender."

"You realize that what you are doing at this moment Prime Minister that what you are attempting is considered high treason, you are going against the authority of Grand Pa after all."

Kyo said those words with as much control as he could manage and hope that somewhere in that bald empty head he had, the Prime Minister would see reason. However he was not planning on holding his breath either.

And he was not disappointed as well as the Prime Minister replied.

"I am doing what should be done, defeat the women and show the superiority of the men of Talark! And I don't care if I have to break some laws to do it, I will make it clear that we do not need this alliance with the women, I already have made arrangements to ensure my plan's success."

"And what would those be?"

The Prime Minister then smiled and replied.

"I already have agents disguised as women in the same way as former Intelligence Commander Tenmei was when he infiltrated the pirates in place in key areas in Talark's cities to begin setting off explosives in key factories, of course they will be killed by my other agents and will be shown as spies from the Megele military. Then we will leak out that the women had planned this ever since the weapon inspectors from Megele came. As soon as that happens, we will have the five women we have prisoner appear to have been captured and are supposed to be the ones who were going to extract the disguised agents….very elaborate isn't it, these women cost me to be seen as a fool here on Talark and now I will have my revenge for the humiliation they have caused me."

"You sick bastard….you're willing to do all this for pride? Even if it means that you will be killing your own men as well as innocent Talark civilians?"

The man nodded and replied.

"We must be ready to sacrifice the lives of the few to make what should be done be done, the elimination of the women from this system to prove that we men are the better."

"You realize that the Harvesters are coming and with a massive super weapon that could very well destroy your world and all in it in one single strike and the only way to fight evenly and to stand a chance is to fight together with the women. Yet you are willing to go this far? And for what?!"

"For the pride, manliness, and courage of men!!!"

"That's nothing but insanity!!! How many of your own people have to suffer for that?!"

"As many as it takes, besides, many of the men who will die will be the less needed ones….as soon as we cow them down, we will be able to bring Talark to true power!!!"

"What the hell do you mean by that Prime Minister?"

The man growled and replied.

"You dared to bring trash to places they don't deserve...Admiral, you allowed the Third Class to think that they deserve better….they don't, they are merely laborers and workers."

"Workers and laborers they may be Prime Minister, but have you forgotten that it is those same men who you say are trash who make the very weapons you use, serve as the technicians, engineers, mechanics, and support personnel of your fleets, your armies, your cities….you're very world? And you are willing to sacrifice them all for your own pride?!"

"They are weak and hardly worth the effort you wasted on them, all they deserve are the rations we give them and nothing more. They exist to serve the higher classes and Grand Pa!"

"Then what are they already doing Prime Minister? They are serving Grand Pa and Talark already by working in the factories to produce the weapons, ammunition, and machines to fight the soon to come Harvester forces, they are filling the gaps in your fleets to make up for those who died and there are already signs that these so called worthless trash that you called them to be have talent that could truly be of great help for the soon to come war."

"That will soon change, everything will be as it should be, I will make Grand Pa and Talark see that, and I care little how many men I must sacrifice to accomplish this."

Unknown to the Prime Minister, he was being recorded by Kyo as they had the conversation, so assured was he that he had a plan that could not be broken that he discounted the possibility of being recorded by the Admiral. Kyo copied it and secretly loaded the files into a computer data disk and that was when the Prime Minister gave the order for his followers to defeat the Grand Admiral and when they defeated him, they would use his ruined Gundam as well as his corpse as an extension of his plans.

The Vanguards charged ahead and then extende4d their bladed weapons to attack him while the others who were still armed with their Gauss Assault Rifles fired at him, seeing that he was out of options, the Gundam pilot powered up I-Freedom and charged into the battle.

--------

In the Ares…

Dita, Jura and Meia felt the arrival of Kyo through their SEED connection to him while Sara and Mai also felt traces of his presence, they turned to look at the nearby port holes and sure enough there were a large number of Vanguards that were engaging a lone Mobile Suit and it was indeed Kyo's Infinite Freedom Gundam. They were happy that Kyo had come to save them, but they had to be ready for anything as there was a chance that the men might do something drastic to them if Kyo should win.

As for the men who followed the Prime Minister in his plans, they thought that with their newly upgraded Vanguards, they had a chance to win this battle. They were wrong

--------

The area of space before the Ares and it's two escort ships were alight with weapons fire as the rogue faction of the Talark Navy tried their best to destroy the I-Freedom, but the nimble and deadly Gundam piloted by the Neo Ultimate Coordinator was not an easy mark by normal human standards as it easily dodged and weaved it's way through the rounds of weapons fired at it as well as the missiles that were fired by the Vanguards.

A number of missiles tried to take out Kyo but he guided his Gundam through a series of quick rolls to avoid them as well as using the head and shoulder mounted CIWS Guns on his Gundam to shoot down the missiles with amazing accuracy as he moved around and was able to outmatch the Vanguards. Kyo then saw that the Vanguards were better armored and carried booster packs as well as optional weapon load outs, making it clear that these Vanguards were modified extensively, but that was not going to be enough to stop him.

The I-Freedom charged into a number of Vanguards that tried to fire back, but the Gundam pilot quickly unleashed a barrage of beam fire from his beam rifles and took out their arms and weapons as well, Kyo had no intention of killing the men and had planned to bring them to trial as well. One Vanguard tried to attack with it's rifle but the I-Freedom dodged the attack and closed in, unleashing several salvos of the CIWS guns at the weapon hitting the main power chamber, and destroying the rifle, before the vanguard could react, the I-Freedom took one of it's beam sabers and sliced off the arms so the Vanguard was now unable to fight back, Kyo ignored the now crippled Vanguard and then was able to evade in a spinning style of flight several more salvos from the rifles of several Vanguards as well as several missiles, The I-Freedom quickly took upward and fired the wing thrusters as it dodged the missiles next. This forced the Vanguards to fly backwards to evade the I-Freedom and get some distance to fire their weapons once more. Kyo however is not going to let them as he accelerated his Gundam and takes out the other beam saber and slices through the barrels of the rifles, rendering the weapons useless as he flew past them, the Gundam pilot then moves to turn back and dives towards the Vanguards and before the Vanguard pilots could react, the Gundam pilot spins his Mobile Suit and slices the arms of their own Mecha.

The Vanguard pilots were shocked at how easily the Gundam was making mincemeat of their Vanguards, just as they were going to use their missile pods, the Gundam fired it's rail-guns and plasma cannons to destroy the missile pods before the Talark pilots could even lock on the target in question, afterwards the Infinite Freedom aimed to head towards the Ares, seeing this and knowing that the Gundam was no doubt going to attack the main ship, they tried to intercept but despite the upgrades of their Vanguards that were in line with the original systems, they were not able to match the Gundam of the Grand Admiral, despite the words of the Prime Minister that stated that they could handle this threat.

It was not long before the Ares unleashed it's own fire power at the Gundam, Kyo however, having taken the time to study the movements of the turrets as well as reading their combat operations and schematics was more than able to make the needed movements as well as the changes that gave him a deadly fighting edge over his foes as he dodged the rounds despite the curtain of fire from the weapons. As soon as he got clear the Gundam pilot opened the wings of his Gundam and the crystal feather broke their crystal casing and became solid metal feathers that was quick to take off the wings, allowing feathers of light that gave the I-Freedom Gundam the look of an angel of war in full power. Kyo however was not bothering with it all as he began to scan the Ares.

He looked at the scans to see the location of the Gundams, along with the two Crusader as well as their pilots. Unknown to the five women he loved deeply, he had secretly installed tracking systems in their uniforms and had conditioned the OS of their respective machines to release a faint but special energy emission trail that he felt would be able to help him in some fashion or another, he also had installed special chips into their flight suits that would be able to tell him their location as well as tell him if they were alive and in good health. As soon as he spotted them, he quickly determined that they were in an area that was well away from any possible damage that he would inflict on the ship that the Prime Minister was on, and their Mobile Suits would be out of the firing, he decided to even things up as he locked in all his weapons.

As soon as he got the all clear, he unleashed his full might on the Ares. The Talark men who were in the disable Vanguards were only able to watch as the lances of pure destructive energy slammed hard into their command ship, however they suddenly noted that the Gundam was unleashing it's weapons only on the turrets of their ship, aiming to disable the ship and render it unable to fire back at the Gundam.

Kyo was not done as he decided to move as the feather cannons followed his Gundam, he saw that a majority of the weapon systems of the Ares were now ruined wrecks and while he knew that there might be loss of life there, he had no choice at this point and time as he moved to do the same to the rest of the weapon systems of the ship. When that was done the Gundam pilot quickly directed his attention on the engines and maneuvering thrusters. The damage of his attacks were seen as the once powerful Talark warship was now nothing more than a floating wreck as it's thrusters and weapon systems were completely destroyed. The ship however was still able to function as Kyo decided not to attack their main power cores as well as their communication arrays.

Several more squadrons of Vanguards tried to get into the act as they came from the ship but Kyo was more than able to take them as they charged right at him, several of the faster ones were about to fight him with their rifles but like before he was more than able to fight back as the rounds don't have the power to pierce his Prominence Phase Shift Armor, Kyo quickly used his own beam rifles to unleash a barrage of weapons fire, aiming for both the arms on the Vanguards, the attacks aimed at the elbow areas was more than enough to render the Vanguards helpless, and literally disarmed in combat. the other Vanguards closed in to attack the Gundam pilot, but the feather cannons came into play as Kyo guided their targeting systems to aim at the arms of the Vanguards, with surgical precision and positioning the Vanguards were easily defeated without lose of life as their arms as well as their weapons were completely destroyed.

Kyo then looked at the force before him and he got ready to speak to the Prime Minister to make him stand down and surrender. But he was beaten to the punch as another army of Vanguards as well as a number of Talark Navy vessels arrived on the scene with one massive ship being in the front of the whole force, and it carried Grand Pa's crest. It seemed that the backup had finally arrived.

And it was there soon enough as Grand Pa contacted the pilots of the disabled Vanguards as well as the crew of the Ares and personally ordered them to stand down. This was where the loyalty to the men of Talark to Grand Pa came in as the men who had once followed the Prime Minister are not willing to defy Grand Pa and surrender. It was not long before Kyo was escorted by none other than a pair of Vanguards that were built using his recommended designs and were piloted by a pair of Shadow Hands. As soon as they arrived into the ship, the Gundam pilot took a small computer and tracked down Jura, Dita, Meia, Sara, and Mai down.

As soon as he found them it was a tearful reunion as the five women hugged him, normally doping this before the men would have been asking for trouble but Kyo didn't give a damn at the moment, it was so good to see them safe and alive. But when he saw their wounds, he was enraged to think that anyone would dare to harm the women he loved deeply. It took a great deal of his personal self control to not lash out at the men. He escorted them to their machines and they all took off with him protectively escorting them from the Ares, his feather cannons were back in their crystal forms on his Gundam's wings as they headed for Talark.

As for the Ares….their forces were quickly secured by Grand Pa's forces and were escorted back to Talark, the Vanguards that Kyo had disabled in combat were brought back to the ships and their pilots were now being questioned by Grand Pa's chosen interrogators while the Shadow Hands who were with Grand Pa secured the Prime Minister and those who were with him. The men who were there and saw the group of the Prime Minister being guarded by the Shadow Hands were whispering deeply, it was due to that fact that Grand Pa had personally ordered the Shadow Hands to guard them. That fact alone was an indication to them that the men were in serious trouble as this was rare.

--------

On Talark…

The Prime Minister and his cohorts were currently in isolation in a large prison cell under heavy guard, they wondered just how did their plans all go wrong when the door opened and before them was very irate Gundam pilot and the Grand Admiral of the Allied Fleet.

Kyo was furious at the moment as he glared at the prisoners….these men had done something that was inexcusable in his mind, they dared to kidnap the women that he loved with his whole heart and it was taking a huge amount of calm and inner self restraint for him to resist the urge to strangle them with his bare hands.

The five women, while slightly wounded, were not badly injured and for the most part, unharmed and were safely protected by Grand Pa's own elite guards and were treated as honored guests while here on Talark, and while that made him cool his burning fury at the moment he was doing his level best to keep from exploding before the men. As soon as he was told that Dita, Jura, Sara, Mai, and Meia were in good health, his temper cooled. Now however, before the men were sent to hang, he was going to make them suffer for their transgressions and their antics.

As the guards who opened the door closed it again, the first person Kyo targeted was the ring leader of this attempt…

The Prime Minister…

The Grand Admiral of the Allied Fleet grabbed the man by the collar and hauled him to his feet and shouted in anger.

"YOU'VE GOT SOME GUTS TRYING TO HARM THE WOMEN I LOVE YOU SICK IDIOT!!!"

The Prime Minster was going to say something snide but the Gundam pilot was having none of it as he began to strangle the man right in front of his fellow prisoners. The fact that as a Coordinator, Kyo had a greater level of strength and stamina than a normal human and it was not long before the Prime Minister was turning blue as Kyo continued to choke him to near death.

It was when that Grand Pa arrived on the scene and looked on to see Kyo as he was choking the life out of the Prime Minister, he waited only a minute or two and he then spoke to Kyo to release his enemy that the Gundam pilot relented, though with obvious reluctance as he moved away. The elderly leader then looked at the Prime Minister with obvious disgust and then spoke to the man who managed to get his sense of self back after nearly being strangled to death by the heavily irate Gundam pilot.

"You are to stand on trial for this attempt to breach the alliance with the worlds of Talark and Megele tomorrow morning Prime Minister, or should I say, former Prime Minister, your actions have now been recognized as crimes that are in the markings of high treason, thus you are to be stripped of your rank and position effective immediately."

The shock of the news was evident on the face of the now former Prime Minister of Talark as he managed to get his wits about him, and that was what Grand Pa was hoping for and he spoke gravely to the former Talark official.

"What you have done has nearly undermined the alliance between our world and that of Megele, you kidnapped five of their citizens and has caused damage to this alliance…."

"Grand Pa! I was…."

"What Prime Minister? You think I was not made aware by your secret attempts to subvert my authority on this matter? I may be older than most men on this world of our pasty, but I am no senile old fool. You have been trying to disrupt the alliance in your own fashion and then you engineered this report that I have recovered that states that these women were criminals that had attempted to attack a routine recon patrol. No doubt you planned to have some of your own men act as….survivors to back up this story."

The man was silent and then Grand Pa replied as he walked away.

"You have broken my laws by doing this open attack, and as such, you and all your associates will be in trial without exception. Think well on your crimes because there is more evidence to come that will make you and all those who worked with you suffer for this."

At that Kyo spoke to the guards as he had plans that were already approved by Grand Pa as well, now it was time to get things going.

--------

In the chambers…

The three Gundam pilots as well as their two comrades from the Crusader Squadron had to admit that for the Spartan comforts of their chamber it was not so bad since they were able to have good food to eat. At first they were not happy with the sight of the pills before them but their hunger got to them and they tried a bit, only to find that the pills were the ones that Bart had requested to be made and tasted like real food, that was more than enough for them to take as much as they could and were now full, their wounds had been already treated

Meia and the others looked at Grand Pa for the very first time, they had seen him in the first meeting between the leaders and officials of Talark and Megele that eventually led to the formation of the alliance between Talark and Megele. The elderly leader of the male planet sat down and looked at them with a serious but none threatening eye and spoke to them.

"On behalf of my world and my people, I apologize for the actions taken by the former Prime Minister and his followers, I assure you that he and his fellow conspirators shall be dealt with in a joint court between your world and mine."

The women could see that he meant every word and then Jura spoke.

"Where is Kyo?"

Grand Pa spoke.

"He is currently interrogating all the known associates of the former Prime Minister to find out if there are others involved with the conspiracy, and if there are others, then they shall be dealt with accordingly. Now I must ask something, what exactly are you all doing here on Talark? I am rather curious about this for the moment so I hope that you can answer my question without taking offense. So what brings you here?"

At that question, all five women decided to tell Grand Pa why they were here. As soon as they told him that they planned to ask Kyo to marry them, the elderly leader of Talark was wide eyed at this, the leader took a minute or two to take in the information that he had been given by the five women into his mind and slowly ran it through his mind.

As soon as he was able to think clearly and objectively, Grand Pa asked them if they were serious about asking Kyo to marry them. All five women nodded without hesitation at the question, and Grand Pa could see that they were dead set on this matter. and that was more than enough to surprise Grand Pa as he had to admit that this was somewhat unexpected, but being something of a politically savvy person, he was not going to ignore the advantage of it all. If the Grand Admiral of Talark's Navy did marry a woman from Megele, let alone five, then it would send quite the message to the rest of the men of his world, even though Kyo himself was not a member of the all male world. If a man could be seen being romantically involved with a woman, then it would possibly help ease the gaps between men and women even further, which was a very powerful thing in times such as this.

It was something that he couldn't pass up to say the very least, but he kept in mind that things were not that simple, one case of a woman and man being romantic and willing to spend the rest of their lives together and even have a family was not enough to make people from either Talark and Megele to change their tune, no matter how high profile it was. He then wondered if there was another way to get more proof that such relationships can be possible, only this time, he wanted to know if it could happen between men of his world and that of the women of Megele. Knowing that the best way to know was to ask the women before him, he did so.

"Tell me….are there other men onboard the Nirvana….who have developed relationships with women from your world?"

Jura raised an eye brow and asked the elderly leader.

"Why do you want to know that of all things?"

Grand Pa smiled a bit and replied.

"The reason is that if both men from my world and women from your world can be able to have feelings for one another and develop relationships will be helpful indeed to further cement the alliance between our worlds. Because if our respective cultures learn that relationships can be possible between men and women from our worlds, then it will be able to strengthen the alliance. This is why I am asking such a question. I know that is it highly unusual but it is the truth as to why I asked this question."

The five women looked at one another and Meia spoke seriously.

"If we tell you this, then what will happen to our friends?"

Grand Pa replied to that question as well with a serious and committed tone.

"Then I will make sure that no harm will come to them in any fashion, I will talk it over with Grand Ma as well to make sure that everything that will be a key factor in this alliance is properly considered and dealt with. If your friends are able to show that a relationship between people of our worlds and cultures is possible, the results can truly be worth it, but I leave that up to you decide, and if you want, you can contact Magno and Grand Ma to get their approval as well as the decision of your friends if they agree to it."

As the five thought it over, they all decided to tell Magno and asked permission to contact the Nirvana while they were still here in the chambers where they were resting. Grand Pa nodded at that request as he left and spoke to his aides and in a few minutes the women were able to get their hands on some very good communications gear and after some corrections were able to contact the Nirvana. As soon as they were able to speak to the crew of the Nirvana, they were utterly relieved and so were their comrades who had wondered what happened to them after Kyo had apparently rescued them with the aid of the fleet under the personal command of Grand Pa himself.

When they told the others of what happened to them, Magno was not very happy with the news but she and the others were happy that at the very least, things were able to turn out for the best for all involved. The bridge crew were also happy that they were safe, it was not long before Barnette arrived on the bridge with Max in tow and both Jura and Barnette were happy to talk to one another as the emerald haired woman was relieved that her friend was all right. It was then that Jura spoke of the conversation she and the others had with Grand Pa and that was more than enough to raise eye brows in the crew of the Nirvana.

Magno thought about it and called the others who were key to this to the bridge of the Nirvana, it was not long before Duero and Parfait came forward and there then told of what Grand Pa had requested. The two brothers and the women who they were romantically involved with were surprised but it was not long before they decided to agree with the idea of telling the truth, it made more sense in that regard as both Duero and Max were First Class Citizens and it would be helpful in making the situation easier to bear for all involved.

At the moment however, they were all focusing on the soon to come trial that will have the former Prime Minister stand for his actions before the rest of the worlds and the members of the Alliance. This was going to be rather interesting to say the very least in the minds of just about everyone involved in this kind of situation. This trial was not going to be simple nor was it going to be pleasant, but the only good thing that was no doubt going to come out of the whole affair was that the Prime Minister and his lackeys were going to be removed from the picture due to their own actions in trying to break apart the alliance all for the sake of their own desires, placing those above the survival of the whole human race.

Magno decided to contact her husband and see just how things were on Talark, she had no doubt that the whole planet would be in an uproar, but it was better for her to get the news directly from her husband who was there to begin with than just rely on reports that could be taken and distorted by those who would want to keep things under wraps.

--------

A week after the incident…

The trial of the former Prime Minister began in earnest and it was far from pleasant, when the details of the kidnapping of the former Megele pirates came to light, it sent an uproar in the female home world, while there were those who were still not in agreement over the alliance, they were horrified by the news that five of their world's citizens were kidnapped by the men of Talark and they were quick to pounce on the chance to denounce the men as well as the alliance between their world and that of Talark.

This became the nightmare scenario for Magno and her husband Jin as they were asked to help with trying to sort out the mess along with Grand Pa and Grand Ma, if the war hawks had their way they were going to throw all the plans that had already been in place. They had to strike now before the situation spiraled into a situation that would prove to be too hard to control.

As for Kyo he spent time with Jura, Meia, Sara, Mai, and Dita, he was happy that they were not harmed in a serious fashion. The Gundam pilot and Grand Admiral was then told as to why they had decided to come and visit him and it shocked him to find out that they were going to marry him at the very same time when the trial was over.

It made him feel great joy and happiness, along with some level of worry; however it was then that the rest of the Nirvana crew heard about the idea of their comrades marrying Kyo. It was also something that attracted the attention of the other parties involved, it was Magno who pushed forward the idea that maybe the marriages could be used to cement the alliance, as Kyo is considered a powerful citizen of Talark along with the Talark military as befitting his status as Grand Admiral of the Allied Fleet as well as a member of the Megele military. If he married the women it could help show that the idea of men and women being together was more than just an alliance of survival.

Kyo did not like the idea of something as important as a wedding ceremony being turned into a media circus, he had hoped for a good ceremony where he would be able to propose as well as give the rings. However, that was to be placed aside as the trial was well underway. The Prime Minister defended his actions as best he could while Kyo served as the counter to his actions. The trial was televised all over Talark and on Megele As well, under the request of Grand Ma, yet another thing that the Prime Minister wished would never happen, but did. The trial took days as witnesses and confessions from those who were roped into the conspiracy spoke, along with those who Kyo had personally interrogated began to tell everything.

It was here that Kyo uncovered the plot being hatched by the men or rather the fanatical ones in question and when the men of Talark heard the plot being hatched by the Prime Minister and his lackeys, they were quick to show that they were not keen on supporting his actions, some were even calling him a traitor who deserved to be hanged. The trial went on with the evidence being presented by Kyo as well as the confessions of the collaborators who were taking part in the operation. The women were shocked by this and then waited for the decision of the men's own leader. This was considered to be a very serious crime as far as things went and many of the women wondered just how the leader of the men of Talark would act on the evidence brought before him as well as the recorded conversations between him and Kyo.

It was not long before Grand Pa gave his verdict, and that it was a very harsh one. The former Prime Minister of Talark and those who were willing to take part of the conspiracy were sent into the most feared prison on Talark, a mobile space prison facility known as the Sandbox. It was aptly named as the prison was a floating asteroid that was converted into a triple maximum security prison which contained only the worst of the worst, the people who were the ones Kyo had not given amnesty as he knew that they were too violent and volatile to be of much use in the war effort.

Grand Pa sealed his decision with his personal symbol, and that was the end of that, and when the guilty party were taken away, the women were then allowed to see the true story of the Sandbox which was feared by all the men of Talark and the reputation the place had to the men and despite their own unease, it was deemed a fitting punishment.

And it was also when the elderly leader of Talark decided to announce that a special occasion was going to begin and that was the marriage of the Grand Admiral of the Allied Fleet. This was something that was quite shocking to many of the men on Talark and the women on Megele but Grand Ma agreed with this moment, having talked with Grand Pa about it and smiled at the idea. This was soon followed by the report that this wedding would soon be followed by two others.

This was more than enough to get the ball rolling for the people on both worlds. As he looked at the situation brewing before him, Kyo hoped that he would be ready for this, thankfully the Gundam pilot was given as much time as he needed in order to get things going for him. He was actually looking forward to this, though he hoped that he was going to be all right as this was something that he knew was unheard of in either Talark or Megele.

A woman marrying a man, and not just one woman….but five!

He couldn't help but wonder how his relatives and parents would have reacted if they saw him at this moment. He had no doubt in his mind that his parents were going to be very interested to see just how he managed to get himself roped into a wedding with five women. He didn't even want to guess how his uncle and aunt would take it. But he would be lying to himself if he said he didn't find the whole thing very interesting as well as gratifying as he was living every young man's deepest and most treasured fantasy.

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To be continued…

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Author's Notes:

This wraps up this chapter, and now the Prime Minister gets his just punishment for his actions. And the fact that Kyo revealed the full extent of his actions and his plans is more than enough to send the man down the creek with neither paddle nor a boat for that matter. With that man out of the way as well as those who had worked with him in his plans, Kyo can finally get back on track.

However, he gets the shock of his life only hours after the trial, but in a good fashion as he discovers the reason why the five women came to Talark in the first place. Now things get interesting for Kyo since weeks from now, he will be taking part in his wedding with all five women who mean so much to him and have been part of his life ever since sneaking onboard the Ikazuchi nearly two years ago.

Now I know that I said there will be now more lemons, but I can't resist it since the next arc will be the final epic chapter series of GunDread SEED the Second Stage and will be the final series that will end this epic that got me started on writing stories in the internet in the first place. As I have stated before in the previous chapters, the last arc will be the vile, it will be bloody, it will be harsh, and it will be action packed as I will finally draw this story to a close after a long time of delays due to too many things to do and too many stories to write.

The first chapter of the next and final arc will deal with the wedding of Kyo with the five women in his life as well as the evolution of several other relationships in the series as well and who knows, there might be other weddings to come. This chapter will be very well titled as it will be the prelude to some very serious battles to come for the heroes of GunDread SEED.

And the rest….well…wait and see.

See you there!


	38. Chapter 38

GunDread SEED The Second Stage

Disclaimer: I don't own either Gundam SEED or VanDread so let's not get carried away here all right?

Chapter 13

Part 1

The Calm before the Storm...

( ): Thoughts

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In the Nirvana...

The crew were currently abuzz with activity and for a very good reason as things for the crew had changed dramatically. They had just been informed that in a day or so, there was going to be a wedding for several members of their fellow crew and they were naturally invited. Seven of the women were currently getting ready for the soon to come event as the Nirvana was currently in orbit over Megele.

It had been quite an announcement and there had been some level of discussion on just where the wedding should take place due to the fact that the weddings were going to be something of historical firsts to say the very least. They were all eager for this moment for their fellow crew and it was not surprising that every member of the Nirvana crew spared no expense in contributing to the whole festive atmosphere.

The Nirvana was currently docked with the pirate base as the women were going all out to get ready for the wedding so they were buying the appropriate dresses for the event. Five women in particular were going to focus hard on this moment so they were going to use all their money and time to make this day wonderful for them all and the man they loved in question. They were naturally not alone as several people were more than willing to help them look for the right dress.

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In a clothing store...

Dita was looking at all the wedding dresses that were there before her and she was awed by the sheer variety before her at this moment, she was not the only one doing the shopping as Meia, Jura, Sara, and Mai were with her as well, also looking for the right wedding dress for them to surprise Kyo with, and they were not alone either as their respective fahma and ohma were with them to help them find the right dress, though in the case of Meia she was content to look for the right wedding dress herself. The women in question were enjoying the moment and they were thinking about how to best surprise the man they loved after the wedding was over. They were more than willing to do what they could for Kyo, but since the wedding was scheduled to begin after the end of a week, they had plenty of time to plan out the whole event.

Jura smiled warmly at one particular dress and took it off the hanger and showed the dress to her fahma and ohma who looked at the dress and they smiled somewhat at the choice as the blonde headed to the nearby mirror to see how she would look with it on her. Jura took the time to see herself in it and decided that she would hold the dress in reserve and decided to place it aside for the moment and find another dress.

Jura wanted to pick the right dress that would really make Kyo take notice of her the very second she walked in front of him, she already knew that he found her undeniably sexy in her normal outfit and she was tempted to wear only her outfit in her wedding, but she decided to stick to the tradition of wearing a proper gown for her wedding. She knew that her outfit had to be something wonderful and also give Kyo a good deal of eye candy without being too showy, but at the moment, she was having a hard time as she saw that there were a great number of beautiful wedding gowns to choose from.

The same could be said for Dita as the redhead began to look over the various styles of wedding gowns and she couldn't help but feel utterly amazed by all of them as she was trying her very best to choose the one that she felt was going to be the one that would make her Mr. Alien very happy to see her wearing it when they were all going to walk down the aisle. The red-haired Gundam pilot was eager to finally get the chance to walk down the aisle with the man she loved deeply. And she couldn't help but blush at the thought of how he would look at her when she would wear the dress that would look good on her.

The redhead shook her head and decided that while such thoughts were delicious and too good to ignore, it was not going to be of much use if she wasn't able to find the right dress in time for the wedding, even though there were still a few days before the wedding. With that in mind she looked and found something promising and showed it to her own fahma and ohma to get their approval on the dress. They looked it over and told her to keep it for the moment as a reserve.

Dita nodded and decided to keep it reserved for now and look for another dress to wear when she had the chance.

Meia herself took her time to look for the right dress for her wedding with Kyo, the blue haired Gundam pilot was eager to find the right dress and since she only had herself to choose the right dress and judge it for herself, she wanted it to be something that not only looked wonderful to her and Kyo but was comfortable as well for her to wear, she hoped that her fahma and ohma were watching her in wherever they were and were happy for her for being finally with someone that she loved deeply with all her heart.

As she looked at one very interesting dress, she couldn't help but blush slightly at the thought of Kyo looking at her in the dress. She managed to place that delicious thought aside for the moment as she decided to hold that dress for a reserve and looked at the other dresses that she could also try for the wedding.

Sara was also looking at a dress critically to see if it was going to be a good choice for her to wear when the time came for the wedding, she couldn't help but blush a bit at the thought of wearing the dress for Kyo to see once they were walking down the aisle and it was a very tempting thing for her to think about, but she then decided that now was not the time to focus on this things as she needed to see if she had other options that she could chose from in the dress department. With that in mind she moved to keep the dress in reserve for the time being.

Her fahma and ohma looked at the dress that Sara had placed aside for her reserve and nodded at their daughter's choice, the dress was good and would be better kept in reserve for the time being unless she couldn't find one that suited her taste for this event and she could fall back on this one.

The same could be said for Mai as she looked at several dresses and saw that there was one that she could hold in reserve and she blushed as well at the thought of how Kyo would react the very second she walked down the aisle in it. But for now she placed that same dress aside for reserve as she looked at the others while her parents were also looking the other dresses over in the clothing store.

The women and their fahma and ohma were not alone as they were escorted by a handful of their comrades, namely Magno, Gascogne, Buzam, Ezra, Paiway, and Rebecca. The elderly Captain smiled at the five women who were like daughters to her as she could tell that they were all utterly overjoyed by the fact that they were soon going to be married to Kyo, and she couldn't help but smile even more as she wondered just how her uncle was handling the whole thing before him. Kyo was still there on Talark and he was very busy working on a good number of things that needed to be dealt with, but he was also getting ready for the soon to come wedding and there was no doubt in her mind that he was still trying to get his mind wrapped on what was going to happen to him.

She placed those thoughts aside as Gascogne spoke to her.

"You know captain, this is the first time I've ever seen this happen before in my life."

Magno chuckled a bit at that and replied.

"How true....we're all witnesses to history you know, we're going to be the ones who will see a man and woman be tied in holy marriage in the system of Talark and Megele, let alone something like five women marrying the same man. That is considered something of a massive fantasy for most young men if I recall it right."

Buzam/Tenmei nodded and replied in the female voice.

"Of course, it's not just Kyo's wedding to Jura, Meia, Dita, Sara and Mai that is getting waves, There is also the other weddings of Barnette Orangello and Parfait Balblair to Hiryu's own sons, those weddings are also going to be historic firsts in their own right."

Ezra nodded at that as she smiled as she knew that Buzam/Tenmei had a point as well on that matter. The fact that both couples were from both Talark and Megele and were born there was really going to make things very interesting to say the very least. Though Kyo's multiple weddings were powerful in their own right, Kyo was not born and raised on Talark and was not a full citizen of the all male deserted world.

Duero and Max on the other hand were and the same could be said for Barnette and Parfait as they were also born and raised on Megele. She then had a thought and spoke.

"I wonder where Barnette and Parfait are at the moment?"

Rebecca already had the answer to that.

"Barnette is going to be arriving here as she had been busy working on her Gundam and her Dread with Parfait helping her out, they should arrive here soon enough."

And sure enough they did and the two were greeted by the other women and they were soon getting into the spirit of things and were now selecting their own wedding dresses for the soon to come wedding between them and their beloved men.

And as this was going on, Magno wondered once more how Kyo was doing with the fact he was soon to be married and she now wondered how Duero and Max were taking it. This week was going to be worth every minute of it all as the sounds of wedding bells were ringing in her head. She wondered how this week was going to end for the women and men in general as there was also a great deal of things going on both worlds.

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Kyo was still busy doing his work as Grand Admiral of the Allied Fleet and he had to do his work well in order to be up to the standard as he looked at incoming reports from both Megele and Talark as he was always kept in the loop on the majority of the plans that were currently being set into motion by his well trained and chosen staff. Thankfully his uniform was still well taken care of and had been made to suit him well.

The uniform was a combination of Talark and Megele make personally requested by both Grand Ma and Grand Pa to symbolize the unity of their planets and civilizations and not just that of their armed forces as well. Made from an inner layer of Talark clothing that was actually inserted with a vest made with advanced lightweight ceramic plating to protect the wearer from attack with bladed weapons and some ranged projectiles, the uniform also had been made with Megele fabric that was light weight and also resistant to tearing and stains. The uniform was streaked with grey and black along with blue and gold and took elements from both Talark uniforms and those from Megele to balance things out evenly, on the left upper area on Kyo's chest was a row of Talark military decorations as well as the symbol of Grand Pa's personal seal to show that Kyo was chosen by Grand Pa directly and was a high ranking officer under Grand Pa's personal order. Below that was the row of Megele military decorations and also Grand Ma's own seal to show that she had elected him as supreme commander. There was also a trio of metallic chains that were made of silver, platinum and gold respectively that were strapped to the front of his uniform in a well made clasp and the chains were over his right shoulder and locked to another clasp on his back.

The front and the back of the uniform was black with grey on the sides while the cuffs were in gold and on the long sleeves there were blue streaks as well that reached all the way to the wrists, his boots were military issued boots while his belt was made from treated Sand Viper skin with several gold clasps and had on his side his sword in easy reach and he had his pistol in a holster on the small area of his back. The once normal sheath was decorated with several bands of silver, gold, and some small gemstones to add colour to the sheath. Kyo was not the kind to go for such a look, but he had to wear this as he was supposed to be a high ranking officer which in his case he was

To complete the uniform, his pants was also in the same colour scheme, black with grey and blue outlines as well, all in all, he looked every inch a high ranking military officer and he was very busy with a number of details that he had to attend to in order to make sure that while he was here on Talark, he would be able to do the best he could under it's banner, he knew that one of the stations from Talark would be moved out of it's normal orbit and become a main meeting station for the Allied Fleet in the coming days and he had every intention of moving his office there with his staff.

Ever since the trial of the former Prime Minister, many of the dissenters to the alliance between Talark and Megele had finally been silenced as many of them were shocked at the extent of the Prime Minster's plans and they knew that if they had continued to support his actions, then it would have resulted in them losing valuable time and manpower as well as resources, as well as breaking their oath to Grand Pa as well as destroying the very ideals that they had taken to heart. This gave him far greater support than before and that was going to be something that he was going to need.

As he finished his work for the day, he yawned a bit and grabbed a glass of water and took in the water slowly to enjoy the drink, he then looked out into the cityscape and began to think about the soon to come wedding, it was still some time away, but he was already feeling the pressure of the day itself even if it had not arrived just yet to him. The idea of being married was somewhat hard to some young men, but the idea of being married to more than one woman was both a man's greatest fantasy and fear come true. It wasn't that he was against the idea of marrying Jura, Meia, Dita, Sara, and Mai, he actually wanted it to happen, but that didn't mean that he was not going to be affected by the whole thing. He had to admit that he was going to have to get used to being married to more than one woman and he still had time to think if over. He was going to see the wedding through and he hoped that by this path, it would help the Alliance, it still galled him a bit that there were political reasons for the weddings, but he didn't care about that.

As he looked over the reports, he then decided to issue orders for the Talark and Megele Navies to begin crew exchanges to ensure that both men and women were able to operate side by side with one another in battle, though there was still the possibility of resistance to the idea of men and women working in the same ships with one another, it had to be tried, if the women were able to work with the men in their ships and if the men were able to work with women in their ships, then the crew interaction in a co-gender setting should further lessen the tensions and hopefully remove the biases the two sides have to one another.

He decided to assign Jason to handle the male contingents who would be sent out to deal with them integrating with the crews of the Megele armed forces, Jason was an open minded person and was very skilled, befitting his rise from Third Class Citizen to First Class and since he was quite tolerant and open minded compared to most of the First Class Officers, he was a valid choice to serve as ambassador, after all, he had already been among to the crew of the Nirvana and had some firsthand experience with them, he also planned to have Max and Aleck work with him on regular rotation to make things easier since the two men had the most experience dealing with the opposite gender.

He then decided to have Heidi handle the female contingent who would be sent to serve alongside the Talark armed forces, like Jason, Heidi was rather open minded and more capable in accepting the alliance between the men and women and since it was she who forwarded the idea of aligning with the men to Grand Ma despite the heavy resistance to the plan, she would make an excellent ambassador, along with the fact that she was the more tolerant and practical one of the female officers he had to work with and showed genuine respect and courtesy despite his gender, and she was an efficient person to say the least, though he could bet that Heidi was going to have her hands full once she started. And like before, he decided to have some aides to help Heidi in her duties, and he couldn't think of the best candidates to be Barnette and Parfait. The two had the most experience dealing with men and with Barnette's experience that turned her perceptions of men around from what her planet taught her, it would further aid the purpose.

For now however, he had to think on where to host the wedding itself, the fact was that he had to juggle the need to host the wedding somewhere which could be seen as a symbol of the alliance, Megele was not a very good choice to the moment, and neither was Talark, the decision was not out of spite, but he needed to choose a place where the weddings could really be seen as a symbol of alliance between the two sides.

And it was then that he had an idea, but he needed to run it through several people first, for now he decided to call in Jason and Heidi, the first was easy enough and the second required him to call her via the COM frequency that she had given him in order to call her while she was managing her duties back there on Megele.

As soon as he called Jason, the man arrived crisply several minutes later along with Dom, both men saluted him and he saluted them back as Jason spoke first.

"You wanted to see me Admiral?"

Kyo nodded.

"Yes, I have a new duty for you Jason, I need you to serve as ambassador for the male contingents who will be integrating with the female armed forces of Megele in a matter of days from the wedding."

"You want the men to be integrated with the armed forces of the women Admiral?"

"Yes, the sooner we have both sides learning to work with one another in closer situations then all the better for the alliance, we already have made good progress according to the reports you and Dom have sent me, but this will not be enough. Production of weapons, fuels, ships, Vanguards, Dreads, ammunition, parts, and more are needed, but we need to be sure that both sides are able to work at a more personal level to ensure cooperation on both sides of the lake so to speak."

"If both men and women work together side by side, then this will allow the two to see each other in the flesh for the first time in years, now they might have interacted before, but that was in a totally different setting and the situation was unique, now we have a chance to even things up a little bit more between planets. The reason is that while I could serve as a go between for both sides, I have to manage many things as well as plan out for the soon to come attack of the Harvesters, so it's better than that someone else who is quite qualified takes this duty. You're that person for the male side since you were more open minded than most of the other men in Talark's high command and you seem to have no qualms with women, I won't lie to you about the importance and the tests of this assignment Commander, it will not be easy."

"Remember that the women of Megele have different customs and beliefs, and some of these might well lead to tension and conflict between both the male members of the contingents and the women that they need to work with. The sooner we can be able to smooth things over, then that is even better for both sides of this alliance, this can also help the two sides understand one another's customs and culture as well as beliefs. Of course, there ARE some plus sides to the whole assignment since you can finally see just what women really are in a more social setting and situation so you can learn some things about women which were NOT included in the manuals back home. Naturally you won't be alone as I will have allies to work with you."

"Who are they?"

"Aleck Koubayashi and Max McFile, they have already worked with women from Megele before and therefore are quite knowledgeable in regards on understanding the culture of the women and they will be able to help you in this regard, I would have added Max's brother Duero, but he is needed in the Nirvana as Chief Medical Officer onboard, and his experiences are different that his brother's."

"How so?"

"Duero, Bart, and myself have been with the Nirvana crew for some time and we have understood their culture and dealt with a mutiny before that was done by Barnette who at the time....was still not interested with an alliance between men and women. However it was resolved and eventually Barnette changed her views about women, however, they crew of the Nirvana were civilians, and retired personnel and while they were influenced by their culture and world's perceptions of men, they were able to change due to the circumstances, and due to good people being onboard the ship who were open minded and tolerant like the Captain herself, Gascogne, and several others. Max and Aleck however were members of the military and so were the women they had dealt with so they had a more difficult time with the women they were with due to their respective military backgrounds and the fact that they were at each others throats for the most time. they eventually worked together and though Max and Aleck were the only survivors, they learned much about women that proved many misconceptions that they had towards them. That's the reason they are being assigned as your aides for this assignment. Is that all right with you Commander?"

Jason thought it over and decided that Kyo's arguments made good sense and he had to admit that having men who had worked with the Megele military would prove to be highly beneficial for all parties involved, and it would help him to understand women a lot better at the very same time, this would be key to making sure that the alliance would be able to flourish and grow strong enough to face the Harvesters once the enemy made it through and engaged them into the fight that was going to determine the survival of both their worlds.

"None whatsoever Admiral."

"Good, now then I suggest you get your crew and your ship ready to meet up with your counter-part for this operation."

Jason saluted Kyo and left, leaving Dom to smirk a bit more.

"Nice to see things are working out for all of us....anyway Admiral...."

"Call me by my first name Dom, we're the only ones here in my office so let's try not to be formal all the time, like I said, I may be an Admiral, but I'm still a man."

Dom smiled a bit more at that.

"Right, anyway, are you still pushing on with the plans for that wedding Kyo? It's something of a serious event from what I can gather."

"Yeah....and I'm nervous as hell to be honest."

Dom smiled at that and began to laugh a bit more....if this had been different and he was before the First Class Citizen, he would have been flogged in public, but Kyo was not that kind of person and they were good colleagues and friends, plus Kyo had appointed him to a very high position to help his fellow Third Class Citizens who were now getting far better treatment than before so it was all right.

"You're nervous? Never thought I'd see the day that you, the legendary Kyo Clyne Yamato become nervous, it's kind of refreshing actually."

Kyo laughed at that.

"I'll bet it is, it's just pre-wedding jitters and stuff....perfectly normal from what I remember, and I can bet that the ladies I'm marrying are in the same boat. At any rate, it's going to be a very long wedding once the time comes, but for now, we need to get things organized for that."

"Right."

"I'll need to make some more calls so I'll see you later Dom."

"Got it."

That was when Kyo decided to contact the Nirvana and see just how things were going on back there.

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In the Nirvana's bridge...

Celtic was manning the station when the call came in and she was more than willing to greet Kyo as he appeared on the screen.

"Kyo! It's good to hear from you!"

"Same to you Celtic, is Magno there?"

Celtic nodded and sure enough, Magno's chair came down from the council room and she smiled at the sight of her long time uncle by blood and spoke to him.

"Hello there Kyo, what brings you here?"

Kyo smiled and replied.

"Not much at the moment, just wanted to make sure that everything there on the Nirvana was all right, by the way, I....have a request."

"Oh?"

"It's about the wedding....I was thinking of having the Nirvana play host to the wedding itself."

The very second he mentioned that, the bridge crew were utterly ecstatic over the whole idea, they were going to host the wedding of some of their own crew in this very ship and not only that, it was going to be the wedding of the century as it was going to be a wedding event between men and women, the rest of the crew were more than willing to show their appreciation and the same could be said of Bart and Duero as well as they spoke their surprise and support. As soon as everyone got that out of their system, the elderly Captain spoke to the crowd.

"All right then, looks like we're going to be hosts to the wedding of the century. I think we're going to be in for a very good time."

As the crew got to work on the soon to come event, the elderly Captain then spoke to Kyo."

"All right Kyo, we'll be the hosts, so I suggest that you get ready for the wedding."

"Right, see you in a few days."

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The news of the soon to come weddings was spreading out like wild fire on both Megele and Talark as people on both worlds began to think about the implications of such an event, the fact that two of the women from Megele were marrying two men from Talark was sensational enough, as well as the wedding with five of the former female pirates from Megele with none other than the Grand Admiral of the Allied Fleet. This had been a very big topic of discussion between the various circles in the two worlds and there was plenty of activity going on as well.

Many on either planet even wondered if there was such a thing as marriage between their respective genders and there were naturally some malcontents in either world that said that such a wedding was impossible to picture, regardless, under the orders of both Grand Ma and Grand Pa, the two worlds began to prepare for the event and naturally, the fact that it was such an unprecedented event in both worlds, many groups vied to gain access to the inner workings of the soon to come weddings. However, they were naturally surprised that it was not going to be held in either world, but on the Nirvana.

On Talark itself, Kyo had to deal with the fact that he was being asked countless questions from various groups on his decision to be married to the five women, along with that line of questioning were questions on why the wedding was not being hosted on Talark as he was a man like the rest of them. He fended off the questions as best he could and focused on the tasks before him while also making his own preparations for the wedding as well, he hoped that when the time came, he was going to be able to have a decent wedding that was not going to turn into some sort of fiasco that was going to be a major source of embarrassment for him.

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The day of the weddings...

Kyo had never felt any heavy nervousness in his life both in his youth growing up on Earth in the past and when he was now fighting with the pirates who were now like family to him. But at this moment he was feeling more nervousness that ever before. He had heard from his father Kira how he had felt in the wedding between him and his mother Lacus so many years before, and his father told him that when the time came, he would be feeling it as well. He had thought that he would be used to it by now...but it seemed that his father was right about this being the hardest part of being in a relationship, though in his case, he was in a relationship with more than one woman and he knew that this was going to be something else entirely. At the moment, he was dressed in a white and black suit, the usual kind worn by grooms when they were getting married though on one side of his suit he had the symbol of Talark and on the other was the symbol of Megele, along with both his admiral ranks underneath each symbol to show that this was a more political wedding than most would think. However there was room for happiness and joy though he could bet that the viewers on both sides were going to have an eye full.

Of course...he was not the only one who was nervous as well, both Duero and Max were also getting rather nervous as well, while the brothers were a lot calmer than the Gundam pilot was, they were still rather unnerved by the fact that they were going to get married as well. They also knew that in a way this was a political marriage, but that didn't mean that they didn't want it either, like Kyo they too were dressed well in suits, though it was the first time they wore something that didn't have anything to do with the military. The three men had their suits made in Megele but had materials from Talark to further show the alliance between the two worlds.

And of course, having the wedding in the Nirvana which was formed with the fusion of both a Megele cruiser and the Talark battleship the Ikazuchi was a good choice, plus this allowed for more of the unused space on the ship to finally see some light after so long in the in dark. At the moment, they were all in the Bio-Park of the Nirvana and the one officiating happened to be none other than Magno herself.

Being that she was of the First Generation AND had been married before, she was the most knowledgeable about such things and since she remembered the wedding vows of the past in her own wedding, she would have to handle it despite the fact that she was not recognized as a priestess or a member of the cloth. However she was the only one qualified since most of the First generation had forgotten the past when it concerned traditional ways to tie the bride and groom together. Though she had to admit that the wedding she was about to deal with was going to be the very first of it's kind in nearly three hundred or so years before, but it was going to be worth it at this rate.

As soon as she was done thinking it over, she looked at the three men who were all dressed for the occasion and she was happy that they were able to dress well for the wedding. Now all they had to worry about was when their brides were going to arrive, they decided that all three groups would have to take turns with Kyo going first and then Duero, followed by Max. The elderly woman then smiled as the women arrived and this was the signal for Kyo, Max, and Duero to look in that direction and all three men were surprised and awed by what they were now looking at as the seven women walked in.

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Kyo looked at the five women in their wedding dresses and couldn't help but blush in appreciation, thankfully he was able to keep himself from doing something utterly dim-witted like drooling, that was understandable considering the way the five women looked before him, but that would have been a colossal embarrassment in such a momentous occasion like this one. However, he couldn't help but be awed by the sight before him as the five women he was going to soon be married to came ever closer.

Dita wore a wedding gown that was somewhat classical in appearance though it was certainly very attractive. It had no sleeves and there were small blue gemstones there in a web-like pattern on the front of her dress over her breasts while she also wore short white silk gloves on her hands, the dress was long but thankfully was not very thick and heavy as the designers had worked hard in order to make the dress both comfortable and beautiful at the very same time. Her usual tiara was replaced by a more formal one which held the veil before her face which was translucent while her long red hair was still the same as before.

The dress hugged her frame well and showed all her curves and swells in all the right places but without being very showy. All in all, the red haired woman was undeniably attractive and despite the veil that covered her face, he could see her smiling warmly at him while wearing light make up and her usual lipstick for this day, though she took it well, no doubt showing that she had taken a considerable amount of time to make herself look very pretty for this day.

She wore more elegant versions of her usual boots and these were naturally comfortable and also well made to suit her for this day so she didn't have to worry about her feet. One either side of Dita were her parents who were smiling well as they looked at Kyo who they respected well for all he had done for so many people.

Meia wore another type of wedding dress, though in her case, her dress had no sleeves and hugged her frame like a tube in the middle portion and there in the front of her wedding dress was a deep blue sapphire that worked well with her hair, she didn't have her circlet on, showing her own beautiful face which had some light makeup as well to highlight her own beauty before the people, she had soft silk gloves as well though the gloves were longer and reached above her elbows, her dress was also silk and was quite comfortable to her without being heavy, there were also some small diamonds in a sash-like belt on her waist while also wearing comfortable shoes with straps on them with small jewels there, she also had on a tiara that held her veil in place with a deep green emerald in the center.

She was the only one of the five women who was not accompanied by her fahma and ohma, but she was not bothered by that as she knew that they were there with her, watching her in their own fashion and that made her all the more happy for this moment between her and Kyo as she moved ever closer towards him.

Jura however wore something that was certainly fitting her nature as well as her blonde good looks as well as her body as her dress was made from comfortable and well made silk, it was the same as Meia's own dress, but she had it personally made to show her bust a bit more, she also had a diamond shaped opening on the front of her dress, the upper part of said opening was near the lower portions of her breasts while not being shown too much, and the lower portion made it all the way over her stomach and stopped above her navel, the dress also had slits on the sides which started up between her thighs to the lower part of the dress, showing that she had boots similar to her own style of boots, like Meia and Dita, she also had a tiara there which was gold with emerald gemstones in a pattern of lines on them that held her veil though the Gundam pilot could see that she had make up as well.

She didn't wear gloves but long cloth bands that left her hands free and were up to her upper arms with two beautiful amelyst stones on the upper portions of the cloth bands. All in all, she looked beautiful and sensual at the same time. She was accompanied by both her fahma and ohma to the altar with a radiant smile on her face.

Sara wore a more formal form of wedding dress as she had one a dress that had no sleeves that was covered with small yet elegant designs which were in golden thread, and there were two straps that were moving towards a collar that had a blue jewel there in the middle of the collar. Her dress hugged her frame very well and there was only a single slit on the side of her dress there on the lower part that made it up to mid thigh on the right side of her dress. Like the other three women she also wore a golden head piece but this was made with two bands interwoven gold and silver that held her veil quite well. She also had very comfortable shoes on that would ensure that she looked both classy and elegant at the very same time for this wonderful event in her life

She had on simple gloves that reached up to the middle of her forearms and there was a small set of gemstones there on the upper part of her gloves that added further beauty to her form. She was also accompanied by her fahma and ohma who smiled at how happy their daughter looked at this moment of her life.

Mai wore a different style of wedding dress and it was similar to a wedding kimono though made from less bulky material and was quite light and therefore was able to allow her easier movement. The dress was white and had symbols of sakura petals flowing down in pink thread along with some golden thread there in unique wave patterns, her obi had several beautiful diamonds there that were made in a very beautiful pattern and the obi was held there with a deep red cord that had a green and blue stone there in unison. Mai had on a pair of simple but comfortable old Japanese style sandals that were still very much classical for her to move in as well as a crown of silver on her head to hold her own veil in place.

She wore no gloves but had on a pair of bracelets that were made from gold and had several words that were in the language of her world that spoke of happiness, joy, prosperity, motherhood, and long life in marriage, she smiled at Kyo as she was accompanied by her own fahma and ohma.

All in all, the five women radiated so much happiness, beauty. passion, love, and more towards their soon to be husband as they came ever closer to him that Kyo wondered just how much they had all changed from before, Dita had been rather ditzy and annoying before, now she was beautiful, passionate and more besides. Meia and him were not in the best of terms and now they were very much in love, Jura was still vain and flighty at times yet she was much different now, showing her good points even more. As for Sara and Mai, they too had changed into women who he cared for with a great deal of affection and that was something he was never going to forget for a very long time.

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Duero himself was awed by the way that Parfait was dressed for the wedding, it was similar to the same dress being worn by Dita though in this case she had several beautiful violet gemstones made in several beautiful patterns into the dress to add further beauty to the outfit that she wore for this day and it was able to hug her frame with little to no difficulties at all while allowing her free movement, the plucky head engineer had her hair style differently for this day to look a lot more attractive to her soon to be husband and as such they were not in their usual tails.

She had her hair down and formed into an elegant ponytail and there was a crown there that had several beautifully carved violet gemstones there on her crown as well to further show her attractive side to the man she was about to marry, and she naturally had some light makeup on, expertly made to show her beautiful traits to her intended. However in his eyes, she didn't need to wear a lot makeup since he found her beautiful and he vowed to tell her that as soon as they were together in private.

Like the others, she too was also escorted by her fahma and ohma who were also happy that their daughter found happiness with someone even if they had been surprised that the person in question was a man, they could see the love and affection of the two of them and as such, they were more than willing to let their daughter marry Duero.

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Max had his full attention on Barnette as the emerald haired woman walked towards him in her own dress which had some similarities to the dress that Jura had on as well though this was one was quite different in it's own right. The first was that it had a small upside down triangle on the front of her bust that showed a part of her bust for her husband to be so see, she also had open slits on the sides that showed the sides of her stomach and even her hips and she had on a belt made of deep white silk which had small emerald and amelyst gemstones woven into the silk belt itself, she also wore the simple shoes that were high heeled like her boots yet very comfortable to her feet at the very same time. She also had something similar to the crown she normally wore on her head though in this case, it was made from silver and had two gemstones there that matched her eyes and hair at the very same time

She also had a pair of gloves on her arms as well though these were different from the gloves that she normally had on in her usual dress and these were shorter and only up to the middle her forearms though these had small green silk that were in knots on them as well. She wore only a small amount of makeup but the makeup was done in a way that allowed her natural beauty to shine through before Max who blushed at the way she looked at that moment.

She was naturally escorted by both her ohma and fahma, they were happy for their daughter to finally be happy with someone though they were still trying to get used to the idea that she was marrying a man, however, considering all that they had learned of Max, they decided that despite the oddness of the pairing in the eyes of their fellow women, they were happy for their daughter and as such, agreed to this with their full consent.

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As soon as the women arrived to their intended partners, they all headed towards Magno as the elderly Captain smiled at them and began to speak to them in private.

"All of you look so beautiful together, you make an old woman like me really happy."

The three men smiled sheepishly while the women blushed a bit at the praise being given to them by the elderly woman, Magno noted that and could help but be amused, however she decided to get down to the serious parts and they were more than willing to listen as the elderly woman went to work in speaking about the history of marriage and she made those bits of history very clear to the people who were there from Talark and Megele and as soon as she was done with that, she finished the service and allowed the couples to kiss one another, Kyo took the time to remove the veils of all five women who he was about to marry while Duero and Max did the very same thing to Barnette and Parfait, as soon as they were done, the men kissed their partners, though Kyo was blushing more so than Duero or Max as he was kissing five women for this part of the wedding, something that would have really caused some heads to turn and eyes to widen had he done this sort of thing back in his time frame.

As soon as the kissing was over, Magno pronounced the couples that they were now married to their respective partners and they would be the heralds of a new future for both men and women from the two worlds, and that statement echoed throughout the ship and also the people who were there in the whole ship.

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Later...

The party was huge as dignitaries and guests from both planets were present to enjoy the wedding, the men were allowed to eat the new pills that Bart's family had begun to produce using the things the blonde navigator had learned over the time he had been with the crew and learning what he could on the way the women cooked their food, and it was going to be a very interesting situation, of course the restaurants on Talark were also allowed to cater some of their own planet's much harder to get food items as well to even things up, though Kyo had no doubt in his mind that some of the food items in question were not going to be all that well received by the women when they figured out what it was.

The women on the other hand were more than willing to bring their food into the party as well and they brought in a lot to say the very least and of course, the Nirvana was more than happy to contribute to the whole affair as their cooks worked on over time to cater as many dishes as they could manage to make in so short a time. Naturally the elderly Captain was happy for this as they were the ones who hosted the wedding and now they were going to make the most of this day.

As for the married couples, things were getting to be rather entertaining as Kyo was being fed by all of his wives, each of them taking turns to feed their mate while smiling and blushing as well. And in turn when they were done, he did the same and fed them in kind though he had to admit that feeding all five of them in turn was kind of entertaining to him. The same could be said for Duero and Parfait, as well as Max and Barnette as both couples were feeding one another carefully. As soon as that was done, they spent time to relax in their respective partner's company while things moved on as some entertainment was brought in to celebrate the occasion until the night of the dance between then married couples. The whole event was still being recorded

Kyo was then asked by the crew to play some music and the Gundam pilot agreed as they brought in the very same piano as before and he began to play the music once again, though he had done it before on Megele, the women who were sent to record this event were still surprised that he could actually play music so well, Once that part of the celebration was over, it was not long before there was soon going to be dancing and it was going to humorous as both Duero and Max had to learn how to dance on the move with Barnette and Parfait teaching them on the dance floor. Kyo didn't have that problem due to his previous experiences as he took time to dance with the women he was married to, the first was Dita and the redhead blushed deeply as she danced with her husband with a happy expression. As soon as he was done, he danced with Jura and the blonde woman was more than happy to be dancing with her husband as well, then they were finished, Meia was next and the blue haired woman blushed warmly as she recalled how she had danced with Kyo during her birthday celebration, only this time this was a far more precious moment for her. As soon as they were done dancing together, Meia moved away to let Sara dance with Kyo, and the woman was very happy as she danced with her husband. Lastly, Kyo finally danced with Mai and the young woman was very happy as she danced with her husband and it felt very right.

The night carried on as the crew of the Nirvana gave their congratulations to their crew members who had just become couples and the couples in question were very happy as they continued to chat with one another as well as their life partners, Barnette was happy as she hugged her husband and spent time to be with him as well as chatting with her friend Jura. Parfait herself was enjoying her time with her husband and Duero was more than willing to be there with her in kind as they talked about many things, along with planning where they were going to place their roots into. Kyo himself chatted with the five women who he was married to about where they were going to settle down and how they were going to handle the lives they were going to live once the war was over, the Gundam pilot and Grand Admiral of the Allied Fleet knew that he was jumping the gun on this matter, but it helped him feel much better and anything that would help him to keep his spirits up were more than welcome.

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In Kyo's room, an hour or so later...

"What a day..."

Kyo said as he opened the door to his room, apparently the room had been upgraded when he was off the Nirvana and he had a feeling that Magno had requested it for this night when she had been told by the five women that they were going to marry him, the bed was still there and there seemed to be some new furniture that would make his room a lot more comfortable for him and anyone who entered the room. He smiled at this and the five women were more than happy for the changes, they also spotted a refrigerator and inside were supplies of prepared food and drink for them have while they were in the room, Dita was more than willing to comment on the things that were now present in the room.

"Wow! The Captain really spent a lot on this, we really should thank her!"

The others nodded at that and Jura replied.

"I agree with Dita, we really should thank her when we have the chance to do so."

Kyo nodded and he relaxed a bit and decided to remove his suit and get into something more comfortable, however, that was stopped as the women suddenly stopped him and then Meia spoke to her husband.

"You need to let us do it Kyo, and close your eyes."

"Yes, you should close your eyes Mr. Alien."

'Same here Kyo, you might like this."

"I agree, close your eyes husband."

"Yeah, please do that, and no peeking."

Kyo turned and looked at them with a slightly confused by very interested eye at them and decided to do as they asked and he quickly felt them remove his clothes and he had to admit that the feeling of him being stripped of his clothes while being in pitch darkness was a very interesting feeling, he then lifted his legs to allow them to remove his shoes and sock and then he felt that his boxers were the only piece of clothing that he had on left.

He heard the sudden sounds of zippers being moved and he wished he could just open his eyes but he decided not to do that as he wanted to enjoy this a bit more, the sounds of zippers ended and were then joined by falling clothes and shoes, he was really awed by this and he felt his body react to the sounds as he felt his cock begin to get really stiff, and he blushed as he heard the five women moan out in pleasure at his actions.

It was then that all five of them spoke to him.

"All right Kyo, time to open your eyes."

Kyo was more than happy to do just that and the very second he did so, he was utterly stunned by the sight before him.

The women had just decided to surprise him by wearing the best suits for their soon to come wedding night together, and that suit was none other than their birthday suits. He looked at all five of them as they were now naked before him. He couldn't help but examine the five women he married from head to toe and back again as he felt his cock become even harder. He then noted that there were no lines on their bodies that would tell him that they had worn any underwear and he was quick to pick up on what had just happened before him and he spoke slowly.

"You....you were all wearing....nothing underneath the wedding dresses?!"

The women blushed and nodded as Jura replied.

"Oh yes, I had a hard time convincing the others but eventually they agreed so we could really make you happy, do you like it Kyo?"

Kyo blushed and replied.

"Oh yes I am, very much so."

Meia and the others smiled and they closed in and Jura whispered to Kyo.

"I also convinced Barnette and Parfait to try this out, so that means that both Max and Duero have gotten the same show you are having with us at this very moment, so I can bet that Max and Duero are going to be really happy. But that's not our concern now....we're here to make YOU happy, so hold on tight Kyo."

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And Jura was not kidding as both Max and Duero in their own respective rooms had just been greeted by the sight of their partners fully naked before them after they had removed their clothing and had helped their wives remove their wedding dresses, both brothers blushed at this and so did the women but that embarrassment was not going to last long as like Kyo they were more than ready and willing to get things going between them.

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The next day...

All the couples woke up and the men were amazed by what they had done with their partners last night, for Kyo, he had to admit that the women had really upped the ante in their actions when it came to seducing him and having sex with him as well, but he knew that they had plenty of time for them to get used to being together and as such, the Gundam pilot was more than willing and ready to put all that he had learned about his respective wives to the test as he was quick to begin pleasuring them once more, much to their delight as they were more than willing to let him do it to them.

As for Duero and Max, they decided that now was the right time for them to also show their own wives a good time, only in this case, they were going to be the ones to start things off as they were now going to use all that they had learned in order to pleasure the woman they had married. Barnette and Parfait were MORE than willing to let them do what they wanted at this point as this was going to be something special for all of them.

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Of course...you all know the results of all this activity between men and women right?

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Weeks later, onboard the Nirvana...

Kyo was busy waiting for the reports from Duero and Max as he was there in the Nirvana's Medical Bay alongside the five women he had just married no less that two weeks before and here they were taking a very serious medical examination, and this time this was the kind that he had no plans on missing out as he walked back and forth.

He knew that this was going to happen at some point, he had only wished that he was better prepared for this, the Gundam pilot couldn't help but find some level of irony in this moment. He had faced countless challenges before him and had fought some very serious foes, but here he was now becoming more nervous by the second. He stopped himself and tried to focus on waiting for the news.

He then turned to see none other than Magno as she smiled at her nervous uncle, she had never seen her uncle like this and couldn't help but find the whole thing very amusing to her. She however knew that this was a very joyous occasion for everyone involved as she spoke to her uncle.

"Are you all right Uncle?"

"Yeah....just kind of anxious...."

"I can see that, but it is something that was bound to happen, and I think that we have to be accepting of it all. Besides, when I gave birth, my husband admitted to me as I held my son that he was doing the exact same things you're doing now when he found out I was pregnant."

Kyo nodded at that as he was soon greeted by Duero who walked out of the room where he had been busy taking the five ladies through their examination. Kyo was about to ask the question to the Talark doctor but Duero smiled a bit and nodded at Kyo.

"The answer is yes....they are going to be expecting a baby in nine months time....congratulations Kyo, you're about to become a father."

Kyo felt his heart stop for a brief moment, then it came back online and start beating faster than before as he felt himself be struck by the realization that he was going to be a father soon, he then decided to see them for himself to see how they were dealing with the fact that they were soon going to have children and be mothers, Duero didn't stop him as Max came out and he also moved aside to allow him to be in the room.

As soon as he entered the room, he was greeted by Jura, Sara, Mai, Dita, and Meia, all five women hugged him and he could see that the five of them had beaming smiles on their faces as they each took turns kissing him deeply in the mouth, it was Meia who spoke first with evident happiness in her voice as she looked at her husband.

"Kyo....I'm going to have...I'm going to have a baby...."

Jura spoke as well.

"Me too....I'm going to bear your child....I'm so happy...."

Dita was the same as she was smiling and crying happy tears.

"I'm going to have a baby....I feel so happy!"

Sara spoke as well.

"I'm going to be a mother....I feel so blessed...."

Mai was not far behind with her sister wives as she spoke.

"Me too....I feel like I am going to pass of from all this."

Kyo replied by hugging them as well as best he could, he might not be able to hug all of them as tightly as possible but his action was felt by all five of them, and they knew full well that he was happy as well as they were at the news that they were pregnant, they had a lot to talk about and they would have a lot to plan for the future once the war is over.

He also vowed to make sure that all five women were going to be all right and be alive by his side as well as everyone else that had become like family to him after all that they had been through. He however had a feeling that he was not going to be the only man to be a father soon enough as he spotted both Parfait and Barnette make their way into the room with smiles on their own faces and showed the strips that were used by women in the past to show that they were soon to be expecting a baby.

Both gave the said strips to their respective husbands and as soon as they told the two men what that meant, the men blushed bright red and it took a moment for them to sit down and be hit by the fact that they were soon going to be fathers. Magno saw the whole thing and she was happy for them all and she vowed that until the time was right she was not going to do something foolish and lose the chance to see the children born of these vital unions between men and women show to the men of Talark and the women of Megele just how valuable it was to live together and be able to work side by side in both peace and war.

However, she did keep in mind that they needed to be careful and so, she and Kyo would no doubt have to find ways to keep the women and their growing children safe from harm.

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To be continued...

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Author's Notes:

I am really sorry for the very long delay and since you all at least know the reasons, then I hope that you all can excuse me for it. Anyway, I hope that this is worth the time that it took to make and is worth reading for all of you readers.

This is the latest chapter for GunDread SEED The Second Stage and this is the final part which sadly has no lemons in it, now it might be wrong since we are talking weddings here, but I need to focus on far more serious things from here on out for this fic since we are talking about the soon to come war between the alliance and the Harvesters so expect things in the next chapter to have some showing of how the men and women are getting along with one another before the final conflict starts and expect things to get rather nasty once the battles get underway.

Another thing I will point out is that sooner or later, we will have Kyo and the women he married interact with one another as Kyo will be juggling his responsibilities as leader while taking care of the woman who as of this moment are now officially pregnant, naturally since they will be key to winning this war with the Harvesters, he will be working hard in making sure that they will be given full protection to ensure that they will not be harmed.

The other crew members will get their turn as well and so will Max and Duero as they will now need to learn what it will be like taking care of their own partners as Parfait and Barnette will need to rely on them soon in life as they too will soon be having children of their own.

I hope that this will be a good thing for all readers since it has been a while since I had been working on this particular story. If you have suggestions, constructive critiques and the like to send to me, then send them my way, but flames will immediately be removed from the review center so don't expect to find them in my review area.

On the next chapter, we are going to see the results of some of Kyo's plans and how the men and women from both Talark and Megele will react to working in a co gender environment, expect some funny moments, and some serious ones as well to be balanced, and of course Kyo will have to deal with them all as soon as they happen as this is his duty as Grand Admiral of the Fleet. It will be a very interesting time and sooner or later, we will get down to the real fighting as the Harvesters will soon make their move.


	39. Not a chapter

Hell readers, I know that normally you would be expecting a new chapter update, but this is obviously not one of them. I right now I have good news and bad news.

Bad news first since it has to be squared away so we can get to the good news. Just yesterday afternoon here in my side of the world, I received the scan warning of my PC that my hard drive has finally become bad and failure is imminent. I have been hearing weird noises from my HD for some time and after having it diagnosed, my cousin finally confirmed that it is reaching the end of it's ability to function. And now that day has come so now I have to either have it replaced or repaired.

And considering the fact that it's an older HDD model, I am not sure if it can be repaired, I will ask my cousin if he can try to repair it but if it is not salvageable then I have no other option but to buy a new one. And considering my family's current finances which is not too good but not too bad either, it might take a while. So that means my PC is dead in the water

Now the good news, I have managed to back up all my files prior to the collapse of the HD in my USB devices so it's not a total loss. I will find a way to upload all my recently updated non Halo files into the site and continue there until I solve my hard drive problem. If that works out, then I will be able to still update my work so it will not be long before I continue. So if you see a new update after this message is sent, then you will know that I am still alive and kicking.

Just to be clear, all Halo stories are still on ice so don't ask me about them. I will unfreeze them when I have done what I want with the non Halo ones. And the non Halo stories will still be updated whenever possible so don't worry about them.

…

I know this is not what anyone wants, but it was bound to happen eventually so I have to make the most of it.

See you all soon.


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